What if Equestria wasn't all sunshine and rainbows? Friendship is Magic is retold in a dark fantasy setting where kings and queens rule a divided Equestria, sorceresses are persecuted and burned at the stake, and beasts wait around every corner.
This is the core story of the Camaraderie-verse. Reading order: Camaraderie is Sorcery, Season 1 (Ch. 0:0 - 1:27.4) Lady of Love Camaraderie is Sorcery, Season 2 (Ch. 2:0 - 2:27.3) King in the North Camaraderie is Sorcery, Season 3 (Ch. 3:0-3:14.3) The Other Side of the Mirror: Vol. 1 Camaraderie is Sorcery, Season 4 (Ch. 4:0- )
What if Equestria wasn't all sunshine and rainbows? What if the lands were wild, untamed, and ruled by powerful (and corrupt) nobles in the names of distant kings and queens? What if magic belonged not to every unicorn, but only to the privileged (and persecuted) few?
Camaraderie is Sorcery is a dark fantasy retelling of the story of Friendship is Magic. In this Equestria, the land is divided into kingdoms hungrily eyeing each others' lands and resources. This is a world where peasants are born, work, suffer, and die without their overseers shedding a tear. It is a world where bandits and monsters occupy both the wild places and the civilized ones (but in different forms). This is the world where Twilight Sparkle lives. Cant'r Laht, a shining city perched on the edge of a mountain with more nobles and mages than it knows what to do with, has been Twilight's home her whole life. Now, as the one thousandth summer solstice of the Fourth Age approaches, she will leave Cant'r Laht and depart for the tiny hamlet of Ponieville, where five companions await her. These Brave Companions, as the ballads will come to commemorate them, are already bound by destiny, though they do not know it yet. For who would ever imagine that a sorceress, a farmer, a Hunter, a blacksmith, a druidess, and a baker would ever become comrades with the strength to stop the end of the world?
Author's Note: I drew inspiration from several dark or realistic fantasy sources for the world of Camaraderie is Sorcery, but the most influential was the world of Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher novels and CD Projekt RED's video game series of the same name.
It reeked terribly within the privy. The sudden onset of winter had frozen everything at the bottom solid, creating an impenetrable barrier the fresh waste couldn’t pass through. No excrement would fall down the Titan’s Horn until either summer was restored or somepony took it upon themselves to do the smelly job of cleaning the privy shaft out. It would be unfair to ask somepony to do that she knew.
Celestia retched again, her body shaking from the force of it. What would my subjects think of me if they could see me now she thought, my body weak and immobile while I puke up my supper? Another wave of nausea and vomiting struck her, even harder than before. Why did I have to ask for a third course? she asked herself not for the first time that night. She should have known better. This violent sickness was far from unexpected; it happened every time she looked into the future. What made it so terrible tonight, though?
She knew, of course. It was a number of things, foremost among them the fact that her power was waning, and waning far more quickly than expected. I’ve been going downhill the last nine centuries she thought why should my deterioration speed up now? She knew the answer to that one as well. The portrait over the mantle would still be there when she emerged from the privy; the portrait she’d commissioned of her sister that was completed just weeks before the terrible betrayal that had torn their domain to pieces. In that portrait Luna—then still a queen like her sister—looked very regal, but also very cold. Night after night she looked down at Celestia with bright, accusing eyes. Why didn’t I have the painter give her a smile? But, of course, that would have been too unnatural; Luna was rarely happy in those last few years. You’ll be back soon, won’t you sister? But will you return and greet me as long-lost kin as I hope, or will you meet me as an enemy again as I fear?
But Celestia had more to contend with than just her sister’s prophesied coming. The winters were becoming more frequent, the White Procession becoming stronger. Even as Celestia emptied her stomach they wailed outside the castle walls, foul voices and the sound of windigo hooves drifting in the wind. I beat them once before, but then I had an advantage. They were in disarray after they changed their plans during the Long Night. I may have won, but they took my strength when I did; I shan’t best them a second time. Not alone.
Using the Sight had a terrible cost, one Celestia was now paying, but these were times more dire than any the immortal sorceress had ever seen. War had broken out in Equestria again only a week after a peace treaty was signed, unicorns were being hanged or burned at the stake, there were rumors of plague in the west, the dragonlords were getting restless in the east, and the Hunters were encountering more numerous and more vicious monsters. Despite the agony peering into the future had caused her, Celestia had seen a few useful things in her visions. As she’d suspected, the White Procession was wagering everything on bringing about the Last Winter; not exactly good news, but she could use it. Equestria was also in for a series of disasters in the near future; what comforted Celestia was that somehow none of them seemed to destroy the world. It was as if Equestria would be protected by someone or something. It didn’t take the Sight for Celestia to know that something powerful was also coming, it merely confirmed it. Are worlds about to collide again? Is that what I’m sensing? But it comes before the disasters, long before. Shouldn’t this bring about the end of the world?
There were too many questions, too many variables. Once her world stood still again, Celestia rose, wiped her muzzle, and left the privy. Only, in her head the world would never stand still; it was always spinning out of her control. Has it always been like this? Surely not, otherwise she wouldn’t remember those long summer days when she and Luna had been as close as could be, frolicking and bonding while advancing magic and ruling Equestria as the Two Queens. That was before Luna’s anger and Celestia’s arrogance had torn a chasm between them, however. Celestia was on her own now; Luna was gone, save for her portrait and the rooms kept prepared for her just in case for once Celestia’s wish was answered.
The fire had gone out while she’d been violently ill; frost now coated the embers and the priceless furniture in Celestia’s spacious apartments. With a rapid and precise incantation, she relit the fire and banished the frost. An ache crept down her overlong horn as she finished, however; not a good sign. You’re getting old, Celestia she told herself. Sorceresses and sorcerers were known to use magic to lengthen the span of their years, but not even the great Star-Swirl the Bearded had lived half as long as her. And now my time is nearly up.
There was one last thing she’d learned from her visions that night; she desperately needed to find an apprentice. With what was coming, there was no way she could face it on her own. In a way, the future was entrusted to her though; it was she who had to set everything into motion. She fetched herself some parchment, ink, and tea and wrapped herself in a manticore’s pelt before sitting on a low cushion and beginning to write.
Chapter 1:1 - Camaraderie is Sorcery, Part the First
Chapter 1:1 – Camaraderie is Sorcery, Part the First
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, two regal sisters ruled as queens of the united nation and brought peace and harmony to all the land. The eldest sister used her sorcerous powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all different types of ponies united as one. But, as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger sorceress refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had led her to dark spells, transforming her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon.
She vowed she would shroud the land in night everlasting and the two sorceresses battled for days, but neither could gain an advantage. In the end, the elder sister reluctantly harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her from Equestria, imprisoning her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both…
“…sun and moon,” Twilight Sparkle read from the dusty old tome, “and has kept watch over Equestria for generations since.”
Twilight raised her head from the book for the first time in hours and let her eyes readjust to the sunlight. Something in that last legend had tugged on a memory in the back of her mind, but in her haste to finish the story she had let it slip away. She took a long look around the Cant’r Laht gardens as she tried to remember what she’d forgotten. At last, it came back to her.
“Elements of Harmony,” she mused aloud, “I know I’ve heard of them before, but where?”
***
The thought continued to gnaw at Twilight’s mind as she made her way back to Cant’r Laht Castle. There was only one place she could have heard of the Elements of Harmony before. As Celestia’s personal protégé, she spent most of her time in her personal tower of the castle poring through grimoires and other ancient records, and her conversations with other ponies were few and far between. If she had to bet money on it, she’d wager that she had read of the Elements of Harmony in one of the tomes in her room.
The Cant’r Laht gardens were technically palace grounds, and as such were restricted to only the castle’s residents. However, the only permanent residents in Cant’r Laht castle were Celestia, the Blueblood family’s one living member, and—for just the past few years—Twilight herself. Long ago the gardens had been opened up—not to everypony in the mountain city—but just to the magical elite: sorceresses and sorcerers that displayed remarkable talent. This meant very few ponies were actually in the gardens at any one time, and Twilight was unlikely to run into anyone.
Today did not appear to be her lucky day, however, as she ran into three of her fellow sorceresses on the way to the castle. The one standing on the left had a light blue coat with a mane whose color was split between two different shades of blue. Her robes were midnight blue and white, with a high fringe at the collar and a necklace of teeth from both intelligent races and beasts around her neck. The second unicorn had a creamy white coat and a pink mane styled in an outrageous pattern. The dress she wore was a garish orange with red tassels, and a simple staff of cherry wood was slung across her back. The unicorn on the right edge of the group had a yellow coat, a sea blue mane and tail, and she wore a green robe with yellow highlights with plenty of pockets for holding magic cards.
“There you are, Twilight!” the one in the center exclaimed, “Are you coming to Moon Dancer’s gathering in the west castle courtyard?”
Twilight realized that all of them were carrying packages wrapped as gifts for a party. In the midst of all her studies, she had completely forgotten about today’s celebration. But she really felt that she was getting close to a major breakthrough; surely Moon Dancer would understand.
“Sorry Twinkleshine,” she addressed the leader of the group, “I’m afraid I’m not going to make it today. I have a lot of studies to work on.”
Nimbly sidestepping the trio of sorceresses, Twilight continued on her way. As she took off toward the castle, the other ponies turned to watch her go.
“Does she ever do anything but study?” Twinkeshine asked with a sigh, “She’s headed down a lonely path if she keeps putting books before friends.”
“I know I’ve heard of the Elements of Harmony before,” Twilight said to herself once she was out of earshot.
As she galloped to the castle, her purple and silver robes billowed out behind her dramatically. Everypony else she saw could tell that she was in a tremendous hurry and let her pass by undisturbed. Eventually she reached Cant’r Laht Castle’s north tower and ascended the stairs that circled the spire, keeping close to the wall to avoid being thrown off by the ferocious winds that raged at this altitude. Not that it would be a disaster if she did fall; Twilight was a powerful enough sorceress that she could nearly teleport in her sleep. As she reached the top of the tower, she threw the door to her apartments open, launching the baby dragon that had been standing behind them across the room.
“Spike! Where are you?” Twilight called for her assistant. A groan from the scaly creature she’d sent skidding across the floor answered her question. “Ah, there you are,” she addressed Spike, oblivious to the fact that she was the cause of his current uncomfortable state, “Quick, I need that old copy of Prophecies and Predictions.”
Spike gave Twilight a look as he picked himself up off the floor and dusted his doublet off before removing his tail from the crushed box it had impaled.
“What is that supposed to be?” she asked as she got a glimpse of the wrapped parcel.
“Well, it was a gift for Moon Dancer,” Spike replied as he examined the box, then gave a sigh as bits of glass and sand fell out of the jagged hole.
“Oh Spike, you know we don’t have time for that sort of thing,” Twilight berated him, making a mental note to send something to Moon Dancer later to make up for depriving her of two of her guests, “I’m close to a discovery here, I can feel it.”
Throwing her saddlebags to the floor, which Spike promptly picked up to put away properly, she dashed over to the bookcases that lined the walls of her study/living area. Books went flying from the shelves as Twilight hastily searched for one tome in particular. Spike gave a long sigh as he watched her undo all the hard work he’d put in that morning. After she finished, it would be up to him to reshelf these books all over again.
“Don’t you think you should take a break, Twilight?” he asked as he moved to help her search, “With the summer solstice coming up, most ponies are taking time off from work, not working harder.”
Twilight had books spinning around her in her magic now, none of them Prophecies and Predictions. With each incorrect title, she grew more irate.
“No, no, no, no. No! No! Confound it! Spike!”
“I’ve got it here!” he called back to Twilight from across the room, where he stood atop a ladder used to reach the higher shelves.
Having lived with Twilight since he was hatched, he should have known that was a mistake. With a spell, she grabbed the book and pulled it across the room, dragging Spike along for the ride and sending him skidding across the floor for the second time that day.
“Ah! There it is!” she exclaimed as she examined the book for herself.
Letting all the other books fall to the ground, she trotted over to a bookstand and threw the heavy tome down. Meanwhile, Spike picked himself up, dusted himself off, and started gathering up books. Pages flew as Twilight flipped through Prophecies and Predictions. Thankfully it was alphabetized, and it didn’t take long for her to find what she wanted.
“Elements of Harmony!” she announced excitedly, “See Mare in the Moon?”
“Mare in the Moon?” Spike asked, just as confused as Twilight, “Isn’t that just an old ponies’ tale?”
“Many legends contain some grain of truth; I think I just might have found this one’s. Let’s see what it says in Prophecies and Predictions,” Twilight said as she leafed to the “M” section of the book, “Mare in the Moon, a myth that emerged in the early Fourth Age after the False Winter. As legend goes, she was a powerful pony who wanted to rule all of Equestria, until she was defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. It is prophesied that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about nighttime eternal.”
“I don’t know, Twilight,” Spike said as he placed books back in their rightful places, “Maybe some legends are just that. You have to admit that story is pretty crazy; how could it even be possible to imprison somepony in the moon?”
“Normally I’d be inclined to agree with you; I’d say that this myth was just a way of explaining those odd patterns on the moon,” Twilight answered as she marked the legend with a velvet bookmark, “But this is different. We have two completely different legends mentioning the same things. I can’t believe that’s a coincidence.”
Spike still wasn’t convinced, but once Twilight’s mind latched onto a conclusion there was no persuading her otherwise. Many of the books Twilight had pulled down had come from the upper shelves, so the tiny dragon was forced to climb a ladder to put them away. If only I had wings, he thought, then I could just fly up to reshelf things. The ladder always made him uneasy; apparently whoever had designed it hadn’t had safety in mind, as the ladder was unattached to the shelving and free to swing out from it at any time. It did so as he was putting the last book away, and he was sent flying through the air. Fortunately this time he landed on Twilight’s back instead of the cold, hard ground.
“Spike, take down a letter to Celestia,” Twilight said, wasting no time and passing parchment and a quill to him while he was still on her back.
“Ready when you are,” Spike replied once his claws were on solid ground again.
“My dearest mentor, my continuing studies of magic have led me to conclude that we are on the precipice of disaster,” Twilight dictated.
“Hold on,” Spike interrupted, raising a claw, “How do you spell precipice?”
“Really, Spike?” Twilight asked, “Haven’t you been working on those books I gave you?”
“I have, but High Equestrian is a very hard language to learn, what with all the added accents and rules and all.”
“Fine, it’ll lose some of its formality, but you can write any word you don’t know in Low Equestrian. Celestia will understand, I’m sure.”
“All right,” Spike said with a flourish of the quill, “Con-tinue.”
“For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is in fact Nightmare Moon, and she is about to return to our world to bring about eternal night. Something must be done to prevent this terrible prophecy from coming true. I await your response. Your faithful apprentice, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight signed her own name in flowing script beneath Spike’s version of her name, and just above Dictated to Spike the Dragon. As he rolled the parchment up and sealed it, Twilight trotted over to the balcony that looked out on the rest of Cant’r Laht Castle. From here she could see across the Plaza of Fountains to the main keep, whose bulk dominated her view. It stretched all the way from the eastern gate, whose drawbridge spanned the slowly flowing stream that meandered through the gardens, to the great hall with its magnificent stained glass windows on the west where it stretched out over the valley below. Celestia’s tower was on the other side of the castle as Twilight’s, but she could easily see the spire from her quarters as it soared above the steepled roof of the keep.
“It’s all ready,” Spike announced as he finished the letter’s preparation.
“Good, send it immediately,” Twilight commanded.
“Are you sure?” Spike asked hesitantly, “Celestia’s busy preparing for the summer solstice. I doubt she’ll have time to read your letter for a few days at least.”
“It can’t wait until then,” Twilight said, trying to convey the urgency as she swiveled to face Spike, “The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, and this is the one-thousandth year it’s been celebrated. Nightmare Moon will be returning then, I’m sure of it.”
“Still…”
“Just send it already,” Twilight ordered, getting impatient, “I’ll take full responsibility.”
“Fine,” Spike said resignedly and torched the letter with a blast of green fire, sending the smoke cloud screaming through the air and out a window, “I still say she won’t have time to get back to you though.”
“Oh ye of little faith,” Twilight teased, “In all the years I’ve studied under Celestia, she’s never once had reason to doubt me. I don’t see why that would change now.”
As the minutes passed, Twilight paced back and forth and Spike set about tidying the room. For a pony obsessed with organizing absolutely everything, Twilight sure caused a lot of messes. After what seemed to Twilight an eternity, but Spike knew to be only a few minutes, a letter arrived through Spike’s flames. He deftly caught it in a claw as he tried to get the taste of burning paper out of his mouth. I’ll probably never become accustomed to that no matter how many letters Twilight gets.
“What did I say, Spike? I knew Celestia valued my insight and would recognize that we need to act swiftly. Come now, what does it say?” Twilight said with foallike glee.
“My one and only apprentice Twilight Sparkle,” Spike began to read, “You are the most talented young sorceress that I’ve had the pleasure to meet and work with, and you must know that I admire your diligence and trust you completely…”
“Of course,” Twilight said, looking quite pleased with herself.
“…but I think it’s high time you stopped reading so many dusty old tomes,” Spike finished.
Twilight stood dumbfounded at what she’d just heard.
***
“My dearest Twilight,” Spike read the letter for the sixth time, “The greatest sorceresses cannot thrive on their own. You need to learn that there is more to life than just books and spells. Therefore, you will be leaving Cant’r Laht immediately and will cease your studies. I am placing you in charge of the preparations for this year’s summer solstice ceremony. The attached letter will prove to anypony with questions that you are my personal emissary and will compel anypony in my territory to assist you. While the preparations for the ceremony are important, I have an even more essential task for you to complete. Mingle with those you meet, take a genuine interest them, and try to find somepony you can call a friend.”
Twilight groaned and leaned over the edge of the cart. I sent her vital information on a coming evil, and she tells me I need to make friends? What does Celestia think she’s doing? Unfortunately, Twilight hadn’t had the opportunity to ask her herself, as Celestia was secluded in her chambers until the summer solstice. Twilight had seriously questioned the legitimacy of the letter, until she had seen it for herself and examined the seal fixed underneath the message body. It was genuine, with a picture of Celestia flanked by the sun and moon in the center, a few of her titles ringing the edge. Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, Guardian of Sun and Moon, and Protector of Ponieville.
Ponieville; that’s where Twilight was headed now, in the back of a cart pulled and guarded by soldiers Celestia had provided. It was a three day journey from Cant’r Laht following the path carved through the Titan’s Horn and the White Mountains until the road skirted the edge of the Everfree on its way to Ponieville. Having grown up her whole life in a dazzling city perched on the side of a mountain, Twilight wasn’t looking forward to an extended stay in a muddly little hamlet whose denizens couldn’t even spell the town’s name properly. But that’s what you got when peasants with knowledge only of Low Equestrian tried to make their town’s name sound formal: Middling Equestrian, a mongrel language no educated pony would touch with a ten pastern pole.
The summer solstice ceremony, when Celestia displayed her power publicly for all to see by raising the sun, was usually held in Cant’r Laht. For centuries, it was only held in Cant’r Laht. That was before Ponieville had sprung up on the edge of the Everfree and claimed allegiance to Celestia. As the tiny settlement grew, more and more peasants made a pilgrimage each year to Cant’r Laht, overcrowding the city and leaving it a mess upon their departure. Eventually Celestia declared that she would hold the ceremony in Ponieville every four years so that her subjects there could witness her power without needing to come to Cant’r Laht. The mages in Cant’r Laht usually accepted it (the practice kept the lower classes out of the city, at least) but they were irate this year, since the thousandth summer solstice ceremony would be held in a backwater instead of Celestia’s seat of power. Nopony complained too loudly; as the most powerful living sorceress, Celestia was not to be questioned.
As the cart bounced over a hill, Ponieville itself came into view. The town was almost entirely made up of small homes with thatched roofs; peasant dwellings. A few other buildings stood out, obviously inns, public buildings, or the homes of the wealthy. These were much larger than the cottages, but by Cant’r Laht standards they were still puny. Their real distinguishing feature was that they were more often than not painted in bright colors, or had once been before years of rough weather had stripped or faded the paint. It was hard to determine from this distance which one was her destination.
“It won’t be so bad, Twilight,” Spike said, trying to cheer her up, “Celestia arranged to have you live in a mage’s laboratory while you’re here. Doesn’t that make you happy?”
“I wouldn’t use the word ‘happy,’” Twilight replied as the cart passed through the northern gate in Ponieville’s wooden palisade, “But yes, it does make our situation a little better. I’m going to complete my official duties for the summer solstice ceremony as quickly as possible; then I can return to searching for a way to stop Nightmare Moon’s return. If the mage who used to live in this laboratory was worth their salt, there ought to be plenty of books on magic there.”
“But if you do that, how are you going to ‘find somepony you can call a friend’ like the letter said?” Spike protested.
“I’ve been Celestia’s apprentice for years. I think I understand how she thinks,” Twilight said, trying to convince herself more than Spike, “Supervising the summer solstice ceremony is part of her plan to get me away from Cant’r Laht for a while; making friends is just a side note. Besides, the fate of Equestria may rest on me finding out more about Nightmare Moon; it certainly doesn’t rest on me making friends.”
As the cart came to a halt, Twilight gathered up her things and hopped out. It had rained the night before, and the town square was all mud. The edge of Twilight’s robes splashed in it as she landed. Perfect she thought with a groan like I have time to find a tailor while I’m here. Not that it was likely anypony with enough expertise to properly adjust the length of a sorceress’s robes resided here, but one could only hope.
“Thank you for the escort, but I can take it from here,” Twilight told the soldiers as two of them approached her, “You are relieved of duty until the summer solstice ceremony.”
The grateful guards trotted off to the nearest tavern, and their companions pulled the cart away to the laboratory before joining them. Her arrival had caused quite a stir among Ponieville’s residents. All around the town square, ponies in peasant garb stood gawking at the sorceress and her dragon page. None yet seemed brave enough to approach her, for which Twilight was thankful.
“You could at least try to be friendly, Twilight,” Spike, who had other ideas, said, “You’re living one of those adventure stories you like, and in those stories the hero never ignores everypony around her.”
“Fine, I suppose I could try,” Twilight groaned.
The opportunity presented itself almost immediately as one of the peasants trotted right up to her, seemingly unintimidated by her appearance. The mare was pink from her hooves to her muzzle, with a crazily fluffy mane. She was garbed in a faded tunic that appeared to have once been a plethora of colors.
“Greetings, my name is Twilight Sparkle-”, she began to introduce herself.
She was cut off as the pony before her let out a gasp of shock (or maybe it was joy; it was hard to tell) and took off in the opposite direction. Twilight was left alone with Spike again in the center of the square, standing dumbfounded.
“I feel like I’m on an adventure already,” Twilight said sarcastically.
***
“Spike, take a note under Improvements,” Twilight told Spike as they made their way down a muddy path outside of Ponieville.
“Again,” Spike groaned, “We haven’t even been here an hour and you’ve already had me write down three complaints for Celestia.”
“Forgive me if I’m taking my responsibilities as summer solstice ceremony overseer seriously and want to document the inefficiency of the process. Now, if you would take that note: in the future, the caterers for the ceremony should be chosen from within Ponieville to cut down on food transportation and overseer travel.”
“You don’t want to walk so much, got it,” Spike grumbled, but he wrote down exactly what Twilight said on her growing list of grievances.
She did have a point in this case, though. The overseer’s checklist that Celestia had provided had them trekking not just all over Ponieville, but all over the surrounding area. A local resident of Ponieville usually made the preparations, and for them it was probably a delight to travel around and meet their neighbors, but for Twilight it was a tedious chore. But, perhaps keeping Twilight traveling all over the place and keeping her from her books was Celestia’s intent. Spike would never dare speak these thoughts aloud, though.
At last, their destination came into view. The ponies in charge of the food for the summer solstice ceremony’s banquet were a family of farmers known as the Apples, whose farmstead was at the end of the road that stretched east from Ponieville toward the Everfree. A wooden palisade almost as tall as the one surrounding Ponieville circled the farm, but Twilight could see the top of a rickety old barn, wooden shack rooves, and the thatched roof of a farmhouse poking up from behind it. In the orchards surrounding the farmstead, ponies darted around collecting apples from the trees. One of them, an orange earth pony mare in roughspun clothing with a cap upon her head, spotted Twilight and galloped over to meet her.
“Welcome madam sorceress,” she said, giving a slight bow, “What brings you out t’ our neck o’ the woods?”
Well, at least she knows her manners, Twilight thought, and there are some peasants in Cant’r Laht who speak worse Low Equestrian.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle,” she said aloud, “I’m here as an official emissary of Celestia-”
She halted in her speech as she found her hoof being rapidly pumped up and down by the pony in front of her, a gesture of introduction in the poorer parts of the world if she remembered correctly. It was quite alarming, considering how courteous this pony had been just moments earlier. Still, this was more in line with what Twilight had expected from the ponies living around Ponieville, which was satisfying in a way.
“Greetings Twilight; it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Applejack,” the pony introduced herself as she continued to shake Twilight’s hoof, “The Apples have never counted a sorceress among their friends till now.”
“Friends? I think you misunderstand,” Twilight protested, “And my name is Twilight Sparkle, not just Twilight.”
“Sorry; guess I got a little carried away,” Applejack said as she finally released Twilight’s hoof, “What did you say your purpose here was?”
“I didn’t,” Twilight said, “But I was saying that I’m the official emissary of Celestia, and that I’m here to supervise preparations for this year’s summer solstice ceremony. I’ve been led to believe that your family is in charge of the food for the banquet. Is that correct?”
“It sure is. Would you like to sample some o’ the food we’ll be bringin’?”
At that moment, Twilight’s stomach chose to remind her that she hadn’t eaten anything that day since breaking her fast with a hard biscuit in the back of the cart. The summer solstice was the following day, and already this day was nearly half over. As much as Twilight wanted to complete her tasks as quickly as possible so she could return to studying legends about Nightmare Moon, she knew that she needed to eat.
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” she answered, “So long as it doesn’t take too long.”
Applejack took the horn hanging at her side and blew three blasts; one long, one short, and one long. The sound carried through the air and called the ponies out in the orchards back to the farmstead. Twilight knew that peasants often raised large families, but there was no way that everypony who came were siblings. There were so many that it surprised her that they could all live together on this one farmstead.
Applejack appeared to be the closest thing to the family’s leader, as she began ordering ponies around to prepare food for their guest. As they waited, Applejack and Twilight took a seat on one of the benches under a large canvas tent set up in the muddy farmyard. The farmer had many questions, about Cant’r Laht and about her dragon companion, and Twilight tried to answer them with as much patience as possible. As the minutes passed, she grew increasingly anxious that she wouldn’t have time to learn more about Nightmare Moon before the time of her prophesied coming.
“Say, have you ever actually met Celestia?” Applejack asked after she finished a long lecture on how the particular apples her family grew were such a hearty breed.
“Sure, I’ve seen her lots of times,” Twilight answered, “I am her personal protégé, after all.”
“Wait, you mean you’re friends with Celestia?” Applejack said in awe.
“I guess you could say that,” Twilight said, checking the sun’s position again.
“If you’ve got Celestia’s ear, maybe you could speak t’ her about the crop taxes…” Applejack said.
Here we go, Twilight thought, I also expected this. The peasantry in Celestia’s territory was tame as far as peasantry usually goes, but that didn’t keep them from complaining endlessly about the taxes Cant’r Laht collected to feed its own populace. Not that Celestia would do anything about it. The world’s most powerful sorceress did very little except for raising the sun and moon, and appointing ponies to do her governing for her. The real pony the peasantry should take their taxation grievances up with was Silver Scribe, Celestia’s provisions officer, but they were less likely to do anything about their plight when they thought they had to approach Celestia directly to get anything done.
“I think the crop taxes are more than fair,” Twilight said aloud, “Providing food for Cant’r Laht is part of your duty as Celestia’s subjects.”
“Of course,” Applejack said, dropping the subject, “Say, I think it’s high time I introduced you to my family.”
She proceeded to bring Twilight to meet each and every pony standing around in the yard. As Twilight had suspected, the Apples (aptly named, since each and every member had an apple-related name) were an extended family: cousins to the second, third, fourth, and fifth degree. The only ponies Applejack was closely related to were a bulky red stallion called Big McIntosh and a yellow filly named Apple Bloom. The matron of the family was an exceedingly elderly pony known as Granny Smith, even though she was nopony’s actual grandmother. She didn’t wake up while Twilight was there; instead, she dozed fitfully in a rocking chair nearly as gnarled and old as she was.
“The food’s ready,” one of the Apples announced just as Applejack was finished doing introductions.
Thank goodness, Twilight thought, I thought I’d be trapped here forever.
***
“Our next task is around here somewhere, I’m sure of it,” Spike said as he and Twilight walked through Ponieville’s streets.
“Good; hopefully we can make up some time here,” Twilight said.
Her first task had taken her far longer than she had anticipated. Not only had she wasted time speaking to Applejack and meeting the Apples, but the meal hadn’t been as quick as she’d hoped. She was well fed, as the farmers placed dish after dish before her to sample, but it had taken far too long to do so. Still, there was no doubt that they were adequately prepared to provide food for the banquet the following day, even if the meal wouldn’t be as cultured as one experienced in Cant’r Laht.
“It says here that this year the weather is entrusted to a pegasus named Rainbow Dash,” Spike said, inspecting Celestia’s list.
“I know the ceremony isn’t until tomorrow, but I’d feel a lot better knowing for sure the job will be done on time,” Twilight said, looking up at the cloud-filled sky.
A pegasus shot overhead, disappearing behind the town’s buildings. Twilight trotted off in the direction she’d been headed, hoping to catch a better glimpse. When she reappeared, Twilight could see that she was a cyan mare wearing the leather armor of a Hunter. What interested her most was that her mane was a spectrum of colors, making her a promising candidate for Rainbow Dash. Some dummies were set up in a practice yard, and the pegasus was swooping down at them from on high for a quick strike with her sword before ascending again.
Saying a quick incantation, Twilight teleported herself into the practice yard and in the path of the pegasus. She tried to raise a shield to protect herself, but the other pony was too fast, and she bowled Twilight over, sending her splashing through a particularly large puddle of water and mud. Nimbly, the pegasus launched herself off of Twilight and into the air, staying completely dry. Dripping wet, Twilight emerged from the puddle to face her.
“What was that about?” the Hunter asked, irate as she retrieved her sword from where she’d thrown it to avoid skewering Twilight in her descent.
“I was trying to get your attention,” Twilight said as she tried to get the mud off that was now splattered all over herself and her sorceress robes.
“Here, let me help you,” the pegasus said with a groan. Fetching a nearby cloud, she unleased a downpour on Twilight.
“Thanks; as if I wasn’t wet enough already,” Twilight grumbled.
Without warning, she was caught up in a whirlwind as the pegasus circled her, drying her coat and robes in seconds, though it also turned her mane and tail into frazzled messes. Spike chuckled when he saw her new look, and though the pegasus didn’t laugh out loud, Twilight could see the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“My apologies,” she tried to say with a straight face, “Speed-drying isn’t really an exact science.”
“You wouldn’t happen to be Rainbow Dash by any chance, would you?” Twilight asked, unamused.
“The very same,” the pegasus answered proudly, “I’ve never seen you around before. I’m impressed a sorceress who’s not from around here has heard of me.”
“I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I’ve been sent by Celestia to supervise the preparations for the summer solstice ceremony,” Twilight announced, “I’ve been led to believe that you’re in charge of clearing up the weather.”
“Right; that,” Rainbow said with disdain, “I’ll get to it as soon as I’m finished training.”
“The ceremony’s tomorrow at dawn,” Twilight reminded her firmly, “With the skies this overcast, shouldn’t you be working on clearing them now?”
“Listen, Twilight was it?”
“Twilight Sparkle, actually,” she said indignantly.
“Right; I’m a Hunter, and I can clear these skies in a breeze. So, what’s the point of clearing the skies up now when they’ll just get overcast again before the ceremony? My time is better spent honing my skills so I can get into the Wonderbolts.”
“You want to get into the Wonderbolts, the most elite group of Hunters in all of Equestria?” Twilight asked, “How are you going to convince the Wonderbolts you deserve to join them if you can’t even do the simple task of clearing the sky?”
“Fine,” Dash said, removing her sword harness and slinging it over a battered dummy, “I’ll show you.”
With that, she launched herself into the air, her powerful wings propelling her faster than Twilight had ever seen a pegasus move before. From pouches attached to her uniform, she pulled compact bombs and threw them up into the clouds. Flashes of light and crackling lightning accompanied the explosions as the clouds were torn to bits. Dash darted around, becoming a blur as she took out the remaining patches of cloud. In what couldn’t have been more than ten seconds, she’d cleared the sky. Twilight stood awestruck. In Cant’r Laht it would take a whole team of ponies the entire day to change the weather, but they weren’t Hunters.
“Bet you’ve never seen anything like that before,” Dash said smugly, landing next to Twilight, who was still shocked by what she’d just seen, “I’m going to get back to practice now, but I hope to see you around, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Twilight?” Spike asked with concern as he waved a claw in front of her face to snap her out of her daze.
***
“The ceremony is to be held here?” Twilight asked incredulously as she trotted through the Mayoral Keep.
In the years that the summer solstice ceremony was held in Cant’r Laht, the location rotated between Cant’r Laht Castle, Cant’r Laht Cathedral, and the Cant’r Laht Commons, all spectacular and glorious locales. Ponieville’s Mayoral Keep was anything but spectacular and glorious. The rough stone structure had been built when Ponieville pledged its fealty to Cant’r Laht two centuries earlier as a place for Celestia’s appointed mayor to live and a fort that the town’s residents could retreat to if they were attacked. The great hall Twilight was standing in must have seemed massive to Ponieville’s citizens, but even at its greatest length it was smaller than the width of Cant’r Laht Cathedral. The room was dark and dreary, with the only light provided by thin windows placed high in the walls and torches down below. At the eastern end of the hall a large set of heavy shutters acted as a wall, but they would no doubt be pulled open during the ceremony to let those attending see the sunrise.
“It’s not that bad, Twilight,” Spike tried to reassure her, “The decorations are impressive.”
That was true. Whoever had prepared the great hall for the ceremony clearly had good taste. Elaborate tapestries honoring and praising Celestia hung from the walls, bright banners in the royal colors of white, red, and gold strung between them. It wasn’t impressive by Cant’r Laht standards, but it certainly passed in Ponieville. It looked like Twilight’s job here would be quick and easy; all she had to do now was congratulate the pony responsible on a job well done.
She spotted her as she trotted out of a side door of the hall, carrying a basket filled with banners. The pony was a white-coated unicorn with a meticulously styled purple mane wearing an expertly tailored red and white dress suitable for the occasion. She wasn’t a fellow sorceress, that was for sure, yet there was something about her that set her apart from the other ponies in this town.
“Excuse me, I’m Twilight Sparkle-”, she started to introduce herself.
“Just a moment,” the other unicorn interrupted her, “I mustn’t be disturbed until I’ve completed this section of the décor.”
She didn’t even turn around to face Twilight as she set about hanging more banners. Here Twilight thought she’d found a pony of class, and she was being snubbed again. This town just could not give her a break.
Twilight was about to confront the decorator, when one of the tapestries caught her attention. Just like the others, it featured Celestia, but this one also contained another pony who wasn’t one of her happy subjects. That part of the tapestry was mostly obscured in shadow, but Twilight could make out a dark black alicorn being vanquished by Celestia. There was no doubt in her mind that it was Nightmare Moon, but what was this tapestry doing here?
“Where did you get this tapestry?” Twilight asked the decorator with urgency.
“One moment; done,” she said as she finished her decorating before turning to answer Twilight’s question, “These tapestries were originally created in the first century of the Fourth Era for a count in-Ahh! What happened to your coiffure?”
“It’s a long story,” Twilight admitted, just now remembering that her mane was still a mess, “I’ll see to it just as soon as I’ve finished checking over the preparations for the summer sun ceremony.”
“Oh no, no, no, no, no!” the decorator exclaimed, “That simply won’t do! Come with Rarity; I’ll have you fixed up in an instant.”
Before Twilight knew what was happening, she found herself being dragged out of the Mayoral Keep by Rarity, unable to resist.
***
How did I end up here? Twilight mused to herself as Rarity helped her try on different outfits, I’m wasting valuable time that could better be spent researching Nightmare Moon. After she brought Twilight back to her home—a larger than normal cottage with a shop on the first floor and a forge out back—she saw the state of Twilight’s robes and insisted on washing them. Now Twilight’s hair was back to normal, but her robes were still being washed, so Rarity was trying to find something else for her to wear in the meantime. Some of the outfits were even quite good, but Twilight had no time for this.
“Now, darling, where did you say you were from?” Rarity asked, finally giving Twilight a moment to get a word in.
“I’ve been sent from Cant’r Laht by Celestia-” Twilight started to say before she was interrupted by Rarity for the second time that day.
“Oh, I’ve always dreamed of living in Cant’r Laht!” Rarity exclaimed, “Well, that or Manehattan, but unicorns aren’t terribly popular out there. You simply must tell me all about it. I feel we could be great friends.”
“Heh heh,” Twilight laughed uncomfortably, “Well, I’ve got places to go and ponies to see. Thanks for helping with my mane, but I really must leave now.”
“But your robes are still wet,” Rarity protested.
“Caen’r nof ill’r majia’i acca Ye’r accael,” Twilight incanted, and her robes dried in an instant.
Twilight pulled her robe on, grabbed Spike, and dashed out of the shop before Rarity could react. It was rude, she knew, but she had more important things to do than try on clothes. She was running out of daylight, and she still had one more pony to meet with before she could finally get back to researching Nightmare Moon.
***
“Why would a musician live so far outside of town?” Twilight asked Spike as they trudged down a muddy trail that branched off to the south from the one they’d followed earlier to visit the Apples.
“Well, it does say here that she’s also a druidess,” Spike answered as he examined Celestia’s letter.
Of course she would be. It seemed to Twilight that the ponies selected to help with the summer solstice ceremony had all been chosen less for talent than to please the various factions that resided in the area. The peasant farmers, the Hunters, and Ponieville’s non-magical unicorn population were satisfied, so now it was time to pander to the druids. This druidess musician had better be something special to force Twilight to venture back out into the countryside.
Even with the sun starting to dry off the trail, it didn’t take long before Twilight’s robes were once again stained with mud. When the path passed through the copses that dotted the landscape, it narrowed and her robes became caught on branches and brambles. The closer she got to the Everfree Forest, the more numerous the thickets became, and the more frustrated Twilight got.
“Look Twilight! That’s got to be her!” Spike called out, pointing, as they emerged from a particularly nasty patch of briers.
Ahead of them, the path curved around a grassy hill that rose up above the surrounding fields. At its crown was a gnarled old tree completely devoid of leaves, its branches splayed out a good twenty pasterns in all directions. A hanging tree, Twilight thought as she noticed frayed old bits of rope still clinging to some of the branches. Perched in the tree were hundreds, if not thousands of birds, and their chirping, tweeting, and cawing had a strangely musical rhythm to it. After a bit, she realized that she was hearing a rendition of Raise the Sun, Celestia’s anthem. Standing at the base of the tree was a yellow pegasus in a druidess’s plain robes, her pink mane flowing freely over her back. As the birds finished their song, she glided up from the ground.
“Much better this time; just a few more improvements and we’ll be ready,” she said to the birds, just loud enough that Twilight could still hear her, “Crows, you need to tone it down. Nightingales, you’re coming in two beats late for the chorus. Now, one more time…”
“Hello there!” Twilight called up to the druidess, trying to get her attention before she began the song again.
Unexpectedly, the pegasus gave an “eep”, her wings locked up, and she fell out of the air. Squawking in panic, the birds in the tree scattered in all directions. Spike pulled Twilight to the ground as several birds nearly collided with her.
“Are you all right?” Twilight asked, rushing over to the pegasus once the bird swarm cleared.
The druidess picked herself up off the ground, stretched her wings to make sure nothing was broken or sprained, looked Twilight in the eye, and gave a tiny nod.
“I’m here to check on the preparations for the summer solstice ceremony,” Twilight announced after the pegasus was silent for an uncomfortable length of time, “I see you have the music well under control.” When the pegasus still didn’t speak, she added, “I’m Twilight Sparkle.”
Still the druidess didn’t seem to want to speak. Had she taken a vow of silence or something? That couldn’t be; she was just speaking to her animals, unless the druids didn’t consider that vow breaking? In an attempt to break the ice, Twilight extended her hoof just as Applejack had to her earlier. Tentatively, the druidess raised her own hoof to shake.
“I-I’m…” she whispered, her voice trailing off so that Twilight couldn’t hear the name she gave.
“My apologies. I couldn’t quite understand you. What did you say your name was?”
“I-I-I’m F-Flutter…” she said only a smidge louder this time, her voice trailing off again.
“Still didn’t get that,” Twilight said, getting a bit impatient.
The druidess released Twilight’s hoof and averted her eyes, giving out a shy little squeak. It looked like she wouldn’t be getting anything else from this pony. She should have been pleased, since this was the first time today that something had actually taken the time it was supposed to, yet Twilight was irrationally upset that this pony wouldn’t talk to her. With a sigh, she resigned herself to the fact and turned away, trotting back to Spike at the base of the hill.
“Keep up the good work,” she called back over her shoulder to the pegasus before addressing Spike, “Is that the last task on the list?”
An audible gasp came from behind Twilight, and she turned just in time to see the druidess streak past her.
“A baby dragon!” she exclaimed, “I’ve seen all kinds of creatures, but I’ve never seen a baby dragon before! What’s his name?”
Was this the same pony? Twilight couldn’t get a single word out of her, and now she couldn’t seem to get her words out fast enough. Twilight was a little hurt by the conclusion she came to, but it only made sense that a druidess would care more about an exotic creature than a sorceress.
“I’m Spike,” Twilight’s page introduced himself, “And yes, Twilight, that’s the last task. We can head back to the laboratory now.”
“Perfect. Well, it was nice meeting you,” Twilight said to the pegasus, even if they had only sort of met since she still didn’t know the druidess’s name, “I’m afraid we’re terribly busy and have to run.”
Pulling a startled Spike up onto her back, the sorceress trotted back down the trail to Ponieville.
“Wait!” the pegasus called from behind her, rushing to catch up, “I’m Fluttershy. I’ve never met a talking dragon before, Spike. What kind of dragon secrets do you know?”
“Um, not really any, except about myself,” Spike said, oblivious to the fact that Twilight was irked that Fluttershy was still basically ignoring her, “Do you want to hear about my life?”
“Oh, that would be wonderful!” Fluttershy squealed with delight.
“Well, it all began when I was hatched from a purple and green egg…” Spike began his story.
Twilight groaned. It was going to be a long trip back to Ponieville.
***
“…and that’s the story of my whole entire life,” Spike finished as the sun went down, “Well, except for today, that is.”
Twilight was so tired and tuned out, she almost didn’t realize they had reached their destination. Golden Oak’s laboratory was nothing like what she had expected. She’d never heard of the mage, but he must’ve specialized in plant magic based on what his home looked like. The entire building was grown out of a tree that had obviously been manipulated with powerful spells to give it a door and perfectly circular windows. Twilight wouldn’t have believed this is where she’d be staying if it weren’t for the empty wagon she’d rode in on that morning sitting out front.
“What happened today?” Fluttershy asked, the last straw for Twilight.
“Well, it was a pleasure to meet you,” Twilight said, trying to act sincere even though it had been more an annoyance than a pleasure, “But, I’m afraid Spike needs his sleep if he’s going to be any use at the summer solstice ceremony tomorrow.”
“But, Twilight, you keep me up all night all the ti-” Spike protested until he was bucked off.
“I’m sure you have to prepare for the ceremony as well, so I’ll let you get back home. Goodbye,” Twilight said to Fluttershy as she grabbed Spike and retreated into the laboratory.
“What’s gotten into you, Twilight?” Spike asked once they were alone in the dark, “That was rude even for you.”
“I know,” Twilight sighed, “But the day’s already over, and Nightmare Moon is supposed to return tomorrow. I just can’t spare the time for anything other than studying legends on her return. Now, there’s got to be a lantern around her somewhere.”
“Surprise!” a cacophony of voices shouted out as Spike found and lit the lantern by the door.
Twilight spun around, an attack spell prepared, when she stopped. The main room of the laboratory was filled with all the ponies the sorceress had seen earlier while walking through the town. They didn’t seem threatening, but why were they here?
“Welcome to Ponieville!” the pink pony Twilight had met earlier announced, separating herself from the crowd, “My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, and I’m the one who organized this party for you! Are you surprised?”
“Am I surprised?” Twilight asked, trying to keep her annoyance from showing through, “Of course I’m surprised. What are all these ponies doing here? I thought this was a mage’s laboratory.”
“Oh, it was. Professor Oak lived here until he died in the plague thirteen years ago. Nopony wanted to buy the place, not even Filthy Rich, so it became property of Ponieville,” Pinkie rambled on, “Mayor Mare didn’t want all Golden Oak’s books to go to waste, so she proclaimed anypony who could read could come here and borrow them. We also use it as a town meeting place. Of course, it’s not big enough for the summer solstice ceremony, but it’s just the right size to throw you a welcome-to-Ponieville party!”
When she paused to greedily suck in air, Twilight tried to escape through the crowd. This proved a difficult task, as nopony wanted to get out of her way without shaking Twilight’s hoof and introducing themselves. Everypony wanted to meet the new sorceress in town, but the last thing Twilight wanted to do was shake hooves with a bunch of peasants when she was in a hurry to prevent the prophesied end of days. She didn’t make it very far before Pinkamena caught up to her and started talking again.
“See, when I saw you arrive before, I knew you had to be new to Ponieville because I know absolutely everypony who lives around here. But it occurred to me that if you were new, it meant you hadn’t met anypony here yet, and that meant you didn’t know anypony and didn’t have any friends here. Nopony should be lonely, especially not on the summer solstice, so I gathered up everypony in Ponieville and brought you so now you can meet them and everypony in Ponieville can be your friend!”
Somehow, Twilight found herself face to face with all the ponies she’d met on her errands that day. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity were standing together, and even Fluttershy had somehow let herself back in to join them. They looked at Twilight expectantly as Pinkamena finished her spiel.
“Well, ready t’ party all night, Twi’?” Applejack asked, shortening her name to an even more inappropriate length.
“Twilight, darling, is there anything you’d like to say to your guests?” Rarity asked with a smile.
“In fact there is,” Twilight said coldly, but only Spike seemed to comprehend that the sorceress was about to snap. The crowd parted to let Twilight reach the small balcony overlooking the main room.
“Citizens of Ponieville,” Twilight addressed the assembled crowd, “Thank you all for showing up unannounced. Now, goodnight.”
Without another word, Twilight retreated into the bedroom behind her and slammed the door closed.
***
Twilight let out a long sigh as she tossed and turned on the lumpy straw mattress. Did a mage really sleep on something so uncomfortable? Of course, this probably wasn’t Golden Oak’s bed she was lying on. After he’d died in the plague, the bed had most likely either been burnt or claimed by Ponieville’s mayor. The bed she was trying to sleep in now had probably just been brought in once word arrived that Twilight would be staying here.
Not that she’d have been able to sleep even if it was the featherbed that Twilight was accustomed to. Golden Oak had to have been a powerful mage to have grown his home out of a tree, but when it came to architectural design, he was an idiot. The walls were far too thin, and Twilight could hear everything going on in the other room as the party carried on through the night. At some point, some ponies had brought a keg of hard cider in, and now the sound of sober partiers was mixed with the sound of drunken revelry.
Now that she’d had some time to cool down, Twilight regretted her actions, but every time she tried to work up the nerve to go out and apologize, she was reminded by the noise just how annoyed she was. Who did this Pinkamena think she was, inviting ponies into a laboratory reserved for Celestia’s personal protégé to party? How in Equus was she supposed to study the legends about Nightmare Moon when the bookshelves were blocked by celebrating peasants? Twilight had searched the books in this part of the laboratory, but there was nothing useful and she didn’t dare venture out into the main room to look for more. Maybe I could get Spike to do it for me…
“Hey Twilight, are you going to come join the party?” her dragon page asked as he let himself into the room uninvited.
“No, and what are those peasants even still doing here?” Twilight replied venomously.
“They have to stay up and party all night so they can see the sunrise,” Spike answered, a little cautious in case Twilight exploded at him again.
It hadn’t occurred to Twilight that her welcome-to-Ponieville party was also an all-night celebration before the summer solstice ceremony. As a well-respected sorceress, Twilight had attended many such parties in Cant’r Laht, but those were formal affairs were Celestia hosted a fancy dinner party for the city’s nobles, and the most prominent sorceresses showed off what they’d been working on the past year. This party was extremely rough and uncultured by comparison.
“You really should join the party, Twilight,” Spike said, “Celestia didn’t send you out here to be a social recluse.”
Twilight grumbled irritably as Spike left the room. He was right, though. Twilight had tried to convince herself that Celestia hadn’t really meant the portion of her letter about finding somepony to call a friend, but she knew deep down that she was wrong. Twilight’s friends in Cant’r Laht were all fellow sorceresses, and they acted more like colleagues than friends. Celestia had never steered her wrong before, and the odds were favorable that she was right about this too. Maybe she should go down and talk to the ponies at the party.
No, she rejected her previous thoughts, the future of Equestria may depend on me finding a way to stop Nightmare Moon; it certainly doesn’t depend on me making friends! She pulled out one of the books she’d brought along with her from Cant’r Laht and turned to the legend of the Mare in the Moon.
“It is prophesied that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about nighttime eternal,” Twilight read as she looked out the window.
Was it just her imagination, or did the sky not look quite right? She could have sworn she’d never seen those four stars near the moon before. But there was no way that could be possible. The stars had been constant for thousands of years, otherwise ponies would never have been able to chart them.
“I hope Celestia is right,” Twilight said to herself, “I hope the tale of Nightmare Moon is just a legend.”
“It’s time for the summer solstice ceremony,” Spike announced as he once more let himself into the room, “Let’s go, Twilight.”
“Coming, Spike,” she said as she pulled on her robes and hesitantly turned her back on the moon.
***
The great hall of the Mayoral Keep was dark and crowded when Twilight and Spike arrived. Peasants from all over Celestia’s domain had come to witness the sorceress’s glory, and they were packed tightly into the room. The musty stench of unwashed bodies overpowered the sweet, sugary smells of the food provided by the Apples. As official emissary of Celestia, Twilight was easily able to push her way through the crowd until she had a good view of the eastern wall. The shutters were still closed, but very soon they would open to reveal Celestia’s spectacular sunrise.
Excitement filled the air as all the peasants talked eagerly about catching a glimpse of their ruler. Celestia was grand, to be sure, but Twilight had spent so much time around her that it almost seemed an everyday occurrence to see her. Still, watching the world’s most powerful living sorceress raise the sun would be a treat even for her apprentice.
Celestia was here already, that much was certain based on the guards standing at attention along the walls of the great hall. There wasn’t much that could hurt the centuries-old sorceress, but it never hurt to be prepared, and it would only take one misstep to grant her enemies’ wishes. Twilight wondered if she’d flown here or arrived by portal. Twilight could do neither yet: the former because she had no wings, and the latter because she didn’t know how. Only the most powerful sorceresses in history had been able to travel through portals, and it always impressed Twilight that her mentor was able to open a door to anywhere in the world she could imagine and step through seemingly without effort. She dreamed of the day she too would be able to pull off such extraordinary feats.
Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted as Fluttershy’s birds began to sing. Everypony in the hall who knew the words joined in singing Raise the Sun. Spike was among them, and he sang loud and proud right into Twilight’s ear. When the song came to an end, an earth pony mare in an elaborate gown and ridiculously pointed hat trotted up to stand in front of the eastern shutters.
“Welcome, all of Celestia’s subjects!” the mayor said, earning her some cheers from the peasantry, “It is my great honor to announce the beginning of the summer solstice ceremony, where we will witness the magic of the sunrise on this, the longest day of the year! And now, I give you the Lady of the Mountain, the Keeper of the Day, the Guardian of Sun and Moon, and the Protector of Ponieville, the greatest sorceress of all time, Celestia!”
Ponies cheered as the shutters slowly began to roll back, opening the great hall to the outside air. The cheering quieted as there was nothing to see. When the shutters slammed open there was no Celestia standing on the balcony and it was still night.
“Oh no,” Twilight said breathlessly when she noticed the moon’s familiar pattern of a unicorn head had vanished.
“Now, now, there’s no need to panic,” the mayor said nervously, “I’m sure there’s an explanation.”
No sooner had she finished her assurances than a crackling filled the air. On the balcony where Celestia was expected to be, something was appearing. At first glance, it appeared very similar to the effect when a sorceress was teleporting somewhere, but a teleportation didn’t last so long. Also, teleportations usually emitted a slight glow; this one had a darkness to it and radiated lightning in all directions. Eventually the pseudo-teleportation came to an end, and the caster made herself known.
Standing in Celestia’s place was another alicorn, this one with a pitch-black coat. Her mane flowed in an ethereal wind like Celestia’s, but instead of a spectrum of colors, hers looked like a starry sky from the darkest night. Her appearance was monstrous, with slits for pupils and a row of fangs in her mouth. The black alicorn wore exquisite silvery blue armor that looked impenetrable to any weapon. Twilight looked from her to the tapestry where Celestia was smiting Nightmare Moon. There was no doubt that it was the same pony.
“Oh, my beloved subjects,” the alicorn cackled, her voice booming across the hall, “It’s been so long since I last looked upon your precious, sun-loving faces.”
“What have you done with Celestia?” Rainbow Dash demanded, launching into the air and drawing a sword. As Nightmare Moon fixed her with a stare, she was thrown across the room and became pinned against the wall.
“Am I no longer royal enough for you now that I have been imprisoned in the moon for one thousand years?” Nightmare bellowed angrily, “As soon as I was gone, you all rushed to that wretched usurper, did you not?”
“What’re you going on about?” Applejack asked, and was rewarded with a stare from Nightmare Moon that pinned her to the ground. Twilight looked back and forth between Rainbow and Applejack. If Nightmare Moon was able to keep two separate ponies immobilized using only her gaze, she was in possession of some seriously powerful magic.
“Have you truly forgotten me?” the alicorn demanded, “Do you not remember the legend? Did none of you see the signs?”
“I saw the signs,” Twilight said, wondering why she was speaking up, “I know who you are.”
“Well then, pray tell these ignorant foals who I am!” Nightmare Moon commanded as she swiveled her gaze over to Twilight. She flinched, but when she wasn’t flattened or thrown against the wall she figured she had pleased the dark alicorn. So long as she continued to keep her happy, things would be all right.
“You’re Nightmare Moon,” Twilight answered, “Also known as the Mare in the Moon.”
“Very good,” Nightmare Moon purred, “You know who I am, so you must also know why I have come. Enlighten your fellow ponies.”
“You’ve come to-” Twilight said but stopped before finishing. Nighttime eternal: it was too terrible to say aloud.
“It’s clear you know my purpose, and now all shall know it as well,” Nightmare Moon said with an evil grin, “Remember this day well, my little ponies, for it shall be your last. From this moment on, the night shall last forever!”
The dark alicorn cackled evilly and her nighttime mane and tail swirled around her and up into the air, filling the great hall with darkness. This can’t be real, Twilight thought as she watched what she’d feared come to pass. Then, as reality sank in, This is how the world ends.
To be continued…
Chapter 1:2 - Camaraderie is Sorcery, Part the Second
Chapter 1:2 – Camaraderie is Sorcery, Part the Second
Twilight stood transfixed in horror as Nightmare Moon cackled gleefully. She had known this was coming, but she hadn’t been able to stop it. Wherever Celestia was, she hoped that she had come to her senses and was preparing to deal with this threat that Twilight had tried to warn her about. She had to admit that this probably wasn’t the case. Celestia had been here when Nightmare had returned, and the mythical mare had something to do with her disappearance. She had to face the facts; Celestia wasn’t going to save Equestria from Nightmare Moon.
“Seize her!” Ponieville’s mayor said, rather foolishly, as she extended her hoof to point at Nightmare Moon, “She has to know where Celestia is!”
Most of the guards Celestia had brought along shied away from the black alicorn instead of attacking. They were the smart ones, who realized just how dangerous an alicorn sorceress of the same stature as Celestia had to be. Others were not so wise, and they drew their weapons and galloped or flew toward Nightmare.
“You truly think you can hurt me, you pitiful little foals!” Nightmare Moon bellowed.
Lighting coursed along her horn, and when the guards got close, she released it. The brave, but foolish, stallions screamed and dropped their weapons as they were fried in their armor. As their charred corpses fell smoking to the ground, Nightmare dissolved her physical form, transforming into a cloud of starry mist similar to her mane and tail. With the sound of a hurricane, the mist flew from the Mayoral Keep and disappeared into the night.
Silence fell upon the great hall, apart from the sound of Rainbow Dash falling to the floor. Ponies began to talk softly once they thought that Nightmare was truly gone, and then panic broke out. Shouts of dismay passed through the crowd as they all pushed to get outside and see where Nightmare Moon had disappeared to. Once Rainbow retrieved her sword, she flew out and over the Mayoral Keep to get a good look around. After only a few moments, she had to conclude that it was impossible to track down Nightmare Moon by sight alone, and the reality of the alicorn’s threat began to sink in. “Nighttime forever?” she wondered as she tried to wrap her head around the idea. “Where are you going and what do you know?” she asked suspiciously as she spotted a figure moving with haste away from the Mayoral Keep.
That figure was Twilight Sparkle, with a drowsy Spike trying desperately to hold onto her back as she galloped through Ponieville’s darkened streets. Nightmare Moon changing form like she had when she’d departed only elevated Twilight’s evaluation of how dangerous she was. According to the legend, she’d been defeated last time by the Elements of Harmony, and Twilight bet that the Elements were the only things powerful enough to defeat her again.
The door to Golden Oak’s laboratory had been left unlocked, and Twilight pushed it open as she entered. Spike went to sleep as soon as she dropped him on the bed. He was a baby dragon, after all, and staying up all night hadn’t been kind to him. After lighting some lanterns, Twilight began to search through the books in the laboratory she hadn’t been able to get to earlier.
“Elements, elements … There’s got to be something, somewhere,” Twilight mused aloud as she searched through Golden’s Oak’s vast and varied library, “Without the Elements of Harmony, how can I possibly hope to stop Nightmare Moon?”
“Just how do you know so much about Nightmare Moon?” Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously from the doorway of the laboratory, having let herself in, “It seems mighty convenient that you showed up in town merely a day before she returned to plunge the world into eternal night. Who would question a sorceress, especially one claiming to be the personal student of Celestia herself? Even I was fooled.”
“I don’t think I like what you’re suggesting,” Twilight replied, narrowing her eyes as Rainbow began to pull at the silver sword strapped to her side, “I was sent here by order of Celestia. Falan otha ye!”
“What are you hiding?” Rainbow demanded as her sword struck the spherical shield Twilight had conjured around herself. Sparks flew from the blade and shield as the two mares stared each other down, neither willing to yield.
“I think that’s quite enough o’ that,” Applejack said as she cuffed Rainbow in the back of the head.
With an unhappy snort, Rainbow sheathed her sword and Twilight let her shield down. During Twilight’s tussle with Rainbow, four more ponies had let themselves into the laboratory uninvited. Applejack placed herself between the Hunter and the sorceress while Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkamena hung back near the door. Why do I keep running into these same five ponies? Twilight wondered.
“You’re no friend of Nightmare Moon, I’m sure of that,” Applejack addressed Twilight while shooting a glare in Rainbow’s direction, “But you do know more than you’re letting on, don’t you?”
“I suppose there’s no use in keeping it quiet, now that Nightmare Moon has returned,” Twilight said after letting out a deep sigh, “Just a few days ago, I found a legend about Nightmare Moon that predicted she would return on the longest day of the thousandth year since her banishment to the moon. I hoped the prophecy wouldn’t come true, but as you all know personally, it did.
“According to the legend, Nightmare Moon was defeated in the past by magical objects known as the Elements of Harmony. I believe these Elements are our only hope of stopping Nightmare from succeeding in bringing about nighttime eternal. The problem is, I have no idea what the Elements of Harmony are, where they are, or even how to use them!”
“Maybe the answer’s in… here!” Pinkamena said, pulling a random book from the nearby shelf and throwing it to Twilight.
“What?” the sorceress said in disbelief as caught the book and saw its title, “Golden Oak owns a copy of Magical Relics of Modernity and Myth? Not even the archives in Cant’r Laht were able to procure a copy!”
“Well, does it say anything about the Elements of Harmony?” Rarity asked as Twilight flipped through the book.
“It does, in fact,” Twilight said as she found the right page, and she cleared her throat before continuing, “There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five of them are known: Compassion, Mirth, Charity, Trustworthiness, and Allegiance. The sixth is a complete mystery.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Pinkamena asked, interrupting Twilight’s reading.
“I suppose it means the name of the sixth Element is unknown,” Twilight explained, “The others are all named after virtuous qualities, so I expect it’s called Patience or Humility or the like.”
“I knew a Hunter once who had a sword called Humility,” Rainbow Dash interjected.
“Yes, thank you for sharing. May I continue?” Twilight asked, hefting Magical Relics, “It is said that the Elements of Harmony rest to this day where they were last used, within the Three Palaces of the Two Queens, deep within the … Everfree Forest!”
***
“Are you sure about this, Twilight?” Applejack asked as the group of six ponies stood at the cursed forest’s edge, “The Everfree Forest is huge, not to mention dangerous.”
“Your family didn’t seem to have a problem building your farm right on the edge of it,” Twilight retorted.
“Exactly; on the edge, not inside o’ it,” the peasant farmer stressed, “Everypony in all of Equestria knows how dangerous the Everfree is, and your plan is t’ wander through it until you find some castles where the Elements o’ Harmony might be.”
“Applejack’s right,” Rainbow Dash backed her up, “Even if you manage to get past all the monsters that live inside the forest, how do you intend to find the ‘Three Palaces of the Two Queens’?”
“Well,” Twilight said, looking around and trying to come up with an idea before her eyes latched back onto Rainbow, “Instead of being critical, you could help out by flying up and looking out over the forest.”
“You’re kidding, right?” the Hunter said, crossing her hooves over her chest, “You know how big the Everfree is. Sure, my eyes are better in the dark than most, and I could fly pretty high up, but even on a bright, cloudless day you couldn’t see the other side of the Everfree Forest from Cant’r Laht.”
“Would you just try? According to the legend, Nightmare Moon once ruled from the Three Palaces of the Two Queens. Now that she’s back, there might be some activity going on out there,” Twilight said, coming up with the excuse on the spot.
“Fine,” Dash said resignedly before taking off into the air and flying out of sight.
“I don’t believe it,” she said as she landed a minute later, “There’s something out there. A ways east and a stone’s throw north of here, there’s an old ruined tower with light coming from it.”
“Do you think this path leads to it?” Twilight asked as she gestured to where the trail led into the forest, quickly degrading in quality the deeper in it went.
“Maybe it did once, but who knows now?” Rainbow said, giving a shrug, “It’s been a thousand years since it was last used, right?”
“I’ll have to take my chances,” Twilight said with determination as she stared at the entrance to the Everfree forest.
“You won’t be taking them alone,” Applejack said as she placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. Is she serious? What is it with this pony and touching me?
“Look, I appreciate the offer,” Twilight said as she removed Appejack’s hoof from her shoulder, “But I really think it would be best if I did this on my own.”
“I’m afraid I must agree with Applejack,” Rarity said, “We simply cannot allow a friend of ours to wander off into that deadly and dangerous forest on her own.”
“So, what, suddenly the six of us are some kind of dream team?” Twilight asked, feeling a bit annoyed and wondering once more why these five random strangers considered her a friend, “No offense, but when was the last time you heard of a sorceress, a farmer, a Hunter, a seamstress, a druidess, and… sorry, but what were you again?”
“I’m a baker!” Pinkamena said excitedly.
“Ri-ght,” Twilight said slowly, “Anyway, when did you last hear about ponies from all those different walks of life saving the world?”
“Well, never,” Fluttershy admitted quietly, though her voice became more certain as she went on, “But we can’t just sit back and do nothing when we know there’s a chance to stop Nightmare Moon.”
“Fluttershy’s right,” Rainbow Dash said, “Besides, without me to fly up above the trees, how do you intend to make sure you’re still headed toward the tower?”
“Well, I …” Twilight said weakly, unable to come up with any answer.
“Let’s get going, then,” the Hunter said, leading the way into the forest.
“Fine,” Twilight sighed as she followed the others down the path into the Everfree.
***
Though the trail was in poor shape, overgrown after centuries of neglect, it was still fairly easy to follow. Back a thousand years earlier, it had to have been the main road to Equestria’s capital where the two queens had ruled. The path had been wide enough for even the largest carts or carriages to roll side by side, and evidence of its existence survived to the present day. By looking carefully at the contour of the ground and how the trees were situated, one could tell where the path had once run. Whenever the trail disappeared, Rainbow was able to use her skills as a Hunter to pick it up again. Twilight had to admit that maybe she’d been wrong about trying to keep the pegasus from coming along. She wasn’t sure about the other four yet, though.
“So, have any of you ventured into the Everfree before?” Twilight asked as they picked their way through a patch of brambles.
“Heavens no,” Rarity responded as she tried to find a way through without snagging her dress, “I mean, just look around. There’s a reason nopony civilized lives here.”
“It’s full o’ monsters too,” Applejack added, already standing farther down the trail and holding branches out of the way so that those behind her could pass, “I’ve seen ‘em now an’ then, but never been foolhardy enough to go looking for ‘em.”
“Well, I’ve been in here before,” Rainbow said proudly, “But the only monsters I’ve hunted have lived in the fringes. Fluttershy’s actually been deeper in than me.”
“Fluttershy?” Twilight said incredulously. The thought of a pony who acted so shy and meek having the courage to enter the most dangerous place in Equestria was almost too much to believe.
“Well, not all the animals in the Everfree are monsters,” Fluttershy replied timidly.
Twilight had to consider that Fluttershy was a druid, and therefore cared for all the wild animals and their environment, even if they lived in a place as deathly dangerous as the Everfree. While she was still pondering that, the forest cleared, and the ponies found themselves standing at the edge of a cliff. The path took a sharp turn off to their left, where a strip of land dropped in altitude before turning right again. Ten times, the former road switched back and forth as it descended the cliff before continuing east along the valley floor below. It disappeared beneath the dark canopy of leaves that stretched off in every direction. Far off in the distance, a light was visible above the forest.
“That has to be the tower,” Twilight said aloud (though it was mainly directed at herself) as she stared out at it.
Without warning, the cliff’s edge gave way. Twilight tried to backpedal, but the whole cliff started coming down, hunks of stone and earth complete with trees falling away. Rarity and Pinkamena were closest to the edge, and they fell first, Rarity screaming as she slid down the crumbling slope. The pegasi in the group took off into the air as the ground fell away beneath their hooves.
“Fluttershy! I’ve got Pinkamena, you catch Rarity!” Rainbow Dash yelled authoritatively before diving towards the pink pony.
One last, large piece of cliff tipped over the edge before becoming lodged in place. Both Applejack and Twilight had been galloping on it when it fell and went sliding down the steep slope. The farmer pony managed to grab onto a tree trunk, but Twilight kept sliding. For a moment, she was able to stop her fall by bracing her hindhooves against a rock, but was forced to move to the side as a tree came sliding down the slope at her. She didn’t come to a stop again until she reached the edge and dug her forehooves into the earth, her hindlegs left hanging out over the forest.
There was a twisted root not far up the slope from where she was hanging, and Twilight tried to teleport up to it. The spell was perfect in her mind and the casting was flawless, but for some reason the magic just fizzled out along her horn. What’s going on? Why isn’t my magic working? In the panic of the moment, she’d almost forgotten she was in the Everfree Forest. It wasn’t just unnatural because it was full of monsters and overgrown with twisted plants; magic didn’t work properly here either. Realizing that her magic, the one strength she had that had never failed her, wouldn’t work here, Twilight tried to pull herself up. Twilight had always been more focused on her studies than physical fitness, and she didn’t have the upper body strength to pull herself over the edge. Instead, she found herself slipping farther over it.
“Hold on, Twilight; I’ve got you,” Applejack called as she abandoned her tree trunk and slid her way down to the sorceress, hooking a hindleg around the root and grabbing Twilight’s forehooves with her own.
As the ground shifted again and the slope got steeper, Twilight began to slip. The root keeping her and Applejack from plummeting to their deaths started to pull free from the ground. Worriedly, Applejack looked back at it before facing Twilight. It can’t hold us both.
“Twilight, I’m going to let you go,” Applejack said to the stunned sorceress.
“What? Are you trying to kill me?” Twilight asked incredulously.
“No, you-” Applejack started to explain, until she was interrupted by a tree slamming into the ground next to the two ponies and sliding over the edge, “You’ll be safe; you have to trust me.”
Trust her? I barely know her! A truth spell would be useful here, but even if Twilight could find one, there was no guarantee that it would work in the Everfree Forest. Twilight’s mind was racing at a hundred leagues an hour until she looked up at Applejack and the root she was holding onto, which was slowly being uprooted. There was no time to doubt, and there was no lie in the farmer pony’s eyes. For better or worse, Twilight had to trust that she was telling the truth.
As soon as Applejack saw the acceptance on Twilight’s face, she let go and the sorceress slid over the edge. The broken heaps of rock and turf below Twilight rapidly approached as she fell. Before she could splatter against them, however, she felt two forelegs hooked under her own, slowing her descent. She looked over her shoulder to see Rainbow Dash holding her. As the Hunter set her down, Fluttershy landed with Applejack nearby. The druid was apparently much stronger than she looked.
“See, Twilight. I told you you could trust me,” Applejack said as she trotted over, “I’d never lie to a friend o’ mine.”
Twilight still wasn’t sure about this “friend” business, but she was grateful to have Applejack along, and she did trust her after what had just happened.
***
“How many times do I have to tell you, Rainbow?” Twilight said wearily as they trekked through the forest, “I’m only going to thank you once.”
“All I’m saying is that I thought you’d be more grateful to me for saving your life,” the pegasus said nonchalantly as she flapped beside the sorceress.
Twilight grunted in reply. Perhaps she should have expressed her gratitude more, but there was no way she was going to do it now, not with the Hunter pushing her to. Rainbow’s tracking abilities were still proving useful, but the pegasus herself was getting on Twilight’s nerves. As she’d originally surmised upon meeting her, the mare was extremely arrogant. Saving Twilight from falling to her death had only caused that irritating aspect of her personality to come out stronger.
The deeper the six ponies got into the Everfree Forest, the quieter they were. That suited Twilight fine, but it always gave her a start when they did choose to speak up. It was especially unsettling walking through the woods in eternal midnight while things could be heard moving around them. The path was clearer here than it had been before, though. The animals in the area had decided to use the same path the ponies had before them, and had kept the underbrush and trees away. Some of the trees were even shoved to the side, partially uprooted as some animal had passed through. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had several suggestions on what kind of creature could have done such a thing, and none of them were pleasant.
“We must be close to the tower by now,” Twilight said as the trees started to thin out, “Rainbow, take another loo-”. A roar from above cut off the end of Twilight’s words.
The sound of wind rushing over wings accompanied the creature as it jumped from the cliff to the left and landed nearby. The beast had a lion’s body, but its tail was that of a scorpion and a pair of bat wings sprouted from its back. Its mane was tangled and filled with branches and brambles, and the face in the center of it was twisted with anger. The ponies got a good look at the multiple rows of teeth inside its mouth as it roared again, sending saliva and venom flying in their direction. From descriptions she’d read in books back in Cant’r Laht, Twilight recognized this creature as a manticore.
“Manticore! Stay back!” Rainbow yelled, confirming what Twilight already knew.
The Hunter drew a sword and shot off toward the manticore, zipping past Fluttershy. She deftly dodged the first swipe of its claws, but nearly ran into its tail in the process. As she zipped around the stinger, the manticore stretched out its wings, forcing Dash to dodge again. This manticore was shaping up to be quite the threat; Rainbow Dash was a good Hunter, but this monster was out of her league. She wasn’t able to get any strikes in, only avoid its attacks. I’ve got to do something, thought Twilight.
“Get away from the manticore,” Twilight ordered before drawing a rune in the dirt in front of her and taking a stance, “Ye seni cavan’r affle!”
Magic began to build along Twilight’s horn, congealing in the air above the rune and forming the shape of a lance. Rainbow Dash had heard Twilight’s command and was now clear of the manticore, watching the sorceress cast her spell. Twilight just had to stand still for a few more moments, and her sorcery would obliterate the monster.
“Stop!” Fluttershy yelled, placing herself between Twilight and the manticore.
“Fluttershy, get out of the way,” Twilight said with a frown, but she powered down her spell when the druidess still refused to move, “Majia vinta!”
“What are you thinking, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked indignantly as Twilight’s magic faded away and the druidess still stood stubbornly between the manticore and the other five ponies.
Without responding, Fluttershy turned her back on her companions and trotted toward the monster. She ducked as the manticore swung at her, and its claws sailed over her head. When it roared at her, she had her hood up, and its venom hit harmlessly against the coarse fabric. The druidess stepped deftly to the side as the manticore tried to slam one of its paws down on her.
“Now, now, there’s no need for that,” Fluttershy lectured calmly, “Why don’t you just tell me what’s wrong?”
The manticore roared again, louder this time, and its mouth opened around Fluttershy’s head. Rainbow Dash readied her sword, Applejack looked around for something to use as a weapon, and Twilight prepared a spell. The druidess placed a hoof against the manticore’s shoulder as it stopped roaring and it gave her a quizzical look.
“Why didn’t you say so?” Fluttershy said, “We can help you.”
“She can understand it?” Twilight exclaimed. She had heard that druids had a closer connection to animals than most ponies, but she’d never heard of them being able to communicate with them directly.
The manticore seemed a whole different creature now, and it looked at the ponies without rage before moving aside.
“This good creature attacked us seeking retribution,” Fluttershy explained to the group, “You see, her cubs were killed recently…by a cloud of purple and blue smoke.”
“Nightmare Moon,” Rainbow said angrily as she sheathed her sword.
“Yes,” Fluttershy said with a nod, “I explained that we are also seeking Nightmare. She will allow us to pass now.”
Everypony was still for a moment, wondering if they could truly trust the monster. Then, they began to move uneasily past the manticore. It eyed them as they all passed by, but true to Fluttershy’s word, it didn’t attack. Once they were past it and back in the trees, Twilight pulled the druidess aside.
“Back there, how did you know the manticore would let us pass?” the sorceress asked.
“I didn’t,” Fluttershy replied, shocking her.
“Then why did you step in? I had the situation handled.”
“Violence isn’t always the answer,” Fluttershy said thoughtfully, “Sometimes all you need to do is show a little compassion.”
The druidess trotted away, but Twilight waited a bit before following, considering what she’d just heard. At the moment, all she was sure of was that she was grateful for one more pony at her side.
***
“Well, if this is all that’s left of the Three Palaces of the Two Queens, I must admit I almost feel sorry for Nightmare Moon,” Rarity commented.
After hours of travel, they had finally reached their destination, but it wasn’t anything like what they’d expected. A rough stone building stood before them composed of two circular towers connected by a thick stone wall. The larger tower was broad and still mostly intact. The other was much taller and thinner, but the top had broken off many years earlier and was lying in pieces nearby. The light that had led them here was coming from a blaze at the top of the taller tower, but many smaller lights came from the windows of the shorter tower along with sounds of revelry. Somepony was celebrating, and it didn’t take Twilight long to figure out who.
Hanging haphazardly from windows in the shorter tower was a large, ragged banner. The cloth was black as the night, and emblazoned on it was a silvery-blue crescent moon with four four-pointed stars arranged in a diamond above it. There was only one group who could be holed up here, celebrating in the midst of eternal darkness: the Children of the Night.
The Children of the Night were a cult outlawed throughout every civilized nation in Equestria. Nopony knew too much about them, since most ponies who met them were being dragged off to be sacrificed. One thing Twilight knew about them was that they worshipped a dark goddess they called the Mother of the Lost, though their fixation with the night and the moon led her to suspect their deity’s true identity. If the Mother of the Lost was Nightmare Moon, her followers certainly had reason to celebrate.
“So this is where they ran off t’” Applejack said softly as they peered through the brush.
“You knew the Children of the Night were out here and you didn’t notify Cant’r Laht?” Twilight asked indignantly.
“Calm down, Twilight. Back when they still dared build their …‘churches’ in the wilderness around Ponieville, we Faust-fearing ponies always hunted them down,” the farmer explained, “Then they fled into the Everfree, and we didn’t dare follow them. We figured if the beasts here didn’t get to them, then we’d take care of them if they ever came back.”
“Well, we don’t very well have time to do that now, now do we?” Rarity commented.
“No, but we should question them,” Twilight said, and she received puzzled stares as a response, “I believe the Children of the Night worship Nightmare Moon, and if so, they may know where she has gone.”
“Judging by the noise, there’s at least forty ponies in there,” Rainbow Dash commented, “Even for me, that’s pushing it.”
The ponies ducked down behind the bushes when a door (made of wood far newer than the doorway it was set into) in the shorter tower opened. A young stallion with an orange coat trotted out into the darkness. He wore a hooded cloak made from rough cloth dyed a deep blue, and he carried a large wooden bucket in his mouth. Upon reaching the nearby well, he hooked a rope around the bucket’s handle and lowered it down.
As Twilight and her companions snuck up on him, his grumbling became more audible. He was still complaining about being forced to leave the celebration to fetch the water when Applejack tackled him and pinned him against the well. He struggled to get free until his eyes flashed down to the knife Rainbow Dash held against his neck.
“So, what brings you ponies way out here?” the stallion asked, “A jester, a farmer, a Hunter, a socialite, and… is that a druidess hiding behind those bushes?”
“You forgot me,” Twilight said as sparks of magic crackled along her horn (no more than a cheap trick, but it was useful for intimidating the uneducated), “a sorceress from Cant’r Laht studying directly under Celestia.” If the cultist was scared of this revelation, he certainly didn’t show it.
“Ah yes, you must be the Fiery Usurper’s little lapdog,” the stallion said with a smile, causing Twilight to recoil in anger, “Then you would know best of all how much trouble you’re in now that our Mother has returned to us!”
“That’s enough of that,” Rainbow said as she pressed the knife closer to the cultist, drawing a little blood, “The only thing you’re going to do now is tell us exactly what we want to know about Nightmare Moon.”
“You worship her, don’t you?” Twilight asked, “Now that she’s returned, where is she?”
“That you’ve come all the way out here means you must already know,” the cultist replied as he stared up at Twilight from an odd angle, unable to move his head without slicing his neck open, “Nightmare Moon has returned to her ancient seat of power: the Three Palaces of the Two Queens—the Palace of Night to be exact.”
“And how exactly would one reach said castle?” Rarity asked after clearing her throat.
“You really think you want to go there?” their hostage asked, “You do realize that Nightmare Moon is not only the most powerful sorceress to have ever existed, but one who achieved godhood as well?”
“Just answer the question,” Twilight pushed.
“Unless you just happened to stumble upon this place by accident, you followed the old royal road to get here. Keep following it east, if you really want to be torn apart by our Mother and die in agony.”
“Thank you for your cooperation,” Twilight said icily as Rainbow Dash removed her knife from the cultist’s neck.
“You’re not going to kill me?” he asked after Applejack roughly shoved him against the well before letting him go.
“No, we don’t have time for that,” Twilight said, “But make no mistake, every Child of the Night will die if they are still here when we return. Let your friends know when you wake up.”
The stallion slumped over as Applejack clocked him over the head. Twilight examined the clearing they were standing in. It was difficult to find the road at first, since a path through the trees was hard to find when all the trees had been chopped down. Eventually though, she spotted it and led the way back into the Everfree Forest. They were back on the trail of Nightmare Moon, and hopefully the Elements of Harmony as well.
***
“Is it just me, or is it getting colder out?” Rarity asked as they passed through a particularly dark patch of forest.
“It is getting colder,” Twilight answered, “Our world relies on the sun’s light to warm it. We’ve been walking long enough that the sun should’ve risen and set by now. Until things are returned to their natural order, our side of Equus will only continue to get colder.”
“Our side?” Applejack asked, puzzled, “Is there another side?”
Twilight had to remind herself that not everypony believed in a spherical world as the sorceresses in Cant’r Laht did. There was no time right now to explain the proof that Equus was a globe around which all the celestial bodies orbited, so she’d just have to live with their ignorance. She had forgotten that she was no longer in the company of her fellow scholars. These ponies accompanying her were not her friends, but … they didn’t seem like strangers anymore, either.
Even though it was still eternal night, the patch of forest the ponies were standing in suddenly grew darker. The leaves above their head blocked out all light from the moon, and the trunks around them grew so close together that no ambient light could get through either. Twilight tried to cast a light spell, but the magic became unstable and resulted in a small explosion that knocked her to the ground. She had forgotten that her magic didn’t work properly in the Everfree. Fluttershy may have done her a favor earlier by stopping her from completing her spell. If a spell intended for a peaceful purpose went awry so violently, there was no telling how things would have ended if she’d cast a weaponized one.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked as she helped the sorceress up.
“I’m fine, just a little shaken up,” Twilight replied.
All light disappeared in an instant, accompanied by the sound of creaking tree limbs and waving branches. With flint, Rainbow Dash struck a spark and lit a torch, illuminating their surroundings with a dull orange glow. The trees pressed in close on every side, including on the path before and behind. Dash dropped her torch as the trees seemed to come to life, grotesque faces on their trunks glowing with their own ominous light.
“What is this?” Rarity asked, horrified.
“We’re trapped!” Dash yelled as she drew a sword and charged the trees. She zipped all around and struck the trees multiple times, but caused no damage to them.
A low rumbling sound—almost like laughter—sounded ominously through the woods. It continued as the ponies backed into a circle, and the trees seemed to lean in closer. Twilight was startled as jaunty laughter cut through the dark and ominous atmosphere. The ponies turned as one to look at Pinkamena, who was staring down one of the tree-faces and giggling.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Twilight said tensely, “Get back from there!”
“Oh, they can’t hurt us,” the pink pony said dismissively, “They’re not even that scary; in fact, they’re kind of funny once you get a closer look.”
“How can you find this funny?” an annoyed (and quite nervous) Twilight asked.
“Well, I could tell you, but I think it would be better conveyed through verse,” Pinkamena said as she drew a lute from goodness knows where. She ran her hooves across the strings a few times and adjusted the tuning pins before bursting into song.
“When I was but a filly, and the light ‘twas going out,” “The darkness and what lurked within ‘twould cause me fear and doubt.” “I’d hide beneath my covers from dusk to ev’ry dawn,” “Until my granddam taught me how I fin’lly could move on!” “She…told…me…” “Pinkamena, stand up tall,” “Face your fears, one and all.” “No harm can come from any fear,” “Your mirth will make them disappear.”
Pinkamena continued singing for some time, her cheery song contrasting with the darkness around them. Strangely, Twilight seemed to notice a change in the woods. With music and laughter ringing through it, it didn’t seem quite as dark or frightening as before. Even the usually humorless sorceress had to admit, the tree-faces were abnormally grotesque to the point of being ludicrous. She found herself laughing along with the others, encouraged by Pinkamena’s impromptu musical number.
As they laughed, the trees not only seemed less terrifying, but became less terrifying in truth. The faces on the trees shifted slowly from angry snarls to looks of terror and shock. Joy spread through the copse, seeming to push the trees back. Eventually, the ponies could see the moon’s light again, and a path opened before them. Pinkamena returned her lute to wherever she had taken it from and the ponies continued on, smiles on their muzzles.
***
“There are many who don’t believe the theory—myself included—but some sorceresses in Cant’r Laht believe that a pony’s emotions can generate a field of magical energy,” Twilight explained as they trotted through the Everfree, “The only logical explanation for what happened back there is that we generated a field of positive energy powerful enough to counteract the negative energy of the trees.”
“Or maybe they just couldn’t take any more of Pinkamena’s singing,” Applejack said jokingly.
They were far from the haunted copse by now, close enough that the Three Palaces of the Two Queens (or at least some ruins they assumed to be their destination) were visible in the distance when Rainbow Dash shot up to take a look. It was still a long way there, though, and many obstacles still stood in their way. Long before they could see it, the ponies could hear the sound of a raging river’s waves crashing upon its banks. The sounds grew louder and louder until the path reached the river’s edge.
The waterway was extremely wide, so much so that the far bank wasn’t visible to the landbound ponies through the waves. A great stone bridge had once crossed over the river, but all that was left now was a very wet incline that barely stretched out over the water. Twilight tried to get a closer look, but was forced back as the river pounded against and washed over what was left of the bridge. Before she drew back, she noted that a river this big shouldn’t have been so wild, and that some of the foam flowing past them was tinted pink.
“Looks like we’ll have to fly across,” Twilight said aloud, “Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy; do you think you’ll be able to carry us all the way?”
“Probably, but I can’t guarantee it’ll be a smooth ride,” Dash said as Fluttershy flapped upwards to get a better look, “Also, if you fall, you’re gone for good; there’s going to be no recovering you from a river flowing this fast and wild.”
A gasp was the only warning the ponies got before Fluttershy took off upstream.
“Where’s she going?” Twilight asked, then Rainbow Dash took off after her, then Applejack and Pinkamena, so Twilight followed along with Rarity.
Going off the path in the Everfree Forest was dangerous, but at least they had the river’s bank to guide them back. Of course, there were other problems with going off the path, foremost among them that the forest was wild and thick, making it most difficult for ponies to travel through. The patch Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had flown over seemed to consist almost entirely of brambles, and both Twilight and Rarity had trouble getting through without snagging their clothes. Eventually Twilight gave up, letting snags develop in robes she’d need to repair later, but could sacrifice for extra speed now. Rarity, on the other hoof, refused to let her dress get ruined, taking what to Twilight seemed a wasteful amount of time to navigate through the forest. Sure, it’s a fine dress, but is it worth it?
Finally, Twilight burst out into a small clearing that seemed fairly new, since its existence owed to all the trees here having been snapped off and the underbrush flattened. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkamena were all standing here, staring out at the river where a low wailing was coming from. Twilight jumped back when she saw that they were watching a large water serpent flailing around, churning up the river. The sorceress had never seen one in real life before, but she’d read about them in books, and the descriptions didn’t do the creatures justice. The serpent’s body was larger around than any of the trees in the Everfree, the girth comparable to some of the smaller spires of Cant’r Laht castle. It would be able to easily swallow a pony, cow, or even an ox whole, though the devilishly sharp teeth in its mouth weren’t meant for swallowing. Coils of gleaming purple scales moved erratically throughout the river as the serpent spasmed about. Twilight got a better look at its face as it swung its head over the shore, spines cutting gouges through the earth, and she saw intelligence in its eyes. A moment later, the sorceress noticed that several spines had their ends broken off just behind where a wide gash cut through the side of the water serpent’s “neck”. That explained the pink foam in the river; it was this creature’s blood.
“Oh, dear,” Rarity said upon entering the clearing, before unexpectedly running to the shore, “Twilight, do you know a spell that can immobilize him?”
“Yes, but it might not work. My magic hasn’t worked properly since we entered the Everfree,” Twilight answered, confused.
“Do it when his head is over the shoreline,” Rarity commanded before picking up a scale the serpent had scraped off on the beach.
The opportunity came sooner than Twilight would have liked, but when the water serpent’s head swung over her, she cast the spell. Surprisingly, it worked perfectly, and the massive creature froze in place, its eyes still blinking and darting around crazily. Hiking up her dress, Rarity swung the scale around and used its razor-sharp edge to slice off her magnificent tail. The rest of the ponies stood in stunned silence as the unicorn proceeded to press the tail against the serpent’s wound and tie it in place with strips she cut from her dress. All that fuss to get it through the forest unharmed and then she does this?
When Twilight’s immobilization spell wore off, the serpent let out a cry and backed away so that its head was over the river again. Clouds of steam billowed from its nose as it calmed itself, and then tried to examine what Rarity had done to it. The blood was soaking into the purple hair, but no more did it seem to be flowing from the wound as badly.
“What is this?” the serpent asked in High Equestrian (which only Twilight understood) before repeating the question in Low Equestrian.
“I wrapped your wound, but you’re going to want to keep it dry for the next few days,” Rarity answered, “The curing process has already begun, and when it’s finished your wound will be covered with armor stronger than dragon scales.”
“What?” Rarity asked when she saw how the other ponies were staring at her, “I’m a blacksmith as well as a dressmaker, and unicorn hair soaked in sea serpent blood makes formidable armor.”
“But, Rarity, what about your beautiful tail?” Twilight asked. Not to mention her dress.
“Oh … I’ll manage,” Rarity said, looking longingly back at the tiny tuft of purple hair that was left, “Besides, he needed it more than I did. I was glad to help.”
“You have given me a gift I can never repay. Your charity has saved my life,” the water serpent said, bowing to Rarity, “I am Stefan, Guardian of the White River, and I shall help you and your friends in any way that I can.”
“Well, we could use some help getting to the other side of the river,” Rarity admitted, “Would you be willing to give us a lift?”
In response, Stefan rearranged his coils along the shore so that the ponies could clamber onto them. Very carefully, he moved them across the now still river and downstream. It appeared that this water serpent wanted to do more than take them across the river; he was taking them back to the path. Rarity’s actions had really paid off, and had changed Twilight’s opinion of her. There was still one thing nagging at the sorceress’s mind, though.
“Stefan, if it’s not too much to ask, how did you get that wound?” she asked as they moved smoothly through the water.
“I must admit that I am not entirely certain,” he answered, “It all happened so fast that all I remember is a cloud of purple and blue smoke shooting past, and then a terrible pain in my neck.”
Nightmare Moon! There was no doubt in Twilight’s mind that the ancient sorceress had attacked the sea serpent—Stefan. But why? What could she have hoped to gain by wounding, but not killing, him? Did she want to churn up the waters to keep the ponies from reaching the Three Palaces? Twilight was certain that Nightmare had attacked Stefan and the manticore’s cubs, and now she was fairly convinced she’d been behind the crumbling cliff and the tree-monsters too. Was she trying to stop them because she was scared they would find the Elements of Harmony? On one hoof, it was comforting to know that they were on the right track to defeat Nightmare, but on the other it raised a far more alarming question. What lengths would Nightmare Moon go to in order to stop them when they were finally face-to-face?
***
A light snow was falling by the time the ponies reached the outskirts of a ruined town. The ground was still warm enough that it melted immediately, but it was still alarming to see snow of any kind in the summer. Twilight was even more grateful to see the Three Palaces of the Two Queens since she knew the only way to reverse these dropping temperatures was to stop Nightmare Moon.
The Three Palaces of the Two Queens were isolated with nothing around except more Everfree Forest (probably due to a proclamation by the Two Queens), but a large city of small homes had once stood half a league to the west of them. Twilight suspected that during the height of the Two Queens’ power, a great many peasants had wanted to be near to them and built this town. All that was left now was a field of crumbled walls overgrown with bushes and ivy. The streets were silent as the ponies trotted through, but Twilight tried to stay alert in case Nightmare Moon tried any more tricks. Rainbow Dash also seemed to sense danger, as she loosened her sword in its sheath.
The path the ponies had been following cut directly through the middle of the town before coming to an end at the edge of a deep canyon. Across the gorge was the gatehouse to the Three Palaces, its massive drawbridge raised. Twilight looked up and down the canyon, but it seemed that this was the only place in sight that the ponies could cross over. Now that they were so close to the Elements of Harmony, Twilight didn’t have the patience (or think they had the time) to look for another way across. Perhaps the drawbridge still worked after a millennium of disuse?
“Rainbow Dash, can you fly across and try to lower the drawbridge?” the sorceress asked of her Hunter companion.
“Of course, I’ll have it down in a flash,” she replied confidently before launching herself across the gap.
Dash got a good look at the chains holding the drawbridge as she flew over it. They were covered in moss and a bit worn (from use, not time), but she could see no rust on them. She scoffed when she realized that they were probably enchanted to resist rusting; it would fit for a kingdom that had once been ruled by two sorceresses. The tower itself had not gotten such a special treatment, and Dash was able to fly in through the hole left by a tower that had fallen over the cliff. Following the chains, the pegasus found where they were spooled and prepared to knock the mechanism free, dropping the bridge to allow the others to cross.
“Rainbow…” a voice called softly from behind her, and she quickly drew her sword and spun around.
“Who goes there?” Dash demanded, scanning the billowing mist around the gatehouse and keeping her sword held out to face any challenge, “Show yourself!”
Out of the mist trotted three pegasi in garb Rainbow was intimately familiar with. They were all wearing Hunter armor, and not just any kind, but armor in the same style as that of the Wonderbolts. There were slight differences, the biggest being that it was dyed black and purple instead of blue and yellow, and that the Wonderbolt insignia of a winged lightning bolt was replaced by a winged skull.
“We’ve been trying to find you for ages,” the center pegasus, a mare with a blue coat a few shades lighter than Dash’s—and apparently the leader—said, “What are the chances we’d finally find you here, on today of all days?”
“Who are you?” Rainbow asked, keeping her sword up.
“We’re the Shadowbolts: the best team of Hunters active within the Everfree Forest,” the leader announced, “I have a proposition for you, but there’s not much time.”
“I’m listening,” Dash said, glancing back at the mechanism to lower the drawbridge.
“I assume you know that Nightmare Moon has returned. Sooner or later, the Wonderbolts will need to confront her, and they will lose. Unless, of course, they have a pony of your skill with them. They need you,” the Shadowbolt leader said as she slowly advanced on Rainbow, “They don’t know they need you yet, though, and let’s be honest, you’re not exactly Wonderbolt material, are you?”
“What do you mean by that?” Dash asked.
“No offense meant, of course,” the Shadowbolt leader said lightly, “You’re a supremely skilled Hunter with a vast reserve of untapped potential. You may not be prepared to join the Wonderbolts yet, but after training with us you will.”
“Train with you?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head as she did so.
“That’s right. We haven’t got much time, so you’ll need to come with us right away,” the Shadowbolt leader stressed, “If you want to stop Nightmare Moon and join the Wonderbolts, you need to drop everything right now.”
“All right, I’ll go with you,” Rainbow said after a moment of thought, “Just let me lower this drawbridge. and we’ll be on our way.”
“No!” the Shadowbolt leader said, placing herself between Rainbow and the release mechanism, “If you let them cross, Nightmare will catch us too, and the plan will fail. If you choose them over us, the deal is off.”
“That’s how it is, huh?” Rainbow asked and the Shadowbolt leader nodded curtly.
“Rainbow, can the bridge be lowered?” Twilight called out across the gap. She didn’t want to risk using a voice augmenting spell, so her words came across quietly, just loud enough that Rainbow could hear them. “If it can’t, come back across and we’ll figure something else out,” Twilight continued, but a dense fog magically moved into the canyon to muffle her words before Rainbow could hear her. She’d heard enough to make her decision, though.
“Thank you for the opportunity,” she said in a controlled voice, “But I can’t join you.”
“That’s too bad,” the Shadowbolt leader said, drawing her sword.
Steel screeched as the two swords met. Mindful of the other two Shadowbolts, Rainbow bucked them each in the face as they approached. The leader jumped in the air as she pulled her sword away and swung it in a wicked arc at Rainbow’s face. Dash rolled backwards and out of the way, grabbing throwing knifes with her wings and launching them at the Shadowbolt as she did so. Rainbow shot into the air as the two Shadowbolts she’d struck in the face charged her with their swords. She’d left a surprise for them, an ice grenade, and it went off as their swords nearly struck each other. The stallions zipped out of the way at physically impossible speeds and the exploding ice never touched them.
The Shadowbolt leader was suddenly above Rainbow, her own throwing knives whizzing through the air. Rainbow Dash dodged, but one of the blades struck against one of her gauntlets before bouncing off to nick her cheek. She launched herself into the air, swinging her sword in a spin as she neared the Shadowbolt leader. Before their blades could meet, one of the stallions appeared above her and struck her in the back with a powerful kick. The wind knocked out of her, Dash fell hard against the ground.
While she struggled for air, she somehow managed to scratch a rune into the dirt that erected a temporary shield around herself. It wasn’t strong, but it did the trick when the Shadowbolt waiting on the ground in ambush struck her with his sword and was thrown back. Dash rolled to the side as the other stallion stabbed his sword into the earth where her head had been a moment before.
A cloud of smoke billowed up from the ground as Dash dropped another grenade. Nopony could see through it, so Dash had a moment to recover. She found out how wrong that was when the hoof of the Shadowbolt leader struck her in the side and sent her sprawling. She landed outside of the cloud, wisps of smoke trailing after her. When the leader tried to attack her again, she was ready, the swords meeting in midair. The two Hunters made their blades dance as they tried to get a hit in on each other.
As the Shadowbolt leader adjusted her stance, Dash saw her opening and swung in toward the mare’s foreleg. There was no way she could block or attack in time; the strike was assured. Time almost seemed to slow down as the Shadowbolt moved impossibly fast and dodged out of the way while swinging her sword up and slicing through Dash’s armor, leaving a long, shallow gash in her side.
Rainbow collapsed from the pain before pushing herself away and into a roll a moment later to avoid being decapitated. The other two Shadowbolt had emerged from the smoke cloud, and all three advanced toward her. Dash was wounded and losing blood fast as she backed away from them, her sword the only thing keeping them from killing her immediately.
As the leader tried to strike, Rainbow rolled away, dropping a grenade as she did so. As before, the Shadowbolts managed to dodge a blast that should’ve been impossible to dodge. By then, though, the air was filled with grenades of Rainbow’s design and blasts, of lightning exploded everywhere. The Shadowbolts were able to dodge all of them until the explosions stopped, and the three ponies found themselves standing back to back. Above them a grenade they hadn’t seen had already gone off, and even they couldn’t dodge the chain net that fell from it. The corners of the net hooked into the ground and pulled tight, trapping the Shadowbolts.
“How do you like that?” Dash taunted before gritting her teeth and cursing as her body remembered it was injured.
She pulled a potion from her belt and took a swig as she made her way back toward the gatehouse. Dash groaned as the brew did its work, knitting her wounds back together in a way that was anything but pleasant. She knocked her ice column over as she passed, and gave the mechanism holding the drawbridge up a strong kick. The spool complained a bit before moving and allowing the drawbridge to drop. The other ponies quickly galloped across.
“What happened here?” Pinkamena was the first to ask as they met Dash outside the gatehouse.
“There were some ponies who didn’t want me to let you five across,” Dash explained, “I’d never betray my friends, and they didn’t like that, so … I fought them.”
“Where are they now?” Rarity asked, looking around worriedly.
“I’ve got them trapped right over there,” Dash laughed before looking over at her net and seeing that it was empty, “Where’d they go?”
“Nightmare Moon,” Twilight said breathlessly.
“What about her?” Rainbow asked.
“Whoever you saw, it was probably just one of her tricks. Think about it: the manticore, the water serpent, even the cliff and the frightening trees; Nightmare Moon is trying to stop us,” Twilight explained.
“Well, she hasn’t been able t’ so far,” Applejack said as she placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, and the sorceress surprisingly found she really didn’t mind that much, “Let’s get in there and stop her instead.” Side by side, the six ponies trotted toward the Three Palaces of the Two Queens. Twilight had only known these ponies for a few days, yet she found that she felt a kind of kinship with them. The six of them had come through a lot of trials since they’d met, and it had only brought them closer. Twilight had to admit that it would be strange to leave them when all this was over.
From the gatehouse, a carefully-laid stone path led up to the Three Palaces of the Two Queens. These palaces were built on two modestly high hills and the low point between them. On the southern hill was a castle of peaks and slender spires that shone white and gold in the moonlight. A labyrinth surrounded the Palace of Day on the western slope of the hill and small wall divided it from the surrounding forest. To the north was a dark castle with soaring towers at its center and large halls radiating out from them. The Palace of Night was built like a fortress, with the wide towers like the one the Children of the Night lived in interspersed along the surrounding wall. The middle building, which the path led directly to, was much smaller than the others, but no less grand. Royal Court appeared to be an abnormally large great hall with a slender tower to the north and south, though the southern one was no longer there.
All three buildings had sustained significant damage, both from the ravages of time and what Twilight recognized as the work of weaponized spells. If there had been any doubt left in Twilight’s mind about the authenticity of the legend of Nightmare Moon, it was gone now. It was obvious that a duel between two very powerful sorceresses had once taken place here. Now one of them had returned and was waiting inside … along with the only weapon that could defeat her. At least, Twilight hoped that the Elements of Harmony would work. According to legend, she had been defeated by them once before, and the legend had been right so far.
“Come on, Twilight, we’re nearly there!” Applejack called as the sorceress fell behind during her musings.
A massive gate the height of at least twenty ponies had once served as the entrance to the Royal Court. The gigantic wooden beams that had formed the core of the gates had rotted away long ago, but most of the iron and gold plating was still in place, albeit twisted under its own weight. The ponies passed through a hole at the base of the wall of metal where a large section had broken away.
Applejack led the way, torch in hoof, as the ponies made their way deeper into the Royal Court. They had no idea where the Elements of Harmony would be kept in the castle, so they meandered through the dark and abandoned rooms of the building searching for them. Eventually they reached the throne room, where moonlight shone in through broken stained glass windows. In front of the tall, narrow gaps where the windows had once stood was a raised section of the floor with two thrones, one of which had been exploded by magic.
“We found them!” Twilight explained when she saw what was behind the thrones.
A treelike structure of polished stone soared up from the floor and extended out into five branches. On the end of each branch was a stone orb of the same material, each with a different shape carved into it. If Twilight’s memory served her correctly—and it always had—the shapes matched those she’d seen in Magical Relics of the Elements of Harmony exactly. The orbs were much too high up for anypony but a pegasus (or an alicorn) to reach them, so Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash transported them to the ground under Twilight’s supervision.
“What gives?” Pinkamena asked when the Elements were all safely on the ground, “I thought there were supposed to be six, not five.”
“Hmm, the book had a note on the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight said, “It said that when the five were gathered together, a spark would cause the sixth to appear.”
“And just what exactly is that supposed t’ mean?” Applejack asked, “Is it some kind o’ spell?”
“I think so,” Twilight answered as she examined the Elements, “I might know how to do it, but some of the things I’ll be trying could be dangerous, so you should all stand back.”
The other ponies listened to the sorceress and gave her some space, retreating to further back in the throne room, but keeping an eye on Twilight in case she needed their help. Celestia’s apprentice considered everything she’d ever learned about magic in trying to solve this puzzle. The Elements required a spark, so did that mean they were activated by lightning? Or perhaps any kind of magical discharge would work. Did spark refer to the spark that lit a fire? Did she need to conjure flame? Or maybe she needed to smash the Elements together to get the spark; they did look like they could do so. Was there any specific way the five Elements needed to be arranged before casting the spell? There were just so many different variables and possibilities.
The sound of something falling and breaking echoed through the empty building. Dash drew her sword and opened the door they’d entered through by a crack. The door suddenly slammed closed on the Hunter as a piece of the building’s aging structure fell down on the other side, blocking the ponies’ escape. She motioned for Applejack to come over and help her, and together the two mares tried to force the door open. It budged, but only slightly, and soon Pinkamena, Fluttershy, and Rarity joined in helping.
I have to start somewhere, Twilight thought after puzzling over how to activate the Elements. She didn’t know if her magic would work properly here, so she decided to start small, with just a tiny blast of lightning that would fan out from her horn and strike all five orbs around her. Small sparks began to trail along her horn as she began to cast the spell, and she closed her eyes to better concentrate and keep the spell under control. Nopony saw the cloud of purple and black smoke that trailed in through a hole in the ceiling and began to spin in a whirlwind around Twilight and the Elements. Lightning began sparking around the Elements, but not from Twilight’s magic. The orbs began to levitate as Nightmare Moon’s magic completely engulfed them.
“Twilight!” Fluttershy called as she got a glimpse of what was transpiring over her shoulder.
Twilight’s eyes snapped open at the sound of the druidess’s voice, but it was too late. She was completely surrounded by Nightmare Moon’s ethereal form, and with a flash she, Nightmare, and the Elements all blinked out of existence. Fluttershy screamed in panic as the other mares turned just in time to see their sorceress friend vanish.
“Where did she go?” Rarity asked the question on everypony’s minds.
“Up there!” Applejack called out the moment she spotted light shining from a tower in the Palace of Night through a hole in the wall, “Come on, let’s go!” The five ponies took off immediately in the direction of the castle, determined to make their way to Twilight.
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle rose coughing from the floor, magical energy still rippling along her body from the unexpected teleportation. She untangled her hindlegs from curtains that had seen better days, and took a look around. The Elements of Harmony were lying in a pile on the other side of the room, at the base of an obsidian throne. Between Twilight and them, Nightmare Moon was rising from the floor the same way as Twilight, the starscapes that were her mane and tale billowing out angrily. So she doesn’t have full control of her magic here either.
“You again? And you thought you could defeat me!” Nightmare cackled condescendingly, “I must applaud you for getting this far, but it’s time for you to surrender. You are outmatched, my fellow sorceress, and you are out of moves.”
“Not yet!” Twilight yelled back as she tore runes into the carpet at her hooves, the plan in her mind beyond insane, but all she had, “Ye seni cavan’r seyat!”
Light flashed from Twilight’s horn, and a swarm of arrows composed entirely of magical energy shot towards Nightmare Moon. The black alicorn sneered and rolled her eyes. With a flick of her horn, a wave of fire filled the room and charged Twilight, the flames disintegrating the arrows as it struck them. When it hit the far wall, all that was left in front of Nightmare Moon were ashes.
“I had hoped to have a little more fun with you, but alas, ‘twas not to be,” Nightmare said regretfully.
“Sorry to disappoint,” Twilight’s voice came from behind the ancient sorceress. Celestia’s protégé was standing among the Elements, where she had teleported herself the moment Nightmare had lost sight of her thanks to her own spell. The lightning spell pulsing along Twilight’s horn was wilder that she’d have liked, but it would have to do. All at once, the lightning struck the orbs around her, and they all began to glow and levitate.
“No!” Nightmare Moon screamed as she turned around to face her doom. The Elements hovered in the air for a few seconds, sparks traveling over their surfaces and between them, before suddenly returning to their previous states and dropping to the floor.
“What? No!” Twilight said as her spell failed.
The floor under Twilight’s hooves suddenly exploded thanks to a spell from Nightmare. She was thrown through the air and over the black alicorn, landing hard on the charred stone floor. She covered her head with her forelegs as the Elements landed around here and horrifyingly shattered into slivers of stone. It was all over; she’d failed.
“You pitiful little foal!” Nightmare laughed, “You think I would let myself be defeated so easily? You thought that you could hope to challenge the likes of me? I am queen of Equestria now, and as was prophesied, under my rule the night shall last forever!”
“We’re coming, Twilight!” the defeated sorceress barely heard Applejack’s voice drifting up the nearby staircase.
She found a smile gracing her face, which quite frankly came as a complete surprise. Why should she be happy when her plan had failed, when Nightmare Moon would bring about eternal night? The answer came easier than she’d expected; she wasn’t facing this fate alone. The five ponies who’d accompanied her here against her wishes would stand by her side, and she was grateful to every one of them for being here.
Like a flash of lightning, everything clicked together in Twilight’s mind. The Elements of Harmony couldn’t be destroyed, because they were more than just weapons. Their names were more than fancy titles some weaponsmith had given them to make them seem more impressive; they meant so much more than that. The Elements and the virtues they represented were inseparably intertwined, and so long as there were ponies in the world who embodied those virtues, the Elements could never truly be destroyed, could they? As Twilight considered the journey here, she saw all those virtues alive in her friends—yes, her friends! She’d never imagined she’d say it, but these five ponies were her friends. There was a bond between them forged in their travels that could never be broken. Yes, Twilight understood now, and she knew what she had to do. This fight wasn’t over. Not yet.
“I disagree,” Twilight addressed Nightmare Moon. As she rose to stand, she realized that her left foreleg was broken, but she fought through the pain until she was upright and could hold the leg against to her body.
“What? Do you still presume to challenge me!?” Nightmare Moon yelled loud enough that Twilight’s ears rang and she felt blood dripping from them.
“You can’t destroy the Elements of Harmony so easily,” Twilight answered as Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkamena, and Rainbow Dash charged into the room to stand beside her, “You may have destroyed the Elements’ physical forms, but the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!”
“What?” Nightmare Moon asked amusedly, “You must be joking.”
“When I was in doubt hanging from the edge of a cliff, Applejack reassured me that I would be safe,” Twilight continued, undeterred, “She embodies the Element of … Trustworthiness!”
As Twilight concluded her statement, some of the stone shards on the ground began to levitate, glowing with an orange light. Much to her surprise, Applejack found herself levitating as well, and the shards of the Element of Trustworthiness flocked to circle around her.
“Fluttershy, who chose to show kindness to the manticore when everypony else turned to violence, embodies the Element of … Compassion!” Fluttershy also levitated, shards of glowing pink stone surrounding her, and she came to rest directly above Applejack.
“Pinkamena, who banished fear in the haunted copse by laughing when terror gripped everpony else, embodies the Element of… Mirth!” Pinkamena was surrounded by glowing blue stones and levitated next to Applejack.
“When the water serpent was in need, Rarity saved its life by giving a valuable gift from her most treasured possessions. She embodies the Element of… Charity!” Rarity, surrounded by purple shards, levitated between Applejack and Pinkamena and lower than both.
“Rainbow Dash, who refused to abandon her friends, even to pursue her heart’s desire, embodies the Element of… Allegiance!” Surrounded by red shards, Rainbow Dash floated up to levitate next to Fluttershy and above Pinkamena.
“With these five ponies, we were able to overcome every obstacle you put in our path,” Twilight concluded.
“Congratulations, you’ve caught us up to the present and you have five of the Elements,” Nightmare Moon said mockingly, her mane and tail billowing out threateningly, “But you can’t do anything without the sixth Element. Your spark. Didn’t. Work!”
“The original spark may not have,” Twilight admitted, “But that’s because the Elements need a different kind of spark. The magic within that brings all the Elements together is the special bond I share with my friends; the spark I felt when I realized I was happy to see them again, the feeling I felt when I knew we could do anything together. The Elements on their own are powerful, but the true power is only released when the Elements are ignited by the spark that resides within us all and creates the sixth Element: the Element of … Sorcery!”
From a flash of blinding light above Twilight’s head, a sixth stone orb appeared. It remained floating in place over the sorceress as she levitated up to take a position above Rarity and higher than all the others, completing the six-pointed star. A magic circle blazed into existence in the air, its edge ringed by where the ponies were levitating. Finally, Nightmare Moon came to her senses and realized she was truly in danger.
“No!” the alicorn yelled as she fired powerful spells off at the six ponies, all of them either misfiring or bouncing away harmlessly, “No! No! NO!”
The Elements of Harmony fused together, blazing colored light. When the streams converged, they formed a wave of magical energy unlike anything Twilight had ever seen. Nightmare Moon’s protestations were drowned out as she was engulfed in the magical blast. A light brighter than the sun filled the tower, forcing everypony present to close their eyes.
When the light subsided, Twilight and her friends found themselves laying on the floor in a circle, the magical rune that the Elements had projected burned into the floor. Twilight’s first sight was through a window opening (had the glass already been gone, or had the magical blast shattered it?). The sun was rising; it was such a beautiful sight to see it shining in the sky again.
“Is everypony okay?” Applejack asked as the ponies lifted themselves off the floor.
“Better than okay!” Rarity squealed with delight.
Twilight was shocked to see that the unicorn’s tail was back to its original length and luster. Rainbow Dash was also stretching, apparently free of the pains she’d gotten in her fight earlier. Twilight realized that she also was miraculously healed, her foreleg and ears restored to working order.
But injuries being healed wasn’t the only thing that had changed. On Twilight’s head was a golden circlet and a golden amulet hung around each of the other ponies’ necks. Set into each of these new pieces of jewelry was a shining gem in the shape of the cutie-mark of the pony wearing it. Instinctively, Twilight knew that these were the Elements of Harmony.
“Wow, I thought you were just trying t’ stall for time at first,” Applejack said to Twilight as she looked down at her amulet, “But it looks like you knew what you were talking about. The six of us really do embody the Elements o’ Harmony.”
“Indeed you do,” the soothing voice of Celestia said as the alicorn sorceress stepped through the portal she’d conjured. Everypony bowed before Celestia, except for Rainbow Dash, who as a nationless Hunter merely gave a respectful nod, and Twilight, who rushed over to greet her teacher.
“Twilight Sparkle, my greatest and most faithful apprentice,” Celestia addressed her protégé directly as Twilight slowed her approach to a trot, “I knew that I was right to have faith in you.”
“Forgive me, but I don’t understand,” Twilight responded, “Why did you tell me that the legend of Nightmare Moon was nothing more than a myth when belief in it is what led me here?”
“I never told you that the legend wasn’t true; I instructed you to go out and make some friends,” Celestia said as she bent down to face her student, “I knew that you would find your way here, and that you had the power within you to stop Nightmare Moon, but I also knew that you would be unable to defeat her with the Elements of Harmony until you discovered true friendship. You did admirably, Twilight. Now I must do my part and finish this once and for all.”
The alicorn raised her head up as she turned to look in the opposite direction. Where Nightmare Moon had been just minutes earlier, there was now a smoking crater in the floor surrounded by twisted pieces of the mad sorceress’s armor. At the center of it all, a dark blue alicorn slightly shorter than Celestia lay on the floor. Her mane, like Nightmare’s had the appearance of a starry sky, though this one was of a much healthier night. It wasn’t as lustrous as Celestia’s, nor did it flow like hers did, though Twilight had the feeling that it could if it wanted to.
As the smaller alicorn opened her eyes and began to stand unsteadily, Celestia rushed over in a half-trot, half-gallop. Twilight expected the world’s most powerful sorceress to smite the remnants of Nightmare Moon, as she was rumored to have done with many of her enemies in the past, but instead she embraced her. The smaller alicorn stood motionless, a stunned look on her face, as Celestia held her tight, tears streaming down her face.
“Luna, I haven’t seen your face in a thousand years,” Celestia said, still crying, as she released Luna from her embrace but still held her close, “Can you ever forgive me for how I acted? I was so prideful and arrogant that I didn’t see what I was doing to you. We were meant to rule together as equals, little sister.”
“Sister?” Twilight found herself asking aloud.
Thoughts swirled in her mind, everything falling into place for the second time that day. Twilight knew that her mentor had been around for a long time, for as long as modern history could remember, but she hadn’t considered that she would have been alive back at the beginning of the Fourth Age a millennium ago. Neither had she given much thought to the elder sister mentioned in the legend of Nightmare Moon, but it was clear now that they were one in the same. Nightmare Moon—Luna—had once been Celestia’s sister, and now, for the first time in a thousand years, they were reunited.
“I’m so sorry, big sister!” Luna yelled as she grabbed Celestia tight, also crying now, “The things I did … forgive me!”
Twilight looked out from the Palace of Night, watching the sun rise over the Everfree Forest. They’d really done it; Nightmare Moon was defeated. It hadn’t ended exactly as Twilight had expected it to, but day had been restored to the world nonetheless. And, Twilight thought as she looked back at the five ponies gathered around, there had been another unexpected—and surprisingly welcome—side effect to come from this journey.
***
The celebration in Ponieville was too large to be contained by the Mayoral Keep, so the entire town square was decorated in lively colors. Frankly, Twilight was impressed with just how quickly the hamlet had put the festival together (and doubtful of how large a role Pinkamena actually played in organizing it, despite what she claimed). Most of the peasants who’d assembled in Ponieville for the summer solstice ceremony had fled after Nightmare Moon’s appearance, but when word had spread of her return, they all came rushing back. They had good reason to; at the summer solstice ceremony they’d have gotten at most a glimpse of Celestia for a few minutes, but now she was spending a whole day in celebration and mingling with all who attended (providing a major headache for her guards). Any would-be assassins (and Twilight was sure there were some mingled into the crowd) lost their nerve at the prospect of killing two alicorns, however.
As the festival came to a close, Celestia addressed the assembled ponies, formally introducing Luna and putting Nightmare’s return in the past. She also wished a bountiful harvest upon everypony for the next four years, which some would take to mean Celestia would insure it with her magic, and they would plant additional crops, which would mean greater crop taxes for Cant’r Laht. It was quite well done, Twilight had to admit. Ponies began to disperse after Celestia brought the day to an end by lowering the sun and darkness fell across the land.
“Twilight Sparkle; Spike,” Celestia caught the duo’s attention, “Luna and I must return to Cant’r Laht immediately. The nobility’s egos are no doubt bruised because I chose to celebrate Luna’s return in Ponieville. I’m certain that putting on an even grander celebration in Cant’r Laht will soothe them, and that they won’t mind paying for it as well. Will the two of you be accompanying us?”
“Yes, of course. Well, that is, I suppose …” Twilight said, but as she trailed off she looked away from the portal behind Celestia and instead watched her new friends as they chatted with each other.
“What is the matter, my apprentice?” Celestia asked, and Twilight turned back to look at her mentor, “Was your goal not to conclude your business in Ponieville as hastily as possible so that you could return to your studies in Cant’r Laht?”
“Yes, that was my goal,” Twilight admitted sadly before looking back over her shoulder, “It’s strange; I’ve only known them for a few days, but it’s hard to consider leaving them.”
“What are you saying?” Celestia asked, the portal still swirling behind her.
“I wish to stay here,” Twilight said firmly as she faced her mentor, “Well, that’s not entirely true. I don’t have any love for this tiny, dirty, insignificant little town, but it doesn’t matter. Wherever they are, I want to be with them; my friends.”
“Mine sister hath told me much about thee, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, “Dost though wish to discontinue they studies of magic under her?”
“No, that’s not it at all,” Twilight replied, shaking her head vigorously, “But, perhaps it’s time I studied a different kind of magic. The power I felt when wielding the Elements of Harmony was like no kind of sorcery I know. I would like to study it, in addition to other things, with your permission, teacher.”
“And you feel that Ponieville is the place to do so?” Celestia asked, arching an eyebrow.
“I do,” Twilight replied.
“How right you are,” Celestia said, allowing a smile to break through her previously neutral expression, “It’s been years since we’ve had a face-to-face lesson. It’s time for you to move on. Spike, take down an official decree for me.”
“Um, all right,” Spike said as a piece of parchment, a quill, and an inkpot of official ink appeared before him.
“By order of Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, Guardian of Sun and Moon, and Protector of Ponieville: the esteemed sorceress Twilight Sparkle shall be granted the laboratory previously belonging to the wizard Golden Oak to serve as her home as she continues her study of sorcery from Ponieville. She is not to be harassed, harried, or in any other way molested for trivial matters during her stay under pain of twenty lashes in the public square. All ponies living within those realms who pledge allegiance to Cant’r Laht and to myself are compelled to help her in any way possible during her studies and upon her travels. Let it be known that this is the word of Celestia,” the great sorceress dictated to Spike before signing the decree and placing her seal upon it, “Keep in contact with me through Spike throughout your studies, and if you have need of any books from the archives in Cant’r Laht, you need only ask.”
“Thank you, Celestia,” Twilight said sincerely, as she gave a curtsey.
Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkamena all gathered around Twilight as Celestia and Luna disappeared through the portal, already back home in Cant’r Laht. Twilight thought with amusement that Spike had been right back when they’d first arrived in Ponieville. It had been the beginning of a new adventure, and Twilight was looking forward to every minute of it.
Chapter 0:1 – The Gift from Tyrannus Year 988 of the 4th Age
“This is outrageous!” Celestia exclaimed as she trotted back and forth angrily, “Does Ingrirtireth truly think he can get away with this slight?”
It had been a long time since the ancient sorceress had been this angry. Her magic was fluctuating wildly, causing the furniture in the room to levitate just above the floor, the portraits to shake, and the glassware to crack. Things had not been going well for Celestia lately. The premonition that something powerful was coming had been getting stronger and stronger, so much so that Celestia was unable to sleep without terrifying visions of the future invading her dreams. She had found a spell that would allow her to rest, but she still awoke with blood in her mouth each and every morning. Celestia had thought she had found the answer to her problems fourteen years earlier, when her decree that she was looking for an apprentice had brought a young and talented Source to Cant’r Laht. The Matron of Sorceresses had poured so much time and effort into her, but she’d reached her limits as a magic-user. Cadence was a powerful sorceress, but she wouldn’t be enough to stop what was coming. Her latest progeny was also turning out to be a disappointment, mastering her magical lessons with ease, but acting cruel and uncaring toward others; she would never be the hero Equestria needed.
The crate that had just arrived from Tyrannus was only the most recent in a line of things that upset Celestia, and it had pushed her over the edge. She had finally found a solution to the looming threat of a dragon invasion. Like all good compromises, it was one that pleased neither side but both were willing to accept; both Celestia and Ingrirtireth—the most powerful of the dragonlords that ruled Tyrannus—would send their heirs to serve at the other’s court as hostages. Cadence was already on her way to the land of fire and brimstone, so it was now up to Ingrirtireth to uphold his end of the bargain. When Celestia had received the ornate chest, she had assumed it was a gift from the dragonlord as a sign of good faith that he would send his heir soon. That hope had all but vanished once she opened the case.
Sitting within, surrounded by fine cloth and jewels, was an egg with a purple shell spotted by even darker purple circles. A note seared into some animal’s hide had come with the egg. The message was currently being examined by Raven, a sadly unmagical mare from a line of prestigious sorceresses who Celestia had accepted as a page to please her family. She was still young, but was proving exceptionally skilled in mundane matters and gave wise council, and Celestia now trusted her in matters such as this.
“Venerable sorceress Celestia,” Raven read aloud, her voice squeaking as she did so, “As per our arrangement to insure continued … lack of hostilities between our races, I entrust you with the care of my heir. I am certain that you will take good care of him or her until the time comes for his or her … return. Signed, Ingrirtireth the Destroyer, Death-Bringer, King of Scorched Bones, Fire Eternal, Kingeater, etc. May your hunts be fruitful and your bed fiery.”
“Ridiculous!” Celestia cried as she continued to pace.
“Well, it is an unorthodox salutation, I admit, but nothing unusual for dragons, I’m sure,” Raven said as she examined the note again.
“Not that!” the sorceress snapped, being much harsher to her assistant than she would have been usually, “For the next few decades, Cadence will be living in Tyrannus. As Ingrirtireth’s hostage, she’ll give him important information on Cant’r Laht. All I have is an egg! You can’t question an egg!”
“Not until it hatches, at least,” Raven said quietly, intimidated by Celestia’s rage and power.
“Of course, but that’s not bloody likely to happen without another dragon to incubate it,” Celestia said, the room around her starting to return to normal as her mood finally began to mellow.
“Say, aren’t there ways to cause an egg to hatch using sorcery?” Raven spoke up, taking advantage of her mistress’s changing mood, “You were looking for a trial to ensure your next apprentice is talented enough to receive your teachings; why not have them try to hatch this egg?”
“No, this situation may be a joke, but I won’t do anything to endanger the life of Ingrirtireth’s heir,” Celestia spoke authoritatively, “I like your idea, though. Have the aspirants hatch phoenix eggs as a trial; we have plenty of those in case they fail horribly.”
“Yes, m’lady,” Raven said, giving a bow as Celestia turned to leave the room, “And what are we to do with this egg?”
“Place the crate in the castle treasury,” the sorceress called over her shoulder, “I don’t expect to see it again until Cadence is returned.”
If any sorcerer or sorceress chose on that particular midsummer day to fix their mind’s eye on the fields east of Ponieville, they would be greeted with a most peculiar sight. Perhaps some of them would recognize the lavender unicorn sweating beneath her violet robes as she pulled a cart behind her. If they did, then their next action would uniformly be to wonder, could that truly be Twilight Sparkle? The Twilight they had known would never have needlessly subjected herself to physical labor, not when she could easily get one of Celestia’s servants or her page Spike to do it for her, or better yet, use magic to accomplish a feat that would leave others breathless. But, for whatever reason, Twilight was doing the work herself, and none of her Cant’r Laht acquaintances would have been able to wrap their minds around that, accomplished mages that they were. The crucial thing was that Twilight understood her own actions, however much they might seem out of place for the personal protégé of Celestia.
Twilight was not alone on the vast tracts of land worked by the Apple family; she had two companions today. Ahead of her trotted Applejack, the peasant farmer she had met just a few weeks earlier. Like Twilight, Applejack pulled a crudely made wooden cart behind her that bounced up and down on the uneven dirt path, spilling a beet here and there that Twilight would return to the cart with a levitation spell. Twilight’s other companion was the dragon she’d raised from a hatchling, who was now splayed out prone atop the sorceress’s wagon of beets.
“How long would it take for you to finish the beet harvest with a single pony?” Twilight asked Applejack as they crossed a rotting wooden bridge that creaked and tilted ominously as they passed over a shallow creek.
“Well, with Big Mac and Apple Bloom assisting me, it usually takes us four days, so I reckon ‘twould take thrice as long alone,” Applejack answered, “My brother can carry larger loads, but my sister’s smaller, and bringing the crop back to the farm takes the longest, so that ‘twould be the deciding measure.”
When she had requested Celestia allow her to stay in Ponieville to study, Twilight hadn’t really thought things through all the way. There was no clear way for her to study the magic of the Elements of Harmony, so she had instead decided to study the community she was now living in. For a pony who’d grown up in a city built on the side of a mountain, Ponieville and its environs were completely alien to her. Today, her self-appointed task was to learn about modern peasant farming, and where better to obtain such knowledge than the peasant farmer who just so happened to embody the spirit of the Element of Honesty?
She had arrived at the Apples’ homestead early that morning to find it deserted, except for Granny Smith snoring on the porch. When all attempts to wake her and get comprehensible answers from her proved fruitless, Twilight set off into the fields and found Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom hard at work picking beets. With a roll of parchment and a fresh quill ready, and Spike begrudgingly prepared to be dictated to, the sorceress began to question Applejack, who explained with some annoyance that she really didn’t have the time to spare answering questions unless Twilight also helped with the harvest. Realizing the sense in Applejack’s request, Twilight had complied and taken notes herself as Spike picked beets and tossed them into the nearby carts. She had tried to have her page pull the cart as well, but it proved too much for him, and rather than leaving, the sorceress decided to transport the beets herself.
“It appears only you, your siblings, and Granny Smith are present here today,” Twilight noted, “Where are all the other Apples I met before?”
“They were only here to help out with the summer solstice ceremony,” Applejack answered over her shoulder, “At the start of the year, they all headed home to their own farms.”
“Remarkable,” Twilight said as she paused in her trot to neatly jot down her notes, “Are they all participating in their own beet harvests currently? How large are their farms? Do they have any help, or is it much the same as here?”
“Ugh, Twilight,” Spike groaned from behind, “Are we almost finished here? I’m starving!”
Though Twilight depended on Spike for many things that a foal could never be trusted to accomplish, he was still in part a child. Such a change in behavior would normally irk Twilight to no end, but having raised the dragon herself, the bond between them was greater than the typical master-servant relationship. The sorceress understood the dual nature of responsible adult and oblivious child better than anypony, and she’d gotten used to it through the years, though she still tried to encourage the adult part of Spike’s personality.
“Fear not, lad,” Applejack answered the diminutive dragon’s complaint, “As soon as we get these beets back t’ the farm and in the cellar, I’ll prepare some food.”
“I must admit, I find myself becoming quite hungry as well,” Twilight said as her stomach rumbled.
Looking up at the sun, Twilight realized just how long she had been out in the fields helping Applejack. The whole morning had slipped away as she discussed peasant farming methods with her friend, and it was now the middle of the day. Twilight, always an early riser, had broken her fast before the sun had peeked above the hills, and the time combined with the physical labor she was unaccustomed to increased her appetite beyond its normal size. She was pleased to see the stockade surrounding the Apple homestead in the distance as the path led them through a small copse of untended trees. Twilight brushed leaves off of her as they fell, but her attention was fixed on the sword marks marring the trunks around her. Somepony armed had been here fairly recently.
Twilight didn’t get to finish her thought, as both she and Applejack stopped and looked back when Spike began to cough. Green flames spurted from the dragon’s maw, and a roll of parchment materialized from the smoke. The scroll fell into the cart of beets as Spike continued to cough. Spike never had a problem delivering letters before we moved to Ponieville. Perhaps the added distance takes a toll nopony realized. Twilight reached for the message, but Spike grabbed it with one claw while he pounded his chest with the other. Apparently, even in distress he didn’t want to give up the privilege of reading Twilight’s correspondences to her.
“I didn’t know Spike could do that, Twi’” Applejack said as she unhitched her cart and trotted over to the sorceress, “Who’s it from?”
“Judging by the seal, from Celestia,” Twilight said as Spike cut through the wax seal with a claw and unrolled the scroll. The dragon cleared his throat to remove any remaining ash before reading the letter.
“Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, Guardian of Sun and Moon, and Protector of Ponieville does decree that a summit shall be held in the city of Cant’r Laht on the first day of the tenth month of this year, coinciding with the vernal equinox. All prominent and influential figures in the greater realm of Equestria are invited to attend to discuss matters of vital importance to the continuation of Equestria’s states and their places in this new millennium. I ask especially that the rulers of Manehattan, Fillidelfiyaa, Balte-Maer, Las Pegasus, Stalliongrad, and Vanhuv’r attend, as well as a representative from each Hunter order that we may seek to put to an end the interminable conflicts that have plagued our land over the last thousand years.
“My dearest apprentice Twilight Sparkle, I ask that you be in Cant’r Laht on the date specified to attend the summit. As my protégé and one of the most powerful sorceresses of Cant’r Laht, your place is at my side during the conference. Prior to the summit, there will be held a grand banquet and ball in the tradition of the Grand Galloping Gala, which sadly has not been held since Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion. With this letter, I have included two tickets to be presented for entry into this Gala, one for yourself and one for a suitable companion. I anticipate your presence at the summit in the spring. Signed, Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, Guardian of the Sun, and Protector of Ponieville.”
“Land sakes, Twilight,” Applejack said once Spike had finished reading, “I knew you were important, but I had no idea you were that important.”
Twilight paused to contemplate the implications herself as she detached her cart. A summit like this, with ponies from all of Equestria’s nations gathered together in one place, was unprecedented. To the sorceress’s knowledge, never before had her mentor successfully done such a thing. Was this because Luna had returned? Did Celestia intend to recreate the Equestrian diarchy the sisters had ruled a millennium ago? Even with both great sorceresses’ powers combined, the feat seemed impossible. The different nations that now covered the continent in a patchwork were too accustomed to their individuality, and a united Equestria would never stay united for long, not without severe internal strife and unending wars of unrest and independence. Or, perhaps Celestia truly was earnest in her stated goal of bringing peace to Equestria, and no more. Twilight couldn’t know for sure; though she felt she knew her mentor well, there were times like these that surprised her just how little she comprehended the thoughts of a pony who had lived through centuries.
There was also the special invitation extended to Twilight, and Applejack’s comment. Twilight had attended important banquets with Celestia before, but never had she been asked to sit in on negotiations with other nations or take part in state business. The young sorceress was more concerned with her books and spells than politics, though she tried to stay up-to-date as best she could on current events. Still, she had always left matters of governing to Cant’r Laht’s nobility, and Celestia had respected that. What had changed?
“I suppose Celestia thinks that I am,” Twilight answered Applejack, a bit surprised herself at the conclusion she’d come to, “Spike, I will take those tickets for safekeeping.”
Her page obediently removed the tickets from the parchment, carefully scraping away the wax used to affix them to the page, and passed them to Twilight. Taking them in her mouth, Twilight carefully placed them in a pocket within her robes and tied the flap shut. Twilight’s presence at the summit was clearly very important to Celestia, and the sorceress didn’t want to take any risks in losing them in the nine months before the event took place.
“So, who’re you taking t’ the gala with you?” Applejack asked, trying (and failing) to be subtle in her unstated request. Spike may have caught on, but Twilight was too oblivious at the moment to comprehend her friend’s interest.
“I don’t know yet,” the sorceress said, “I suppose the decision is an important one, though I do have nine months to choose.”
“Do you imagine many important merchants will be attending this summit?” Applejack asked, trying once again to ask her question indirectly.
“Oh, for sure,” Spike answered, catching on to what she was going for, “I bet speaking to them would be a great opportunity for your farm, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s very true; very true,” Applejack said a bit awkwardly, “What do you say, Twi’?”
“Wait, are you saying you want to attend the summit in Cant’r Laht?” Twilight asked, the pieces finally snapping together.
“Not the summit, just the gala,” Applejack specified.
“You?” Twilight asked incredulously.
Then she thought about it. Why shouldn’t she take Applejack with her to the gala? Meeting with important merchants from all across Equestria would open up possibilities for the Apple family they would never have access to otherwise. Applejack was her friend, and what kind of friend would Twilight be if she didn’t try to help her out? A peasant farmer may not have been the target audience for a fancy banquet and ball, but Twilight could think of nopony else to take with her. The answer was unorthodox, but it was also obvious. Why not?
“I didn’t mean to sound condescending,” Twilight apologized, “I just never imagined somepony of your… temperament would be interested in attending such an extravagant event, but I understand. I can see how meeting with Equestrian’s merchants could help out your farm, and how important this is to you, and I do have an extra ticket, so I suppose-”
“Wait!” the voice of Rainbow Dash called as the Hunter dropped out of the sky.
Not controlling her descent as well as she really should have been, the pegasus landed on the shafts of Twilight’s cart. Spike was catapulted through the air and covered his eyes with his claws, dropping the letter from Celestia in the process. Leaping into the air, Applejack was able to catch the diminutive dragon in her forelegs, and the two of them fell heavily to the dirt. As they rose unharmed from the path, Twilight spun quickly to face Rainbow Dash.
“Just what, pray tell, was the meaning of that?” Twilight demanded of the Hunter.
While she had no great love for beets, there was something that irked Twilight to see the crops she and Spike had worked to harvest that morning spilled across the ground. There was also the matter that Spike, while his scales probably would have kept him from serious harm, had been put in a hazardous situation without warning. Twilight was not pleased with Rainbow’s irresponsible actions one bit, and had a good mind to give her a lecture here and now.
“Apologies for tossing you, Spike,” Rainbow said as she stepped away from the cart and crushed a beet underhoof, earning her a glare from Applejack, “And for the beets. I just happened to overhear that you’re able to bring somepony with you to a gala at Cant’r Laht.”
Looking around, it was obvious to Twilight that Rainbow Dash had been here for some time, explaining the sword marks on the trees. Looking up, the sorceress could see a makeshift hammock slung between two branches. Hanging on nearby branches were Dash’s swords and the heavier pieces of her Hunter armor. Apparently, she had decided to do her training for the day in this little patch of forest on the Apple farm and take a respite in the treetops.
“Why are you interested in the gala?” Applejack asked, glaring suspiciously.
“Twilight, all the Hunter orders are going to be there, correct?” Rainbow asked, focusing her attention on the sorceress instead of the irate farmer.
“Well, a representative for them,” Twilight answered.
“So, most likely the masters of each order,” Rainbow said, “That would, of course, include Spitfire, leader of the Wonderbolts. If a Wonderbolt ever dies or leaves, she’s the one who decides which lucky Hunter gets to take their place. Ever since I was a little filly, I always dreamed of one day being able to join them, and if I can meet Spitfire herself and show her my skills, I’ll be that much closer to becoming a Wonderbolt myself!”
“Are you trying to ask what I think you are?” Twilight said, still a bit peeved by the Hunter’s earlier actions, but seeing the sense behind her request, “Do you want my extra ticket to the gala?”
“Yes, Twilight! Thank you! You’re the best!” Dash proclaimed, spreading her wings and spinning in the air in excitement.
“Now wait just a minute,” Applejack protested before Twilight could explain to Dash that her words hadn’t been an offer, “Twilight was just about t’ offer me the ticket before you so rudely interrupted us.”
“I don’t see what difference that makes,” Dash said as she dropped to the ground and intently scowled at Applejack, “Your plan is full of holes anyway. Do you really think the most powerful merchants of Equestria would even acknowledge the existence of a pony of your class?”
“And you think that the most talented Hunter in the world is going t’ listen t’ you?” Applejack retorted, “You, a Hunter from a backwater like Ponieville who hasn’t done anything heroic of note in her career?”
“I wouldn’t say that, and I also happen to be a bearer of an Element of Harmony,” Dash replied.
“As am I,” Applejack said, punctuating each word, “What makes you think that you have any better a chance than I do?”
The farmer and the Hunter were standing nose to nose now, and Twilight feared the thus-far fairly civil argument could quickly turn violent. Before things descended into hooficuffs, Twilight stepped in and pried Applejack and Rainbow Dash apart with her forehooves.
“Excuse me, but the extra ticket to the gala was given to me, and I will decide who to take as a companion,” Twilight said, “Whoever has the greatest to gain should receive it, don’t you think so?”
“With extra business for the Apples, we can finally hire some help and keep Granny Smith comf’rtable in her old age,” Applejack presented as her argument. Twilight didn’t bring up that the Apples’ elderly matron seemed to be amply comfortable already by peasant standards.
“Networking with Spitfire will open the door to join the Wonderbolts and fulfill my lifelong dream,” Rainbow Dash said as she stepped in front of Applejack. Twilight also chose not to mention that if Dash was really as talented as she thought she was, becoming a Wonderbolt would be inevitable, and all meeting with the order’s master would accomplish would be to shave a few years off the wait.
“Those are both good points, and I’ll have to think on them, but there is still plenty of time before the decision has to be made,” Twilight said, instead of pointing out the limitations of her friends’ arguments as she probably would have done a week ago.
As the sorceress backed away from the disappointed duo, her stomach growled, reminding her that she was still hungry. Perhaps, with the question of who would accompany her to Cant’r Laht still in the air, it would be best not to dine with Applejack today.
“I will let the both of you know once I’ve made my decision,” Twilight promised as she motioned for Spike to climb onto her back, “But at the earliest, it will be after I have my luncheon today.”
Twilight took off before either Applejack or Rainbow Dash could respond, leaving her cart of beets. Rainbow had spilled them; she could trot them back to the Apples’ homestead. The sorceress worked to push the question of her gala companion from her mind as she made her way back to Ponieville.
***
The hamlet of Ponieville was much less busy now than when Twilight had first arrived just before the summer solstice. The vast camps outside the town were gone, and many of the inns were closed up. Twilight had learned that all the temporary guesthouses were owned by Mayor Mare or Filthy Rich, who would open them up and staff them only once every four years for the summer solstice ceremony, redistributing their workforce once the celebration was over. The various taverns and eateries throughout the town were all still open, even with the decreased business, so Twilight had plenty of options to pick from for her luncheon. At the moment, she was too busy thinking about her extra ticket to be too particular about what to eat; really, she just needed something to take her mind off the decision.
“So, Twilight, it seems like Applejack and Rainbow Dash are both pretty dedicated to the idea of accompanying you to the Grand Galloping Gala,” Spike said from Twilight’s back, not helping matters at all.
“Seems that way,” the sorceress replied, looking around for somewhere to eat as she passed Sugar Cube Corner, a bakery that bizarrely didn’t sell sugar cubes and wasn’t built on a corner.
“So, who do you think you’ll decide to go with?” the dragon asked.
“I don’t know, Spike. If Celestia hadn’t specified I was to bring a ‘suitable companion,’ I would have assumed the ticket was for you,” Twilight answered, ice in her voice, “As it stands now, I’m not sure, but I refuse to make a decision until I can get something to eat.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight spotted the chipped doors to Sugar Cube Corner swing outward, but by the time she spotted the pink ball of energy darting from the entrance, it was too late to do anything. The sorceress was knocked to the dirt, and Spike flew off her back and rolled across the ground. When Twilight looked up angrily, she saw Pinkamena balanced on top of her.
“Just what, pray tell, do you think you are doing?!” Twilight demanded as she pushed Pinkamena from her perch.
“Oh, sorry Twilight,” the pink mare apologized as she sprang back to her hooves, “I just thought I heard somepony mention the Grand Galloping Gala and I got so, so, so excited! So, where are they? Who was talking about the Gala?”
“Um, I suppose that would be me,” Spike said as he stood and dusted off his jacket.
The tiny dragon gave an ‘eep’ as Pinkamena pounced on him next, knocking him over and pinning him to the ground.
“Well, what do you know?” she demanded as she leaned over Spike, their noses nearly touching, “Spill the beets already!”
“How do you know about the Grand Galloping Gala?” Twilight asked, puzzled since she had first heard about it less than an hour earlier.
“All minstrels know the legend of the Grand Galloping Gala,” Pinkamena said as her head snapped around to face Twilight, “It used to be the best, best, best party ever! It’s been gone for a long time, though, despite ponies in every nation in Equestria trying to bring it back. It’s every bard’s dream to perform at the Grand Galloping Gala, even if it’s just a poor substitute trying to live up to the legend.”
“I thought you were a baker?” Twilight said, still trying to understand the pony standing before her.
“Oh, I am,” Pinkamena said with no further explanation.
“Actually, Celestia is planning on reinstating the Grand Galloping Gala in Cant’r Laht next spring,” Spike blabbed as Pinkie realized she had the dragon pinned to the ground and helped him up, “She even sent Twilight two tickets to it.”
“Really, Twilight?” Pinkamena asked as she spun back towards the sorceress, and Twilight ceased motioning for her page to stop talking, “You’re going to take me with you to the Grand Galloping Gala! Thank you, Twilight!”
“Just how did you come to that conclusion?” Twilight asked as she held out a hoof to keep Pinkamena from pouncing on her.
The last thing she needed was a third pony pestering her with questions about taking them to Cant’r Laht. She already had to worry about deciding between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and it wasn’t fair to add Pinkamena to the mix. But, Pinkamena was also supposed to be her friend, wasn’t she? Attending the Gala was Pinkamena’s dream (or at least it was the dream of the bard part of whatever crazy amalgamation of personalities this mare was) and she couldn’t very well deny her friend her dream. But, with only one ticket to give, somepony’s hopes and dreams were going to be crushed.
“Meeting in the street, are we?” Rarity asked as she trotted up to a Twilight still in thought, a Pinkamena not understanding the implications of what Twilight had said to her, and a Spike still not fully comprehending the situation he’d put Twilight it, “Wouldn’t the three of you rather go inside? What are you talking about anyway?”
“Twilight’s taking me to the Grand Galloping Gala in Cant’r Laht!” Pinkamena answered excitedly before Twilight could stop her.
“A gala in Cant’r Laht?” Rarity asked, her eyes widening, “A formal ball where all of Cant’r Laht’s nobility will be in attendance?”
“Well, I suppose so, as well as the most important nobility and gentry from Equestria’s other kingdoms,” Twilight answered the newcomer, “But that’s really not the point-”
“I’ve always dreamed of visiting Cant’r Laht, you know,” Rarity interrupted, not letting Twilight finish explaining, “Despite being unicorns, my family is very poor and not connected to any of the large families, so I was never able to visit the city in the past.”
“You want to go to Cant’r Laht,” Twilight said wearily.
“It’s not just Cant’r Laht,” Rarity said defensively, her words getting faster the more she spoke, “Most of my business here in Ponieville is making horseshoes and patching barding for the mayoral guard, but my real passion is dressmaking. I know if the Cant’r Laht nobility could see me in a gala gown of my own design, they would all want one for themselves, and it could do wonders for my business. Of course, a marriage to a member of even the lower nobility would help my position even more, and I’d be in the perfect position to come into contact with them at such an event.”
Is she serious? Sure, some could possibly find Rarity to be attractive (Twilight wasn’t in a position to remark on the matter), but that would mean nothing to most members of the nobility. A complicated web of marriage alliances bound all members of noble families practically from birth, and one’s name and title mattered more than practically any other features. In fact, despite House Haltrotsun’s extremely low prestige, the only reason Twilight wasn’t engaged was because of the freedom of choice granted her as Celestia’s protégé (and the fact that the pony she’d been pledged to marry as an infant had died before she reached the age of two). It was a mystery how her brother Shining Armor had managed to avoid betrothal for so long, especially after Twilight’s rise in social status had likewise propelled her family in the same direction. Still, the best a peasant like Rarity could hope to wed would be a member of the gentry, or perhaps a more progressive member of the lower nobility. If she hoped for anything more, she would be sorely disappointed.
Much like before, as Twilight thought about what Rarity had said, she realized that her plan wasn’t entirely crazy. At least the business side of her dream was sound. Since she’d come to Ponieville, Twilight had seen Rarity wearing a full dress only twice, and even the sorceress could tell that both were stunning. Even the plain gown she was wearing now was better designed than the common peasant garb. If the ponies at the gala saw her at her best, Twilight believed that they really would want to purchase dresses from the Ponieville blacksmith. Twilight was startled to realize that she was now seriously considering four ponies for the ticket, two for the business opportunities it would give them, and two for the opportunity to fulfill their dreams.
“I cannot believe you would take a pony as uncultured as Pinkamena to such an event and deny me the chance to attend a real ball in Cant’r Laht,” Rarity said, acting wounded.
“Now listen, I never said that I was taking Pinkamena to the gala,” Twilight said to both ponies standing before her, trying to explain everything before she could be cut off again, “Somehow she came up with that idea on her own, but I never claimed that she would be accompanying me.”
Twilight was going to say more, about the other ponies vying for the ticket, about having nine months to decide, but she felt a pony’s hoof tapping her shoulder before she could elaborate.
“What?” the sorceress asked venomously as she spun on her interrupter, until she saw that it was a now-cowering druidess, “My apologies, Fluttershy; I didn’t know it was you. Is there something you wanted to say to me?”
“I… was just wondering… That is, I was walking by, and I heard you talking about a gala… in Cant’r Laht?” Fluttershy said haltingly as she rose.
Oh no, not another one!
“The gala, where in Cant’r Laht do you think it will be held?” the druidess asked, gaining confidence as she continued speaking.
“I imagine in Cant’r Laht Castle’s great hall,” Twilight said automatically, but then she rethought her answer.
The great hall would surely be used for the summit, but probably only the heads of state and their advisors would attend the actual conference. Celestia’s added message for Twilight’s eyes had made it seem that far more ponies than that would be at the gala, which meant a larger space was needed. It would need to be a location both awe-inspiring and spacious enough to accommodate all of Celestia’s guests.
“Actually, I think it’s more likely the gala will be held in the castle’s south ballroom and the private gardens,” Twilight corrected her earlier assessment, “Why?”
“Well, I heard that you were taking somepony with you to Cant’r Laht, and I was wondering if you would consider taking me,” Fluttershy answered, looking hopefully at Twilight as she waited for a response.
“You want to go to the gala as well?” Twilight asked, getting confirmation on what she already knew.
“Well, not exactly,” Fluttershy said, “Cant’r Laht Castle’s private gardens are closed to everypony except by special invitation from Celestia. Only three druids are allowed to enter the gardens each year, and no druid from the Ponieville circle has ever been invited. The gardens contain a bounty flora and fauna not found anywhere else in Equestria, more variety of life than a druid could hope to see in a lifetime. This could be my only chance to see it for myself.”
Twilight, of course, had visited the castle’s private gardens before (she was, in fact, one of only three ponies allowed to enter whenever she wanted besides the gardeners), and knew that Fluttershy was not exaggerating how magnificent and unique they were. The sorceress had no great love for the druids, but Fluttershy was her friend, and she knew that she now had a fifth pony she needed to consider as an escort at the gala. She had a full set now, all five of the “Brave Companions” as ponies had begun to call them after their defeat of Nightmare Moon. Maybe now ponies would stop coming to her with these requests.
“I will consider your request,” Twilight said slowly to Fluttershy once she’d concluded and ordered her thoughts, and she held up a hoof when Rarity and Pinkamena began to voice complaints, “I will consider all of your requests, but I need time to think things through and decide.”
“Well, well, well; what have we here?” Rainbow Dash’s voice cut in as the Hunter cantered up briskly. Friends or not, where did these ponies get the idea that they can just interrupt me whenever they want to?
“Rainbow Dash, did you follow me here?” Twilight asked angrily.
“Yes, I did,” Dash admitted boldly, “Looks like it’s a good thing I did, too. It seems the offer you extended to Applejack and me has been expanded to include three others. If you ask me, you’re just making things harder on yourself.”
“Thank you for your insight,” Twilight said sarcastically, “But my affairs are none of your concern.”
“I thought we agreed t’ let Twilight be until she’s had a chance t' consider,” Applejack chimed in, appearing out of nowhere, “But I guess you couldn’t resist a chance to try to steal away the ticket you know to be rightfully mine, could you?”
“Rightfully yours?” Rainbow replied incredulously, “Why, because you thought you were going to get it first?”
“I didn’t know the two of you were also in on this,” Rarity protested, “What could you ruffians enjoy about a formal ball?”
“Visiting Cant’r Laht Castle’s private gardens is the dream of every druid and druidess,” Fluttershy said, her voice becoming lost among the others.
Soon all five of the ponies around Twilight were talking at once, mostly to each other, and arguing about why they should be the one to visit Cant’r Laht. The sorceress struggled to keep her temper in check as the voices grew louder and more confrontational. Is attending a gala nopony knew would even occur until this morning really so important to them that they’re arguing like this? Why can’t they just wait for my decision? It’s not like I have to choose for another nine months anyway! In fact, there’s really no reason for me to choose any of them. Celestia decided that I ought to be allowed to bring somepony as a companion to the gala, but she left the decision entirely up to me, and I could choose anypony Celestia would find suitable. With the way these five are behaving right now, I’m not even sure I want to take any of them to a prestigious Cant’r Laht affair! There was no way Spike could have known Twilight’s thoughts, but he’d been around her long enough to know that she was about to snap nevertheless, and backed away from the six ponies slowly.
“Enough!” Twilight yelled, and magic projected from her body in a sheet, striking the other ponies mute as it hit them, “I said that I would consider all of you as possible companions for the gala, but just now you’ve nearly convinced me that none of you should go!”
Beads of sweat began to break out on Twilight’s forehead as she kept up the spell, and she released it to keep from appearing strained. Mercifully, her friends remained silent even after their voices were returned to them.
“This is my decision, and no amount of arguing is going to help your positions. The gala isn’t for another nine months, and I will let you all know my choice before then, but you cannot just ambush me and expect an answer,” Twilight continued, “As I told Applejack and Rainbow Dash earlier, I will not make a decision until I have at least had something to eat. Now, return to your own businesses and leave me be.”
Spike joined Twilight as she turned sharply and trotted away from the five other ponies, who began to disperse a few seconds after the sorceress left with a great deal of suspicious glances traded between them.
***
With her stomach rumbling more frequently now, Twilight didn’t want to waste any time in deciding where to get food, and she didn’t want any more decisions on her mind anyway. She stopped at the first eatery she came across, an open-air tavern with tables in a roped-off enclosure abutting a canopied bar where there were already a few patrons at this hour, including one of the Cant’r Laht soldiers left behind to provide Twilight with protection. The soldier quickly finished his drink and sneaked away as the sorceress arrived. The wooden sign hanging from the building featured a rearing earth pony and proclaimed the tavern to be “The Prancynge Ponie.” It’s like this town is obsessed with using Middling Equestrian; hasn’t anypony told them that it ought to be “Dae Prançyŋe Poní”?
Twilight took a seat at one of the tables, and Spike jumped up onto the chair across from her. She might have thought it odd that nopony else had chosen to sit outside, and she might have noticed that the clouds overhead were growing darker, but her mind was too preoccupied with the question of the gala for that. She had told her friends off, and reassured them that there was plenty of time for her to make her decision, but for some reason her mind wouldn’t heed its own reasoning.
I’m just as bad as they are, unable to get the thought of who to bring to the gala out of my mind. I may have nine months to choose, but somehow I get the feeling that I won’t be able to rest until I do. I’ve dealt with far more important matters before, so why am I having such a hard time deciding this time? Is it because I have an emotional stake in it? I want to be a good friend, and that means helping my friends out, but how do I choose who to help? They all have valid reasons to want to go, and the fulfillment of one of their dreams will inevitably lead to the shattering of four others’. Who should I choose? How can I choose?
“Has the lady made her decision?” the tavern’s waiter asked Twilight, making a very poor choice of words in a situation he didn’t even know existed.
“I can’t make a decision under this pressure!” Twilight yelled, drawing the momentary attention of the tavern’s other patrons and a few townsponies trotting by.
“Twilight, he just wants to know what you’ll be having to eat,” Spike said softly. The dragon had seen his companion under stress before, back in Cant’r Laht, and it was not pretty. If she didn’t find a solution to this predicament soon, he feared what could happen.
“My apologies. Yes, I would like to order,” Twilight said after shaking her head, and she made a selection from the crude menu board attached to the side of the tavern, “One daffodil and daisy sandwich on rye, please.”
“And to drink?” the stallion asked.
“Just water,” Twilight said. She doubted that a Ponieville tavern would have any of the wines or cordials she’d been accustomed to in Cant’r Laht.
“Do you serve pheasant?” Spike asked, and received a ghastly look from the waiter, “I’ll take that as a no. Half a loaf of pumpernickel and a Fillidelfiyaan Brandy then.”
“What are your thoughts, Spike?” Twilight asked as the waiter trotted off, looking back nervously at Spike every few steps.
“I think we found yet another eatery that finds it barbaric that I, a dragon, eat meat. I must admit, I’m getting tired of the looks, Twilight,” Spike answered, only partially misunderstanding her question. If he could get the sorceress’s mind off the topic that was consuming it, it would be best for both of them.
“Not what I’m talking about,” Twilight said, ignoring her page’s complaint, “What do you think I should do about the extra ticket Celestia sent me for the gala?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. If you ask me, I think all six of you are blowing this out of proportion. It’s just a ball, and it’s not until the spring anyway, so why get all worked up?” Spike answered, hoping he wasn’t being too candid.
“I know, I know,” Twilight said, burying her head in her hooves, “It’s driving me mad, though! I don’t want to let anypony down, but no matter who I choose, it will mean disappointing four others. We’ve just gotten settled in Ponieville, Spike, and we’re here for the long run. I can’t afford to lose the friendship of four of the five ponies here I’m familiar with over something as trivial as this. Celestia really only wanted me with her at the summit, and I don’t care all that much about the gala itself, but even if I give my ticket away as well, there will still be three disappointed ponies! How do I choose?”
“Daffodil and daisy on rye and water for the lady, and pumpernickel and a brandy for the lad,” the waiter said as he returned to deposit their tray of food on the table.
“Thank you; it looks delicious,” Twilight exaggerated because of her appetite as she paid the waiter, who had the manners not to bite the coins in front of her to check their authenticity, “Maybe after I finally get something to eat, I’ll be able to think straight.”
“You should hurry if you don’t want to get wet,” the waiter opinioned as he trotted off briskly toward the bar.
“Wet?” Twilight asked, confused.
The sky rumbled with thunder a moment later, and Twilight realized it had gotten dark very quickly for mid-afternoon. The thunder continued, and soon heavy drops of rain began to fall from the heavens, turning into a blinding torrent in an instant. Except, Twilight still wasn’t getting wet. In a circle around the table where she and Spike were seated, miraculously no rain was falling. The sorceress looked up and frowned when she saw the reason why.
“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight addressed the Hunter perched at the edge of a hole in the clouds, “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“Hey, Twilight; enjoying the weather?” Dash called down, “I saw that you were about to get rained on just when you’d finally gotten a bite to eat, and— knowing how important this meal is to you—I busted a hole in the clouds so you can dine in peace.”
“And I suppose this favor has nothing to do with convincing me to give you the extra ticket to the gala?” Twilight asked.
“Don’t be silly. Not at all!” Rainbow laughed awkwardly.
“I don’t believe you,” Twilight said strictly, “If you think that you can get greater consideration for the ticket by doing favors for me, you’re sadly mistaken. Now I’d appreciate it if you would close up that cloud and let me be like I asked.”
“Fine, but don’t come crying to me when you get soaked,” Dash said huffily as she filled the hole in the clouds back in.
“Thank you,” Twilight said as she pulled her sandwich toward her. Of course, only a moment later the downpour reached her and thoroughly soaked both Twilight and her lunch. Spike stuffed the rest of his meal down his throat quickly as Twilight grumbled and pushed her food away from herself.
“Twilight, you’ll get drenched in this deluge,” Rarity noted as she trotted past, herself keeping dry beneath a thick hooded robe.
“You and Dash should start a guild for ponies who state the obvious,” the miserably wet sorceress grumbled.
“Come now, let’s get you out of this rain,” Rarity said as she grabbed Twilight’s robes and dragged her away.
***
As the rain pounded down outside, Twilight dried herself off in Rarity’s home. This was the second time now that the other unicorn had dragged her here and stripped her of her clothing; hopefully this didn’t become a habit. As she finished drying herself, Twilight looked at her dripping robes and regretted telling Dash to close up the clouds. Back in Cant’r Laht, Twilight would gladly trade favors for favors; it was how sorceresses did business. Now, though, it felt wrong to barter away the ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala and string along her friends for nine months. Have I really changed so much in so short a time? It shocked Twilight to think that the ponies she’d known in Cant’r Laht might not even recognize her now, and that the changes had all occurred in just a few weeks.
Perhaps the Elements of Harmony had played some role in this shift. Their magic, which didn’t match up with existing magical laws and theories, was what Twilight really should have been studying, but the Elements seemed to be completely inert now so she had sent them on to Cant’r Laht for safekeeping. They would be useless to Celestia in the case of a crisis, but there was no way to keep relics of such power secure in a backwater like Ponieville.
“What are you doing?” Twilight asked with surprise as Rarity threw a tape measure across her withers unannounced and startled the sorceress.
“Just getting your measurements, dear,” Rarity said through a quill as she scribbled down Twilight’s dimensions, “You’ll need a proper dress if you plan to attend the gala, and I want you to wear the best I have to offer.”
“That’s very generous of you, Rarity,” Twilight said, “But I suspect you have an ulterior motive.”
“Whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity chuckled as she concluded taking Twilight’s measurements.
“Listen, one pony has already tried to bribe me for the ticket today, and I do not appreciate it,” Twilight sighed, “If you think doing me a favor will increase your chances of accompanying me to Cant’r Laht, you’re mistaken.”
“It was Rainbow Dash, wasn’t it?” Rarity snapped before returning to her usual demeanor and waving her hoof dismissively, “Don’t be silly, Twilight. Giving you a dress is by no means an attempt to compel you that it should be me that is best suited for the glamour of a high class Cant’r Laht social event. I want you to have it, regardless of who you pick.”
Rarity trotted out of the room and disappeared for a few minutes, leaving Twilight and Spike alone. The sorceress was very uncomfortable, both because she hadn’t eaten since that morning and because the question of the gala was still weighing heavily on her mind. Even if Rarity was sincere about the motives of her gift—which Twilight doubted—it still felt wrong to accept it, especially after turning down Dash, no matter how transparent her offer had been. Accepting one present could be seen as favoritism, and soon the competition to win Twilight’s good will would escalate out of control.
“I found the perfect ensemble for you,” Rarity crooned as she reentered the room, an extravagant dress draped over her back, “Well, try it on.”
Twilight sighed, expecting a trap, but still obediently donned the dress. Though the fit wasn’t perfect, it was close enough that the sorceress felt comfortable wearing the gown. The material, though not as exquisite as what could be purchased in Cant’r Laht, was above what one would expect to be accessible in Ponieville. Perhaps Twilight had underestimated Rarity’s craftsmareship.
“Oh, you look fabulous!” Rarity praised as Twilight examined herself, “Wait here, I have something to attend to, and I’ll be right back.”
“Hmm, what do you think, Spike?” Twilight asked as she observed her reflection in a mirror of polished bronze.
“I think the rain’s stopping and we should sneak out of here,” the dragon said as he looked out the window.
“You’re probably right,” Twilight admitted, but she didn’t want to express her doubts on Rarity’s authenticity until it was proven.
She had done a good job on the dress, and she knew how to pick them, too. The midnight blue fabric went well with her purple mane and tail. It occurred to her that it might go equally well with Rarity’s mane and tail. A moment later, Rarity trotted back into the room wearing a similar dress, though this one had obviously been made especially for her.
“I’m so glad that dress works for you, because I happen to have an accompanying one for myself,” Rarity cooed, “Can you imagine the looks we’ll get side by side?”
“At the gala,” Twilight added in a deadpan voice as she narrowed her eyes at Rarity.
“Do you think so?” Rarity asked innocently, “Well, I suppose that the two of us would be the belles of the ball like this, wouldn’t we?”
“I don’t think so,” Twilight said as she pulled off the dress and donned her now (mostly) dry sorceress robes, “I expected better of you, Rarity. I told you that trying to ply me with favors won’t work, and still you tried.”
“But, Twilight-” Rarity protested.
“No,” Twilight responded firmly, “You will have to wait for my decision just like everypony else. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have yet to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of eating lunch. Come, Spike.”
Not needing any further encouragement, Spike waddled over to Twilight and swung himself onto her back. The sorceress trotted irately past a very flabbergasted Rarity and out of her home/shop. Once she was outside, though, she found herself face to face with Applejack.
“Did I hear correctly that you’re still looking for lunch?” the farmer asked as Twilight was forced to come to a stop.
Behind Applejack was a cart like the one she and Twilight had hauled beets in earlier, but this one had a blanket draped over the top. Applejack unhooked herself and trotted around to the back of the cart, pulling the cover off to reveal a collection of food that could be called a peasant banquet, for lack of a better term.
“Did you make all this for me?” Twilight asked as she gazed hungrily at the feast laid out before her.
“Well, sure,” Applejack said, “You said that you couldn’t make a decision about the gala on an empty stomach, so I thought I’d bring you some food t’ help things along.”
“Wait, are you doing this to get special consideration for the ticket to the gala?” Twilight asked as she tried to ignore the rumbling of her stomach.
“Well, I can’t say I thought it ‘twould diminish my chances,” Applejack said as she removed her hat and scratched the back of her neck embarrassedly.
“No thank you, then,” Twilight said, finding it very hard to turn up her nose at the food and trot past, “I’ll make the decision in my own time, and until then these favors are just making the decision harder. If anything, I have less idea of who to pick now that I did in front of Sugar Cube Corner.”
Spike reached for some food as Twilight stormed off, but she moved too quickly and he missed his chance. He knew better than to ask her to turn back. Twilight was really in a foul mood now, and he hoped nopony else would get in her way on the trip back to Golden Oak’s laboratory.
***
As Twilight trotted through Ponieville’s muddy streets, she lamented that her new clothes hadn’t arrived yet. Soon after arriving, she’d realized that her typical attire would not do well in this town, and sent off a request for shorter robes and hock-length boots to her regular tailor in Cant’r Laht. Unfortunately, Spike could only send and receive letters to and from Celestia, so she had to send any other correspondence in the regular manner. The letter to her tailor she’d sent back with the Elements of Harmony, but from now on she’d have to rely on couriers to get any non-critical messages through. She would also have to wait for her new clothes to be delivered, which could take weeks.
Until then, she had to put up with things as best she could, even though it caused her great discomfort. In Cant’r Laht, Twilight had most often worn horseshoes or gone without shoes at all, and her sorceress robes were of the popular style that brushed the cobblestones as one walked. This translated in Ponieville to her robes and hooves becoming caked in mud whenever the ground wasn’t entirely dry, and the mud in Ponieville was suspect. Gone, thankfully, were the days where ponies defecated wherever they wished. Now, in towns such as Ponieville, they would do their business inside in a chamber pot or bucket, and then throw it out into the street. Progress. It was a far cry from Cant’r Laht’s sewage system, and Twilight didn’t relish the fact that what she was stepping in on a damp day could just as easily be excrement as earth. Once her new clothes came, it would make things more bearable, at least, though no less revolting.
“Ugh, in Cant’r Laht I always dreamed of the day ponies would shower me with gifts for my favor,” Twilight complained to Spike as they neared their Ponieville home, “Now I regret ever wishing for it. In reality, being bombarded with favors is simply stressful.”
“Well, hopefully we’ll be safe from any more questions once we’re in the laboratory,” Spike tried to reassure her as he looked around frantically, happily not catching a glimpse of any Brave Companions.
“You’re right, Spike,” Twilight said with a sigh, and he could sense the tension in her shoulders ease just a little.
As the sorceress pushed open the door with her hoof, she was greeted by the melodious singing of birds. Twilight stood stock-still as she looked at the library with dismay. Animals of all shapes and sizes were scampering around, many carrying cleaning utensils or using their body parts as makeshift tools. In the center of it all was a very familiar druidess.
“Fluttershy, what is this?” Twilight asked through gritted teeth, and Spike felt her tension return stronger than ever.
“Hello, Twilight; didn’t expect you back so soon,” the pegasus said as she fluttered down to land beside the sorceress, “I thought your home could use some cleaning.”
“Well, yes, it could,” Twilight admitted, “But don’t you have your own matters out in the forest to tend to? Surely you wouldn’t be cleaning here unless you thought that doing so would help your chances of getting my extra ticket to Cant’r Laht.”
“Such accusations!” Fluttershy said softly, though somehow also with great emotion, “I assure you, we’re just here to help clean, no other motive. Right, Angel?”
Twilight turned to look for whoever Fluttershy had addressed with her question. Apparently, the one-eared rabbit organizing books was called Angel, and the creature gave Fluttershy an unamused look and shook its head in response to the druidess’s question. Twilight could have wondered how Fluttershy was able to communicate with all these animals, which was an impressive feat even for a druid, but at the moment she was too angry for that.
“Fluttershy, I’ve already told Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack that I’m not comfortable accepting favors in exchange for extra consideration for the ticket, and now I have to deal with you too!” Twilight said wearily, “I want you to take your animals and get out of my home this instant.”
“Technically, this area of the laboratory is still open to the public,” Fluttershy pointed out.
“I’ll just have to see Mayor Mare about that,” Twilight said, struggling to keep her temper in check, “Please, just go.”
As the sorceress opened the door behind her, she was grabbed unexpectedly by a pair of pink hooves. Spike fell from her back as she was dragged out into the street and fell rump-first into the mud. Music began to play as seven bards circled around her, all playing different instruments. Pinkamena strummed her lute outside the circle and cleared her throat in preparation to sing.
“Oh no,” Twilight said, quickly standing and breaking up the circle of minstrels around her, “No songs today, please, Pinkamena!”
“Aw, but I had a great song I wrote just for the occasion,” Pinkamena complained as she set her lute down, “Can’t I just sing a few lines? I know it will get you to change your mind.”
“No thank you, Pinkamena,” Twilight said, and knocked her lute back down as she moved to pick it up again, “As I told everypony else, doing things to convince me to give the ticket to you won’t help. In fact, it’s making it harder to decide than ever, and I have no idea who I should take to the gala.”
“Wait; gala? Ticket?” one of the minstrels, an earth pony stallion wearing a cap with a red feather in it asked, and he then produced a sheaf of parchment and started flipping through it, “These lines: ‘The Grand Galloping Gala, that most splendiferous ball, doesn’t compare to Twilight Sparkle, the greatest friend of all. I know that if I treat her, to a party in the night, she’ll bless me with a ticket when in morning comes the light.’ You have a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala?”
Pinkamena obviously hadn’t thought her plan through. Hadn’t she said that it was every bard’s dream to attend the Grand Galloping Gala? Now she had gathered seven of them together and spilled the secret. Her song hadn’t even tried to be subtle, either, stating her plan and motives outright.
The bards moved in around Twilight, all asking about going to the Grand Galloping Gala. Unlike the previous five, she was not friends with these ponies, and had never even met them before, so it wouldn’t be hard to say no to them. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t make their asking any less annoying, and Twilight was already burned out from the constant questioning of the past hour and wasn’t thinking straight. When Spike climbed onto her back, she did the only thing that seemed reasonable to her addled mind at the time: she ran.
“After her!” one of the minstrels called, and the chase began.
Twilight galloped as fast as she could through the muddy streets of Ponieville, slipping occasionally as she turned a corner or hit a particularly wet patch. Twilight knew that she was not at peak physical condition, and it was all she could do just to keep ahead of the bards. Somewhere along the way, they managed to pick up more ponies and the crowd pursuing Twilight grew larger. If she had been farther east, she would have worried that they were planning on burning her at the stake for witchcraft, but thankfully all she had to worry about in Ponieville was annoying questions.
Twilight had only a cursory knowledge of Ponieville’s layout at the moment, but Spike had a good head for directions and helped guide the sorceress to shortcuts and back alleys. Still, the crowd of peasants always managed to find them somehow. No matter how far ahead Twilight got, or how many twisting turns she took, they would always reappear just when she thought she was safe. At some point, they split into separate groups and managed to narrow Twilight’s choices to a single alleyway, which Spike urged her not to run down.
The alley terminated in the sheer wall of a warehouse, and Twilight could go no farther. Well, in her current state she could go no farther. If she had been of sound mind she’d have remembered several levitation spells as well as spells that could be used to drive back the crowd of ponies pursuing her, but at the moment her thoughts were too frazzled and disjointed to consider magical routes of escape. As the ponies closed in and Twilight found her back against the wall, she closed her eyes and everything became a white haze. Spike tasted the tang of magic in the air and grabbed hold of Twilight tightly as the two of them blinked out of existence. The ponies in the alleyway whinnied in alarm and backpedaled as fast as they could, more terrified than confused at the moment.
Within Golden Oak’s laboratory, the duo reappeared in a flash of light and a crackle of magic smelling of lemons and orange rinds. Ash settled to the floor around them, and the burn marks on Twilight’s robes and Spike’s jacket spoke to the fact that it hadn’t been a textbook teleportation that had just occurred. His ears ringing, Spike fell from Twilight’s back, and pushed himself unsteadily to his feet.
“What was that, Twilight?” the dragon asked when the room’s spinning slowed down.
“We just survived an uncontrolled teleport,” the terrified sorceress said with wide eyes, “I didn’t think I was able to even partially complete that spell involuntarily.”
“Well, you took us home at least,” Spike said as he regained his bearings.
“I didn’t know I was going to, though,” Twilight said as she shook her head, “I didn’t have any destination in mind when I initiated the spell. Let’s never do that again.”
“Agreed,” Spike said as he walked briskly to the laboratory’s door and locked it, “Maybe now we can get some privacy. Heaven knows you need it after what you’ve been through today.”
“Thanks, Spike. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Twilight said genuinely.
“Um, Twilight? Is this a bad time?” Applejack’s voice came from behind the sorceress.
She spun around to see all five of her friends emerging from her private rooms.
“No no no! What do I have to do to get away from you?” Twilight lamented, “I can’t make a decision like this! Going to this gala is important to all of you, and I don’t want to disappoint any of you, but it’s not possible! No matter what I do, there is simply no way I can fulfill all of your dreams, and I know it’s crazy to think that I could, but maybe that’s part of being friends! I genuinely want to help you all, but I can’t! I just can’t! I never could make this decision, and all these favors just make it even harder! I don’t want to let down any of you, but there’s nothing I can do!”
The five ponies stood bunched together awkwardly, looking at each other with embarrassed expressions as Spike stood off to the side with his arms crossed, frowning at them. After seconds that seemed an eternity, Applejack trotted over to where Twilight was collapsed on the floor, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.
“Listen, I’m sorry, Twi’” the farmer said as she placed a hoof on the sorceress’s shoulder, “The last thing I wanted t’ do was t’ cause you so much pain ‘n’ heartache. I know it won’t fix the damage I’ve done, but don’t worry about giving me the ticket. You were probably right when you said a pony like me would be out o’ place at a ball like that anyway. Give the ticket to somepony else; I won’t fault you for it.”
“The same goes for me,” Pinkamena said as Applejack helped Twilight up, “Well, not the being out of place at the gala part, but the rest. I didn’t want to hurt you, Twilight, and I hate seeing friends upset. I don’t deserve the ticket for acting like that.”
“I’m so sorry, Twilight,” Fluttershy apologized, “I was too obsessed with seeing the Cant’r Laht private gardens that I didn’t stop to think about what I was doing. I feel terrible for the way I acted toward you. Forgive me, Twilight, and I don’t care if somepony else gets the ticket.”
“Twilight, I must express my sincere apologies as well,” Rarity said, getting choked up from all the apologizing going on, “It was despicable that I tried to trick you into giving me the ticket. I swear that I don’t want it anymore, not if it would mean causing you more pain and stress.”
Twilight and the four ponies gathered around her turned to look at Dash, who was hovering nearby.
“I’m not going to lie, I really wanted that ticket,” Dash said awkwardly as she scratched the back of her neck with a hoof, “But… it’s not worth it if it’s going to hurt you in the process, Twilight. Keep the ticket, and not just because it’s the noble thing to do. I really don’t think I should have it anymore.”
Can things really be solved so easily? This problem seemed so much bigger earlier. No, this isn’t the end. Though we may have patched up the problem, the scars of it will remain, and the memory of this day will be with us for the rest of our lives. Hopefully, it will be an event that strengthens our bond and keeps this from happening again, but in the near-term I’ll still remember how very unfriendly my “friends” acted, and even if I tell myself everything is fixed, this will negatively affect my perceptions of them. It’s too bad we can’t just reset things to the beginning of the day, before those tickets changed the dynamic between us. Well, maybe there’s something that can be done yet…
“Spike, take a letter please,” Twilight ordered, and the dragon rushed to grab parchment, ink, and a quill.
“Ready to go,” he said when he’d assembled the necessary material and tools.
“My dearest mentor, Celestia. Many thanks for your invitation to the summit in the spring, and for the two tickets to the accompanying gala. However, I’m afraid that I cannot accept the tickets,” Twilight dictated, and several of her friends responded with ‘what?’s to the last line, “I have come to realize that sharing this gift with just one of my friends will not be enough. It would not seem fair in my mind to bring one of them to the gala and leave the others behind in Ponieville. Therefore, I will not be attending the Grand Galloping Gala even on my own, as leaving all five of my friends behind is just as abhorrent to my mind. I will still be attending the summit, as you requested, but the tickets I shall be returning. Your faithful apprentice, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight signed her name at the bottom of the letter and gave Spike the tickets from her mud-splattered and scorched robes.
“There’s no need for you t’ miss the gala on our accounts, Twi’” Applejack said as Spike prepared the letter for sending.
“I spent the whole afternoon trying to reach a decision, and now I’ve made it,” Twilight said firmly, “Unless we can all go together to the gala, I don’t want to go at all. Spike, send the letter as soon as it is ready.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the dragon said as he finished affixing the tickets with wax and gave a breath of fire that incinerated the letter into a cloud of smoke that zipped through the cracks of a window and flew off toward Cant’r Laht.
“I never thought I’d see the day that a Cant’r Laht sorceress would choose Ponieville over Cant’r Laht,” Fluttershy noted.
“I didn’t choose Ponieville,” Twilight replied, “I chose the five of you.”
As touching (and clichéd) as that moment could have been, it was interrupted by Twilight’s rumbling stomach reminding her that she still hadn’t eaten since the sun had risen, and now it was setting.
“I think I know just how we can apologize for putting you through such aggravation,” Rarity said, “Let’s treat you to a meal.”
“That sounds fantastic,” Twilight said honestly, then looked back at the state she was in, “Let me just change first.”
***
Later that night, the six ponies and one dragon were sitting around a few pulled-together tables at a tavern, talking and laughing. The wounds seem to be healing well Twilight noted. The barkeep gave them a look when Spike’s bottle shattered against the floor as he dropped it. The miniscule dragon coughed heavily and beat his chest until a scroll materialized in a blaze of fire before him. Once his breath returned to him, he retrieved the letter and unrolled it. Nopony could help noticing that Celestia’s seal was affixed to it.
“Don’t keep us waiting. What’s it say?” Rainbow Dash asked before taking a draw from her tankard.
“My dearest apprentice, Twilight Sparkle,” Spike read, “I apologize for this most egregious oversight. Of course all of your friends should be able to attend the gala with you as companions. To remedy this problem, I have attached six tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala to this letter. I look forward to see all of the Brave Companions in the spring. Signed, Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, Guardian of the Sun, and Protector of Ponieville.”
The six ponies all cried out in delight upon hearing the news, disturbing patrons at the other tables.
“This calls for another round,” Applejack said, and waved to get the barkeep’s attention.
Spike folded up the letter and placed it inside his jacket for safekeeping. Behind it was a second page, and he read this one silently.
My dear dragon Spike: do not think that I have forgotten about you. It may not have been specified in the previous letter, but I want you to be at Twilight’s side during both the summit and the Grand Galloping Gala. To clear up any confusion, you will also find a ticket attached for your use. Sincerely, Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, etc.
Spike smiled as he pried the ticket from the paper with a claw and placed it in a jacket pocket before waving a waiter over for a fresh bottle.
The leaves of the apple trees rustled as a strong wind blew through them. It was a dreary afternoon, and the clouds were only just beginning to part as the sun set, sending beams of light slanting haphazardly across the Apples’ orchards. Atop a hill where only a few trees grew stood two ponies, one a stallion rippling with muscle and the other a mare, smaller, but just as fit. A long silence had passed between them as they watched the sun go down and the apple trees blend into a shapeless mass of green in the twilight.
“Is there not any way you can stay, Mac?” the mare asked hopefully.
“I’m afraid not, Applejack,” Big Macintosh replied to his sister, “If I don’t report to-morrow, the town guard’ll either come ‘n’ hang me, or they’ll take th’ farm.”
“I don’t know why you have t’ go anyway,” Applejack said.
“I was chosen by lottery t’ be part of th’ Ponieville levy,” Mac said.
“That’s just it, though,” Applejack said with a frown, “Mayor Mare’s not our lord.”
“She’s still administrator of all th’ land around Ponieville,” Big Mac said as he looked sideways at his little sister.
“But she’s not nobility,” Applejack objected, “She doesn’t have th’ authority t’ raise levies without orders from Cant’r Laht.”
“She wants t’ be nobility, though, and that’s what this whole situation is really about,” Big Mac said, “Count Baukus is gettin’ worried that th’ nearby barons might try t’ take his land from him. His family is sworn t’ Cant’r Laht, but his land’s historic’ly Balte-Maeri. Now, Mayor Mare is trying t’ get Baukus to agree t’ marry his daughter t’ her son, but since she’s not nobility, she’s got no status, technic’ly speaking. She does, however, have troops she can send t’ help him out in th’ coming confrontation with the Balte-Maeri barons.”
“Except that she doesn’t, really, not without Cant’r Laht,” Applejack said grumpily.
“She’s stretchin’ her muscles, seein’ how much she can get away with,” Big Mac said, “By th’ time word reaches Celestia in Cant’r Laht, we’ll already be on our way.”
“I could talk t’ Twilight, tell her our situation,” Applejack offered.
“No,” Mac said firmly, a frown twisting his face, “She’s a sorceress, and maybe she is diff’rent, like you think, but even so I wouldn’t trust her as more’n a family friend. I don’t want her fightin’ our battles for us ‘n’ havin’ a favor t’ hold over our heads. She is Celestia’s apprentice, after all, ‘n’ though plenty o’ good things can be said about Celestia, she also has an unsavory reputation in that theatre. As always, th’ Apples’ll take care o’ their own problems.”
“If you think that’s best,” Applejack said uncertainly.
“Listen, the McLellan side o’ th’ family is settled down south,” Big Mac said, “On th’ way there, I could try t’ contact ‘em ‘n’ see if they can spare anypony t’ help with th’ harvest.”
“Cousin Braeburn?” Applejack asked, “You don’t need t’ bring him into this. I can take care o’ the harvest on my own if I have to.”
“Don’t be unreasonable,” Big Mac berated her, “It’s too much work for one pony, even for you.”
“No, th’ Apples take care o’ their own problems, and I’ll take care o’ this by myself,” Applejack insisted with fire in her voice, “You go ‘n’ fight, ‘n’ you come back, ‘n’ when y’do, you’ll see that I’m serious about takin’ care o’ this Applebuck season myself!”
Big Macintosh sighed and hung his head as Applejack stormed her way back to their home. That mare is too stubborn for her own good. She doesn’t know what’s best for her, but she’ll come to understand, and when she does, I’d best make sure the McLellans are ready to step in and help her.
***
Two days later, Applejack was out alone in the family orchards, harvesting apples passionately. Woven baskets whose bottoms were padded with cloth circled the tree she had her focus on at the moment. With a running start, she leapt and kicked the tree’s trunk with all her might. Her hindhooves connected firmly with a trunk whose bark bore the scars of repeated strikes throughout the years. The entire tree shook, and apples fell from the branches, landing in and around the baskets on the ground. Applejack wiped the sweat out of her eyes as she surveyed the tree and gauged that another two strikes would dislodge more apples. After that, she’d have to climb the tree to get at the rest.
She was galloping toward the tree and had just planted her hooves for the jump when an undulating roar caused her attention to slip. Instead of striking the tree firmly, her hooves slipped off, and the farmer fell into her baskets, sending apples rolling across the ground. As she picked herself up, she tried to identify where the sound had come from. The roar came again, louder this time, and whatever birds hadn’t been startled into flight the first time took off now. Her eyes widened as she realized that the roars were coming from the edge of the Everfree Forest; more specifically, the portion of the treeline closest to the Apple family’s homestead.
She galloped back as fast as she could, praying to Faust all the way that Granny Smith would be unharmed. She caught a glimpse of the creature just as she arrived breathless at the farmstead. Its body was that of a lion, but its head was clearly a goat’s, even if it was a grotesque twisted mockery of one. A criosphinx had left the Everfree Forest, and a particularly large one at that, larger than most manticores. Thankfully, this particular criosphinx wasn’t a breed with wings, though at that moment Applejack may have wished that it had been. The monster had trampled a trail through the fields east of the farmstead and knocked aside the trees closer to it, before breaking down a span of the palisade surrounding the cottage, barn, and shed. None of the buildings were touched, but the fields and orchards were a mess, and that gap in the palisade would need to be fixed before any other beasts or unsavory characters found their way in during the night.
The criosphinx was still rampaging through Apple land, but it looked to be determined to keep heading west, and would leave the Apple homestead mostly intact. If it kept on its current path, though, it would eventually reach Ponieville. The town’s palisade was taller and stronger than the one around the Apple family’s home, but it still wouldn’t stop a beast like that. The town guard was also depleted, a large portion of it accompanying Mayor Mare to meet Count Baukus, so there would be even less of a defense than usual. Normally, one could count on a Hunter to stop a monster (in expectation of a healthy reward afterwards), but Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Hunters around Ponieville had set out on a trip to hunt a leshen in the White Tail Woods a week earlier and probably hadn’t returned yet.
Applejack tried to tell herself that it was none of her business, that whatever the criosphinx wanted to do, at least it would be off Apple land. She had apples to harvest and not much time to do it, so she certainly didn’t have time to rush off. Also, what was the point of the town guard if they didn’t guard the town? None of the arguments worked, and the farmpony found herself rushing into the farmhouse to grab her father’s claymore before galloping off in the direction the criosphinx had gone.
***
“Ah!” exclaimed one of the town guards as a pink pony popped up in front of him and startled him so much that he nearly dropped his halberd (which he hadn’t been holding that tightly to begin with), “Pinkamena, where did you come from?”
“Oh, you know: here, there, and everywhere,” the mare replied as she trotted around to stand beside the guard.
“Oh course,” he said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. Everypony in Ponieville knew that the only thing one could expect from Pinkamena was the unexpected.
“You don’t seem to be very alert,” Twilight’s voice from behind caught the guard by surprise, and he nearly dropped his halberd for the second time that day, “Nor very observant.”
“My apologies, madam sorceress,” the guard said as he turned and gave her a bow.
“I will have to speak to Mayor Mare about this,” the sorceress said to nopony in particular, “Ponieville’s defense seems to be even more lacking than usual. I thought that there were usually two of you here.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the guard said, keeping his head lowered.
Twilight’s reception in Ponieville had been mixed. She seemed generally to be a fairly decent pony, but she was still a sorceress from Cant’r Laht, and though it was apparent that she was trying to be friendly to those she considered socially beneath her, sometimes she slipped up. It also didn’t help that Celestia had given her the authority to have twenty lashes administered in the public square to anypony who interfered with her business in Ponieville, which instilled a bit of fear in everypony. That authority wasn’t just for show either, as she had demonstrated her willingness to use it a few weeks earlier when she’d had a group of minstrels lashed for pestering her. That memory was in everypony’s minds whenever they were interacting with Twilight Sparkle.
“Is this why you said I had to follow you out here, Pinkamena?” Twilight turned her attention to her friend, and the guard turned back to the path to Ponieville, making sure to stand at attention and keep a good hold on his weapon, “I appreciate you bringing this to my attention, but I would hardly call it an urgent matter.”
“What is that?!” the guard exclaimed just moments before the criosphinx smashed through a cottage down the road. The cottage’s occupant—Lily Valley—ran from the cottage’s remains, screaming in fear.
“A criosphinx! That certainly qualifies as urgent,” Twilight said as the criosphinx tore up the fields around the house, chomping up plants and dirt together before swallowing, “Give me some space.”
The sorceress began sketching runes in the dirt in front of her in preparation to cast a spell that would kill the criosphinx. Certainly, Hunters were the best at physical combat with monsters, but nothing could really compare to a sorceress who knew powerful magic. While she was still preparing her spell, the criosphinx ceased chewing Lily’s crops and turned its gaze toward Ponieville’s gate. Giving a bleating roar, it charged Twilight, Pinkamena, and a guard who was way out of his league.
It’s moving fast. Too fast, Twilight realized as she frantically tried to complete her runes before the criosphinx reached them. Suddenly, Applejack came out of nowhere, galloping down from a ridge to the north, claymore gripped unsteadily in her teeth. The criosphinx was so blinded with its intent to tear apart the ponies at the gate that it never spotted the farmer closing in. As the beast was preparing for its last bound, Applejack slid underneath it and thrust her sword up into its chest, letting go of the weapon as soon as it pierced the monster’s flesh. The criosphinx staggered and fell onto the claymore, the blade impaling its heart and plunging deeper until the crossguard stopped it.
Twilight ceased her sketching as the beast became still. Carefully, she stepped over the runes and trotted slowly toward the criosphinx. The guard, fearing punishment if the sorceress saw him as too inept, rushed to get ahead of her, reaching the criosphinx first and prodding it with his halberd. The monster’s body shifted slightly, but that was due entirely to the unbalanced way it had landed and not to any life that remained in the creature.
“It’s dead,” the guard announced, though it probably would have been easier to believe him if he hadn’t kept his halberd pointed at the corpse.
“So it would seem, but where is Applejack?” Twilight asked as she surveyed the dead criosphinx.
“I’m fine!” Applejack’s voice came from the other side of the criosphinx, followed by the wet sound of a sword being pulled from flesh.
Twilight stepped back to avoid the pool of blood that began to soak the ground around the monster’s corpse. Her new clothes still hadn’t arrived from Cant’r Laht, but she had caved in and allowed Rarity to make some alterations to a few of the robes she’d brought to Ponieville with her so that they wouldn’t drag on the ground. She was wearing one of them now (she still preferred her regular style when lounging around Golden Oak’s laboratory), so she didn’t need to worry as much about her clothes being spoiled, but she still didn’t have any boots, and horseshoes could only guard against so much.
Applejack didn’t appear to be planning on coming around the criosphinx, so Twilight trotted around to talk to her. When she reached the monster’s punctured belly, however, the farmer was nowhere to be seen. Picking up her pace, Twilight trotted the rest of the way around the criosphinx and spotted Applejack trotting away down the path to the east, her claymore now sheathed and bouncing up and down on her back.
“Applejack, where are you going?” she called after her friend while she was still within hearing range.
“I have t’ get back t’ the farm, but we’ll talk later, Twi’!” Applejack yelled back, but didn’t slow down or change direction in the slightest.
How interesting. Applejack had showed up out of nowhere, slain a legendary beast, and was now trotting away like nothing had happened. What kind of pony did something like that? Sure, her technique had been crude, but her attempt to kill the criosphinx had still succeeded wonderfully. If this farmer was able to pull off a feat that only Hunters and sorceresses typically managed, what other secrets could she be hiding from Twilight? It intrigued the sorceress’s mind just thinking about it.
“You there!” Twilight addressed the town guard, who was now stooped over the criosphinx, examining its face.
“Y-yes, madam sorceress?” he stammered as he bolted back to attention.
“Has Applejack ever done anything like this before?” she asked the nervous soldier.
“No, never,” he answered, before adding a conditional to ensure his own safety in case he was wrong, “I mean, I’ve never heard of her doing anything like that before.”
“I imagine an act of this magnitude would be impossible to be unrecognized, even by you,” Twilight said as she trotted past the guard, “Pinkamena, I am glad you called me out here today. The events here directly relate to my studies here in Ponieville, especially regarding Applejack. I know just what must be done.”
“We need to throw Applejack a party to celebrate!” Pinkamena replied as Twilight approached her and the town gate.
“Well, I was going to say that I would demand Mayor Mare pays her the reward she would usually bestow upon a Hunter for performing such an act, but I suppose that it might be nice to celebrate her act of heroism as well,” Twilight said as she swept away the unused runes she’d carved in the dirt earlier, erasing any evidence that they had ever been there.
“You’ll want to speak directly to the Ponieville bailiff about the reward,” the guard spoke up as he returned to his post, “Mayor Mare will just send you to her to check the budget anyway, and she has the authority to pay rewards without the mayor’s approval.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said sincerely, “Pinkamena and I will head to the Mayoral Keep immediately, and we will report this dead criosphinx while we are there.”
While the two ponies walked away, the guard wondered why he had covered for his boss. Mayor Mare had made it clear (without giving any explicit orders) that Twilight Sparkle was to be kept in the dark about her excursion to the south, but it wasn’t like he owed her any loyalty. The pay was terrible and the conditions worse, yet it was still a living. Maybe, when Mayor Mare returned and found out that he’d helped keep Twilight unaware of her actions, he would get a better posting, like patrolling the town square or the Mayoral Keep itself. If not, at least he’d probably get to stay posted at the town gate and wouldn’t be sent out on the roads to look for bandits and other brigands.
***
Nearly a week later, all the Brave Companions (excluding Applejack) were gathered in the central room of Golden Oak’s laboratory, along with Mayor Mare’s bailiff (an earth pony mare named Silver Glint who looked like she’d rather be anywhere else) and a few other ponies who’d heard about Applejack’s slaying of the criosphinx (or had heard there was going to be free food at its celebration). As time ticked by, the fact that the “mare of the hour” wasn’t present was beginning to trouble Twilight. Her days were meticulously planned, and she would need time to remove the party trappings before she could get back to studying the surprisingly advanced collection of magical tomes that Golden Oak had left behind. That time was rapidly vanishing. She’d have preferred to hold the celebration at the Mayoral Keep, but Mayor Mare’s chamberlain had been adamantly opposed to that idea. Why does the mayor of a town the size of Ponieville need a bailiff and a chamberlain? For that matter, why couldn’t Mayor Mare be here to present the reward herself, as she traditionally did? She can’t be that busy; I haven’t seen her taking care of any business in a week.
“Applejack is aware that we are holding this celebration in her honor today, correct?” Twilight asked Rarity, who was dressed befitting a formal ball for even such a simple celebration as this.
“She promised she would be here when I conveyed the invitation to her last week,” Rarity replied, “I had the most dreadful time tracking her down out in the orchards, but when I finally did find her, she seemed honored that you and Pinkamena were arranging this for her.”
“You know Applejack would never break a promise, Twilight. She’ll be here,” Rainbow Dash cut in, “I spoke to her just a couple days ago, and she was still planning on being here then.”
“I must admit, I haven’t seen her at all since I told her about the party,” Rarity said, looking thoughtful, “Usually she comes into town at least a few times a week. You really saw her after that?”
“Yes, when I got back from White Tail and heard about what had happened while I’d been away, I flew over to the Apples’ land immediately to find Applejack and ask her about it,” Rainbow elaborated, “What she did was nothing short of miraculous. For a pony other than a Hunter to take down a criosphinx is unheard of. That’s why I asked her to train with me this afternoon, so I can take her measure, and if she turns out to be as amazing with a sword as ponies are claiming, maybe I can even learn a thing or two.”
“Well, apart from the confrontation with the criosphinx, I haven’t seen Applejack wield a sword, so I can’t really speak on her skill, but I fear she may not measure up to your expectations,” Twilight said as she poured herself a cup of tea and levitated it over to her mouth, “From what I saw, it seemed more luck than finesse.”
“Ah, what do you know about swordsmareship, Twilight?” Rainbow scoffed, rolling her eyes as she flapped her wings and hovered vertically before the sorceress, “You’re a sorceress; I doubt you could tell the difference between good and bad sword fighting.”
“For your information, I happen to be very well informed on all kind of techniques for fighting with both bladed and blunt weapons,” Twilight said, a bit steamed at being mocked for ignorance. Me, not know anything about swordsmareship? Preposterous.
“Let me guess, this knowledge all came from books,” Rainbow Dash said, and Twilight glowered at her over her tea, “That’s all well and good, Twilight, but there’s a big difference between knowing sword techniques and feeling them. We who actually wield weapons are a different breed from those who just read about it.”
“Applejack isn’t just a great swordsmare; she’s also a great baker!” Pinkamena cut in as she popped up in the middle of Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.
“Of course, darling, but do you have a point for butting into the conversation?” Rarity asked (a bit snarkily).
“No … wait!” Pinkamena said, going rigid, “Yes, I actually do this time. The Cakes have to go on a trip and they’re leaving me in charge of Sugar Cube Corner tomorrow. I asked Applejack to help me with some of the baking, and she agreed!”
“So, Applejack has the time to help you with sword practice, and you with baking, but not a celebration of her accomplishment?” Twilight said, pointing at Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena in turn.
“Um, she’s also helping me with the rabbit census tomorrow,” Fluttershy said meekly as she let herself into the circle.
Twilight couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. The druids conducted a census of wildlife populations every year to take count of all wild animals dwelling in Equestria. The census’s results would then be sent to the rulers of each of the continent’s major nations along with the druids’ observations. The observations were always the same no matter what the numbers were: ponies need to stop settling on new land and cease their expansion or else the environment would suffer a catastrophic and irreversible change. Perhaps Twilight would have been inclined to believe it if she hadn’t looked through past censuses stored at Cant’r Laht Castle out of curiosity once. The druids had been making the same recommendation for the last three centuries at least, without any real evidence in the census numbers to back them up. Of course, she knew Celestia had to at least play the part and accept the druids’ census every year, as well as assure them that she would look into things, but she had never taken any action, and the censuses were just added to the pile from past years until they decomposed into dust.
“Excuse me, but isn’t Applejack supposed to be here?” Silver Glint said irately as she approached the group, “I have very important business to take care of, and I can’t be bothered to wait forever.”
“I’m here, I’m here!” Applejack’s voice came from the laboratory’s doorway, and everypony’s heads turned to face her.
Applejack did not look to be at peak condition. Her hat was askew, her mane and tail frazzled, and her eyes didn’t seem to want to stay completely open for any extended period of time. She also swayed a bit as she approached the group, nearly tripping and falling flat on her face several times.
“Applejack, are you okay?” Twilight asked with concern.
“Don’t you worry about me, Twi’, I’m just fine,” Applejack replied, though it would have been more convincing had she not yawned mid-sentence.
“Finally,” Silver Glint said, and she trotted over to Applejack, “For services rendered in defense of Ponieville, Mayor Mare is pleased to present you with a reward of thirty-seven bits, 2 shillings, and 11 pence.”
Silver Glint dropped the bag of coins at Applejack’s hooves and promptly left the laboratory. Apparently, she had somewhere important to be (or thought she did). Applejack was still for a moment, her head drooping, before she picked up the bag of coin and tied it to her jerkin.
“Applejack, is something the matter?” Twilight asked as the farmer shook her head and blinked her eyes rapidly.
“Of course not, Twi’; everything is fine,” Applejack said as she turned to face the sorceress, “Listen, I really have t’ run now—wish I could stay but I just came t’ pick up th’ reward—we’ll talk later, I promise.”
Later again. Applejack departed the laboratory without another word, and by the time Twilight reached the door to call for her to come back and explain herself, the mare was already galloping away. She’s definitely hiding something, but what? Normally, Twilight would have been relieved that Applejack didn’t talk her ear off. She wasn’t as bad as Pinkamena or Rarity, but even so, the farmer had more than enough to say usually. So why had she left so abruptly during their last two encounters?
“What do you think that was all about?” Rainbow Dash asked from just behind Twilight, and the sorceress started, once again shocked by how her friends managed to sneak up on her without her noticing.
“Applejack did seem a bit … odd, didn’t she?” Rarity commented, more as an observation than an actual question.
“Do you think Applejack could be in some kind of trouble?” Fluttershy asked tenderly.
On the street outside the laboratory, Twilight spotted a set of rough burlap saddlebags somepony had discarded. As she picked them up, a few apples fell out. She was no detective, but it was clear that Applejack had brought them with her and forgotten them.
“I don’t know,” Twilight answered Fluttershy as she looked at the saddlebags, “But I intend to find out.”
***
Those who’d gathered to congratulate Applejack hadn’t stayed long after the food ran out, much to Twilight’s relief. After she cleared the last out of Golden Oak’s laboratory, she left cleaning up the celebration’s remains to Spike and Pinkamena and departed for the Apple family lands. As she left through Ponieville’s east gate, she spotted where the criosphinx’s body had been before Hunters had salvaged everything useful from the corpse, and then burnt it. The patch of scorched earth strewn with bones cracked by intense heat wasn’t far from the path, located next to the remnants of Lily Valley’s ruined cottage. The peasant mare had nowhere else to go, so she was still living in her ruined home, though a makeshift roof had been fashioned to keep the rain out, at least.
Once past the scattered homes outside Ponieville’s wall, Twilight followed the same trail she had her first day in Ponieville. There were no ponies at the homestead this time (apart from Granny Smith), just like the last time she’d ventured out in this direction and had ended up helping harvest beets. Judging by the saddlebags Twilight was carrying, and the carts of apples sitting around the yard, she would most likely find Applejack and her siblings working in the apple orchards.
Twilight set out into the densely packed trees, searching for her friend. It didn’t take the sorceress long to realize that many of the trees were missing their apples, and that she could follow the trail of harvest to find Applejack. She finally spotted her at the depression between two hills, kicking at a tree close to a small trickle of water that could barely be called a stream. As she made her way down the hill, she watched Applejack charge the tree and strike it with her hindhooves before gathering up any apples that missed the baskets laid out at the base of the trunk. Once her hindhooves missed the tree, and she struck it with her body before falling onto the ground and tipping over a basket of apples. As she tried to get up, she flailed around and knocked over more baskets. Applejack began to gather the spilled apples up, but her actions quickly turned sluggish and she became still, her eyes closed and her breathing slow. What is wrong with this pony?
“Applejack, what are you doing? Applejack? Applejack!” Twilight said as she approached the farmer, but it was apparent that she was soundly asleep, and the sorceress looked around for a way to wake her up short of striking her.
“Ily’i consa nof leya!” Twilight called out, and water from the stream rose and formed a globe. Applying her focus, the sorceress guided the water through the air.
“Huh? What? What’s goin’ on?” Applejack asked confusedly as she was splashed in the face, “Oh, hey Twi’; what brings you here?”
“You left this at Golden Oak’s laboratory,” Twilight said as she presented the saddlebags to Applejack, “Also, you promised we would talk later, and I need to know what is going on with you. Why did you leave the party so quickly today, as well as the scene of the criosphinx attack last week?”
“Oh, that,” Applejack said as she trotted over to the baskets of apples and returned to gathering up the produce she’d spilled, “I had t’ leave quick. As you c’n see, I’m a mite busy with Applebuck season.”
“Applebuck season?” Twilight asked as she followed Applejack to the next tree with apples still hanging from its branches. ‘Apple’ I can understand, but where did the ‘buck’ come from?
“It’s what th’ Apples call th’ apple harvest, on account o’ it’s our tradition t’ pick th’ apples by buckin’ th’ trunks o’ the trees,” Applejack explained, and then proceeded to demonstrate by charging a tree and slamming her hooves into its trunk.
“Okay,” Twilight said as she watched a pitiful amount of apples fall from the tree, “But why is nopony else out here with you? Where are Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom?”
“Big Mac is off t’ war, ‘n’ Apple Bloom is gettin’ her schooling,” Applejack replied before charging the tree again.
“Off to war?” the sorceress asked, and she winced as Applejack struck the tree at a wrong angle and fell in a basket of apples, “What war? I have received no missives from Celestia informing me that Cant’r Laht has declared war.”
“Not a full war, I s’pose, just a border conflict in th’ south,” Applejack said as she recovered and charged the tree again, making contact correctly and knocking down more apples this time, “Mayor Mare is tryin’ t’ form an alliance with some noble down there, and Big Mac got drafted int’ her levy.”
“This is news to me,” Twilight said with a frown. Mayor Mare isn’t allowed to raise levies without orders from Cant’r Laht. What does she think she’s doing? If- when Celestia finds out about this, she’ll be in some deep trouble. It explains why she’s been missing recently, though. Does she think she can get away with exercising power she doesn’t have, and right under my nose, no less? If she’s pulling stunts like this when Celestia’s own apprentice is in her town, what had she been doing before I arrived?
“I will make certain Celestia learns of this and that Mayor Mare is reprimanded when she returns,” Twilight promised Applejack, and was about to leave before she remembered that she hadn’t quite accomplished what she’d come here to do, and that Applejack had a second sibling who was unable to help with the harvest, “Wait; did you say that Apple Bloom is getting an education?”
“That’s right, and I’ll harvest all these apples on my own if it means Apple Bloom doesn’t have t’ miss out on learnin’,” Applejack said as she moved on to a new tree.
“Not to question you, Applejack, but I don’t really see how your family can afford to send anypony to get an education,” Twilight said, trying not to seem too condescending.
“It doesn’t cost us anything,” the farmer said as she attacked another tree, “From time t’ time, Sister Cheerilee at the Ponieville Convent offers t’ teach Ponieville’s foals at th’ chapel. Apple Bloom might rather be doin’ other things, but I insist that she goes whenever Cheerilee offers it. Big Mac can’t read, and I’m barely literate. Apple Bloom is goin’ t’ be as well-learned as she can, even if I have t’ force her.”
What an odd stance for a peasant to take. Or, perhaps living in Cant’r Laht has deceived me and I don’t really understand their mindset at all. It’s getting frightening how much my time in Ponieville has changed my outlook on the world. I suppose that means I’m making progress in my studies, but how long will it be before the sorceresses I knew in Cant’r Laht no longer recognize me? Twilight’s ponderings were interrupted when Applejack stumbled into her.
“Applejack?” Twilight asked after she disentangled herself from the farm-pony, but Applejack didn’t move, “Applejack! Ily’i consa nof leya!” The sorceress jumped back to avoid being hit as the water startled Applejack awake and she leapt to her hooves.
“Listen; it’s great that you are willing to make sacrifices so your sister can become better educated, but it’s obvious that you are working too hard,” Twilight said as she followed Applejack to another tree (which she had apparently been trying to reach when she’d knocked the sorceress to the ground), “I don’t see any way that you can finish this harvest on your own.”
“Nonsense, Twi’. I’ve worked harder’n this plenty o’ times. Don’t you worry, I’ll be fine,” Applejack assured the sorceress, though the way she swayed as she walked wasn’t at all encouraging.
“Hmm, I suppose I’ll just have to trust your word … for now. But if you need any help, just ask,” Twilight said, her past self not believing that she’d just voluntarily offered to help a peasant with physical labor with no mention of receiving anything in return.
“There’ll be no need for that, Twi’,” Applejack said as she kicked at a tree several times without her hindhooves connecting, “I’ll show you that I can take care o’ this on my own.”
I wish I could believe that.
***
Later that day, Rainbow Dash stood alone among sparring dummies in the corner formed by two of Ponieville’s buildings that she had turned into her own little training area. Her weapons and equipment, of course, she always brought with her and kept locked up in her home when not in use, but it would be too much of a hassle to haul these wooden contraptions around all the time. Plus, training in Ponieville made her more accessible to the ponies there and gave her first claim on any monster problem in the area since she was usually the easiest Hunter to reach.
Rainbow Dash grunted as she looked up at the sun’s position in the sky, gauging the time. Applejack was late … for the second time that day. It was so unlike her. Maybe I should just give up on her coming and do some solo training. I was so looking forward to seeing what she had in her, though. For a non-Hunter to kill a criosphinx without any help, it’s barely shy of impossible.
“I’m here! I’m here, Rainbow!” Applejack called as she cantered up to the Hunter.
“What happened, Applejack?” Dash asked irately, “I thought, out of all ponies, I could trust you to be on time.”
“I apologize, Rainbow. I had some things I had t’ take care of, that’s all. I’m here now, so what did you want t’ do?” Applejack asked, “Oh, I guess I forgot t’ bring a sword.”
“Don’t worry about that. We should probably start with sparring staves before we try out anything that can actually do more than leave a bruise,” Rainbow Dash said as she looked through her training equipment for a suitable mock weapon, “You’ll want something with more reach, I assume?”
When the Hunter turned around, Applejack was standing right where she’d left her, her head nodding slightly and her eyes mostly closed.
“Hey, Applejack!” Dash yelled as she threw the wooden greatsword at the farmer.
“Hmm, I’m fine,” Applejack said as the weapon bounced off her head.
“Are you feeling okay? You seem out of sorts,” Rainbow Dash said, giving the farmer a frown.
“I’m fine. Now, are we goin’ t’ do this or not?” Applejack said before picking up the sword and adopting a stance.
Rainbow Dash grabbed a sparring sword of her own, of broadsword style like the ones she usually wielded. She flexed her wings before deciding that if she really wanted to take Applejack’s measure, she shouldn’t use her aerial superiority … at least not at first. Pointing her sword at her opponent, she advanced slowly, before suddenly lunging forward. Applejack moved her sword up to block, but Rainbow went low and swept the farmer’s legs out from under her.
“Oof!” Applejack grunted as she hit the ground. She was up soon, though, and had her weapon held up as a defense against Rainbow, who was circling her. The Hunter charged back in, easily dodging a clumsy swing and striking Applejack on the back, knocking her to her knees. And so it continued, Applejack’s attacks growing more and more sluggish over time as Rainbow succeeded again and again at breaking through or completely ignoring her defenses and getting a hit in.
“Come on, Applejack, are you just messing around?” Rainbow asked angrily, “I haven’t even thrown my full potential against you. How did you manage to beat a criosphinx?”
“Sorry, Rainbow; I guess I’m just a bit tired, but I can still do this,” Applejack asserted.
The Hunter rolled her eyes and swiftly disarmed the farmer as she attacked, sending her practice sword flying.
“I think we’re done here,” Rainbow said with disappointment, “Maybe some other time.”
“No, I can do this. Trust me,” Applejack said as she searched for the wooden greatsword where it had landed among Rainbow Dash’s training equipment (and her real equipment).
The farmer’s vision—already not great from extended sleep deprivation, and now even worse after being beaten soundly by Rainbow’s wooden sword—was swimming by this point, and she couldn’t really see what she was doing. She found the greatsword, but didn’t realize that the crossguard had caught the pin of one of the Hunter’s specially made bombs. It didn’t pull free until the farmer had swung the sword up, and the bomb went flying through the air, in the direction of Rainbow Dash.
“Trust me, Applejack, you don’t want to do this anymore today,” Dash said before she spotted the bomb flying toward her, “What?!”
She spread her wings to take off, but it was already too late. The bomb detonated at her hooves and a field of blue lightning engulfed her. A moment later, the lightning disappeared, along with Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow?” Applejack asked, looking around, “I guess we are done, then. I’d best get back t’ work.”
She dropped the sparring sword and trotted away, not really comprehending that she’d been the cause of Rainbow Dash’s disappearance.
***
Across town, Twilight was seated on the balcony grown high in the branches of Golden Oak’s laboratory, paging through an ancient tome. Whoever this Golden Oak had been, Twilight had to admit that he was quite the intriguing character. He had grown his home from a tree in quite the fanciful shape, unlike anything else she’d ever seen. This mysterious sorcerer also had a surprising collection of books. It seemed impossible, but there were hundreds of rare volumes here that she had never seen in the Cant’r Laht archives, many of them about the time period surrounding Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, which had been largely lost to legend and myth. It was almost like they had been placed there for her to find during her quest to stop Nightmare Moon. That’s an unsettling thought.
She was reading about the fall of the Kingdom of Everfree when it had been overwhelmed by a rise in the number and aggressiveness of the forest’s monsters, when she sensed something. Something magical was nearby, but what exactly it was, she couldn’t discern. It was a magic she’d never sensed before, but it seemed to vaguely feel like teleportation magic. Above her, she heard a crackling, and looked up in time to see Rainbow Dash materialize above her in a cloud of blue lightning. Rainbow had her wings spread, but she had appeared upside-down and hadn’t adjusted for the change in orientation, so their first thrust propelled her in the wrong direction. Too late to recover and too disoriented, she crashed into the balcony before Twilight.
“What was that?” Twilight asked, holding her priceless book protectively.
“Did you talk to Applejack earlier?” Rainbow asked as she pushed herself up off the floor, “She was completely out of it during our sparring session, then she accidently threw a bomb at me! Luckily, it was one of my displacement ones and not something more deadly.”
“I spoke to her, but she didn’t seem very cooperative,” the sorceress admitted.
“Well, I suggest you talk to her again and get her to straighten out her act, before somepony gets seriously hurt,” Dash said as she trotted over to the edge of the balcony and threw herself over the rail, extending her wings as she fell and taking off into the sky over Ponieville.
***
In a flash of light, Twilight Sparkle materialized in the middle of the Apples’ orchards. Swiftly regaining her bearings, the sorceress scanned her surroundings for an indication of where Applejack had gone. Twilight had scried her in this location just minutes before teleporting, so she couldn’t have gone far. The lantern hanging from the farmer’s cart, lit to fend off the coming twilight, gave away her position. As Twilight Sparkle closed in on her, she noticed that Applejack looked significantly worse than she had that morning. Her every motion was unsteady even as she moved tenderly from the hits she’d taken in her sparring session with Rainbow earlier.
“Applejack, we need to talk,” Twilight said as she got within hearing distance of the farmer; Applejack didn’t respond, so she repeated herself, louder this time.
“Huh, what’s that?” Applejack asked as she turned around unsteadily to face Twilight, “Oh, what’re you doing here, Twi’?”
“I need to talk to you about what happened earlier, with Rainbow Dash.”
“Sure, I could make radish hash, but ‘taters are still better. Did you come all th’ way out here just t’ ask me that?” Applejack replied after looking confused for a few seconds. She obviously isn’t even hearing correctly now if that’s what she got from what I said. Is she going to mishear everything I have to say to her?
“No, I’m not doing that,” Twilight mumbled, thinking how terrible (though some might find it comical) that conversation would be, and she lifted the silver chain around her neck up to her lips, “Ye enchi se majia mij pousi Ye’r eff’i aif feye’r effien!”
“What th’!” Applejack protested when Twilight took the chain and wrapped it around the crown of her friend’s head.
Applejack, I need to talk to you about what happened earlier with Rainbow Dash.
“Whoa, Twi’, is that your voice?” Applejack said with alarm as she reached up to pull the chain off her head.
Keep that on! I enchanted it with a spell that allows me to communicate with you by thought, since you seem to be having trouble hearing me.
“If you say so, Twi’. I’m plenty busy, so we’ll have t’ walk ‘n’ talk,” Applejack said with a shrug, speaking just a bit too loudly. Apparently she can’t hear herself properly either.
What happened during your sparring session with Rainbow Dash? Twilight followed her friend as the farmer moved from tree to tree. She was still kicking them to get the apples down, but not as forcefully as before, and more and more the apples missed the baskets set out to catch them.
“I wasn’t really feeling at my best earlier,” Applejack admitted with a yawn, “It’s all a bit hazy, but I do remember gettin’ soundly thrashed by Rainbow Dash. Can’t say I expected any diff’rent, going up against a Hunter in th’ condition I was in.”
So you don’t remember when you threw a bomb at Dash?
“What?” Applejack said, halting in shock, “A bomb? Is Rainbow alright?”
Fortunately, yes, but only by the narrowest chance. It just so happened that the bomb you threw was the only nonlethal one Rainbow Dash had with her. You could have killed her, Applejack. This has to stop. I trusted you when you told me you could do the harvest on your own, though I was skeptical, but you are obviously working far too hard, and its affecting your other activities. You need help.
“That I just can’t do, Twi’,” Applejack said as she resumed her applebucking, “I promised Big Mac that I would take care o’ th’ entire harvest on my own, and I intend t’ keep that promise.”
And what about your promise to train with Rainbow Dash today, or your promises to assist Pinkamena and Fluttershy tomorrow? Are these promises less important to you?
“No, but I can’t put th’ harvest on hold either. I know you offered t’ help, but th’ answer’s still no, Twi’. I’m sorry, but that’s just how it has t’ be, and I’d prefer it if you’d stop showin’ up here t’ badger me about it.”
Fine, but at least promise me that you will get a full night of sleep tonight. It is impossible for you to keep going like this forever, and unless you take a break, you will be of no use to anypony tomorrow, yourself included.
“Of course, Twi’, I can do that at least,” Applejack conceded as she stared at the sorceress with bloodshot eyes, “Now, I need t’ work a little longer tonight yet.”
Before Twilight could point out that it was nearly sundown, Applejack removed the silver chain from her head and threw it to the sorceress.
“Majia vinta,” Twilight incanted to the chain, returning it to its normal state.
She watched Applejack with concern for a bit before teleporting back to Golden Oak’s laboratory.
***
The sky over the White Mountains to the east was barely beginning to brighten when the Cakes finished preparing to set off from Sugar Cube Corner. A mostly empty cart with a single seat and a single harness sat in the street in front of the bakery. Strapped to the front was a tall spindly-looking earth pony stallion with a mustard-colored coat, and seated behind him was his wife, a short, thickset mare with a coat of pastel blue.
“Pinkamena, we’ve left you a list of today’s orders,” the mare of the pair addressed the pink pony standing in the bakery’s doorway, “Be sure to finish off Mayor Mare’s order first, and have it ready by the time her guards arrive to pick it up. Then move on to Filthy Rich’s orders, and then all Ponieville’s eateries’. There should be enough prepared already for other sales to last you until midday, so be sure to keep the ovens going and have more bread ready after that.”
“You can count on me, Mistress Cake,” Pinkamena said with a salute.
“We’re only going to Hayward, so we should be back by tomorrow,” the stallion added as he tightened the straps that attached him to the cart, “The millers up there want to renegotiate our deal, and they shirked us on the last shipment; I’ll be bringing the missing wheat back with us, so the return trip will be longer. Still, I’m certain we’ll be back in time to finish off tomorrow’s morning baking as long as you get it started.”
“You can count on me, Master Cake,” Pinkamena said, her hoof still up in a salute.
“Of course, just … don’t wander off,” Mistress Cake said with concern, considering Pinkamena’s antics in the past, “Say, isn’t Applejack supposed to be here to help you get started?”
“I’m here!” the pony in question called as she stumbled up, “Sorry I’m late; a few things came up back home that I had t’ take care of afore I came over.”
“You were in charge of the food at the summer solstice ceremony this year, correct?” Master Cake asked as he scratched at his chin.
“Yeah, sure,” Applejack said after thinking it over longer than a normal pony would need to. In truth, the only words she’d been able to pick out somewhat clearly were “food,” “summer,” and “ceremony,” so really it was a miracle that she was able to piece together an understanding as close to the truth as she had.
“Well then, I have no doubt that the shop will be in good hooves while we are away,” Master Cake said before trotting away from the bakery.
“Come on, Applejack, let’s get to work!” Pinkamena said with an enthusiasm Applejack was struggling to muster as she bounded into the bakery.
There was no point leaving anything to chance, and the bakery was fully stocked with bread the Cakes’ had already made earlier that morning. The ovens at the moment were all occupied as well, baking the first batch of bread that would be delivered to the Mayoral Keep.
“I’m goin’ t’ be honest with you, Pinkamena,” Applejack said as the other mare began to gather ingredients, “I’m mighty tired, so I don’t know just how much help I’ll really be t’ you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you can bake just about anything in your sleep, though the Cakes do have a strict “no sleeping on the job” policy, so try to keep your eyes open. Sugar Cube Corner serves mostly standard fare, so we’re a bit restricted in what we can bake, but I’d love to see you put your own spin on it,” Pinkamena said as she combined ingredients in the haphazard way that always made the Cakes cringe to watch, though they couldn’t argue with the results.
“Alright, sure,” Applejack said with a yawn, “What do you need?”
“I could use some more herbs from the back. Grab whatever you think looks good.”
Applejack stumbled her way to the back of the bakery, nearly knocking over several barrels on the way. She had never been in Sugar Cube Corner past the storefront, so it was understandable that she had no idea what Pinkamena had meant by “the back,” so she could be forgiven for heading out the bakery’s back door. It was also still very dark out, so she could be forgiven for mistaking the flowers hanging from a stall behind the bakery for the herbs Pinkamena had asked for. It didn’t help that she couldn’t see straight to begin with, and she had no idea that the bundle she grabbed contained plants that would never be considered consumable in any situation. Still, the situation her actions caused could have been avoided in any number of ways, among them if she had actually listened to Twilight and gotten a full night’s rest.
***
Twilight Sparkle marched purposefully through Ponieville’s streets, and right past two guards who objected to her presence. She couldn’t help noticing that both guards were wearing scarves over their muzzles even though it was still summer, but that only made sense considering what she was supposed to be facing. Spike trailed along behind Twilight, and the guards made no move to stop him.
“Madam sorceress, what are you doing here? It’s not safe!” a pony in a heavy overcoat protested, her voice oddly distorted by the bird-shaped mask she was wearing.
“I’m immune to most diseases, and I took the precaution of placing several wards on myself before coming over here,” Twilight Sparkle said coolly.
“With all possible respect, this is no ordinary disease. This is a plague we’re dealing with,” the mare said. Plague doctors, always the same. Most were amateur physicians at best, with a gross misunderstanding of pathology, and they often misdiagnosed any new disease as a plague. Maybe it truly was a plague, but Twilight thought herself far more qualified to decide that than a pony who thought that scented herbs would ward off disease.
“I’m fully prepared for the situation,” Twilight assured the plague doctor, trying to remain civil, “Perhaps you could show me around, Doctor…?”
“Redheart,” the mare answered, “Yes, follow me.”
The ponies Redheart had been tending to were sequestered in a shop off the dirt square where Twilight had found her. There were at least twenty lying on the floor, twitching as their drooling faces bore expressions of discomfort. Judging by the smell, whatever was afflicting them had also caused their bowels to let loose.
“Do you know how this all began?” Twilight asked as she surveyed the suffering ponies around her.
“It started with just a few of the beggars outside, but nopony paid them much mind until the rest of the ponies in the neighborhood began to suffer the same symptoms,” Redheart explained, “Luckily, they were able to get a message to me, and I got here in time to isolate them. If we act quickly, we can stop this plague before it starts.”
“Hmm . . . this is not a plague,” Twilight Sparkle stated as she closely examined a moaning stallion, “These ponies are suffering from grayanotoxin poisoning, most likely from ingesting part of the rhododendron plant or some similar flower.”
“Are you sure?” Redheart asked, and though the mask made it hard to tell, Twilight thought that she sounded almost disappointed that it wasn’t a plague.
“Eighty percent,” the sorceress put a number on her certainty, “I recognize all the symptoms; the real question is how this happened to all of them at the same time.”
“Twilight, come look at this!” Spike called from outside the shop, and the sorceress immediately made her way out, “What do you make of it?”
Not far from the storefront, a cart was parked. In the back were a few crusts of bread and a halberd that looked like it had haphazardly been thrown in to get it out of the way. Twilight lifted a piece of bread to her muzzle and gave it a whiff, but there was no defining scent that confirmed her suspicious that the bread had been the cause of the poisoning. It didn’t smell like she expected it should have, though, so maybe that was enough.
“Is one of Mayor Mare’s guards among your patients?” Twilight asked as she spun on Readheart, and the doctor nodded as she took a step back, “Do you know where Mayor Mare orders her bread from?”
“Well, she purchases bread from all members of Ponieville’s bakers’ guild, but I think most of it comes from Sugar Cube Corner,” Redheart said as she cocked her head and thought about it.
“Applejack,” Twilight said through gritted teeth.
The sorceress had a good idea of what had happened now. Mayor Mare’s assistants were still trying to keep up the pretense that she and all her guards were still in town, so they hadn’t decreased their orders from Sugar Cube Corner. They had no need for the excess bread, though, so they had sent guards to distribute it throughout the town, keeping watch on the carts in case Twilight discovered them and deduced that the mayor was away. The batch here was tainted, and had caused the sickness in this area, and Twilight could wager a good guess as to why the bread had been unintentionally (she hoped) poisoned.
“Now that you know what the real problem is, will you be able to treat these ponies?” Twilight asked Doctor Redheart.
“Um, yes, I think so,” the mare replied hesitantly.
“Good,” Twilight said as she spun around and trotted away, Spike looking worried as he followed her.
“Where are you going?” Redheart asked, but the sorceress was already gone.
***
With a flash of light, Twilight Sparkle appeared in the Apples’ orchard. Then she disappeared and appeared again in another part of the orchard. Then again and again and again the same thing happened as Twilight repeatedly teleported. She didn’t even care about all the magical energy she was wasting, she was so determined to find Applejack. By chance, the sorceress finally materialized right next to her, and the groggy farmer stumbled back and fell into the nearby stream.
“Applejack, we need to talk right now,” the sorceress demanded as Applejack tried to pick herself up out of the stream, and failed her first attempt, “Ye enchi se majia mij pousi Ye’r eff’i aif feye’r effien!”
“Ugh, this again?” Applejack said as Twilight looped the chain around her friend’s head, “Fine, but I already know what you’re goin’ t’ say, and th’ answer’s still no. I’m doin’ just fine, Twi’.”
You might think so, but you obviously are not doing “just fine.” I warned you that your actions were going to get other ponies hurt, but did you listen? No. I don’t know why I thought I could trust you. Maybe because you’re the Element of Trustworthiness!
“You’re goin’ t’ bring that up?” Applejack groused as she trotted out of the stream and over to the nearest tree, “Trustworthiness has nothin’ t’ do with this, Twi’, except for you not trusting me t’ keep my word. I said that I would finish this apple harvest on my own, ‘n’ that’s what I intend t’ do.”
Innocent ponies are being hurt. Twilight followed Applejack as she made her way through the orchard. Do you realize that you accidentally poisoned at least twenty ponies with the bread you helped Pinkamena bake this morning? It was fortunate that I was able to get there in time; otherwise, they would all be dead, killed and burned to halt the advance of a “plague.”
“Ponies almost died?” Applejack asked as she halted.
That’s right, and things will only get worse unless you swallow your pride and let me help you.
“Well …” Applejack said as she scratched the back of her head with a hoof, looking distressed, “Maybe you have a point after all, Twi’. I guess, maybe, it could possibly be alright if I let you help out some.”
Yes! Thank you! I’m glad you’ve finally seen reason. Now before you do anything else, you need to get some rest, so you take the time to do that and I’ll work on this area of the orchard. With my magic, it shouldn’t take long at all to pick these apples.
“Magic?” Applejack said tensely, a fire kindling in her eyes, “No way, Twi’! Never would an Apple turn her back on our applebucking tradition just for convenience. If that’s your idea of help, then you can just leave right now! Get out of here!”
The farmer angrily pulled the chain from her head and flung it on the ground before stomping away.
“Applejack, wait!” Twilight called to her.
“Get lost, Twilight!” was the only answer she received, leaving the sorceress on her own as Applejack vanished into the trees.
“So close!” Twilight said in frustration as she kicked a nearby tree. A few apples fell out of it, one impaling her horn and dripping juices into her mane. The fruit was fried to a crisp as Twilight teleported away.
***
“Thank you again for helping me out with this,” Fluttershy said later that day as she led Applejack through one of the many small patches of woods around Ponieville.
The farmer had been furious with Twilight at first. Let magic replace tradition on Apple lands? Never! Now it was more of a simmering anger. In truth, she was more annoyed with the fact that she’d gotten little work done after her spat with the sorceress, having nodded off and taken an unplanned nap. It had done her good, allowing her hearing to mostly return at least, though her vision was still out of focus and her fine motor skills could use some work. Thankfully, she had been able to keep herself and the cart she was pulling behind her mostly on the path. At least she hadn’t run into any trees; the druidess accompanying her wouldn’t like that one bit.
“What did you need me t’ do again?” Applejack asked as she stifled a yawn.
“I need to take a count of all the rabbits and hares in this region for the census,” Fluttershy replied as she pulled an abacus from her robes, “I need you to help me gather them in one place so that I can be sure I’ve counted them all.”
“Fine, let’s get this over with,” Applejack said as she detached herself from her cart.
“Come forth from your burrows, creatures of the forest,” Fluttershy said with an oddly resonant voice that caused the hairs on the back of Applejack’s neck to stand up.
All around them, rabbits, badgers, and moles crawled forth from their burrows and looked up at Fluttershy expectantly. Together, Applejack and the druidess began to gather up every rabbit and hare they could find and place them in the back of the farmer’s cart. It was about half full when one of the rabbits jumped out and landed on Applejack’s back. Startled, the farmer’s instincts took over and she kicked at what she thought in her sleep-deprived state to be an attacker. Her hooves connected with her cart and tipped it over, and the lit lantern strapped to it shattered, spreading flame quickly through the undergrowth.
“Applejack, what happened?!” Fluttershy asked as she quickly flew over to the growing blaze that Applejack was trying desperately to put out. It was a lost cause, as the fire spread too quickly and lit up a nearby tree, which then spread the flames to others nearby.
***
Would it really be so terrible to use a spell on her to force her to sleep? Yes, she’s my friend, but that just complicates matters. Would a good friend respect their friend’s wishes, or would they step in against their wishes if it’s for their friend’s well-being? I wish I wasn’t such a novice at this.
Twilight Sparkle mulled this over as she sat atop Golden Oak’s laboratory, managing to focus on reading the tome in front of her only occasionally. This situation with Applejack was interfering with her ability to study now, which only made her more frustrated. She sighed and tried to find where she’d left off.
“Look at that!” a pony down on the street below exclaimed to nopony in particular.
Twilight followed her pointing hoof and spotted the column of smoke rising in the east. Is somepony burning something? No, the fire giving off that smoke is far too large for that. That means the fire must have gotten out of their control. Wait, isn’t that smoke coming from the little forest where Fluttershy and Applejack …
Twilight bolted upright as she realized what was going on. Applejack had gotten herself into another troublesome situation, and she just might take a whole wood with her. Twilight prepared to teleport before remembering that the tome she’d been reading was sitting outside. Carefully, she set it back inside Golden Oak’s laboratory, and then teleported.
She materialized in the middle of the path Fluttershy and Applejack had originally been on. Both of them were trying without success to contain the blaze that would swiftly consume the entire forest if it wasn’t stopped. Looking around, Twilight analyzed the situation, took a stance on the path, and began scratching runes into the dirt.
“Hold on to something!” she commanded, startling both Applejack and Fluttershy, who’d been so focused on stopping the fire, they hadn’t even realized there was a sorceress in their midst, “Caen’r majia acca Ye’r accael!”
Gale-force winds began to swirl through the forest, snatching flame from the trees and smothering what little remained. The surviving fire was gathered into a massive column of swirling flame centered around Twilight Sparkle. Sweating from the heat, and feeling the edges of her robes begin to crisp, the sorceress directed the flames upwards into the sky, where they dispersed and died out. When the air cleared, she was left standing in the middle of a mostly untouched circle of magical runes, surrounded by patches of scorching. Fluttershy was perched in a tree, hanging onto a branch for dear life, and Applejack was partially within a badger’s burrow, gripping a root with her teeth.
“Applejack, this has to stop now!” Twilight lectured as she pulled the stunned farmer from the burrow, “Only by sheer chance have you not killed anypony yet! I don’t care what you say, you need help with the apple harvest!”
“But, Twi’-” Applejack started to protest.
“No, I don’t care,” Twilight said firmly, “Look around you! Not only did you nearly burn this forest down, you also poisoned ponies and almost caused a plague scare, and you nearly blew Rainbow Dash to bloody bits! And look at yourself! How do you expect to finish the harvest when you can barely function?”
“You’re right, Twi’,” Applejack said softly.
“I am going to do whatever it takes to help you finish the harvest, even if it means working without magic!” Twilight swore before she realized what Applejack had said, “Wait, what?”
“You were right; I’m not goin’ t’ be able t’ finish th’ harvest on my own, and I was a fool for thinkin’ that I could just by workin’ harder,” Applejack said, keeping her eyes on the ground, “I’m accustomed t’ bein’ th’ one that helps others, not th’ one that needs help herself. It’s also an Apple thing, I s’pose, t’ be suspicious of help, for fear it’ll lead t’ a debt. But … I can’t let that get in th’ way o’ gettin’ th’ work done, or let it put other ponies in danger. I know I can trust you, Twi’; so yes, please help me.”
I didn’t expect that. Twilight considered what she’d gotten herself into; certainly more work than she really wanted to do, but she would still do it, and she would ask for nothing in return. It was just another thing about her that had changed during her time in Ponieville, she figured. Applejack now knew she could depend on Twilight, and Twilight could depend on Applejack if she needed anything, without any of the shady backstabbing of the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht. Twilight had to admit that it felt good. Still, it was going to be a lot of work to finish the apple harvest using Applejack’s methods (while Applejack rested up and recovered, no less), but the sorceress was sure she wouldn’t have to do it alone. She wasn’t Applejack’s only friend; there were four other ponies that shared the same special bond. After all, what were friends for?
***
My dearest mentor, Celestia,
I am writing to inform you that Mayor Mare has grossly exceeded her authority as your appointed governor of Ponieville and its surrounding environs. Over the past few days, I have learned that she raised a levy of one thousand ponies in secret and led them on a march to the south in an attempt to gain favor with Count Baukus. I felt that you should receive notice of this immediately and am certain your justice will be swift and righteous as always.
Chapter 0:2 – The Order of the Sparrow Year 986 of the 4th Age
“Come on, Fluttershy! Cloudsdale won’t stay put forever!” Rainbow Dash called to her friend, who was lagging behind.
In Fluttershy’s defense, she was already not as fast as the blue ball of energy that was Rainbow Dash when she wasn’t laden down with heavy packs. Dash had recently discovered how to hover, and she was determined to stay in the air as much as possible (even when her wings ached every night); however, she couldn’t stay up when carrying excess weight, so Fluttershy was carrying both of their packs. Confined to the ground, the miniscule pegasus also had to deal with the thick layer of snow covering the highlands they were trekking through.
“It won’t move until Spring, Rainbow,” Fluttershy protested as she climbed over a rock, “I’m cold and tired; can’t we rest?”
“We have to keep going! Cloudsdale’s close, I’m sure of it!” Rainbow Dash said as she tried unsuccessfully to gain more altitude to see over the hills, “I want to get settled in before training starts, don’t you?”
“No! I never wanted to go to Cloudsdale!” Fluttershy cried out as she collapsed in the snow and covered her face with her hooves, “Why did my parents make me go?”
“We’re going to be Hunters, Fluttershy, both of us,” Dash said as she landed next to her friend to comfort her, “The Order of the Sparrow in Cloudsdale teaches you how to slay monsters before you can go on to one of the other Hunter schools.”
“I don’t want to be a Hunter!” Fluttershy sobbed, “Glydwen said Hunters are all vagabonds and orphans with nowhere else to go! Did I do something wrong that my parents made me leave home?”
“What? I’ll kick Glydwen’s teeth in next time I see her!” Dash vowed furiously, “Hunters are heroes, Fluttershy! The Wonderbolts are Hunters, aren’t they, and they’re respected all across Equestria!”
“I guess, but I don’t think I could ever bring myself to kill anything,” Fluttershy sniffled as she buried her head in the snow. A moment later, she jumped back screaming and fell into the rock she’d previously stepped over.
“What? What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked around before looking down at the Fluttershy-shaped indentation in the snow.
Where the pegasus’s face had been, another face was staring up, the flesh left on it blackened and pulled taut against the bone. As Rainbow Dash cleared away more snow, she uncovered the rest of the corpse. The cause of death was evident; the tip of a spear was still lodged in the pony’s ribcage.
“Whoa, he must’ve fought at the Battle of Caignwall,” Dash said, “That means we are getting close to Cloudsdale. I knew it!”
“See, Rainbow! I’ll be a terrible Hunter,” Fluttershy moaned as she cradled herself, “I can’t even handle something that’s already dead; how am I supposed to kill?”
“It’s okay, Fluttershy, we’ll get through this the same way we always do: together,” Dash said as she sat down next to her and put her wing over her friend’s back; really, her wings were too small to be as comforting as those of a full-grown pegasus, but it was the thought that counted.
“You promise?” Fluttershy asked as she wiped her tears away before they froze on her face.
“Of course!” Rainbow Dash said, “I promise I’ll always be looking out for you, Fluttershy, just like I know you’ll always be looking out for me.”
Fluttershy wiped her face clean and nodded, giving her friend a smile. If she had to go to Cloudsdale and become a Hunter, at least she’d have Dash by her side.
Rainbow Dash sat perfectly still in the field, her ears twitching slightly as the wind swayed the wheat around her. Her sword was in front of her, its point embedded in the soft earth and its hilt within easy reach of her mouth for when her prey appeared. It was only a matter of time before the specter came to her; she just had to be patient. Her training with the Order of the Falcon had taught her how to be a fast fighter, but it had also taught her how to wait for the perfect moment to strike.
She sensed the wraith the moment it came near. The smell of lightning and death, the slight change in light as the specter moved in front of the sun, the insignificant drop in ambient temperature, even the magical flux that accompanied a ghost shifting entirely into the mortal realm; Rainbow Dash recognized them all simultaneously. Her eyes snapped open, the pupils adjusting unnaturally fast to the light, and she pulled her sword from the ground.
The wraith charged the Hunter, trying to embrace her in an ice-cold grip of death. Dash nimbly sidestepped and rolled to put some distance between herself and the specter. When the ghost charged her again, the Hunter swung her sword around through the apparition, causing it to stagger back in its equivalent of pain. Before it could recover, she impaled it through where its heart had been when it was alive. With a ghastly shriek, the specter dissolved into the air.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash,” Pinkamena said, startling her just as she was finishing lowering her heartrate to a normal level.
“Pinkamena! What are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash demanded as she spun to face the voice.
“Watching you, of course,” the pink pony answered from where she was sitting in the field, just her head poking through the wall of wheat that separated the healthy crop from the wilted patch Dash had retreated to in order to draw out the specter, “You were amazing, by the way!”
“Don’t you know how dangerous that was?” Rainbow asked as she began gathering up gritty wraith essence and watery ectoplasm—the only remains of the ghost—which would be useful for creating potions and bombs later, “You could have been killed!”
“Are you or are you not the best Hunter in Ponieville?” Pinkamena asked as she stood up and stepped out of the waving stalks of wheat.
“I should think my reputation speaks for itself,” Dash said, as she capped the vials containing the wraith’s remains and tucked them in her nearby saddlebags before sprinkling some salt over the area to be safe. Nothing would grow very well here, but the ponies who tended the field would probably prefer that over another wraith attack. Maybe.
“Then I don’t see what I had to wor-ry a-bout,” Pinkamena said in a sing-song manner.
“I didn’t know you were here, and even if I had, there’s no guarantee I could’ve protected you and fought the wraith at the same time,” Rainbow Dash berated her.
“Got it. Next time, I’ll let you know I’m here,” Pinkamena said as she trotted off into the wheat field.
“Next time?” Rainbow said, aghast.
The Hunter tried to follow Pinkamena into the field and have a stern talk with her about not putting herself in danger like this again, but the pink pony had somehow managed to vanish without a trace. Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes before grabbing her sword belt and saddlebags and trotting off toward the farmhouse, where she’d hopefully be paid for her work here.
***
Rainbow Dash blinked her eyes rapidly to clear them of the water running into them from her dripping wet mane. From across the river, she stared down her foe, a river-guardian whose form was covered in damp sheets of hair. In its blocky ox-like face, two shining black eyes remained fixed on the Hunter as the creature stamped along the riverbank, its split whip-like tail lashing to and fro. Dash mirrored its movements, keeping a firm hold on her sword as she trotted closer to the bridge it had been ramming into driftwood when she’d arrived. Of the four horns that sprouted from the river-guardian’s head, Dash had successfully sliced through one of them and torn a shallow gash in its jawline, but the pointed horn on its other cheek and the two dangerous curled ones on top of its head were still intact. The twin rows of spines running along its back also meant that Rainbow Dash’s aerial superiority wouldn’t count for much in this fight; her wings would be far more useful to her in assisting her ground speed.
The river-guardian placed a clawed foot on the intact half of the bridge, and then a second as it advanced toward the center of the river, causing the plank it was stepping on to buckle and crack as it went. Rainbow Dash ran a hoof through her mane to try to free the last of the water trapped there before she too advanced toward the center of the river. When she reached the edge of the collapsed section, she spread her wings and took off into the air before descending rapidly toward the river-guardian. As the beast swung a claw at her, she tucked her wings in, shot through its reach, and over its back. She extended her wings again as she neared its tail and prepared to slice through the thick extremity. The river-guardian reacted quickly, swinging its tail up at Dash, and she was forced to dodge, spinning around to face the river as she landed on the bank.
The river guardian turned, and smashed through a support pillar with its claw, causing the section of bridge it was standing on to collapse into the water. As the beast shook pieces of the bridge from its body as it slogged toward land, Rainbow Dash threw a bomb its way. The Hunter shielded her eyes as it exploded in an array of dazzling lights that temporarily blinded the river-guardian. Enraged, the creature charged blindly toward where Dash was standing. She stepped smoothly to the side as the river-guardian charged past, and stabbed her sword into its shoulder, tearing a gash through the flesh. The river-guardian reacted much quicker than she’d expected, and it twisted its body to ram Dash with its bulk. The Hunter jumped back out of the way, but didn’t take into account the tail rushing toward her, which swept her legs out from under her. As she fell, she lost her grip on her sword, and it went flying from her mouth.
Her blade hit the ground only a few paces away from where she landed, but she had no chance to retrieve it before the river-guardian stomped in front of her. Rainbow Dash did a backflip as the beast tried to head-butt her. As she landed, she threw a knife at the river-guardian’s face, but it bounced off one of its horns, doing no more damage than leaving a nick in it.
Standing on her hindhooves, she used a flap of her wings to help propel her farther back as the river-guardian tried to ram her with its head again. From her belt, she pulled a firebomb and lobbed it at the monster, but the flames were unable to penetrate the thick, wet hair that covered the beast. When the river-guardian charged her again, keeping its head low, she took off into the air and tried to fly over the beast on her way to her sword.
Once again, the tail got in her way and she was forced to dodge to the side, landing amongst the broken remains of the bridge. Her saddlebags were on the other side of the river-guardian; she briefly considered flying over to them to resupply on weapons, but instead she dove for her sword. Faster than it should have been able to, the river-guardian reversed direction and came between Dash and her blade. She was unable to dodge out of the way of its claw swipe, but as the massive paw connected, she was able to jab a knife in between the joints. Then she was thrown through the air, landing in the middle of the river.
The river-guardian gave a bellow that sent waves radiating through the water and shook what was left of the bridge. Beams fell around Rainbow Dash, preventing her from taking off and escaping. Striking out in all directions, the Hunter fought to free herself as the river-guardian plunged into the river and advanced toward her. She was able to escape from the beams at the exact moment the river-guardian reached her and blocked her path with its massive bulk. There was no way out, except maybe under the monster, but Rainbow didn’t like her chances at being able to swim under a creature that could crush her just by lowering its body. They can’t be much worse than just standing here, can they?
“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkamena’s voice came from the bank as the river-guardian lifted a claw to crush the Hunter’s body once and for all, “Catch!”
Rainbow’s sword came spinning through the air, and she was able to maneuver just enough to catch it in her teeth. As the river-guardian’s claw came down, her sword went up, slicing through the foreleg at the wrist. Hair, flesh, and bone all parted before her blade, and a spray of purplish blood rained down on the Hunter. As the river-guardian staggered, it dropped its stump into the water to steady itself, and collapsed onto its side instead. Rainbow acted quickly, ducking under its good foreleg to reach its now-exposed belly. Entrails spilled into the river as she sliced a long gash through the monster’s underside. Giving a dying roar, the river-guardian’s eyes slowly closed and its form grew still apart from the occasional twitching as it released blood and organs into the water.
“Pinkamena? Where did you come from?” Dash asked as she quickly fled the river, which was rapidly becoming polluted by gore.
“I was just watching, and thought you could use some help,” Pinkamena said nonchalantly as the Hunter wiped her blade clean in the stamped-down grass.
“How long were you watching?” Rainbow Dash asked as she trotted over to her saddlebags and sheathed her sword.
“Oh, since before you were here. I tried to stay out of the way, but I saw that you were trapped and thought I should lend a hoof. I think that catches us up to the present moment.”
“You were really here the whole time?” Dash asked skeptically as she stared Pinkamena down, eye-to-eye. If she was lying, Dash would know.
“Absolutely,” Pinkamena replied, and the Hunter saw no trace of hesitation or deceit in the other mare’s eyes, only an earnestness and a frankly frightening amount of optimism.
“Hmm, how ‘bout that?” Rainbow Dash said as she broke eye contact and went back to tending to her equipment, “Thanks for the assist. Maybe you should watch me fight more often.”
As soon as the words had left her mouth, Dash knew she’d made a mistake. But it was too late now; Pinkamena had the idea in her head, and no matter how fast Rainbow tried to kill it, she wouldn’t be able to.
“Thanks, I definitely will!” Pinkamena promised as she bounded away over what was left of the bridge.
Thankfully, that promise didn’t seem to mean that Pinkamena would be following Dash everywhere she went, for which the Hunter was grateful. However, she still wondered just what she’d gotten herself into with that thoughtless remark.
***
Rainbow Dash soon learned just what Pinkamena’s intentions were. At first, it unsettled the Hunter that Pinkamena always managed to show up whenever she was fighting some beast. Soon, though, Rainbow Dash began to value her presence. The eccentric mare really did know how to stay out of the way during battles, and often served as a distraction to the monster that allowed Rainbow to quickly gain the upper hoof. Rainbow Dash even began to rely on her as she tried out new strategies. Pinkamena may not have been a Hunter, but it was still helpful to have a second pony present to assist, especially with laying down traps while Dash was engaged in battle. Eventually, Rainbow Dash began to seek out Pinkamena before her battles, and they would head there together. Afterwards, she would even share a small portion of her rewards with the other mare as payment for her cheers and aid during the fight. She could even afford to do so; things were going well to the point that Rainbow had begun to consider Pinkamena her good luck charm.
Eight days from when Rainbow Dash had first caught Pinkamena observing her in the wheat field, the Hunter was slowly advancing through the trees at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Pinkamena hadn’t met her in their usual spot, and she was nowhere to be seen at Sugar Cube Corner, so Dash had left a message with the Cakes to let Pinkamena know where she was headed. Despite her wishes, this job couldn’t wait; two foals had been killed already by the creature she was tracking down, and she wasn’t going to let another fall prey to it.
From the boar-like tracks, the monster she was hunting could have been any number of things, but the size was abnormal, somewhere between those of domesticated boars and their twisted and monstrous cousins. When Dash heard snorting up ahead, she drew her sword and advanced through the brush more carefully. At last her quarry came into view, a boar of exceptional size, but otherwise with no shockingly wrong features. It was definitely no ordinary boar, though; it’s eyes burned a demonic red and its fur was thick, matted, and entwined with vines. One of the many malicious woodland spirits that inhabited the Everfree Forest must have possessed a mundane boar that wandered too far into the forest, and was using it to strike at the ponies it so hated for settling so near and chopping down trees. The fur around the boar’s mouth was stained red, leaving no doubt that this was the same beast that had killed those foals.
The boar had spotted Dash, and it fixed her with its hate-filled eyes, snuffling a bit before charging toward her with an ear-splitting squeal. The Hunter cupped her ears close to her skull to block out the noise, outspread her wings, and held her sword in a ready stance for when the boar reached her. When it was still ten paces away, a crossbow bolt emerged from thin air and went straight through the boar’s head from the side, killing it instantly. The fire in its eyes died as it stumbled and skidded through the dirt and moss, a faint green smoke drifting from the holes in its head.
Cautiously, Rainbow Dash advanced through the forest with her swords still held in front of her. Somepony else was out there, and while she knew the direction the bolt had come from, she had no idea how far it had flown before striking the boar. The Hunter’s ears twitched as they picked up every sound, but few helped inform her of the location of the other pony. Whoever they were, they were good, but not good enough to evade detection forever, not by Rainbow Dash. A slight rustle as they passed a low shrub guided her to the area, and once she was close she was able to follow the scent of the oiled crossbow string.
Her quarry was just through a line of trees and past a row of brambles, now. Moving swiftly, Rainbow Dash used her wings to assist in a jump that would land her in a small forest clearing where she’d be able to see her target. As she landed in the area, so too did her opponent, and they both froze as they alighted just a few paces from each other. Standing opposite Rainbow Dash was a griffon wearing Hunter’s garb and holding a crossbow in her left claw.
“Rainbow Dash? Is that really you?” the griffon spoke first, cocking her head to the side.
“Gilda?” Dash replied, realization dawning as she recognized this griffon.
The two Hunters put away their weapons and embraced each other. Rainbow Dash had never expected to meet Gilda again, but here they were, reunited by chance in the Everfree Forest.
“How long has it been?” Rainbow Dash asked as they separated.
“It’s been eight years since you left the Order of the Magpie. How’s the Order of the Falcon been treatin’ you?” Gilda asked as she pointed at the clasp on Rainbow’s armor for attaching her cloak.
“Fine; there’s plenty of Falcon Hunters in this area,” Dash replied.
“I heard you settled down around here, but I didn’t believe it,” Gilda said, “Rainbow Dash livin’ in one spot? By Ponieville, no less.”
“Well, what can I say? This forest is so full of monsters that my services are in high demand here,” Rainbow Dash said as she and Gilda started to head back out of the Everfree Forest, “What about you? I see you’re still in the Order of Magpie. Is Grandmaster Gruph still in charge?”
“I don’t think the old sod’ll ever die or retire. He lost half his beak a few years back, but still squawks orders as harsh as ever,” Gilda answered, “Wallen still throws a coin in the lake every time he gets back from a job and wishes Gruph’d get knocked off, but no luck so far, and the lake is getting mighty full of money.”
“You didn’t have that last time I saw you,” Dash pointed out the vertical scar that ran over Gilda’s right eye.
“Some thug with a knife; he got what he deserved,” Gilda explained as she passed her claw over the wound, “Looks like we’ve both taken some damage.”
“Yeah, a basilisk got me,” Dash said as she looked up at the hole torn in her left ear, “That was years ago, back when I was just starting out with the Order of the Falcon.”
“It’s good to see you again, G,” Rainbow Dash said after an uncomfortable silence passed between the two Hunters.
“Yeah,” Gilda replied, but didn’t continue the conversation any further.
“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkamena called out as she bounded over a hill just as Gilda and Rainbow Dash emerged from the Everfree Forest, “I came as soon as I heard!”
“Thanks, Pinkamena,” Rainbow Dash said as the pink pony came to a stop and dropped off Dash’s saddlebags, which she’d apparently retrieved before galloping over to where the Hunters had left the forest.
“Who are you?” Pinkamena asked as she turned to face Gilda, and tilted her head.
“This is my Hunter friend, Gilda,” Rainbow Dash said before the griffon had a chance to respond, “We used to train together as foal and chick.”
“That’s right, and who are you?” Gilda said, annoyed that Dash had answered for her. It used to be the other way around!
“The name’s Pinkamena Diane Pie, and I’ve been helping Rainbow Dash out,” Pinkamena said proudly, oblivious to the daggered look Gilda was giving her.
“Is that so?” the griffon said slowly with narrowed eyes.
“I’m going on ahead to pick up the reward,” Rainbow Dash announced once she had her saddlebags strapped on comfortably and her sword belt slung over them.
“See if they’ve got any leather strips,” Gilda called after the pegasus as she flew away and grabbed Pinkamena’s tail as she tried to bound after her.
“I think you and I need to have a talk,” Gilda said once she and Pinkamena were alone, “What kind of Hunter are you? Has some pegasus debased themselves to teaching earth ponies our secrets now?”
“I’m not a Hunter at all,” Pinkamena said as she looked with concern at Gilda’s grip on her tail, “Actually, I’m a baker.”
“You can’t be serious!” the griffon said incredulously, “You’re no more than a mere peasant? What’s your game?”
“Game? What game?” Pinkamena asked as she tried unsuccessfully to pull herself free.
“Don’t act dumb with me! A peasant doesn’t just hang out around a Hunter for no reason!” Gilda roared, but her demeanor changed when she spotted the coin purse tied to Pinkamena’s belt, “What have we here?”
The mare was unable to go anywhere, and—as a Hunter—Gilda had no trouble quickly cutting the string securing the purse and snatching it away.
“Hey, that’s mine!” Pinkamena protested as Gilda released her, but the griffon held the coin purse out of the earth pony’s reach.
“I need it for food and lodging while I’m in Ponieville,” Gilda said coldly, “You don’t honestly expect me to defend the town from monsters on an empty stomach without sleep, do you?”
“Rainbow Dash gave me that!” Pinkamena said as she continued to try to reclaim her money. It was true, every coin in the small sack had been given her by the Hunter after helping her out the past week.
“So that’s what you’re up to!” Gilda hissed angrily, “It’s not bad enough that your kind treats Hunters like dirt and shirks on our payments, you also take money directly from our rewards for killing beasts that would easily tear you apart were we not here to protect you!”
“It’s not like that!” Pinkamena protested. She hadn’t thought she was taking advantage of Rainbow Dash, but now she wondered if maybe she had been. Hunters didn’t make much money, and Rainbow had given her some of hers just for being around and helping out now and then. Was that really fair?
“It’s a Hunter’s wages, and a Hunter’s wages belong to a Hunter,” Gilda said as she tossed the coin purse with her claw, watching as it rose and fell, “Y’know, just taking this back almost doesn’t seem enough, but I’ll make a deal with you. Stay away from Rainbow Dash for a while, and I’ll let you keep your ability to walk.”
“Hey, I got the reward,” Rainbow Dash announced as she landed nearby and she threw Gilda a pouch of coins, “You did most of the work, Gilda, so it only seems fair that you have it.”
“Doesn’t it just?” Gilda said and looked at Pinkamena as she tucked both pouches of coins in her saddlebags.
“Where to now, Rainbow Dash?” Pinkamena asked, surprising Gilda. Maybe the griffon was right, but she didn’t think so. She’d decided not to take any more money Rainbow Dash offered her, but she wasn’t going to stay away from the Hunter entirely; she was her friend. She would prove to Gilda that she wasn’t there just for the money, and then she wouldn’t have to worry about losing Dash as a friend or having her legs broken.
“Actually, I’d like to spend some time catching up with Gilda, but we’ll talk later, Pinkamena,” Dash said before she took off into the air.
Gilda gave Pinkamena a look that was anything but friendly before she followed Dash into the sky, leaving the pink mare standing alone at the edge of the Everfree Forest.
***
“… then she gave me the stink-eye and flew off!” Pinkamena finished recounting her story to Twilight Sparkle later that day.
“Well, Hunters are a fairly tight-knit group. Is it really a surprise that one Hunter would want to keep non-Hunters away from another?” Twilight said as she packed up a set of saddlebags, having only half-listened to Pinkamena’s complaints, “Spike, grab my family standard!”
“That’s not it, Twilight. Gilda was just plain nasty,” Pinkamena protested, “I’ve never met somepony so rude. Well, I guess she’s not a pony. Somegriffon! I’ve never met somegriffon so rude. Actually, I’ve never met another griffon at all, come to think of it.”
“Listen, Pinkamena, I have my own griffon-related problems to deal with,” the sorceress said impatiently as she stuffed a tent into Spike’s backpack, “A large band of griffons is passing near Ponieville, and Celestia has entrusted me with meeting with them and speaking to them about the summit in the spring. You’ll just have to deal with Gilda on your own.”
“But Twilight …” Pinkamena started to complain.
“Look, I tried to be kind, but you leave me no choice,” Twilight lost her cool as she tucked an aged tome into her saddlebags, “Have you considered that maybe you aren’t as charming as you think you are? Over time, your personality can honestly get a bit … irritating. Maybe Rainbow Dash just wants some time away.”
“That can’t be true,” Pinkamena said, saddened at the idea.
“I hope that this is not the case, but it might be good to consider that Gilda may not be the entire problem,” Twilight said as she trotted over to a bookshelf and brought one of the books over to Pinkamena, “Maybe reading Bayrun’s Guide to the Hunter will help. I don’t have time to do anything else to assist you.”
“Ready?” Spike asked as he pulled his backpack on.
“Ready,” Twilight Sparkle announced as she levitated her saddlebags onto her back.
Pinkamena watched as the sorceress and her dragon page left Golden Oak’s laboratory, leaving her alone again. She sighed as she looked down at the book before her. Would it really hold the answers Pinkamena needed, or were books the only way Twilight knew to help? She supposed there was really only one way to find out for sure.
***
Know members of the Order of the Bat by their purposefully ragged cloaks, cut to resemble a bat’s wings, and by their masked cowls. The Order of the Bat is the only Hunter Order known to consistently use headgear, which is shunned by other Orders for its restriction of peripheral vision. Hunters in the Order of the Bat are trained to use stealth as their most powerful weapon, and often use smaller blades than their counterparts. Some members in recent years have taken to performing assassinations at the request of heads of state in violation of the Hunter Code.
A day after Gilda’s arrival and Twilight’s departure, Pinkamena was paging through Guide to the Hunter. When it came to reading, the mare was largely self-taught, so it was slow going. So far, the book hadn’t been terribly helpful, though it had contained some interesting trivia. As she sat in her small room in the precariously tipping tower that sprouted from the roof of Sugar Cube Corner, Pinkamena looked out over the rooftops of Ponieville and fantasized about ponies dressed as bats perched there in the night. Sighing, she turned back to the book and turned the page with her nose.
Know members of the Order of the Magpie by their patchwork armor, assembled from whatever spare pieces of armor the Hunter can acquire into useful barding. Notice also that each Magpie Hunter carries around their neck a coin-shaped pendant bearing the symbol of their Order. The fighting style of the Order of the Magpie is similar in almost every respect to the Order of the Albatross—covered elsewhere in this book—and it is their philosophy that sets the two Orders apart. Hunters of the Order of the Magpie believe that non-Hunters owe them a debt for their service, and that they are entitled to take whatever they wish, even if no job is completed. For this reason, Magpie Hunters are rarely seen in groups larger than three lest they strip an area completely bare.
When Pinkamena looked up from her book, she spotted a griffon Hunter landing nearby. Unless some other griffon had arrived in Ponieville (which was unlikely), it was probably Gilda, though Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. With the naval telescope she’d received in Balte-maer years earlier, Pinkamena was able to confirm that it was indeed Gilda that had arrived. She appeared to be arguing with the barkeep at a tavern, but the telescope magnified only images, not sound, so it was impossible to know for sure. Pinkamena looked down at her book, then back out at Ponieville before deciding she’d done enough reading for that day. Twilight had told her to handle things herself, and reading was not how Pinkamena Diane Pie handled things.
The baker snuck down through the second floor living quarters occupied by the Cakes, and then out through the bakery into the street behind it. I would’ve made a good spy, she thought as she moved through the marketplace, not knowing that several ponies did, in fact, spot her as she crept around. That didn’t matter though; the only pony—griffin—that couldn’t know of her presence was Gilda. After creeping around some buildings, the Hunter finally came into sight.
Gilda had apparently won her argument with the barkeep, and was sauntering away with a mug of ale in her claw while the pony glared daggers at her. Now that Pinkamena was able to get another look at the griffon, she noticed that her armor was almost as much of a hodgepodge as the mare’s own attire. You didn’t really notice until you looked for it, since the armor appeared to be a perfectly composed set of Hunter barding, albeit one made out of pieces of varying shapes, thicknesses, colors, and styles. Her pendent bounced against her chest as she walked, coin-shaped with the image of a magpie pressed into it, confirming what Pinkamena had suspected. Maybe that book was good for something after all.
“Hey! That costs four shillings!” a baker called as Gilda dropped her mug and grabbed a loaf of bread from her cart as she walked past.
Gilda paused, and the baker halted in her pursuit, apparently reconsidering her actions given the new demeanor the griffon was exuding. Pinkamena watched from beneath another cart as Gilda slowly turned to face the baker.
“You want to charge me for this?” she asked skeptically as she squeezed the bread with a claw and made it crunch, “This? I can’t find a bite of meat anywhere in this gods-forsaken town, and now you want me to pay for this crumbly excuse for food? I’m out there riskin’ my life every day for your sorry flank, and now you’re gonna make me pay you for something I have to choke down just to keep going? Am I mistaken?”
“Um …” the baker gulped as she looked up into Gilda’s eyes, for the griffon was now towering over her, “I suppose, in that case, I could give … give you a discount?”
“A discount?!” Gilda fumed, “You think I can be bought off so easily? No, I’ll pay nothing for this bread, and I’ll take another loaf in exchange for forgetting about this incident and continuing to protect your town from monsters!”
The baker had neither the time nor the courage to object as Gilda grabbed another loaf of bread from her cart and walked away. How awful! Gilda was practically a thief, though she didn’t even try to keep her theft a secret. Mayor Mare’s guards still paid for their food, though they did receive a discount (a sizable one if the business wasn’t quite up to code), but Gilda had rejected the very idea, as if it was more odious to be seen paying a decreased price than taking something without payment. This griffon definitely subscribed to the Order of the Magpie’s philosophy.
Murmurings passed through the marketplace as Pinkamena emerged from beneath the cart. As expected, Gilda wasn’t making a very good impression on Ponieville’s residents. Pinkamena rushed to catch up with the griffon, staying out of her sight the whole time, though it required her to duck through a few houses. Somehow she ended up picking her way across the town’s thatched rooves as she followed Gilda; she would be fine so long as the Hunter didn’t look up or decide to fly.
Gilda was walking through Ponieville’s public square now, where many ponies trotted through on their way to other parts of the town. Among them were Filthy Rich and one of his bodyguards, and Gilda walked straight toward the duo. As she got closer, the bodyguard moved to put himself between the griffon and his boss to keep the two from colliding.
“‘Scuse me,” Gilda said as she spun last minute around the bodyguard and brushed past Filthy Rich.
Maybe she has some manners after all. Maybe I misjudged her. The bodyguard watched Gilda suspiciously for a few moments before he turned around and caught back up to Filthy Rich. A few seconds later, Gilda tossed a sizable pouch of coins into her saddlebags. Or maybe I didn’t misjudge her at all. There was no doubt that what Gilda had just done was theft. She’d robbed Filthy Rich blind like a common cutpurse. Well, he could afford it, couldn’t he? The only pony in Ponieville with more wealth than him was Mayor Mare. Was robbing the rich so great a crime? After all, that’s exactly what that outlaw on the Grittish Isles had done, and he was considered a hero by the commoners. He gave what he stole to the poor, though. Then again, weren’t Hunters poor? It was still hard to justify Gilda’s actions.
While Pinkamena was pondering what could and couldn’t be considered right, Gilda had gotten much farther away. The mare hopped across rooves and slid down to the ground in order to catch up with her. She kept to the edge of the public square as she moved closer to Gilda, ducking under carts and behind signs to stay inconspicuous. At the edge of the square, Pinkamena spotted Fluttershy trotting in with a brown-furred rabbit hopping at her side. A jolt of worry went through Pinkamena’s being as she saw Gilda go out of her way to approach the druidess.
“Pardon me, I just want to get—oh!” Fluttershy said when she looked up at the individual before her, “I’ve never met a griffon before, do you think I could-”
“Examine me, like one of your woodland creatures,” Gilda finished the thought, and it wasn’t even unlikely that Fluttershy would have said the same thing (apart from comparing Gilda to a beast), “I’m sick and tired of your kind thinking I’m just another exotic creature to examine! I’m a griffon! So what? Your ignorance is no concern of mine!”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said meekly, wilting before the griffon’s anger.
“Are you?” Gilda continued, acting very much like she wanted a fight, but she couldn’t have known that she wouldn’t find it in a pony as timid as Fluttershy, “If I wasn’t a griffon, I’d still receive the grief you put on Hunters! We kill monsters that threaten pony lives, and you berate us for it because it ‘eliminates the natural predators of other creatures, leading to overpopulation and ecological disaster!’ Give me a break! If you ask me, druids should be considered a blight, and dealt with the way Hunters deal with all blights!”
“We just protect the forests, and-” Fluttershy tried hard to stand up for herself, but was cut off in her speech when Gilda slapped her across the face with a claw, knocking her to the ground and causing a collective gasp to rise from the nearby ponies, who’d dropped whatever they’d been doing to watch the confrontation play out.
“What? You should all be thanking me,” Gilda said as she looked around at the stunned faces, “I just spared you her mindless blathering about the environment.”
She’s gone too far! If she wants to threaten me or steal food and money, it can be tolerated and managed, but she can’t just start attacking ponies. Fluttershy never even had a chance to defend herself, and Gilda had it out for her the moment she spotted her!
“I don’t want to see you or any other druid around this town again,” Gilda said firmly to the whimpering druidess curled up on the ground before she pulled out her sword and stabbed the rabbit next to her, turning the whimpering to sobbing, “There; I fixed your overpopulation problem and got myself something to eat in the process.”
The entire square was silent as Gilda walked away without looking back, the dead rabbit slung over her back, and Fluttershy remained in the fetal position, covering her face with her hooves. Twilight Sparkle was wrong; Gilda was the problem. How to solve it, though? Obviously a confrontation was just what the griffon wanted, and it would give her a chance to hurt more ponies, so that wouldn’t work. Pinkamena had an idea that just might do the trick.
***
“Alright, Pinkamena, I like a celebration as much as the next pony, but what’re we celebrating?” Rainbow Dash asked the next day in Golden Oak’s laboratory.
Twilight had left in such a hurry that she’d forgotten to lock things up. Thankfully, Pinkamena was such a good friend that she’d taken the key and locked the laboratory up for the sorceress. That also made it easy for her to unlock it to prepare for a party. Technically, the main room of the laboratory was still a public area, so she wasn’t breaking any rules by inviting ponies into Twilight Sparkle’s home.
“We’re welcoming Gilda to Ponieville,” Pinkamena announced matter-of-factly, and Rainbow Dash nearly choked on her drink.
“What? Why?” the Hunter asked.
“Well, I noticed that she’s been having trouble fitting in around here and appreciating Ponieville, kind of like Twilight when she first arrived, so I decided to throw her a welcome party just like I did for Twilight!” Pinkamena explained her logic (which seemed perfectly sound to her).
“Are you forgetting that Twilight locked herself in her bedchamber and refused to partake in the party, and then the world almost ended?” Rainbow Dash pointed out casually.
“Oh. Right,” Pinkamena said thoughtfully, wondering how those crucial details had slipped her mind, “Well, I’m sure it’ll work out anyway.”
“Dash!” the griffon in question interrupted her as she announced her entry, “What’s all this about?”
Pinkamena took a deep breath, preparing to launch into a long explanation, just as she had with Twilight Sparkle, but Rainbow Dash placed a hoof over her mouth.
“Probably best to let me do the talking,” she said to the mare before facing Gilda, “It’s a party in your honor, Gilda, to familiarize yourself with Ponieville.”
“Great; I won’t turn down free food and alcohol, but don’t think you can convince me to stay in this town,” Gilda said as she trotted past Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena and began grabbing food, “Honestly, I don’t know how you stay put here, Dash. The ponies here’ve got no respect for Hunters; no decency at all.”
“Maybe if you tried being decent to them . . . ,” Rainbow Dash said with narrowed eyes and a hint of ice in her voice as Gilda stuffed her face.
“And have them stab me in the back? Ha! No way,” Gilda replied as she leaned back against the table and faced Rainbow Dash, “You of all ponies should know that the world is cold, cruel, and unfair, and you can’t trust anypony apart from your comrades.”
“What do you mean, ‘me of all ponies?’” Dash asked, her features softening slightly.
“Come on! First off, you’re a Hunter, so ponies are gonna treat you like dirt, regardless,” Gilda said completely casually, not picking up on the tension Rainbow Dash was holding in, “But I was talking about what you told me about your father. That should teach you how unfair the world it. Don’t you just hate him for that?”
“No,” Rainbow Dash said firmly, and Gilda opened her eyes a little wider in skepticism.
“I don’t believe it,” Gilda said, “You told me he was always frustrated about something—if he didn’t have a job, then he was frustrated about not working, and when he had a job, he was frustrated by the work he did—and he took out his frustration on you. Can you honestly say that you don’t hate the pony that treated you like a living punching bag?”
“At least he was there, unlike my mother, who abandoned me the moment I was born,” Dash practically snapped, and though there was steel in her voice, only Rainbow Dash knew how brittle that steel really was.
“Even so, don’t tell me that you didn’t pay him a little ‘visit’ once you finished your training as a Hunter,” Gilda said as she examined an apple before tossing it to the side.
“What are you talking about?” Dash asked suspiciously, a frown on her features.
“It’s nothin’ to be embarrassed about; I know plenty of Hunter’s who’ve done the same thing,” Gilda reassured her friend, “Gods, do you think my mother—a griffon—really died from falling off a cliff?”
“Are you saying she didn’t?” Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously, fearing the answer. She knew what Gilda was, but she never imagined she’d have gone this far.
“No, she did, technically. Of course, she would’ve had a better chance of survival if I hadn’t broken her wings before I threw her off,” Gilda said with a smile and a wink.
“You killed your own mother?” Dash asked breathlessly.
“Please, it was no great loss, just like nopony would miss your worthless father if he died,” Gilda tried to comfort Dash, not realizing that she was only making matters worse.
“We’ll pick this conversation back up later,” Gilda said as she spotted a figure entering Golden Oak’s laboratory, and gave Dash a pat on the shoulder, “I have some other business to attend to.”
None of the ponies here knew why they’d been invited, so Fluttershy had no idea what she was getting into, except that it was one of Pinkamena’s celebrations and she could use something to cheer her up after the day before. The druidess’s eyes went wide when she spotted the same griffon that had struck her and killed the animal with her walking briskly her way.
“I thought I told you to stay out town! Guess I have to teach you a firmer lesson!” Gilda said as she drew her sword and raised it to strike Fluttershy with the flat of the blade.
Fluttershy cowered as the sword came down at her, but it stopped short when another blade intercepted it.
“Dash?” Gilda asked incredulously as she saw the swordsmare who had stopped her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Rainbow Dash asked unbelievingly once Gilda had sheathed her blade.
“This druidess was hasslin’ me yesterday, so I was teaching her a lesson,” Gilda responded, “Why’re you actin’ so surprised? We used to do this thing all the time.”
“No. You used to do this thing all the time, and I see you’ve only gotten worse,” Rainbow Dash said, “There is no way that she was hassling you. Fluttershy would never do anything to warrant such a response!”
“Fluttershy?” Gilda said, her eyes widening in recognition of the name, “Now I understand why you’re settled here, in the middle of nowhere. It’s because of her! Do you really think you can protect her forever, Dash?”
“That’s not it at all!”
“It certainly seems like it is!” Gilda huffed, “Why are you so fixated on this one pony, a non-Hunter, and even worse, a druidess-”
“She saved me!” Rainbow Dash yelled, shutting Gilda up and drawing the attention of everypony in the room who wasn’t already observing the argument, “Yes, life was tough for me as a foal, and it was terrible at home, but I always knew I could run to Fluttershy, that I’d be safe at her home! If it hadn’t been for her, maybe I would have ended up just like you, cold and cruel and unfeeling toward others!”
“What are you saying, Dash?” Gilda asked, taken aback.
“Gilda, the reason I left the Order of the Magpie was because I disagreed with what we were being taught,” Rainbow Dash said, calming herself, “Hunters are meant to be protectors of ponies, not extortionists who bleed them dry of what little they have. I saw that and moved on, but you never did. Maybe we thought we were friends once, but that was a long time ago, and after seeing what you’ve become, I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”
“Is that really how you feel?” Gilda asked after pondering what Dash had said for a few moments.
“It is; I’m sorry,” Rainbow Dash said, lowering her head.
“Fine,” Gilda said with barely contained anger, “At least now I know who you really are. You’ll live long enough to regret making this decision, Rainbow Dash. Then again, Hunters don’t have a very good life expectancy, do they?”
With that statement hanging in the air, Gilda took off with a flap of her wings and crashed through a window on her way out. A silence filled Golden Oak’s laboratory as Rainbow Dash helped Fluttershy up from the ground.
“Do you think Twilight’ll notice?” Pinkamena asked worriedly as she looked at the broken window, completely missing what was important, as per usual.
Twilight Sparkle closed the door to Golden Oak’s laboratory behind her, shutting Pinkamena away. Honestly, despite all the time she’d spent in Ponieville, the sorceress had yet to figure out the mare. Maybe once she returned to this tiny town, she would be able to interact with the baker/bard/party-planner more. At the moment she had more important concerns, like representing Celestia and Cant’r Laht before the Griffon Free Companies.
“Shall we depart, madam sorceress?” an armored stallion addressed Twilight before she’d taken two steps from her home.
The pegasus was wearing a full suit of plate armor, apart from wing guards (which weren’t terribly popular with pegasi who wanted to maintain aerial maneuverability) and a helmet (which was hanging from his saddlebags). At his side hung a broadsword sheathed in an elegant leather scabbard. As he awaited Twilight’s response, piercing emerald eyes stared out at her from a dun-coated face framed by a flowing silvery-blue mane. Twilight Sparkle tried to recall if she’d met the stallion before, but couldn’t. He certainly wasn’t one of the guards assigned to her in Ponieville.
“Forgive me, but who are you?” the sorceress asked, giving up on trying to recognize him.
“Ser Lightning Charge at your service, Mistress Twilight Sparkle,” the stallion said, giving a slight bow, then turning to follow the sorceress as she set off in direction of one of Ponieville’s gates, “Celestia has sent me to accompany you to your meeting with the Griffon Free Companies.”
So that was it. Celestia’s letter had said nothing about an escort, but Twilight wasn’t surprised that she’d sent one along anyway. Despite nothing dangerous having happened to her that she couldn’t handle (not counting her near mauling by the criosphinx) since she’d moved to Ponieville, the Cant’r Laht guards remained in town. They didn’t mind much, as they knew how Twilight chafed beneath their watch, and usually kept their distance. She’d proved more than capable of protecting herself, and any adversary that would pose a threat to a sorceress of her caliber was far out of their league, so they spent most of their times at the local taverns or gambling with Mayor Mare’s guards in their barracks at the Mayoral Keep.
“Thank you for your dedication, but as I have told Celestia before, I am quite capable of protecting myself and have no need for soldiers or knights to watch over me,” Twilight Sparkle explained to the knight as he trotted beside her, his armor clanking as he did so.
“Nevertheless, madam, Celestia has insisted that I am to accompany you to this meeting, regardless of any protests you may have,” Lightning Charge replied, not letting Twilight’s attitude get to him, “She said to remind you that this is an important diplomatic meeting and that every precaution that can be taken, should be taken.”
She wouldn’t be able to get rid of this one as easily as she had her guards. He seemed devoted to fulfilling Celestia’s orders and protecting her no matter what. A pony who takes his knighthood seriously as more than just a title? Remarkable. There were many ponies in the Dominion of Cant’r Laht who had been knighted, either by Celestia herself or one of the many lords and ladies beneath her, and most of them were scions of a noble house given the title of “ser” simply as a distinguishing mark to tack onto their already impressive pedigree. Because of this, all most of Cant’r Laht’s knights did was to act uppity and prance around in armor that was only worn at tourneys. There were a few who came from outside of the nobility and had truly earned their titles, though, and perhaps Lightning Charge was one of these. It was likely, given that there were few pegasus noble houses within the Dominion of Cant’r Laht.
“Ser knight, are you of the nobility as well?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she, the knight, and Spike left through Ponieville’s northern gate.
“Indeed,” Lightning Charge answered, giving a nod, “I am the seventh child of Count Starlit Mere of the House Bersian.”
Bersian happened to be one of the few pegasus noble families that Twilight did recognize. House Haltrotsun had few friends among Cant’r Laht’s nobility, but the Bersians had been not unfriendly to them in the recent past. Their Roost (several of the pegasi still held onto the old pegasus term instead of “Hold,” despite their culture’s complete replacement by that of the unicorns) was in the Blue Mountains, stretching east of Cant’r Laht and the Titan’s Horn to Fillidefiyaa. Twilight had actually been there once, as a very young foal, on a visit with her father, and had perhaps even met Lighting Charge, but that had occurred too long ago for either of them to remember. Celestia had not just chosen Ser Lightning Charge to accompany her because of his dedication, but also for his family name (or perhaps the dedication had just been icing on the cake). It wouldn’t be the first time that the family standards of Haltrotsun and Bersian flew side by side.
“Do you know our destination?” Twilight asked as they trotted past a cottage outside town, the knight still not seeming to tire despite the armor he was laden down with.
“I am afraid that I do not,” Lightning Charge said with a shake of his head, “I was told to accompany you and that you would be aware of where it would be best to meet the griffons, madam.”
It was an interesting situation they were in when it came to protocol, Twilight realized. As a sorceress, all except the upper nobility were to address her as “madam,” but she was also Celestia’s apprentice, so that meant that even the upper nobility usually addressed her formally (at least when Celestia was present). However, the Haltrotsuns held a earlship while the Bersians held a countship, so technically she was Lightning Charge’s inferior in that respect. It was a complicated business, so she decided to just let things sit as they were, with him using “madam” and her using “ser.”
“I don’t expect we will be able to catch up with them any earlier than tomorrow night,” Twilight explained as she paused on the roadside and pulled a set of maps from her saddlebags, “The best location to do so would be here, where these rivers intersect a league and a half northeast of Hammotstead.”
“Right, then,” Lightning Charge said after familiarizing himself with the map, “Mistress Twilight, Master Spike, shall we be off?”
***
It was before nightfall, yet the day had already begun to darken due to the storm clouds that passed across the sky. A cold drizzle fell on the trio of travelers headed north, the drops that struck Lightning Charge’s armor not heavy enough to make a sound. All three had pulled hoods over their heads at the first sign of rain, and Twilight was grateful for the long cloak that covered her altered sorceress robes, newly arrived from Cant’r Laht.
They had made good time on their journey—frankly, Twilight was surprised that Lightning Charge had tired no more in his heavy armor than she had in her light robes (perhaps even less)—and had quickly passed through the farmlands around Ponieville and into the hills to its northwest. Nothing grew here apart from grass and a few scattered trees, and homesteads were few and far between. As they crested one of the many hills, a screeching roar was the first signal to the ponies and dragon that something was amiss. As they passed down into a shallow valley between the hills, the creature that had made the awful noise came into sight.
It was a drake, a dragon-like creature with none of their intelligence. Compared to a full-grown dragon, an adult drake was much smaller—only eight pony-lengths from shoulder to rump compared to thirty or forty—and had shorter legs and neck. Dragons also typically had bright and colorful scales covering their bodies, while drakes were mostly dull earth tones; this particular specimen was a mottled brown with parallel streaks of gray. Drakes couldn’t breathe fire, but their tails made up for that deficiency with the blade-like protrusions that grew along their ends. They were a fearsome opponent, but their relative unintelligence made them easy kills for trained Hunters, and only a moderate challenge for a competent knight.
“Get out of here!” Lightning Charge ordered as the drake landed heavily in front of the trio.
Twilight Sparkle complied, pushing Spike along and quietly mouthing a few words in the Language of the Horns as the knight pulled on his helmet and drew his sword. As the drake tried to strike at the sorceress and dragon with its long neck, Lighting Charge used his wings to launch himself into the air. He wouldn’t be able to fly as high, far, or fast as he would if he hadn’t been wearing armor, but his actions still drew the drake’s attention. As it swung toward him, the knight glided to the ground and dodged the beast’s wing.
Twilight pulled Spike up onto her back after the first few hills and continued to gallop north, even after the sounds of battle had faded. Spike was nearly thrown from the sorceress’s back as she turned west unexpectedly. The dragon looked around in an attempt to determine why she had changed direction, but he could see no barriers around that would impede their progress toward Hammotstead, and nothing in the direction they were no moving that seemed worthy of Twilight’s attention. Was she circling back around to catch the drake unaware and aid Ser Lightning Charge? But then, why had she gone so far before doing so? Spike even pulled out maps of the area from Twilight’s saddlebags to see if there was something that he was missing (which earned only a brief glance from the sorceress), but there was nothing nearby to explain her actions.
“Twilight, where are we going?” Spike asked, altogether lost to her intentions.
“The edge of White Tail Wood is not far from here. We should be able to reach it in time,” Twilight replied, not really explaining anything.
“Why would we go to White Tail?” Spike asked, examining the map, “It’s a straight shot north to Hammotstead; seems like we’re going out of our way for nothing.”
“We’re not going to Hammotstead,” Twilight announced, her breathing becoming more labored the longer she galloped.
“But what about meeting with the Griffon Free Companies?” Spike asked as he leaned around and nearly unbalanced Twilight.
“If we go to Hammotstead, the griffons will have already moved on by the time we arrive. The real location to meet them is seven leagues west of Comethold. I just told Lightning Charge that we were going to Hammotstead to throw him off,” the sorceress explained, and Spike’s eyes grew wide in surprise, “I was thinking of some excuse for us to separate from him, maybe even conjure up some illusion, but that drake provided us the perfect opportunity, and at just the right moment, too.”
“You just left him behind to fight the drake alone?” Spike said incredulously, spinning around on Twilight’s back to look in the direction the knight and draconid were fighting, though her knew he wouldn’t be able to see anything, “You could have defeated it easily with your magic, but instead you left Lightning Charge behind with it! What if it kills him?”
“It will not kill him, nor will it even wound him,” Twilight said firmly, “I cast a spell on it as we left that will prevent it from harming Lightning Charge, though not from acting aggressive and providing us with a distraction.”
“Why, Twilight? What was so wrong with Lighting Charge tagging along?” Spike asked as he spun back around on the sorceress’s back.
“I don’t need an escort, Spike; I am perfectly capable of defending myself, and Celestia should know that,” Twilight said stubbornly, “Once I return from dealing with the griffons without a knight to accompany me, it will prove so.”
“I don’t know, Twilight,” the dragon said worriedly, “Celestia doesn’t do anything without a reason, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry, isn’t it?”
“There’s White Tail Wood! Once we’re in the forest, it will be much easier to hide,” Twilight said as she spotted the trees in the distance and picked up the pace, ignoring Spike’s concerns.
The sorceress’s dragon page groaned and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his claws. I don’t know that I want to be involved in this!
***
The griffon camp came into sight as the sun was setting on the following day, just as Twilight Sparkle had predicted. Her plan to lose Ser Lighting Charge had worked just as planned, as well. The fight with the drake had tied the knight up long enough that Twilight and Spike had made it to White Tail Wood and disappeared beneath the canopy of leaves. Searching the hills would have been hard enough, but even with his wings, Ser Lightning Charge would not be able to find the duo in the forest. Nor did he have any reason to believe they would be there, and after an exhaustive search of the surrounding area, he dedicated himself to reaching the rivers north of Hammotstead, where he believed Twilight and Spike would be heading to meet with the griffons.
The sorceress and her page had spent the night within White Tail Wood on the northern edge, which they had skirted until an hour after sunset. As an extra precaution, Twilight had cast a spell over the tent to make it invisible from the outside, which only frustrated Spike since he was the one who had to find it after being sent out to fetch water. After breaking camp the next day, Twilight and Spike followed the edge of the forest west before changing course northwest before noon.
With this action they left the Dominion of Cant’r Laht, and were no longer under the protection of Celestia. The lords and ladies of these lands swore fealty to Vanhuv’r, the coastal city far to the northwest. Comethold was named for an ancestor of its current lord, Margrave Orion Star, who left the administration of the region to his steward. The margrave himself resided in Vanhuv’r, to better curry favor with King Hyelliff in the Royal Court. Absentee lords were nothing new for Twilight; the largest faction in the Cant’r Laht nobility was made up of wizard families who had once been members of the Cabal when it ruled the city before Celestia. Over time, Celestia had assigned lands spread across Equestria to the various families. Some said that she had done so to rid herself of the meddlesome nobility, but if that had been her plan, it hadn’t worked; the nobles merely ruled their lands from afar and reaped the taxes and crops without having to leave their comfortable estates in Cant’r Laht.
The margrave won’t be happy when he finds out all this wheat was flattened, and the peasants will have to pay, Twilight thought as she approached the griffon encampment. It wasn’t the peasants’ fault, of course—that would have been obvious to Twilight even before her move to Ponieville and education on the lives of those outside Cant’r Laht—nopony would want to approach a group of heavily armed griffons and tell them to set up camp somewhere else. If they were like typical mercenaries, they wouldn’t even reimburse them for the lost crops. For that’s what those traveling in the Griffon Free Companies were: mercenaries. Of all the mercenary companies out there, this one was the largest, an alliance of fourteen griffon clans that together formed an army with a moving city of supporters.
Twilight Sparkle noted the different clans’ emblems on waving banners erected above the tents still being set up as she trotted through the camp, committing them to memory; ponies knew very little about griffons, and this was a valuable opportunity to learn more. Griffons paused in their work of preparing the night’s shelter as they saw the sorceress pass by, and some of them flew off to report her presence. Good, now I know which direction I can find their leader in. As she’d expected, the leader of the Griffon Free Companies (probably with his entire clan) had his tent pitched at the head of the encampment.
Before the sorceress reached it, a pair of griffons blocked her way; their weapons were sheathed, but it was clear they wouldn’t remain so if she tried to move past them. After a few minutes, another griffon flapped over and landed in front of the sentries. There was nothing particularly remarkable about him, apart from the mustard-colored sash draped around his set of age-darkened leather armor, yet Twilight still knew that the leader of the Griffon Free Companies stood before her.
“Who do we have here, who so brazenly walks into my camp with no introduction or invitation?” the griffon asked as he strode toward Twilight.
“I am Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun, sorceress of Cant’r Laht and apprentice to Celestia, who has sent me as her official emissary to speak with you,” Twilight said as she trotted forward to meet the griffon. The sorceress knew it was better to show strength than submission when dealing with griffons, and since the guards didn’t move to stop her, she must have been doing things correctly.
“But of course. I had heard that Celestia’s pupil relocated to Ponieville along with a dragon youth, and you must be none other than she,” the griffon said, his tail swishing back and forth as he came to a halt before the sorceress, “Likewise, you must know who I am. I am Ghunthar zar’Grhisna—also known to ponies as Gunter the Red Terror—Captain of the Griffon Free Companies and Talon of clan zar’Grhisna.”
“It is good to meet you,” Twilight said, ignoring the protocol pony within her that said she ought to bow, “Celestia sends her regards, and has a message for you regarding the summit being hosted in Cant’r Laht this coming spring.”
“That will have to wait,” Gunter held up a claw before Twilight could deliver the message, “We cannot speak until I have taken your measure.”
“But, you have already spoken to me,” Twilight said, confused.
“Yes, as a griffon and a pony we have spoken to each other, and we may continue doing so if you wish it, but to have a conversation about serious matters between the leader of the Griffon Free Companies and a representative of Cant’r Laht that will affect both our larger organizations, I must know that you are worth discussing such things with.”
“I am Celestia’s personal protégé,” Twilight protested.
“What does that mean to a mercenary such as myself?” Gunter asked, “Celestia’s power is known far and wide, yet even if she stood here before me, I would still demand an honorable duel according to our ancient customs before we sat down to speak on important matters.”
“If you attend the summit, will you challenge every delegation there to a duel as well?” Twilight asked, partially out of genuine concern, and partially out of simple indignation.
“Of course not. Coming to your society, we would abide by your rules, but you have come to us here, and here our rules are the only rules,” Gunter said firmly, “Now, choose your words carefully, magus. You are trying my patience, and I don’t wish to hear about the summit again. Will you agree to the duel between our camps, or will you leave?”
Twilight considered her options. This was uncharted water for her, who knew next to nothing about griffon customs. Even if a duel with the griffons was won, there was no guarantee that the message from Celestia would engender a positive response. Still, not fighting the duel would ensure a negative outcome, and Twilight didn’t want to return to Ponieville without results, especially after Celestia had entrusted her with so important a task. The question remained if a duel could be won. Twilight had more than enough skill with magic, but would it be enough to best a warrior like Gunter, who wasn’t called the Red Terror for nothing. It was uncertain, and Twilight didn’t like uncertainty.
“What can you tell me about the duel?” Twilight asked, hoping to eliminate some of that uncertainty.
“It is our tradition that when two clans meet, they each send a champion to fight and prove their skill. It is a battle between warriors, with no magic or tricks, and a chance for them to show the worth of their respective clans. The best duelist exhibits their skill in combat by demonstrating their technique without mortally wounding their opponent. The challenger has the right to choose their champion first, so will you choose your champion now, or will you leave?” Gunter explained, sounding eager to explain the ways of the griffons. Why is it we know so little about them if they are so forthcoming about their traditions? Do ponies just not care about the culture of other races?
“I choose as my champion Spike the Dragon,” Twilight announced after thinking over her options, causing Spike to jump in surprise.
“Will you accept this honor, and the charge to prove your clan’s might and majesty?” Gunter asked, turning to look at the shaken dragon youngster.
“Um …” Spike said as he looked at Twilight and got a look that told him what his answer had to be, “Yes, I do.”
“Very good,” Gunter said heartily, before looking around at the crowd of griffons that had formed and pointing into the thick of them, “To serve as champion of the Griffon Free Companies, I choose Hroman kel’Mrhedain, third daughter of Talon Haelghan kel’Mrhedain.”
The griffons parted to let a young pony-sized griffon make her way forward. Her coat and wing feathers were a bright chestnut, and three diagonal green stripes were painted over the white feathers that covered her face. Her armor still looked fairly new, and she wore her weapons boldly: four sheathed war axes, two at her haunches and two on her back.
“Will you accept this honor, and the charge to prove the might and majesty of the clan kel’Mrhedain and the Griffon Free Companies?” Gunter asked her once she was clear of the crowd.
“I will,” Hroman vowed, passing a claw across her face in the same direction as the stripes.
“It is decided then. At first light tomorrow, Spike the Dragon and Hroman kel’Mrhedain will duel!” Gunter announced loudly, causing the crowd of griffons to cheer; then he spoke to Twilight personally, “Tonight you can set up your campsite beside that of clan ren’Tzilkahn at the tail of the camp. If you have need of anything, they will provide it.”
***
“I bet now you regret sneaking away from Ser Lightning Charge,” Spike brooded later when he and Twilight were alone in her tent.
Twilight hated it when Spike was moody, but she couldn’t deny that he had every right to be, given the situation. Come the dawn, he was going to be sent into combat, and he was right—the whole situation could have been avoided if she had just trusted Celestia and brought the knight along with them. It was obvious now that that was why Celestia had sent him, but Twilight had only thought of herself. Now she was going to have to send the dragon she’d raised from birth into a duel with a trained mercenary. The thought made her stomach flip, for whatever Twilight might be, she was not completely heartless.
“We just have to make the best of the situation we are in,” Twilight said as she watched Spike practice for the fight.
The ren’Tzikahn griffons had been very accommodating, providing Spike with a set of leather armor used by their children when learning how to fight, and a flail, a weapon that Spike actually had some experience with. It wasn’t perfect—the armor was loose on his backside and the sleeves were too long due to the difference between his frame and that of a young griffon—but it was the best equipment they had available. For the first time, Twilight was glad that Shining Armor had taught Spike some combat skills. As she watched him swing his weapon around, she felt a little better about the coming duel in the morning.
“We wouldn’t be in this situation if you’d followed Celestia’s orders and brought Lightning Charge with us,” Spike grumbled as he practiced hopping back and forth.
“I made a mistake, Spike; what can I say?” Twilight asked, feeling horrible.
“How could you?” the dragon demanded as he dropped his flail and shield and faced Twilight, “How could you send me into a duel? I’m still a child—my scales aren’t fully developed and I haven’t grown wings yet—how am I supposed to face a griffon in battle?”
“Do you think I want this?” Twilight said, “I don’t want you to fight tomorrow, but I had to choose a champion, and you were the logical choice. The duel is to be fought with conventional weapons, and all I have at my disposal is magic. Were I to fight, I would be overwhelmed immediately and likely severely injured. I confess I have not spent nearly as much time strengthening my body as I have my mind, and that is my failing. You were the only other option for the duel; you know how to fight somewhat, you are a smaller target, and even your young scales will protect you from a blow better than my flesh and robes. This is not ideal, I will admit, but I need you. You don’t even need to win, just stay in the fight long enough that Gunter decides you are a worthy warrior. Don’t take any chances; I don’t want you to get hurt.” She really does care.
“Do you really think I can make it?” Spike asked. He’s terrified that he could die tomorrow, and whose fault is that?
“Yes, Spike, I do; I wouldn’t have chosen you otherwise,” Twilight said, placing a hoof on his shoulder, “I know this is a rough situation, and that it is all my fault. I should have trusted Celestia and brought Ser Lightning Charge along, but I let my pride get in the way. I was so certain of my own capabilities that I didn’t consider scenarios where I would need help from others to get by. Lightning Charge was meant to help me here, but now you are the only one I can turn to. Please, Spike, I promise that I will not let my pride land us in such a situation again.”
“Okay, Twilight,” Spike said, knowing that the sorceress probably wouldn’t be able to keep her promise, at least not right away. There was always hope, especially considering the changes he’d seen in her since they’d moved to Ponieville.
“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight said, “Now, one more practice set and then you need to get to sleep.”
***
The next day dawned with skies clear of all but a few wispy clouds. As Twilight and Spike made their way through the camp, they saw griffons beginning to take down their tents and pack things away in preparation to move on. Twilight Sparkle had quickly taken her own tent down before leaving for the dueling area in the zar’Grhisna camp. At least I can use magic for that. Thoughts of how to cast healing spells occupied her mind as they approached the head of the camp.
A crowd had gathered in the same place as the day before, and the griffons quickly parted to let the dragon and sorceress through. Centered around where Twilight and Gunter had spoken, there was now a ring of stakes with rope tied to their ends, forming a crude fence. On the other side of the ring stood Hroman, sharpening her axes in preparation for the fight. Spike nervously stepped under the rope, checking to make sure his helmet was on snugly, and Hroman vaulted over her side.
“Today we have come for a duel between Hroman kel’Mrhedain, representing the Griffon Free Companies, and Spike the Dragon, representing Cant’r Laht,” Gunter announced from the other side of the ring, his voice instantly silencing the crowd, “May you both fight honorably and bring pride to your ancestors and your clans. Let this duel commence!”
Hroman wasted no time circling around and charged Spike immediately, a war axe held in each claw. The dragon jumped out of the way, using his shield to catapult himself back up and spin around. Hroman turned and struck at Spike again, but he had his shield up, and the first axe strike glanced off the wood. The second axe met Spike’s flail, the head knocking it off course and into the edge of the shield.
The griffon swiftly pulled her weapon free and jumped backwards, using her wings to propel her. She had expected the miniscule dragon to go down quickly, but he was proving to have some skill with his weapons, causing her to reconsider her tactics. Spike didn’t let her, pressing his momentary advantage by advancing on her, flail swinging to catch her axe if she struck at him.
Hroman replied by launching herself over him, and twisting her body to let her strike at his back with her weapons. Spike was fast to respond, bringing his shield up and keeping it between them as she went over him, spinning around to keep it so when she landed. Her axes stuck in the shield, but she pulled them out as Spike tried to wrench them away from her. As the shield came up to bash at her face, Hroman jumped back, landing only momentarily before using her wings to launch herself into the air.
From above, the griffon analyzed the battlefield, using the sky as an area of respite that she never could’ve had had she been fighting a griffon like usual. Spike had to crane his neck to see her, so she flew around in erratic patterns for a few minutes to inconvenience him before diving toward him. Spike spun toward Hroman and shifted his footing and shield placement as she reached him. His flail struck out, knocking one of her axes into the other and causing them both to strike his shield, skidding across and tearing the paint free. Hroman continued flying, kicking Spike’s shield with a hindpaw as she flew past. The dragon fell back onto his tail, and the swing of his flail aimed toward Hroman’s hindquarters went sailing by her tail instead.
Spike was back up by the time Hroman looked back down from her aerial vantage point. She circled around for a bit before throwing her axes down at the dragon and swooping toward him. Spike jumped out of the way of the flying blades, rolling across the ground and barely getting his shield up in time to block the griffon’s next attack. In her descent, Hroman had drawn the axes from her back, and one of them struck the edge of the shield, bouncing off and hitting ground. The other axe struck Spike’s thigh, slicing a gash in his armor. Before she could strike again, this time for his exposed flesh, Spike’s flail wrapped around her axe and he jerked it from her grasp. As he swung it back up, Hroman flew back and over the dragon, grabbing his helmet with her claw and pulling it off as she flew away. Spike dodged the kick at his head, and watched as Hroman threw his helmet out of the dueling ring as she ascended.
The griffon didn’t fly quite so high this time, confident that Spike’s defeat was close. She had opened a hole in his armor and deprived him of protection for his head; once his shield was out of the picture, he would be finished. She spun around for a dive just in time to see the axe spinning through the air toward her. Hroman had no opportunity to dodge as her own weapon sliced through her wing, tearing away feathers and flesh. She wobbled, and then fell as her injured wing began to bleed.
Hroman landed on the other side of the ring from Spike, but that didn’t stop him from trying to close the distance between them before she could recover from her fall. The dragon’s shield came toward her first, and Hroman swung her axe around it, missing. Her next swing at Spike buried the weapon deep in the shield, and she tried to pull it out before she saw Spike’s flail coming toward her and she yanked the shield to the side, striking the flail’s chain and causing the head to hit the shield instead, the impact freeing the axe.
Hroman grabbed Spike’s shield with her free claw and twisted it at an unnatural angle. Spike managed to hold on, and when the griffon tried to strike him with her axe, he forced the shield’s edge into her weapon, knocking it from her grip. He then released his shield and dove in a roll around Hroman. She tried to grab her axe from the ground and turn to strike Spike with his shield, but it was too late for her. The dragon brought his flail down on the griffon’s hindleg, and the sound of bone crunching could be heard by Twilight.
“The duel is concluded! Spike the Dragon is victorious!” Gunter announced as he flew into the ring and separated the duelists before they could continue the fight.
Hroman stood, tucking her broken leg beneath her, and dipped her head to Spike before hobbling out of the ring. A group of griffons that looked around the same age and also had the stripes painted across their faces helped her once she was outside the circle of stakes and rope. Slowly, the crowd of griffons began to disperse as Gunter walked Spike over to where Twilight was standing just on the other side of the rope.
“Spike, are you hurt at all?” Twilight asked with concern as he reached her.
“No, actually I’m fine,” the dragon said, looking shocked as he examined himself and found that he had no injuries other than a few aches and bruises.
“Congratulations, magus, you have proven your worth to me,” Gunter addressed Twilight, “Spike, why don’t you find something to eat? I’m sure there is somegriffon around here who would gladly share their quail or rabbit with the victor of a duel.”
“I can eat meat without being viewed as an abomination. It’s all I ever wanted out of this trip,” Spike said, not joking in the slightest.
“Go on; I would insist no matter the situation, but you’ve surely earned it,” Twilight told him when he looked to her for permission, and the dragon was off like a shot.
“Come; we can speak in my tent while everything is being packed away,” Gunter said with a wave of his claw as he led Twilight toward the pavilion on the other side of the dueling ring.
“So, you’ve come all this way and followed through with our traditions,” Gunter said once he and the sorceress were seated on cushions within his tent, “What is this message from Celestia that you are so determined to bring to me?”
“Yes,” Twilight said as she set down her goblet of plum wine, “Celestia regrets that—not knowing where you might be at a given time—you did not receive an invitation to the summit in Cant’r Laht, and she would like to personally extend an invitation for you to attend. The Griffon Free Companies may not be found on a map like the Kingdom of Manehattan, or the Duchy of Balte-Maer, or the Principality of Stalliongrad, but it is a part of Equestria nonetheless. For too long have the equine nations of this land ignored the griffons, and Celestia wishes to help make amends.”
“That is all?” Gunter asked once Twilight had concluded.
“Yes, she hopes that you will lend your voice to the conversations to be had in the spring regarding Equestria’s future,” the sorceress said as she picked her goblet back up.
“What an interesting choice of words,” Gunter commented from across his own goblet, “In travelling the width of Equestria, we have overheard much talk about this summit. There are many who fear that Celestia is planning to use this meeting of leaders to take over the continent.”
“That is simply not true,” Twilight protested, though she couldn’t be absolutely one hundred percent sure.
“Perhaps not, but luckily I have her personal apprentice here who will give me honest answers to any question I ask,” Gunter said with a pointed look at Twilight.
Oh! Gunter had wanted to speak with her all along, but still had to make a show with the duel. In hindsight, Spike had had to put up a good fight, but there were probably plenty of other more capable griffons available in the camp and Gunter hadn’t chosen them. If he had done so, then they wouldn’t be having this conversation now.
“I see you understand; then let’s get down to business,” Gunter said, “What do you know about this new alicorn ponies are saying has appeared?”
“Luna?” Twilight asked, thinking it strange that Gunter did not know her name when Celestia had sent out a message across the land after the summer solstice announcing her return, but the griffon had probably not heard the specifics from kings, and everypony else would not know her name unless they’d been told.
“So that is her name,” Gunter said attentively, leaning forward and pointing at Twilight, “Yes, tell me everything you know about her.”
“Well, she is the younger sister of Celestia, and for the past thousand years she was imprisoned in the moon for leading a rebellion that sought to bring about everlasting night,” Twilight said, seeing no point in hiding the truth, but also realizing as she said it that perhaps she wasn’t painting Luna in the best light, “When she returned as prophesied at the beginning of the year, she attempted to do so again, but I helped to stop her.”
“Oh my; so that is what happened on the Day of Darkness,” Gunter said with concern, “She is still alive?”
“Yes; she is now living in Cant’r Laht with Celestia,” Twilight explained, “The two of them have reconciled, you see, and Luna no longer wishes to overthrow her sister.”
“Is she dangerous?” Gunter asked earnestly.
“I don’t know about that,” Twilight replied, “Dangerous to whom?”
“To anyone; to everyone. She’s obviously an extremely powerful magus if she was able to keep Celestia from raising the sun even for a single day,” Gunter said thoughtfully, “You say she and Celestia are reconciled, but the truth or falsity of that statement could have disastrous consequences for Cant’r Laht and the rest of Equestria.”
“What do you mean by that?” Twilight asked, still wrapping her mind around the deduction Gunter had made that the she had not (or hadn’t wanted to).
Could it be true? For as long as anypony could remember, Celestia was indisputably the most powerful sorceress in existence, but at the summer solstice ceremony she had been overpowered by Luna. Well, technically she had been overpowered by Nightmare Moon, but were Luna and Nightmare Moon the same pony, or different? Had Nightmare Moon’s dark magic been cast through Luna’s own sorcerous power, or had the power come from somewhere else? What was Nightmare Moon, and could Luna ever take on that monstrous form again? Each question only led to more questions, and hinted at unpleasantness that Twilight would rather not think about, but would be foolish not to.
“Think about it,” Gunter replied, “Luna and Celestia may not be truly reconciled, and if Luna attempts to overthrow her sister again and succeeds, she will surely remember those magi in Cant’r Laht who failed to pledge allegiance to her at her return. If Celestia has taught us one thing, it is that an alicorn’s life is long, and their memory is just as long. However, if the two magi are truly reconciled, then what pony or nation in Equestria could withstand their power? Celestia may claim benign intentions for this summit, but why has she not announced it until after her sister—a magus of equal or greater power to herself—rejoined her?”
“I cannot say for sure,” Twilight said, mulling over the scenarios and questions Gunter had presented her with, “Though I believe that Celestia’s stated intentions for the summit are nothing but the truth. I cannot see anything that would suggest she would try to reinstate the diarchy that ruled Equestria before Luna betrayed her.” Gunter’s eyes widened at that revelation.
“That’s another thing,” the griffon said, “Why is it that no one has heard anything about Luna or her and Celestia’s feud until now? One thousand years is a long time, to be sure, but it’s not that long of a stretch that we should have no records.”
“I honestly don’t know. It is peculiar, I will admit, but lately I have found several books that mention Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion,” Twilight said, thinking about the strange contents of Golden Oak’s library, “It is odd that such knowledge has not been widely circulated, given how well-known Celestia is.”
“Perhaps that is the reason such information has remained secret,” Gunter postulated, his words dangerously close to accusing Celestia of something Twilight couldn’t fully convince herself was impossible, or even improbable, “Word has reached me that after speaking to Celestia, the High Priestess of the Church of One has ordered a section of the Church’s sealed records to be opened; time will tell what is revealed from this. Meanwhile, the True Faith in Manehattan has begun looking through all of their First Writings, even the ones their priests don’t preach on anymore, and the rumors of what they’ve found aren’t encouraging. That in particular should make you think.”
“Why is that?”
“Think about it. The True Faith is renowned for its hatred of magi, but why? There’s really nothing in their core ideology to warrant it, and why do they constantly call out Celestia, besides her being a prominent magus that makes an easy target?” Gunter asked, “Isn’t it possible that in the past—say, a thousand years ago, when the True Faith first started to show up—that there was some event that led them to believe that magi couldn’t be trusted not to abuse their power? I would say a magus-queen trying to bring about eternal night would qualify.”
“Yes, well, I will think on this,” Twilight said, and she had to admit that this griffon had brought up quite a few interesting ideas for her to contemplate, “Do you have any other questions pertaining to the summit, or have I answered you satisfactorily?”
“You’ve answered honestly, at least as far as you know, and I think both of us will go away from this conversation wiser,” the leader of the Griffon Free Companies said as he leaned back and interweaved his claws.
“So, does this mean you will be attending the summit in Cant’r Laht in the spring?” Twilight asked hesitantly, cautiously optimistic and eager to know if her mission here had been a success.
“That will depend,” Gunter replied, “My meeting with you is only part of what will go into my decision. Of course Celestia would send a pony to proclaim friendship, but just how friendly the ponies of her domain are when they do not know their action will have an impact on the future of nations is a question that remains unanswered, for the moment. I will have an answer soon, though.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, her mind working frantically to puzzle out what Gunter’s plans were, “You have already moved beyond the Dominion of Cant’r Laht and into the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r.”
“Yes, but as we passed through, I left a trusted griffon behind to gauge the local attitudes toward our people,” Gunter said, “Currently, my daughter—Ghildan zar’Grhisna—is scouting out Ponieville, which should be the perfect place to get a feel for things, considering it is the home of your Brave Companions.”
Twilight’s heart nearly stopped when she heard the name mentioned. Could it truly be? From the sorceress’s limited knowledge on griffon naming patterns, it seemed all too likely.
“Would your daughter by any chance be a Hunter who goes by the name of Gilda?” she worked up the courage to ask.
“Oh, did you meet her?” Gunter asked and Twilight’s heart nearly stopped for a second time upon confirmation of her fears, “When she returns and I get her account of things, then I shall be able to decide whether attending this summit of Celestia’s is a wise move.”
Oh, Pinkamena, your problem was more serious than I’d thought, and more important than you know. Please don’t foul this up.
Chapter 1:6 – The Black Sorceress Year 981 of the 4th Age
The sound of crackling branches filled the air as the trees swayed under the force of the wind, and the wheat fields at a distance seemed to be a roiling ocean of grain. Dark clouds flitted swiftly across the sky and thunder rumbled in the west, where the horizon was ominously black. For adults, these signs would be considered an omen that something terrible was coming, but for foals it only meant less time to play before having to head inside to escape the storm.
On a hill overlooking a wheat field, two little fillies were taking advantage of the time they still had, frolicking about in a chasing game. It was more difficult than it looked, having to dodge gopher holes, boulders, and patches of thorns while avoiding the pony chasing you, and soon the one being chased—a unicorn with a silvery mane and pale blue coat—tripped over an exposed root and went sprawling. The other filly—an earth pony with a chestnut coat and mane and a white muzzle—tripped as well and landed on her friend, but quickly recovered and pinned her down.
“Ha! I’ve caught ye, traitor!” the filly on top said triumphantly, “Now, what have ye t’ say?”
“I yield t’ ye, oh Queen Melody of the Mill, an’ ask ye for ye mercy,” the blue filly said, smiling as she rolled her eyes.
“And mercy ye shall have,” Melody said as she got off her friend and helped her to her hooves, “For am I not the greatest and most merciful of queen in all the land?”
“Yes, your Highness, your kindness is an inspiration t’ us all,” the blue filly said, “Alright, now I’ll be queen an’ you can be th’ disloyal noble.”
“Oh my! Is it so late already?” Melody asked as she looked at the sky to check the sun’s position, as well as she could through the clouds. “I was s’posed t’ be home ages ago! I have t’ go!”
“Do you really?” the blue filly pleaded, “Can’t we finish th’ game?”
“Da is s’posed t’ return today, and that knight that came and got him might be with him,” Melody said as she galloped away down the hill, “I’ll tell you all about it t’morrow!”
“An’ we’ll finish the game?” the blue filly called after her.
“And we’ll finish the game,” Melody promised, “Bye, Trixana!”
Trixana sat down in the grass and looked out over the fields. Melody was headed home, and she knew she should probably do the same; but, if she did, her mother would have chores for her to do, and it couldn’t hurt to sit here and wait just a little bit longer. She thought about the stories Melody might have to tell tomorrow about the knight. Knights never visited Rumsfield. Trixana had always dreamed that one day a knight in shining armor would come and proclaim that she was a long-lost princess and take her away to her kingdom where she would be admired by all and would never know hunger again. Her papa and mama would be rewarded, of course, for finding her and caring for her, and her eight sisters could live at court with her. It would be so nice if it were true.
She could picture the knight clearly in her mind. A muscular stallion in silvery armor polished so brightly that she could admire her reflection in it. His helmet would have a feather sticking out of the top that swayed elegantly whenever he turned his head and looked at her through his visor with kind, warm eyes. A greatsword would be slung at his side, its pommel and scabbard inlaid with rubies and diamonds, and he would carry a lance to compete in tourneys at her behest. His shield would shine in the light, the scars from past battles making it more beautiful instead of marring the surface.
She could see it all so clearly. Then, she opened her eyes and was shocked to see the shield she had just envisioned protruding from the ground in front of her. Trixana gave a gasp of wonder, and the shield disappeared, disintegrating into silvery sparks that soon also vanished. What had just happened? Had she had some sort of vision, or had she wished and imagined so hard that her fantasy had become real, even just for a moment? Probably the latter, she thought; she had to tell somepony about it.
Nearly tripping over herself, Trixana took off down the hill and through the wheat field, galloping as fast as her little legs could carry her toward the tiny farmhouse in the distance. She charged across the yard, heedless of the darkness that was beginning to spread in the sky, and the irregular drops of rain that fell as if the clouds were unsure whether to storm or not. When she reached the farmhouse, she pulled the door open and let it slam, startling a nearby cluster of chickens.
“Oh good, there you are,” her mother said upon seeing her enter.
“Mama, I imagined something, and then it was real!” Trixana said excitedly, jumping up and down, and getting a disapproving look from a goose that had wandered into the house.
“That’s nice, sweetie,” her mother said as she rushed about, looking just as tired as you’d expect a mare with nine daughters and a tenth on the way to look, “I need you t’ run into town an’ pick me up two spools o’ thread.”
“But, Mama-” Trixana started to protest as her mother gave her a sack with a few coins in it.
“Hurry now, before the storm gets here,” her mother said urgently.
“Why can’t Elzana or Priana do it?” the filly complained.
“They’re helpin’ your papa, as are Lorana, Frana, an’ Rana. Surana an’ Hana are helpin’ me an’ Kana is too little t’ go, so that just leaves you; now shoo!” her mother said as she pushed Trixana out the door.
Trixana didn’t want to go to town, but it was best to do what Mama said to do when she said to do it, so she headed off east. Maybe I’ll see Melody’s knight, she considered as she found the rutted path to Rumsfield, and that raised her spirits. As she travelled through the valley, the wheat eventually gave way to fields of sugar beets, and not long after that she could see the town and its brewery.
In a tiny town like Rumsfield, everything always moved slowly, which is why it was such a surprise for Trixana to see ponies rushing about like madmares. Wagons were being stacked full of valuables, and some ponies were boarding up their shops. The shop where she had been sent to buy thread was one such building, and the shop’s owner—a bespectacled stallion—was out front nailing boards over his doors and windows while looking back every few seconds at the wagon in the street laden with his worldly goods.
“Excuse me, sir, what’s going on?” Trixana asked as she approached him, and the stallion dropped his hammer in surprise.
“What? Who are you?” the shop owner said, clearly flustered about something, “Never mind, just get out of town!”
“Why?” Trixana asked, and the shop owner looked at her like she was the crazy one.
“Why?” he repeated, “Haven’t you heard the news? Bann the Terrible’s army will be here any minute, led by those barbarian hordes he incorporated into his forces. They’ll burn, rape, and destroy everything!”
“Won’t Count Harlow stop them?” Trixana asked, for if the peasants couldn’t rely on their lord to protect them, what was the point of the lord at all?
“Harlow, his family, and his servants all left a week ago for Manehattan,” the shop owner said, shaking his head, “The worm knew this was coming, and saved his own skin instead.”
“Manehattan’s army will come, won’t it?” Trixana said, becoming worried.
“By the time good ol’ King Wexel the Wide shifts his weight in his throne and gives the order, all this land will be ruined and belong to Stalliongrad,” the shop owner groused. “Everypony with any sense is leaving this town, and you ought to do the same.”
Apparently deciding his shop was adequately boarded up, the stallion threw his hammer into the cart and hitched himself to it before taking off down the street. Trixana stood paralyzed for a moment, watching the townsponies rush around gathering their belongings and loved ones. Loved ones. Trixana took off like a shot out of town, determined to reach her home before Bann the Terrible’s hordes did. Through beet fields and wheat fields she galloped, ignoring the path and cutting across fields and fences and over hills and through copses on the shortest route home.
She finally caught sight of the farmhouse as she crested the hill she and Melody had played on earlier. It was too late. The farmhouse was already ablaze, and ponies that were no more than tiny points at this distance were making their way through the fields. Somepony had to have escaped, though, they just had to. Trixana started down the hill.
“No, little one!” an unfamiliar voice said as Trixana felt herself grabbed from behind, “They’re gone, don’t throw your life away!”
“My family!” the filly cried, and squirmed in the hold to see who had stopped her. Holding onto her tightly to keep her from running into certain death was an elderly mare, her mane tied into numerous braids with beads strung in them. Trixana had seen this pony once or twice before; she was a local woods witch, avoided by most ponies except when they needed something mystical from her.
“Let me go!” Trixana screamed, tears running down her face.
“There’s nothing for you down there but death,” the woods witch said firmly.
“There’s my family!” Trixana shouted.
She couldn’t leave them, not when she could see their faces so clearly. Then, just as earlier, they were really before her eyes. Her family was all around her! Mama and Papa and Elzana and Lorana and Frana and Priana and Rana and Hana and Surana and baby Kana! Then, just as swiftly, they were gone and Trixana broke down in tears again.
“Sweet Faust!” the woods witch exclaimed as she released Trixana, causing her to collapse to the ground, “You’re a Source!”
“Hm?” the little filly sniffled.
“You can work magic!” the woods witch said, her eyes wide, “Do you realize what that means?”
“No,” Trixana said weakly, too distraught to think of anything else.
“Stop!” the woods witch said as Trixana picked herself up and began to head down the hill, “There’s no future for you down there, but if you come with me, I can teach you how to use your magic and make a better future for yourself.”
“Better how?” Trixana asked through tears.
“You’ll become a great sorceress!” the woods witch exclaimed, “The magic you wield can change the world! Kings and Queens will invite you to their courts and heap riches upon you! Every town you go to, the ponies there will give you anything in exchange for using just a small fraction of the power you can wield! You’ll be so great that nopony will be able to harm you ever again!”
“And I’ll be powerful?” Trixana asked as she wiped at her tears with a hoof, smearing her face with mud in the process.
“Yes, great and powerful!” the woods witch said, “If you can do what you just did with no training and at such a young age, you’re many times more powerful than I am! You could become the greatest sorceress of this age, but only if you come with me and let me teach you everything I know.”
Trixana looked uncertainly back at the burning farmhouse and fields, and the hordes coming closer to them. Could things really be as great as this woods witch claimed? Taking one last look at the ruins of her old home, Trixana followed the elderly mare into the woods.
***
Year 1000 of the 4th Age
Twilight Sparkle stared intently at the iron water pail before her. When Twilight had first seen Golden Oak’s laboratory, it looked more like a home library than a laboratory, but that was before she had found the way down to a cavern among the tree-house’s roots. Here was where Golden Oak had kept all of his equipment, and (after having Spike dust and clean everything) she was now using it for her own magical experiments. The pail was sitting atop a sand table in the middle of a magical circle of grooves that could be redrawn as many times as the sorceress needed. Ingredients for the spell sat in varying pieces of mystical paraphernalia arranged around the edge of the circle. Everything was in place for her to finish casting her spell.
It should work this time, the sorceress thought as she began to focus on weaving the spell. It has to work. The only reason it didn’t work last time is because the bucket was wooden and caught fire. Spike watched nervously as the water in the bucket began to bubble and the pail began to glow a dull red. Magical sparks and lights began to dance around the circle, and the pail began to vibrantly glow. With a final sound of crackling and bright light, the spell reached its apex.
Twilight blinked her eyes rapidly to regain her sight and see if she had finally been successful. When her vision returned, she observed that the ingredients had been consumed and that the pail no longer looked like a pail so much as a badly misshapen bowl. After getting a go-ahead nod from Twilight, Spike pulled himself up onto the table and approached the pail-bowl, dipping a claw into the liquid within and quickly pulling it out to test the temperature. It must have been cool enough (at least for a dragon), for the next thing he did was to dip a cup into the pail-bowl and take a sip of the liquid.
“It worked!” he exclaimed, giving Twilight a thumbs-up.
“I did it?” she asked joyfully (and a bit apprehensively).
“Water to liquor,” Spike said, admiring the cup in his claw, “It tastes a bit metallic, but I like it.”
“Probably from the metal pail,” Twilight noted, “So it is possible after all to transmute water into liquor. Sorceresses have known for years it was possible to transmute liquor into water-”
“Why they would want to transmute in that direction is beyond me,” Spike commented as he took another sip.
“Right,” Twilight said, a bit annoyed that she’d been interrupted, but so giddy with her success that she didn’t care all that much, “Anyway, now we know that it is possible to transmute in the opposite direction.”
“You’re going to put distilleries out of business,” Spike observed.
“Probably not, at least not right away,” Twilight responded, “The materials I used for the transmutation are fairly uncommon, I destroyed the vessel I performed the transmutation in, and I had to expand an enormous amount of magical energy just to transmute a small amount of water. Still, if this transmutation is possible, what about the reverse of other common transmutations?”
“Like gold to nickel,” Spike said, catching on, “It could be possible to transmute nickel to gold.”
“Exactly!” Twilight exclaimed, “Of course, much like this transmutation, it would probably cost more than the gold is worth to create it, but the principle is the important thing. I have proved that reverse transmutations are not impossible after all!”
“Oh,” Spike said, his enthusiasm curbed after learning that a way of easily obtaining wealth wasn’t possible after all, “Well, I suppose that it’s still a momentous achievement. Congratulations, Twilight.”
Spike began to clean up the lab while Twilight jotted down her observations, her quill scratching furiously against the parchment as she attempted to channel all her thoughts through it. When she was satisfied, she set the pages out to dry and headed upstairs. Stepping through a bookcase, the sorceress came nearly nose to nose with a bouncing Pinkamena.
“Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!” she said rapidly as she continued to bounce, “You’ve got to come with me!”
“Why is that?” Twilight asked as she stepped around the bouncing mare, knowing that Pinkamena now knew how to find her when she was in the laboratory.
“Because there’s another sorceress in Ponieville!” Pinkamena exclaimed, and Twilight paused in her trot.
Did Celestia send somepony? I can’t imagine a Cant’r Laht sorceress coming to a backwater like Ponieville voluntarily; I certainly didn’t. Maybe they’re not from Cant’r Laht, but then what is all the fuss about? The number of notable sorceress not from Cant’r Laht is very few.
“Who is she?” Spike asked as he emerged into the library, and Twilight looked expectantly at Pinkamena.
“I don’t know,” she said as she finally stopped bouncing, “I came to get you because I thought you might know her.”
“Where is she?” Twilight asked, considering whether she needed to change outfits.
“She’s setting up in the town square,” Pinkamena said.
“Give me a moment to put on my boots,” Twilight said and headed up to her bedchamber. Setting up?
Once Twilight was ready to brave the streets of Ponieville, she, Pinkamena, and Spike left for the town square. The square was packed full of ponies by the time they arrived. There weren’t as many as at the summer solstice ceremony, but it still appeared that all of Ponieville had turned out. Do they not have anything better to do with their time? Considering that this was Ponieville, the answer was probably no. Everypony was staring in the same direction, where an ornately decorated carriage was parked. One side of the carriage was flipped down to create a stage so that ponies farther back in the crowd could see. Twilight and Pinkamena fought their way forward, but ended up in the center of the crowd, close enough to see, especially for Spike, who stood atop Twilight’s back and peered over the heads of Ponieville’s denizens.
Velvet curtains hanging in a doorway parted to let the sorceress within the carriage step through. The mare that stepped out onto the stage was moderately tall, with a pale blue coat and silvery mane. Of course, her coat color wasn’t the first thing that Twilight Sparkle noticed upon seeing her. The sorceress on the stage was wearing an unorthodox set of sorceress robes, all in black. The innermost layer was nearly form-fitting, with hock-length boots similar to Twilight’s. Over that was draped robes nearer to those of a traditional sorceress, clasped but not closed in the front, and over that was a second robe that was thin and capelike. Her outer robe was embroidered with silver, an emerald sparkled at her neck, and sapphires on her sleeves flashed in the light as she walked; a mare showing off wealth.
“It’s the Black Sorceress,” somepony nearby said, but Twilight was unable to identify who it was and find out what they knew that she didn’t.
“Calm yourselves, Ponievillians!” the sorceress on the stage said, her voice booming, “Yes, it is truly I, Tryxanna Lucrecia St. Rowan Lulamoon of Rumydshire! But, to save time, you may address me as the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
Voice modulation magic. A simple trick commonly used by woods witches to awe others without actually performing consequential spells and by Cant’r Laht sorceresses who wish to frighten servants and peasants. Still, I have the feeling that there is more to this Trixie than merely trifles.
“The Great and Powerful?” Rainbow Dash said mockingly from two rows ahead of Twilight.
“Yes, perhaps you’ve heard of me,” Trixie said, having somehow heard Dash’s remark and either missing its intent or purposefully ignoring it, “After all, I have travelled far and wide across Equestria and been hosted by many towns and courts, most notably that of Duchess Flying Saddle of Tall Tale. Surely news of my power and greatness has reached you even here in this insignificant little village.”
Several ponies in the crowd grumbled at Ponieville being called insignificant. She’s not going to gain anything by insulting their town. Wait, didn’t I have the same outlook as Trixie when I first came here? Not all of Ponieville’s residents seemed to have taken it as a slight, though. Some of them were busy discussing the rumors about this Black Sorceress, which Twilight desperately wished she could overhear. If only she had hearing as sharp as Trixie apparently did.
“It is a great honor for you, you know,” Trixie continued talking, though she glanced disdainfully at the grumblers for a moment, “Before you, stands the greatest unicorn sorceress in existence!”
How could this be? The greatest sorceresses are from Cant’r Laht, or at least known to them. If this Trixie is as powerful as she claims to be (and she’s certainly not shy about talking about it), then why have I never heard of her before?
“What about Celestia?” somepony in the crowd demanded.
“Are you deaf as well as dumb?” Trixie asked scornfully, “I am the greatest unicorn sorceress in existence. Celestia is an alicorn, though someday I suspect that I may become one as well and surpass even her.”
“Can you believe this?” Rarity asked a pony next to her a few rows ahead of Twilight, Spike, and Pinkamena, “She thinks she’s better than everypony else just because of her magic.”
Oh. Twilight had been considering speaking up and challenging Trixie to discover just how powerful she really was. Now, though, she was reconsidering. If I use my magic to prove I’m superior, does that make me any better than Trixie? I’ve been freely using my magic for years, but that was in Cant’r Laht, surrounded by fellow sorceresses. What would a pony who can’t use magic like Rarity think of that? What would she think of me if I tried to show up Trixie? For that matter, I haven’t exactly been making the best impression on Ponieville as it is; what could happen if I did this?
“If you think that this is all empty boasting, then you must not have heard of my exploits,” Trixie lectured as she paced across her stage, “Perhaps you’re unaware that it was I who defeated the ursa major when it attacked Hoofington using my awesome power. I am no mere woods witch or hedge wizard; I am the genuine artifact.”
“That’s impossible!” Rainbow Dash asserted, interrupting the oohs and ahs of the crowd as she pushed into the open, “No single pony has ever vanquished an ursa major! Even the Wonderbolts all assembled together were barely able to take one down! There’s no way that you did what even the most well-trained team of Hunters in existence struggled to accomplish!”
“Well, I did just that,” Trixie said smugly, “You can ask the ponies of Hoofington and they’ll tell you the exact same story. Then maybe you’ll admit my superiority.”
“That’s easy enough to say!” Spike yelled from Twilight’s back, causing her to flinch, not wanting Trixie’s attention on her when she was still unsure whether or not she ought to challenge this Black Sorceress, “Where’s the proof that you’re really a powerful sorceress?”
“You want proof?” Trixie giggled, looking at the crowd instead of Spike in particular, “Very well; prepare to be amazed by the magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
Trixie allowed her eyes to close halfway as she concentrated, and she turned her head to face an open spot of dirt next to her carriage. The ground seemed to bubble for a moment before a shoot popped forth and grew into an apple tree in a matter of seconds while a glow suffused Trixie’s horn, bubbling off at the end. Odd; that effect usually doesn’t occur during growth spells. The tree also seemed slightly “off” to Twilight in a way she couldn’t quite put her hoof on, but maybe it was just the unfamiliar magic. Trixie’s horn and the tree flashed and the apples on it changed to pears. The sorceress teleported one of the pears to herself and caught it deftly with a hoof before tossing it into the audience.
“It’s real!” the pony who’d caught the fruit proclaimed with a sense of disbelief after taking a bite.
“Of course it’s real,” Trixie said as she hit the tree with a blast of flame that incinerated it into ash that drifted away, then smoothed the dirt back out.
“What were you thinking, Spike?” Twilight scolded the dragon as she pushed him off her back.
“How long were you planning on letting her go on claiming to be the best sorceress when you must be easily more powerful than she is?” Spike asked.
“I don't know; possibly until she leaves,” Twilight admitting, getting a stunned look from Spike, “Look at my friends. They despise her for flaunting her magic, and I am not going to risk losing their friendship so soon after gaining it because of something as trivial as this.”
“You know, Twilight,” Spike sighed, “I’ve been silent about the changes you’ve made to yourself since we moved to Ponieville, because most of them were good, but this is a bad idea. You’re Celestia’s personal protégé; you can’t afford to let yourself be shown up by other sorceresses. You have to assert yourself.”
“I cannot do that, Spike,” Twilight said, shaking her head, “And I cannot use my status as a shield or an excuse. I have to recognize my own shortcomings.” She had learned that lesson very recently in her dealings with the gryphons; why couldn’t Spike remember?
“Fine, I’ll keep quiet,” the dragon said begrudgingly, “But I want you to remember that I told you this was a bad plan.”
“That is not all the Great and Powerful Trixie can do!” the mare on the stage announced, once the adoring sounds of the crowd had died down, “Lend me your tankard.”
A stallion in the front row—who Twilight recognized after a moment as one of her guards—hesitated before setting his tankard of beer onto the stage. Once more taking on her eyes-half-open look, Trixie focused on the tankard, and a flash of light enveloped it. The guard took the tankard back, frowned at the contents, took a sip, and groaned.
“Very funny, turning my beer to water; as if none of the sorceresses in Cant’r Laht have played that trick on me before,” the stallion groused.
“Oh, but I’m not finished yet,” Trixie said slyly, and the tankard glowed again.
“It’s beer again!” the guard exclaimed with wide eyes after taking a tentative sip, “That’s a, uh…” Reverse transmutation!
“Yes, a reverse transmutation,” Trixie said a second later, “In case anypony here is clever enough to understand the significance.”
How did she do that? It took me forever to figure it out, and she did it like it was nothing! Could she truly be more powerful than I am? Maybe it’s a good thing that I won’t be confronting her. What would it look like if Celestia’s own apprentice was shown up by an obscure sorceress?
“Where’s Twilight? I bet she could show Trixie up,” Rainbow Dash said, though Twilight didn’t hear her, so lost was she in her thoughts, and thankfully neither did Trixie, whose attention was focused on the mare in the obscenely tall hat approaching her.
“Quite impressive; it’s evident that you’re no mere novice at the arcane arts,” Mayor Mare praised as she had a few of her guards lift her up onto the stage next to Trixie, “I would be delighted if you would join me in the Mayoral Keep during your visit to our town. I can assure you that you will be well provided for and compensated for any services you provide with your magic.”
“I accept your offer,” Trixie announced with a sly smile, “I think I shall quite enjoy my stay in Ponieville.”
Rainbow Dash paid heed to none of this, taking off into the air to look for Twilight. She was certain she’d seen her in the crowd earlier, but now she was nowhere to be found. Where could she have gone, and why would she leave so suddenly when she had a chance before her to challenge another sorceress?
***
As soon as Twilight had seen Mayor Mare approach, she’d seen her opportunity to slip away undetected before anything went wrong. By the time Trixie had accepted the offer of lodging from Ponieville’s leader, Celestia’s protégé was back in Golden Oak’s laboratory. Books were flying from the shelves when Spike arrived, a bit miffed at being left behind.
“Oh, good,” Twilight said when she saw her page enter the laboratory, “Spike, I need you to get me my copy of Rossin’s Registry of Mages, and find if Golden Oak owned a copy of the Atlas Equestria.”
After a few minutes of digging through Golden Oak’s poorly organized collection of books (which Twilight hadn’t yet gotten around to rearranging), Spike had the two volumes Twilight had asked for. Twilight’s copy of the Registry of Mages was the most up-to-date version available, published three years earlier, but the Atlas Equestria was much older. Golden Oak had died thirteen years earlier, so it was understandable that he wouldn’t have the newest version, but the book he owned had already been out-of-date when he’d died, having been published thirty years earlier in year 970 of the 4th Age. He must not have cared very much about geography; the southern coast of the Agate Sea still belonged to Vanhuv’r in this map, and the Kingdom of the Haelds was an independent nation.
“Twilight, what are you doing?” Spike asked with a sigh as the sorceress took the books from him and began rapidly flipping through the Registry of Mages.
“It makes no sense, Spike. How could I have never heard of Trixie before if she has the kind of magical ability she demonstrated today?” a flustered Twilight said as she flipped through the tome.
She had to be in here somewhere. Rossin was very thorough when compiling his Registry of Mages every three years, including every pony in Equestria with magical talent beyond the ability to do simple tricks. Had Trixie somehow slipped through? With the kind of talent she’d shown and the way she pontificated about herself, it seemed hard to believe.
Where is she? No matter where she looked in the Registry, Twilight could find no mention of a Tryxanna Lucrecia St. Rowan Lulamoon of Rumydshire. Perhaps an alternate spelling? Tryxanna, Trixana, Trixanna, Triksana, Trixie, Tryxie, Tryxy; none of them appeared anywhere either. There was not even mention of a pony going by the name of the Black Sorceress in the section on rumors of mages in hiding.
“Where is she?” Twilight exclaimed in frustration, then saw her own entry still listed her magical power as 899 Bu when she’d surpassed 1000 years ago, “Spike, is this the newest edition we have?”
“It’s the newest edition there is,” Spike said as he put books back on the shelf, mostly guessing where they’d come from, “The next one doesn’t come out until this year. Is Trixie not listed?”
“No!” the sorceress exclaimed, shoving the book away angrily, “How could that be?”
“Maybe she only made her public appearance in the last three years,” Spike said, though he thought Twilight really ought to have come to the same conclusion on her own. She was thoroughly worked up from this Trixie business.
“That is the only explanation that makes sense, but how did she keep that kind of power secret for so long?” Twilight said angrily as she now flipped through the Atlas Equestria, “There is no Rumydshire listed in here either. Why would she attach a town’s name to her title when that town is too insignificant to even be listed in the Atlas? Of course it could have been founded in the last thirty years, but there’s no way it could be even mildly significant now. It is almost as if Trixie doesn’t exist at all, but that is impossible as well.”
Twilight slammed the Atlas Equestria shut and laid her head down on it. How could a sorceress she’d never heard about before have shown up in Ponieville and shown off magic that put Celestia’s own apprentice to shame? She claimed to have killed an ursa major, but surely word on something like that would have spread, wouldn’t it? Then there was the odd feeling Twilight had gotten observing Trixie’s magic. The apple/pear tree had seemed real enough except for that nagging feeling, and somepony had exclaimed rather adamantly that the fruit from it was exactly what it seemed. Her transmutation of beer to water to beer had also seemed off now that Twilight was thinking about it. At the time she had been too shocked, but now she was noticing things. Even forward transmutations required a semi-elaborate setup, but Trixie had performed it in the blink of an eye with nothing but a wooden tankard for a vessel. Her horn had glowed then as well, and transmutation spells didn’t require a medium for the energy transfer any more than growth spells did. Perhaps she was going about this all wrong by trying to learn about Trixie by looking for her name and home.
“Spike, get me Principles of Transmutation, Flamare’s Treatise, and Botania. Oh, and a Hunters’ bestiary,” Twilight ordered, adding the last book as another thought popped into her mind.
“Twilight, why can’t you just talk to Trixie and ask her your questions yourself?” Spike asked as he finished putting away the last of the books the sorceress had thrown on the floor, “Better yet, why don’t you challenge her and put an end to her bragging? I’m sure you can take her, Twilight; she wasn’t trained by Celestia, but you were.”
“I cannot take that chance,” Twilight said with a shake of her head as she stacked the two books on the reading stand before her, “If I lose, then it reflects poorly on Celestia for training somepony who can be defeated by an unknown upstart. If I win, then my friends will hate me for flaunting my magic to prove my superiority.”
“First off, you’re your own pony and it won’t shame Celestia at all if you’re defeated,” Spike said, ticking off his points on his claws, “Second off, you’re not going to lose and it’s preposterous to think that your friends will turn against you just because you demonstrate your magic. They know who you are, and they’ve already accepted you.”
“I still haven’t shown off my full power in front of them, and I don’t want to risk things so soon in. I will not be challenging Trixie, and that’s final,” Twilight said firmly, “Now, Spike, get me those books I asked for.”
***
Within the Everfree Forest, three ponies hooded and cloaked in robes of midnight blue stepped through the mouth of a massive cave. These Children of the Night would have preferred to stay out beneath the majestic sky of their goddess, but clouds were beginning to obscure the stars, and rain seemed likely to follow. It was a trying time for the cult that had been driven back by civilized ponies all across Equestria. The Mother of the Lost had returned to the mortal realms, but instead of wreaking vengeance against the Fiery Usurper as prophesied, she had been defeated. Now frightening rumors were reaching them that their Mother had joined with the Fiery Usurper who had banished her so long ago.
A more worldly concern for the cultists was the loss of the Western Watchtower, which had been used as their temple for years. Initially, they had laughed at the threat issued by the Devil’s Daughter, but after the sun returned, the Children of the Night had rushed to leave lest the full wrath of Cant’r Laht fall upon them. Still, they were looking for a new place out of the elements and away from the monsters of the Everfree to live and sleep and perform their rituals. Perhaps the cave these three scouts had found would do.
It was pitch black in the cave, and none of them were able to see in the dark like their priest, so they lit torches to get a better view of their surroundings. The cave was exceptionally (perhaps even unnaturally) wide, and showed no sign of narrowing as they continued in. Deep gouges on the walls appeared to speak of a once-narrower cave that had been expanded by some beast. Scattered bones on the floor glowed faintly and supported the idea that some creature had once lived here. Each of the cultists hoped that it was here no more.
A moist wind washed over the Children of the Night, and their torches one by one sputtered out and died. They stood still for a moment, but when no death came to them, two of the ponies turned to face the entrance, wondering if it would be better to leave immediately and face the storm than what waited for them farther in. The third of their group was stuck silent as he spotted the beast that had made this cave its dwelling. A scream finally broke loose from his throat just as the massive jaws clamped down on him, teeth the size of carts crushing him to pulp in an instant. Shards of broken bone and bits of flesh flew from the monster’s mouth when it roared as the other two cultists turned to face it and stood with eyes wide.
As one, they bolted for the cave entrance. The monster behind them paused for a moment before following, it’s great footfalls shaking the ground beneath the ponies’ hooves. One was overtaken, crushed to pulp as a massive paw landed upon her, grinding her into the floor and mingling her flesh with the refuse already piled there. The leader managed to make it out of the cave, charging blindly toward the trees with no idea where she was going, only knowing that she couldn’t turn back if she wanted to live. In a bounding stride the monster reached her, a massive paw swinging through the air that threw her off her hooves. She sailed through the air in terror before her body struck a tree, knocking it partway over and breaking her spine with the force of the impact. With her last few moments of life, she watched the beast’s open jaws come down upon her, snatching up pony, tree, dirt and all before noisily chewing and swallowing.
The monster sat up on its hindquarters as it sniffed around for more of these tasty morsels. In appearance, the beast was much like a bear with an elongated body and snout. Its pelt was luminescent and appeared to hold a twisted starscape, constellations rippling over its muscles as it craned its neck. Breathing heavily, the monster turned to face the west. From that direction, it sensed a powerful source of magic. These treats always tasted better when magic flowed in their veins. Giving a roar that scared away all the sleeping birds in the nearby trees, the beast lumbered off to the west, cutting a path through the Everfree Forest.
***
The palisade surrounding Ponieville didn’t stand a chance against the ursa. With one step of its paw, it made a hole in the wall wide enough for three ponies to fit through side-by-side. Its other paw smashed a similar hole in the palisade as it took a step, and its body connected the gaps a moment later. The first victims were a group of night workers with rather questionable reputations eaten in a single snap of the ursa’s jaws. Nopony would miss them, nopony would mourn them, yet their screams managed to reach Mayor Mare’s guards closing in on the breach in the wall and alert them that something deadly awaited them. They halted in their advance, the unarmed ones drawing their weapons, and waited for the threat to show itself. Many of them shook and dropped their weapons as the ursa stood at its full height, towering over a cottage, before bringing its forelegs down and crushing the abode, ripping it and the ponies within apart with its claws.
“Ruthus’s breath,” the corporal in charge of the night watch swore with wide eyes before passing a hoof over his forehead as if stroking a horn that wasn’t there, “Faust protect me.”
The ursa crashed through the remains of the house it had destroyed and grabbed the nearest guard in a paw before bringing it up to its mouth. The rest of the guards broke and ran at this sight, some of them throwing their weapons at the ursa, which either bounced off or did very minor damage. Watching his troops get torn apart, the corporal turned and ran as well.
“Retreat! Fall back t’ the Mayoral Keep!” He yelled to any guards foolish enough to still be facing the ursa. In his retreat, he headed after the largest group of fleeing guards and began issuing more orders. “Somepony get t’ the chapel an’ start ringing the bell t’ alert th’rest of the town. Round up some pegasi an’ send them after any Hunters in the area. Everypony else, follow me back t’ the keep.”
A few more guards were gobbled up in their retreat, but the ursa didn’t follow them for long. It had other matters on its mind, namely the source of magic here so potent that it could nearly taste the sorcery. The guards that managed to get away couldn’t know that, or course; all they could do was thank Faust that the ursa had gone a different way.
Somepony had made it to the chapel, evident by the sound of the church’s bells that rang out across the town as the guards who’d followed their corporal made it to the Mayoral Keep. The corporal made his way immediately across the courtyard to the tower in the southeast corner that served as the guards’ barracks. The ponies within were still mostly asleep, rising from their beds with barely comprehensible curses at having their rest disturbed.
“What’s going on? What’s this all about?” the bleary-eyed captain of Mayor Mare’s guard asked as she stumbled down the stairs from her bedchamber at the tower’s peak and nearly bumped into the corporal as he ascended the stairs to meet her, “Corporal, report.”
“Ponieville is under attack!” the stallion explained, out of breath from his run to the keep. “A great bear monster big as a castle broke through th’ palisade!”
“What?” the captain demanded, trying to shake the sleep from her head.
“It was huge! An’ it’s coat was all covered in stars!” the corporal said, trying somehow to bring the idea of the monster to his captain, “It must be one o’ those ursa majors my gran used t’ frighten me wif stories of, livin’ in th’ Everfree an’ feastin’ on other monsters!”
“An ursa major?” the captain said, most of the parts of comprehension in her brain finally waking up, “Didn’t that new witch say she killed one o’ those things?”
“I don’t know; I wasn’t there,” the corporal offered.
“Yeah, she was definitely braggin’ about it at her dinner with th’ mayor,” the captain said, recalling earlier that night when she’d stood silently and watched other ponies enjoy fine food and drink, “She’s in th’ northwest tower, top room; go an’ wake her up.”
The corporal wasted no time discussing the matter further and followed his captain’s command, heading up the stairs until her reached the floor of the tower from which he could trot out onto the wall surrounding the Mayoral Keep’s courtyard. He couldn’t see the ursa as he galloped westward, but after passing over the gate and turning north, he spotted it off to the west. It was terrifying watching from a distance as the monster swung a huge claw through a house, tearing the entire roof off and scattering the bodies of the ponies within. He lost sight of the beast as he opened the door to the northwest tower and came face to face with a pale blue unicorn wearing a robe wrapped over a nightgown.
“Just what is the meaning of all this racket!” the Great and Powerful Trixie demanded to know, “Bells in the middle of the night and ponies running about beneath my bedchamber, it’s simply not done!”
"There’s an ursa major out there attacking the town,” the corporal said, and Trixie’s eyes widened as large as his were, “Please, madam sorceress, save us from th’ beast.”
“An … ursa major,” Trixie whispered, the blood draining from her face.
“Yes, they said you killed one before,” the corporal said anxiously, imagining the damage that thing was doing while they were standing here talking.
“Right, of course,” Trixie said, giving a fragile smile, “Just give me a moment to compose myself, and have somepony ready my carriage.”
The corporal took off as Trixie ascended back to the bedchamber Mayor Mare had provided for her. She changed into her robes before packing everything she could into her trunk. I’ve got to get out of this town. At least the town is about to be destroyed, so no word of my defeat will ever spread. This could even be a good thing. I still have my reputation as an ursa-slayer and other towns will be terrified of the things after this, so much so that they’ll shower me with even more gifts and favors just to stay and “protect” them. So long as they don’t try to get me to track this ursa down. I’ll need a good excuse to avoid that.
Once everything was packed, Trixie hauled her trunk after her down the stairs, not even looking for a servant to do the work for her, as anxious as she was to leave. Once she reached the bottom of the tower and stepped out into the courtyard, she realized that something was wrong. Her carriage—and her means of escape—was gone. Recognizing the guard who’d approached her earlier standing nearby with two other frightened guards, she dropped her trunk and took off toward the group.
“You there, what happened to my carriage?” the Black Sorceress demanded to know as soon as she was in shouting distance.
“It was taken t’ th’ ursa ahead o’ you, as you requested,” the corporal said, not knowing why Trixie seemed so mad at him. When she’d said to ready it, hadn’t she meant for them to take it to where the fight would be so she could use her potions and magic weapons?
“I didn’t request anything of the sort!” Trixie yelled. Now how am I supposed to get out of here? I can’t leave it behind.
“Oh,” was all the corporal had to say to that, “Well, we’re here t’ escort you t’ th’ ursa anyway.”
“An escort; that’s not necessary,” Trixie said nervously. Maybe I could cut my losses and run anyway.
“Mayor Mare insisted,” one of the other guards lied. She really wanted to see a sorceress vanquish a monster.
“Well, then,” Trixie said, trying to put on a brave face as she swallowed the lump in her throat, “On to the ursa, I suppose.”
***
“What is going on out there, Spike?” Twilight Sparkle demanded as she emerged from her bedchamber, pulling a shawl on over her nightgown.
“I don’t really have that much experience with Ponieville,” the sleepy dragon said grumpily as he rubbed sleep from his eyes, “But I’m going to guess something important.”
“It had better be for them to ring those bells,” Twilight said irately, “It is not a Church holiday, is it?” It could be worse. Cant’r Laht Cathedral’s bells are louder, but they were also farther from my bedchamber. They were more melodious than this racket, too.
“I don’t think so,” Spike said as he waddled over to the laboratory door and opened it. “Um, Twilight, you might want to come see this.”
The sorceress stuck her head out the door and instantly balked. Next to the door, Mayor Mare’s guards had parked Trixie’s carriage, but that wasn’t what caught Twilight’s attention. Down the street, tearing the front off a cobbler’s shop, was the ursa.
“Spike, keep an eye on things. I need to change,” Twilight said as she stared with wide eyes at the beast before returning to her bedchamber.
While she was donning her sorceress robes, Trixie and the guards from the Mayoral Keep arrived. The sorceress glanced anxiously at her carriage, trying to think of some excuse to leave with it and get out of this town, but nothing came to mind. It appeared that her only way out of this would be to drive the ursa off (or antagonize it to the point that it killed everypony and she could slip away while it was feasting). Swallowing the lump in her throat, she stepped forward to face the beast, noticing as she did so that the guards stayed safely back.
Twilight Sparkle reappeared at the laboratory door—dressed in her full set of robes including the sash covered in arcane symbols draped over her neck—in time to see Trixie come to a stop a hundred paces from the ursa. Lights playing over her horn, she lowered her head and spread her legs in a ready stance. A magic circle appeared beneath her, and a larger once glowed between her and the ursa. From that circle of light and symbols rose up an even larger ursa, though it was nearly identical apart from the size.
“Ye’r krahn’r bei nof sten’i,” Trixie incanted slowly as the second ursa rose up.
Something’s not right. That spell isn’t really a spell at all; in the Language of the Horns it means “my horn’s fire and stones” which makes no sense, especially considering what the spell is supposed to accomplish. Nevertheless, the conjuring concluded and the ursa came down on all fours and advanced toward the one attacking the town. As the two monsters came nearly nose to nose, Trixie’s ursa rose up to its full height again and roared at it its opponent. The smaller ursa examined the other for a moment and took a few deep sniffs before snarling and swiping a claw into its side. The claw passed clean through, and the larger ursa disintegrated, the illusion collapsing as it was violated by reality.
Trixie screamed and fell to the ground as her mirage vanished. Without realizing it, Twilight rushed out of Golden Oak’s laboratory and over to Trixie. She didn’t seem physically hurt, but some spells could mentally scar sorceresses upon their destruction. Illusions weren’t one of those, though, were they?
“What are you doing? Get off of me!” Trixie demanded, pushing Twilight away as she tried to help her up. It was just too much.
“What am I doing? What are you doing?” she demanded of the Black Sorceress as she stepped back, “Ursas can sense the weave of magic. Illusions are not going to be of any use against something that can see through them.”
“Well, they’re all I have,” Trixie yelled angrily.
“What?” Twilight replied softly, not believing what the other sorceress had just told her.
“You heard me,” Trixie said with a glare, “The only spells I can cast are illusion spells, which are usually more than enough to impress the commoners.”
“Then the ursa you defeated-” Twilight started to say, but wasn’t allowed to finish her thought.
“I thought it would boost my prestige to save Hoofington from a monster. What poor fortune that the monster I supposedly defeated there would show up in reality here,” Trixie scowled, then seemed to realize for the first time that she was talking to another sorceress, “Well, well, another sorceress in a tiny town. You berate me, but you and I are the same, aren’t we? So, do you think you can do better than the Great and Powerful Trixie?”
“Well,” Twilight started to say, wanting to admit that she did, but also knowing that Trixie wanted her to stoop to her level. Then she realized that the ursa was staring directly at her, and in fact had been since she’d left the laboratory. “Stand back.”
“Please,” Trixie scoffed, “You’re probably just these peasants’ local witch. What are you going to do; get the ursa to leave by blessing its crops or its firstborn child?”
“I said to stand back,” Twilight repeated as she faced Trixie, her eyes as hard and cold as chips of ice. Mercifully, the Black Sorceress complied.
The ursa began to lumber slowly forward, its eyes fixed on the morsel it had come all this way for. Twilight Sparkle rapidly scrawled a semicircle in the dust with a single long point protruding from it in the center. Once she finished adding the runes along the semicircle, she took her ready stance.
“Ye seni cavan’r affle!” Twilight yelled, and magic began to build in the air above her horn in the shape of a lance.
The ursa quickened its pace as the spell charged, closing rapidly with Twilight. Once the lance was fully formed, the sorceress released it, sending a weapon of pure energy directly into the ursa’s face. The lance impaled its eye, sinking in deep, and the monster came to a halt. Before Twilight could cast another lance to push the first one through into the beast’s brain, the ursa tore the lance out, its claws raking across its face and gouging out its eye in the process. Turning her attention back to the symbol at her hooves, Twilight changed one of the words and replaced the single long point with many smaller points.
“Ye seni cavan’r seyat!” the sorceress yelled, and magical arrows flew in a wave toward the ursa.
Regular arrows could have bounced off the monster’s thick hide or become entangled in its fur, but these arrows were composed of pure magic, and covered the ursa in hundreds of pinpricks when they struck. Covering its good eye with a paw, the beast charged forward, stomping on the morsel that had managed to hurt it. When it brought its paw up, there was no crushed pony, only a massive paw print covering magical runes.
Twilight had moved on while the beast was distracted, galloping in a wide arc off to the ursa’s side, carving a groove into the ground as she did so. Spotting her, the ursa snarled and rotated its massive bulk toward the sorceress.
“Cant’r majia tanya Ye’r fecorar!” Twilight Sparkle yelled as she galloped, after looking up at the overcast sky.
Instantaneously, lighting arced down from the clouds to strike the ursa on its side and hindquarters, causing its muscles to spasm and keeping it from moving too fast while Twilight continued to run in a circle around the beast. When she returned to her starting position, she willed the spell to stop, and gauged her distances before taking off at an angle that would take her past the ursa’s paw, gouging a groove across the circle. Content to let the sorceress come to it, the ursa waited until Twilight was close before raising a paw up to crush her.
“Falan otha Ye!” she incanted and a magical shield rose up around her as the paw came down.
The shield quickly shattered, but by then Twilight was no longer beneath the ursa’s paw, and it came crashing down behind her. Reaching the edge of the circle, she paused only for a moment before taking off at another angle. As the ursa’s jaws swung toward her, she conjured a globe of light at the end of her horn and squeezed her eyes shut as it flared suddenly as bright as the sun. While the ursa was temporarily blinded, the sorceress dodged its teeth and reached the edge of the circle again.
The ursa was more cautious now, and paid no attention to Twilight other than keeping its good eye fixed on her as she drew the third line across the circle surrounding the beast. While it watched her, it reached out a claw and tore a sizable portion away from a nearby house, hurling it at Twilight. The tangled mess of wood and thatching struck the ground and tumbled toward Golden Oak’s laboratory, coming to a stop when it impacted Trixie’s carriage and broke it to pieces. Twilight had teleported away the moment before the structure would have hit her, and had drawn a fifth line across the circle while the ursa was looking for her in the wreckage.
Twilight hurriedly redrew the section of the circle that had been marred by the ursa’s attack while the beast charged back toward her with a roar. The edge repaired, she rushed back to complete the fourth line she’d been gouging before her teleportation. She connected it just as the ursa pounced at her and she teleported away. As the beast spun around angrily, searching for the sorceress, Twilight caught her breath. Once she was moderately calmed down from running around and before the ursa tried to sniff her out, she teleported down from the branches of Golden Oak’s laboratory to before the door.
Concentrating on the complex spell she was weaving, Twilight stood on her hindlegs and extended her forelegs out to either side of her. Bits and pieces of ruined homes and debris began to levitate all around the ursa and up and down the streets. Twilight Sparkle’s eyes twitched as more and more pieces of splintered wood from ruined homes and splintered bone from slaughtered ponies filled the air and began to drift toward the ursa. The ursa champed at the air, breathing heavily, before turning to face Twilight through the cloud of floating debris. It gave an unearthly roar as the refuse began to slowly spin counterclockwise around it, for the moment all of it staying outside of the circle the enormous bear was standing in. Soon the cloud was difficult to see through.
“Tempis!” Twilight yelled as she slammed her forehooves together.
The moment her hooves clicked, the entire swarm converged on the ursa and began spinning at tremendous speed. Most of the pieces of debris were sharp and jagged, and the tempest sliced gouges all over the ursa’s body. Fur and flesh were both sheared away, and wounds opened up all over the beast, some so deep as to expose bone. As the tempest continued, pieces of flesh were cut off and fell to the ground, disintegrating into ash the moment they touched something that was not the monster’s body. Howling in pain, the ursa fought through the storm and emerged from the circle bleeding from a million wounds. Nothing was worth this kind of pain, and the beast took off toward the Everfree Forest, trampling more buildings and further wounding itself as it ran.
Twilight Sparkle slowed the spinning debris before letting it all drop to the ground with a cacophonous clatter. She shakily returned to standing on all four hooves, breathing heavily as she recovered from the exertion of her spell. Her coat and robes soaked with sweat, she turned to look after Trixie, but the Black Sorceress was nowhere to be seen, apparently having fled as soon as she’d had the chance. It was too bad. She may have been a fraud, but her illusions were more realistic and elaborate than any Twilight had ever seen, and she was still unsure how Trixie had managed to stay out of her notice for so long.
“Whoa, Twilight, that was amazing!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed as she landed next to the sorceress and clapped her on the shoulder with a hoof, nearly knocking her over, “I can’t believe you just drove off an ursa major all on your own!”
“That was not an ursa major,” Twilight panted to her Hunter friend between breaths, “You of all ponies should know. Ursa majors are much bigger than that. That was an ursa minor. It has yet to undergo the transformation. You should get all the Hunters you can together to finish that thing off. Kill it before it becomes a bigger problem.”
“Sure thing,” the Hunter said, clapping Twilight on the shoulder again before following her advice and taking off, “Still, an ursa minor is no trivial monster. You’re packing some serious power.”
Now that Twilight was beginning to regain her composure, she had the time to look around. Moving in from the area around Golden Oak’s laboratory was a small crowd of ponies. Did they see me drive off the ursa? Do I want them to have seen me? One thing was sure in Twilight’s mind; she did not want to deal with this right now.
“Spike, take care of this. I’m going back to bed,” the sorceress said before taking off toward Golden Oak’s laboratory.
“Wait! What? I …” Spike protested before sighing and accepting his fate.
***
The next morning dawned far too early for Twilight’s liking, but the sorceress was too bound by her own habits to let herself sleep in. As she broke her fast and planned out her day, she realized that it would be advisable to make time to speak to her friends about the events of the previous night. She would have to do it eventually, and it would be best to get it done soon so that she knew where things stood. Rainbow Dash at least had seemed more than fine with Twilight’s display of power, so maybe that was a good sign.
After donning her traveling outfit, Twilight left Golden Oak’s laboratory, and immediately found herself facing a large crowd of ponies outside her door. Didn’t Spike send them home? At the front of the crowd she recognized all her friends, except for Rainbow Dash, who was probably still out finishing off the ursa. As one, the four ponies approached her.
“So, I assume you have all heard what happened. Where do we stand now?” Twilight asked before they reached her, keeping her voice level and free of her nervousness.
“What do you mean?” Applejack asked with visible confusion.
“Yesterday, I was worried about demonstrating my magical ability in front of you because I was afraid that you would think I thought myself superior, like Trixie. I did not want to risk losing any of you as friends.” Twilight admitted.
“Oh, darling, that’s ridiculous,” Rarity laughed, “You’re Celestia’s protégé; of course you’re a powerful sorceress. You weren’t shy about pointing that out when we first met, after all.”
“Oh … right,” Twilight said, thinking back to her first day in Ponieville.
“But we still became friends, and we know who you are,” Rarity went on, “You don’t need to be afraid about hiding it from us.”
“Especially something as amazing as this!” Pinkamena exclaimed, the restraint she’d been exercising during the first part of the conversation gone as her words came out faster and faster, “I saw the whole thing! Magic blasts! Lightning! That cyclone! You definitely showed that ursa!”
Spike coughed to get Twilight’s attention, and when she looked over at him, she saw that his face bore the look of “I told you so.” When was she going to learn to start trusting her companion? While Pinkamena was acting out the events of the night before, Mayor Mare made her way through the crowd, her guards clearing a path.
“Ah, Twilight Sparkle, I hear that we have you to thank for saving the town. As mayor of this fine locale, it is my honor to personally give you our gratitude,” Mayor Mare said, her words dripping with political oil, “You know, Twilight, I had no idea you were such a talent with magic. You really ought to have told me sooner.”
“You know who I am,” Twilight said bluntly, “Do you think that Celestia would choose a mediocre sorceress to be her apprentice? That would be a poor decision, would it not?”
“Of course not,” Mayor Mare forced laughter, “I am nothing if not a loyal subject of Celestia and extremely grateful to her for appointing me to my position as mayor.”
“Undoubtably,” Twilight said with narrowed eyes.
“Hey, you know what this occasion needs!” Pinkamena interrupted after finishing her pantomime of the fight with the ursa.
Please don’t say a party. Please don’t say a party. Please don’t say a party. Please don’t say a party.
“A celebration!” Close enough.
“Splendid idea,” Twilight said through a smile, choosing to make the best of the situation, “I imagine the whole town will want to attend, so the laboratory is not going to work. Might I suggest the Mayoral Keep?”
“Well, th-the thing i-is …” Mayor Mare stammered as Twilight fixed her with a pointed glare, before cowing to the sorceress, “Very well; excellent idea. I will have the courtyard cleared out immediately.”
I will take Rarity’s advice. I won’t forget who I am, and if Mayor Mare is smart, then she won’t forget either.
Chapter 0:3 – The Foal and the Dragon Year 988 of the 4th Age
Furniture wobbled back and forth erratically and the candlesticks shook in their wall sconces. Celestia fumed as she paced back and forth in the center of the chamber, while Raven stood by, stepping aside to avoid an inkwell as it flew across the room. The young page had seen far worse tempers from the ancient sorceress, and knew that this would soon pass. Celestia was furious, but it was a controlled anger, for nothing had gone wrong, per se.
“How could this have happened?” Celestia demanded, partly to herself and partly to Raven, “I gave specific instructions that the egg be locked away in the treasury until Cadence’s return! So how did it end up as part of a magical examination? Could the Panel not tell the difference between a phoenix egg and a dragon egg?”
“Your Grace, we must consider that this may have been a deliberate act,” Raven ventured, showing more confidence than she had just a few months earlier when the egg had arrived from Tyrannus, “All four mages you appointed to the Panel to judge applicants are members of families who’ve had bad blood with the Haltrotsuns in the past. It didn’t seem likely that Twilight Sparkle would be able to hatch even a phoenix egg, but it seems they wanted to make her failure a certainty, an attempt that backfired on them horribly.”
“And if it hadn’t, then it’s quite likely we’d be preparing for war with Tyrannus this very moment! It is quite likely that Cant’r Laht would fight alone, too. Killing the heir of another nation’s leader while they’re under your protection is universally condemned. I need to know exactly who was responsible for this near-disaster.”
“I’ll get right on it,” Raven promised, swallowing hard as she imagined what punishment Celestia might have in store for the perpetrator.
“The treaty with Ingrirtireth was so much easier when his heir could be confined to a crate in the castle treasury,” Celestia went on, incomprehensive of Raven’s reaction, “Now, this hatchling could prove to be a bother. It will be my responsibility to raise him, teach him, and prepare him to one day return to Tyrannus in exchange for Cadence. As if I weren’t busy enough already.”
“If I may make a suggestion, Your Grace, perhaps the hatchling ought to be placed in the care of Twilight Sparkle,” Raven proposed, “As the one who hatched him, he is already bonded to her. Let her raise him, and when he’s old enough he could serve as a page. Surely Ingrirtireth cannot object to his son being in such an important position as assistant to the personal protégé of the Matron of Sorceresses.”
“You suggest that I saddle a ten-year old filly with the responsibility of raising the hatchling, in addition to the rigorous study of sorcery I will be subjecting her to?” Celestia asked.
“Dragons’ minds mature very quickly, even if their bodies take centuries to grow to full size. She will have companionship during her studies,” Raven explained, defending her plan before her mistress, “Did you not tell me that the reason Sunset Shimmer failed as your student was because of her isolation? Yes, it will be additional work, but if even half of the stories spreading about what happened during Twilight’s magical exam are true, then she won’t have any difficulty mastering her studies of sorcery.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” Celestia considered as the motion of the room calmed down, “Yes, I’ve made up my mind. The hatchling will go to Twilight Sparkle.”
***
“Do I really have to move here?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she followed Celestia across the grounds of Cant’r Laht Castle, “And, if so, why can my parents not come?”
“The entire north tower has been cleared out for your personal use,” the ancient sorceress said as they climbed the stairs that wrapped around it, the wind grasping at her robes, “You need a place near me during your studies, and you must not have any distractions to tear you away from them.”
“That won’t happen,” the little foal protested with a frown, “Studying sorcery is all I want to do. Why would I want to do anything else?”
Oh my. Perhaps providing her with companionship is more necessary than I imagined.
“Your devotion is admirable,” Celestia said aloud, “However, studying sorcery will not be your only responsibility while you live here.”
Twilight gave Celestia a quizzical look, craning her neck to see the other sorceress’s face, but Celestia provided her with no answers. As they reached the top of the tower, Celestia pushed to doors open and allowed to foal to dash in and admire her new home. It was a true sorceress’s laboratory, though a few modifications had been made to make it suitable for so young a magician. Celestia gave Twilight a few minutes to explore and admire the view from her balcony before calling her back to the center of the room with a cough.
“I was speaking to you about the other responsibilities you will have here,” the Sorceress said, and waited for Raven to enter from a side room before continuing, “Do you recall the hatchling from your magical exam?”
Celestia was shocked as Twilight galloped past her toward Raven and the tiny dragon at her side. I hadn’t expected this level of enthusiasm. Twilight was holding the hatchling and cradling it in seconds, apologizing for what her errant spells had done to it. It’s bonded with her, Raven said, but it appears she’s also bonded with him. It would have been a crime to keep them apart and try something else.
“In addition to studying sorcery with me, you will also care for this hatchling,” Celestia explained after getting Twilight’s attention with another cough, “You will raise him, feed him, care for him, and teach him. Do you understand?”
“Yes, of course! I’ll take very good care of Spike!” Twilight said gleefully as she played with the green spines sprouting from the dragonling’s head, which he seemed to quite enjoy.
Spike? Not a very proper name for a dragon. Though, I suppose it’ll be hard to convince her to change it, given that she’s probably had this name for him since the moment he hatched. Spike it is, but we’ll need to make some slight modifications for official use. Spaaku, perhaps?
On the same day that Applejack defeated the criosphinx outside the gates of Ponieville, warning bells rang out from the watchtowers of the Sea Keep in Fillidelfiyaa, calling up the local garrison and alerting the city’s residents to stay indoors. The cause for such alarm was the appearance of a dragon with resplendent crimson scales rapidly winging its way toward Fillidelfiyaa as it skimmed the surface of the Shimmering Sea. Ballistae and catapults were readied along the Sea Keep’s walls, and King Alhert’s court wizard personally saw to the preparation of magical defenses. In the end, this frenzy proved to be unnecessary, for the winged serpent flew past Fillidelfiyaa after doing no more than dislodging some tiles from the Sea Keep’s roofs with the flap of its wings, but the citizens of the kingdom remained uneasy knowing that a dragon had left Tyrannus and entered Equestria.
After his flyby of Fillidelfiyaa, the dragon weaved his way through the Blue Mountains and passed well north of the Titan’s Horn, avoiding Cant’r Laht and the sorceresses who dwelled there. Past the mountains, it was a short flight over the former Hill Kingdoms before he reached the open farmland of the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r. Stopping only to sate his hunger on the herds and flocks of the area, he continued on to the Snowshear Mountains, and located a peak with a spacious cave that had been his destination since the moment he’d left his home island.
Word quickly spread to the surrounding area that a dragon had taken up residence nearby, which attracted all manner of ponies. Amateur dragon-slayers and foolish knights were soon trekking up the path to the cave. Mobs of peasant farmers joined them when the dragon’s antics brought ruin to their fields, as well as druids to protest the pollution of the streams that flowed down from the mountains. They were all burned to a crisp, eaten, or both.
Eventually, King Hyelliff was forced to send Vanhuv’r’s troops to confront the dragon, but they met the same fate as the rest. After roasting the soldiers before they could put even a single scratch in his hide, the dragon set fire to the countryside surrounding his mountain, burning away all vegetation. When the smoke finally cleared, the remaining representatives of King Hyelliff recognized a message that the dragon had carved into the earth and carried it back to Vanhuv’r. The same day that they returned to the city on the bay, another pony left in great haste, lightly burdened to allow for speed, with papers signed and sealed by the king that would ensure his safe travel all the way to Cant’r Laht.
***
When the bell rang for her attention, Celestia was seated on a set of cushions in her rooms, sipping on an elixir of her own creation that would help to dispel her ashen appearance and return some of her strength. The previous night had not been kind to her; though she’d been able to sleep thanks to the help of magic, it had not bestowed her with the rejuvenation she’d desperately needed. She feared that she would soon need to look for a stronger spell or potion to help her sleep, but feared the effects they might have on her body, given how her current method made her bleed internally.
“You may enter!” Celestia called in response to the bell as she cast a spell that would return the appearance of luster to her coat and mane and blood to her face.
Raven trotted into the bedchambers of the Matron of Sorceresses, her face growing concerned when she saw Celestia. She can’t use magic herself, yet she can see through my illusion to the harsh reality beneath. It’s a shame, really; she has the potential to become a great sorceress if only she had the ability. Yet Celestia did not dispel the magic around herself, even though Raven knew her healthy appearance was a farce. One had to keep up appearances, after all, even when those around you knew they were a sham. And now, if she was questioned by Cant’r Laht’s upstart nobility, she could honestly say that Celestia looked well.
“A courier just arrived from Vanhuv’r with a message for you from King Hyelliff,” Raven announced as she trotted up to Celestia and drew the sealed letter from the satchel at her side.
“I assume that for you to bring this to me immediately, it must be urgent, and not just a demand for border lands or a confirmation of Hyelliff’s attendance at my summit?” Celestia said as she took the message from Raven and sliced through King Hyelliff’s seal with a letter opener. Then again, I would accept a confirmation of attendance at the summit as urgent news. So far, not a single leader I’ve invited has deigned to respond.
“I was led to believe so, Your Grace,” Raven said as Celestia’s eyes flicked across the parchment, “The courier who delivered it travelled nearly nonstop from Vanhuv’r, making the twelve-day journey in nine days. He did not seem to know the content of the message, only that it was important that it reach you as soon as possible. All I was able to get from him before I let him leave to sleep was something about a dragon.”
Celestia’s eyes lit up at Raven’s mention of a dragon at the same time that she moved past the message’s opening formalities and into its real content. How interesting. Can this really be legitimate? What are you playing at, Ingrirtireth? Without speaking, Celestia retrieved a quill, ink, and parchment and began to write.
“What do I have scheduled for today, Raven?” Celestia asked while her eyes remained fixed on the parchment where her quill was scratching furiously.
“You have meetings planned with Prince Blueblood and the glassblower guild,” Raven recited from memory, “There is also the usual group of supplicants waiting to speak with you in court, and the druids will probably arrive any day now to remind you that they will soon have a census of wildlife populations to present to you. High Priestess Rubius has also requested that you meet with her at Cant’r Laht Cathedral.”
“Cancel everything,” Celestia ordered as she signed and sealed her letter, “I have more important places to be.”
“Are you going to meet with King Hyelliff in Vanhuv’r?” Raven asked as Celestia cast a spell on the letter she’d just completed and it was consumed in green flames.
“No, I can see to him later,” Celestia replied as she changed clothes, donning a set of robes with an impressively high collar, adorned with golden dragon scales, “First, I must visit an old friend in Tyrannus.”
“The home of the dragonlords! Your Grace, are you sure you feel up to it?” Raven asked with concern as Celestia opened a portal before her.
“That is of no consequence. I must speak to Ingrirtireth immediately and determine what his intention is in sending a dragon to settle in Equestria.” Celestia said, and Raven could sense a vitality in the sorceress that hadn’t been there when she’d arrived only minutes early. Yes, she will be fine.
“Safe travels, Your Grace,” Raven said with a slight bow, and Celestia stepped through the portal.
***
In Ponieville, Twilight Sparkle was reading and re-reading Celestia’s missive while she waited for the rest of her friends to arrive. The sorceress had been going through the possessions recovered from Trixie’s carriage when Spike had delivered the letter. After reading it for the first time, she had sent her page to contact her friends and tell them to prepare supplies for a long journey and meet her at Golden Oak’s laboratory. Twilight had finished her packing (with Spike’s assistance, once he’d returned) and Rarity and Pinkamena had arrived at the laboratory ready to leave as well. All they were waiting on now was for Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy to join them.
“What’s the deal, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash demanded as she and Applejack walked in together. Their saddlebags both seemed packed and ready to go, per Twilight’s instructions.
"I received a letter from Celestia this morning,” the sorceress explained, figuring that it wouldn’t hurt for Fluttershy to be caught up on the situation later, “The six of us need to travel to the Snowshear Mountains.”
“Why would Celestia send us there?” Dash asked, “The Snowshear Mountains are in the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r; it’s a four-day journey at least to reach them.”
“Five days for where we’re going, if we follow the route I’ve plotted,” Twilight replied, “And, after that, we still have to deal with the dragon.”
“A dragon!” Pinkamena and Rainbow Dash exclaimed simultaneously, though Pinkamena seemed more excited than concerned.
“Darling, instead of revealing bits and pieces and causing these exclamations, it might be better to just read us the letter,” Rarity offered.
“My most faithful apprentice, Twilight Sparkle,” the sorceress read, though given how many times she’d gone through the letter, she could probably recite it from memory, “I am writing to you because I have a task for you and your friends. I was recently informed by a courier from Vanhuv’r that twenty-three days ago a dragon settled into Mount Caradrhorse and began to wreak havoc on the surrounding land. Despite numerous attempts to dislodge the wyrm from his cave, he remains, and has scorched all the land around the mountain. After burning the land, the dragon left a message carved into the ground: ‘I will speak only with the Brave Companions.’ This is why the six of you must travel to Mount Caradrhorse. Once there, meet with King Hyelliff’s representative before ascending the mountain to convince the dragon to leave. Meanwhile, I will be pursuing another course to resolution in Tyrannus. I have faith that you and your friends will not fail in this task. Signed, Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, Guardian of the Sun, and Protector of Ponieville.”
“We are s’posed t’ convince a dragon t’ leave his cave?” Applejack asked, “Now how are we goin’ t’ do that?”
“She has a point, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, “Between your magic and my Hunter training, we may have a chance to defeat a dragon, but what is everypony else going to do?”
“I do not know, but I wouldn't worry about that. It is likely that we will not be required to fight the dragon,” Twilight said, “My suspicion is that this is a political move by Tyrannus’s dragonlords to see how far they can push the treaty Celestia negotiated with them twelve years ago. Word must also have reached them by now that the six of us were the ones to vanquish Nightmare Moon and they probably want to take our measure. My hope is that we can talk to the dragon, and that he will be satisfied with only minimal terms after meeting with the six of us.”
“Where is our sixth member?” Rarity asked as she looked around for the druidess.
“The rest of us are assembled, so we may as well leave,” Twilight said as she grabbed her saddlebags, “We can stop by her home on the way.”
Pinkamena and Rarity also gathered their supplies, and the group departed from Golden Oak’s laboratory. Outside, the two Cant’r Laht soldiers assigned to Twilight joined them. Previously, the sorceress would have protested their presence, but her trip to the Griffin Free Companies had taught her not to reject help when it was offered. They would still have to stay back when they actually approached the dragon to avoid being burned to a crisp like all the rest.
“Fluttershy! There you are!” Pinkamena exclaimed as they met the druidess on their way to Ponieville’s gate, passing between the homes destroyed by the ursa minor, “We didn’t think you were going to make it.”
“Oh, about that,” Fluttershy said softly as she looked around nervously, “I don’t know if going far away is such a good idea. I have things to tend to here.”
“They will be taken care of,” Twilight assured her, noting that, though she was trying to get out of the journey, Fluttershy had packed supplies as instructed, “I already sent Spike to speak with the local druid circle, and they agreed to let him help with your duties while you are gone.”
“Oh, that’s … great,” Fluttershy said, and she forced a weak smile.
“Everything will be fine, Fluttershy,” Applejack assured the druidess, placing a hoof on her shoulder as she so often did, to Twilight’s annoyance, “We’ll all be t’gether on this adventure.”
“Um . . . okay,” Fluttershy said after a moment, nodding and putting on a brave face.
“Shall we get moving, then?” Twilight asked, looking at the sun’s position and thinking of her planned route, “We have a lot of ground to cover before we reach Mount Caradrhorse.”
***
After leaving Ponieville, the eight ponies followed the river that flowed north past the town, to its origin: the vast lake at the foot of the Titan’s Horn where the water falling from Cant’r Laht collected. The Brave Companions set up camp on the shore of the lake, across from Onon’r Laht on the far side. Onon’r Laht had once been Cant’r Laht’s counterpart, a “City of Stone” to the “City of the Sky,” but the city at the base of the mountain had long since succumbed to decay, and was now a ruin populated only by mists, monsters, and outlaws. Both during the night and in travel the next day, the ponies kept as far from Onon’r Laht as they could.
The second day of the journey took them farther north, skirting the White Mountains as they rapidly decreased in height, becoming hills even farther north. Apart from scattered villages with only a few houses and the occasional fortification (usually suffering from great neglect), the lands the Brave Companions traveled through were largely empty. The only sign of civilization they saw was the occasional peasant out tending fields, who gave the group only a passing glance before moving on.
It was impossible to tell, but in one area the peasants were just beginning to move back and replant the fields. They had come involuntarily, ordered to do so by their lord, and though they obeyed and planted their crops, they still avoided the old estate of the mi Amore barons. The memory of how death had struck there was still fresh in many of their minds and they refused to go anywhere near the remains of the property. They stories they had to tell would have interested Twilight Sparkle greatly, but she had other concerns on her mind besides talking to peasants, and the opportunity passed.
When night fell for the second time, the ponies made camp on the edge of the forest that bridged the gap in the landscape between the Snowshear Mountains on the west and the White Mountains on the east. The next day and a half of travel would take them through that forest, so for the time being they enjoyed the open night sky over the fields. Twilight had to admit that, without Spike here, it was nice to have somepony else to pitch the camp. The Cant’r Laht soldiers insisted (no doubt for fear that Celestia would berate them if they didn’t) on pitching the tents and gathering firewood (under the close supervision of Fluttershy, who made sure they only gathered fallen branches and didn’t cut anything from the forest’s trees).
“What will Celestia be doing in Tyrannus, do you think?” Rarity asked as the Brave Companions were sitting around the campfire later.
“I imagine she will seek an audience with Ingrirtireth. Though, knowing Celestia, she may just open a portal directly into his throne room,” Twilight postulated, not noticing how Fluttershy’s eyes went wide and the druidess cowered at Rarity’s mention of Tyrannus, “If anypony can get answers from the leader of the dragonlords, it would be her.”
“Yeah, but what can she do, really?” Rainbow Dash asked as she lounged back against a log, “She may be the most powerful living sorceress, but against a dragon as powerful and ancient as Ingrirtireth . . .”
“Celestia has her ways, and she rarely reveals her full power, though against Ingrirtireth she just might,” Twilight defended her mentor, “He would be wise not to underestimate her, as would you.”
“She must be awfully brave, to face a dragon,” Fluttershy said as she shuddered, spoken so softly that Twilight, across the fire from her, almost didn’t catch it, “I don’t think that I ever could.”
“What’re you talking about, y’dafty?” Pinkamena asked the druidess cheerfully, “That’s exactly what we’re doing.”
“Yeah, the purpose o’ this journey is t’ confront th’ dragon at Mount Caradrhorse,” Applejack said as she got up to fetch more firewood.
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle kept her eyes fixed on Fluttershy, who seemed to be growing more terrified with each passing moment. How could she not have known what awaits us at the end of this trip? I suppose I never did convey Celestia’s message to her as I did the others, but we haven’t been silent on the matter as we travelled. I know during the days she has been lagging behind, examining every bit of flora and fauna we passed, but surely she must have heard something. Could she really not have been aware of our purpose this whole time? If that’s the case, then why did she never ask? The others appeared to be wondering the same thing as they watched the druidess appear more and more panicked.
“I-I can’t face a dragon!” she finally exclaimed before bolting away from the campfire.
The other four ponies who weren’t already standing leapt to their hooves, and the soldiers at their campfire turned to look at the commotion. Her dull cloak blending into the grasses and shadows, Fluttershy galloped away toward the forest, the other Brave Companions in pursuit, calling for her to come back. The druidess seemed to alternatively disappear and reappear as she moved through the foliage, and Twilight was only able to follow her by following Dash’s Hunter eyes, which never left Fluttershy’s form. Soon they were within the forest, and the five ponies came to a halt. Like Twilight, the others were all now looking to Rainbow Dash for direction, but the Hunter darted around in circles, sometimes taking off into the undergrowth, but always returning a few seconds later.
“Give it up, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said after the search had gone on like this for several minutes, “If not even you can find her trail, then she is well and truly gone.”
“I hate to admit it, but I think you’re right, Twilight. Druids!” Dash swore as she landed next to the sorceress, “How am I supposed to find signs in the landscape to track them when they use the landscape itself to conceal their presence?”
“You have known Fluttershy longer than any of us. Has she done this before?” Twilight asked the Hunter.
“Yes,” Dash answered as she scratched the back of her head with a hoof, “Usually she comes back eventually, but it’s impossible to know how long that will take.”
“Well, the dragon specifically requested to speak with the Brave Companions, and I do not think he will be satisfied with only five of us,” Twilight said as she led the group back toward the campsite, “We need Fluttershy with us. Hopefully she will have returned by the morning.”
***
When the next day dawned, Fluttershy was still absent. From Rainbow Dash, Twilight learned that Glydrfell—the town the two pegasi had grown up in—was a day’s journey north in the former Hill Kingdoms. Twilight was reluctant to deviate from her planned route, but it was important that Fluttershy be with them when they confronted the dragon, so she drew up a new plan that would take them directly north through the forest, following the White Mountains instead of northwest toward the Snowshear Mountains. She still held out hope that Fluttershy would return to them, but if she hadn’t by the time they crossed the forest, then they would have to continue on to Glydrfell to look for her there. Better to arrive at Mount Caradrhorse late with all six Brave Companions than early with only five.
Of course, the possibility remained that the druidess hadn’t gone to Glydrfell at all, and was still somewhere in the forest. If she was, there was still no sign of her as the ponies trekked beneath the canopy of leaves. The Cant’r Laht soldiers—till then silent except to ask Twilight what she needed done or where they would be stopping—grumbled at having to carry Fluttershy’s saddlebags as well as their own. When they emerged from the forest’s northern edge, Fluttershy still hadn’t shown herself, and Twilight sighed before tucking her map back into her saddlebags and directing the group to continue north.
“Wait!” a familiar voice called from behind them, and the ponies turned to see Fluttershy galloping out of the forest.
“Where are you going?” she asked when she’d caught up to the group, and she pointed with a hoof to the west, “Mount Caradrhorse is that way!”
“Were you following us the whole time?” Rarity asked with barely concealed disdain that the soldiers didn’t even try to conceal, and Fluttershy looked down at the ground.
“We were looking for you, Fluttershy,” Twilight said before she was scared off again.
“We thought you might’ve gone home to Glydrfell,” Rainbow Dash cut in.
“Yes, you see, we need you with us when we meet with the dragon,” Twilight took back over the conversation, “We cannot go to Mount Caradrhorse without you, Fluttershy.”
“R-really?” Fluttershy asked timidly, though given that she knew next to nothing about the purpose of their trip, Twilight figured that she really shouldn’t have been surprised that Fluttershy did not realize her own importance in this matter.
“That’s right; this dragon wants t’ speak t’ th’ Brave Companions who defeated Nightmare Moon,” Applejack said as she trotted up and put a foreleg around the druidess.
“Yeah!” Pinkamena said as she bounded up, “It’ll be like a party with a dragon.”
“I wouldn't go that far. I certainly hope that things will go well and remain civil, but we should be prepared for even the worst scenario,” Twilight said, causing Fluttershy to cower a bit, and she took a breath before continuing, “However, I do expect that it will not come to violence, and that the dragon will be satisfied merely with speaking with us in order to be convinced to leave Equestria.”
“That’s good to hear,” Fluttershy said, looking visibly relieved, “I suppose . . . if it’s that important . . . I can come with you to Mount Caradrhorse. And I won’t be alone.”
“Right, then,” Twilight said as she pulled her maps back out of her saddlebags, “Shall we get moving then and make up for lost time?”
***
Over the next two days, the Brave Companions trekked through the fields north of the forest, following the tree line. Gradually the White Mountains behind them shrank, and the Snowshear Mountains ahead grew. In the afternoon of the fourth day since they’d left Ponieville, in the midst of a thunderstorm, the group crossed into the mountains, following Twilight’s direction. Supposedly her planned route would allow them to reach Mount Caradrhorse more quickly by cutting through the mountains instead of going around them, but the already precarious path was made even more dangerous by the howling winds and blowing rain. Finally, Twilight was forced to call a halt to travel for the day, and the ponies made camp at the edge of a wide chasm spanned by a wildly swinging bridge.
By the next morning the storm had blown over, and the bridge was miraculously still intact. It still looked rickety and liable to fall to pieces at any moment, but at least it was no longer swaying so violently that it would guarantee anypony who attempted to cross would fall to their deaths. Twilight Sparkle was the first to venture out onto the bridge, moving cautiously and checking its structural integrity with her magic, shoring up weak points with a spell. The whole time as she progressed, Rainbow Dash hovered over her, ready to catch the sorceress if the bridge gave way, even though she could just as easily teleport back to the ledge if things went wrong.
Once Twilight was across, she signaled for the others to follow her lead. Applejack crossed next, stepping confidently and steadily, and though the bridge swayed and rattled at her passage, she seemed to be walking across solid ground. Rarity followed, moving more uncertainly than the farmer, checking most boards before stepping on them. After her came Pinkamena, who didn’t seem to be bothered by the bridge at all, and bounded across, causing it to shake and rattle dangerously, making Fluttershy behind her freeze in her steps and cling tightly to the ropes on either side. Once Pinkamena was across, Fluttershy began moving again, even more slowly than Rarity had gone, flinching at every shiver and pop of the bridge.
“Come on, Fluttershy!” Twilight Sparkle called, growing impatient, “Mount Caradrhorse isn't much farther, but we cannot move on until you are across the bridge.”
“It’s not that bad, Fluttershy. Here, I’ll show you!” Pinkamena called as she took a flying leap out onto the bridge, causing a wave to pass through the whole structure.
Twilight had done her best to strengthen the bridge, but Pinkamena’s impact was the last straw for a structure that had been barely remaining intact before the storm. Ropes snapped and planks cracked as the bridge broke into two, each half falling toward its nearer cliff face. Rainbow Dash dove for Pinkamena and snatched the stunned earth pony out of the air before depositing her back on the ledge. When the bridge came to a rest and the sounds of destruction stopped echoing through the air, Twilight could see the Cant’r Laht soldiers clinging to the span resting against the far side of the chasm, but no sign of Fluttershy. She can fly, so she should be all right, but where is she? The druidess came into view only when the sorceress approached the edge of the cliff and looked down, spotting her clinging to the remains of the bridge with all her might.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight exclaimed, causing the pegasus to look up at her, “What are you doing?”
“I don’t want to fall!” she cried, and clutched at the bridge’s remains, searching for better hoofholds.
“Darling, you’re a pegasus!” Rarity shouted down, “You can fly!”
“Oh . . . right,” Fluttershy said as she looked away in embarrassment.
Extending her wings, the druidess let herself drift away from the bridge and she began to ascend. A loud noise shook the mountains and echoed down the canyon, causing the ponies to look around for its source. Twilight knew that they wouldn’t find it, for it was the very distinctive sound of a dragon’s roar. Down below, the blood drained from Fluttershy’s face at the sound of the dragon, and her wings seemed to cease obeying her, drawing close to her body. The druidess gave a yelp as she fell, and bounced against the bridge a few times before getting ahold of the tangled ropes trailing from the broken end.
“Fluttershy, are you all right!” Applejack called down, and Fluttershy nodded but made no other motions, “Can you fly up t’ us?”
“N-no,” she replied after trying to extend her wings several times, only to have them hang limply or snap back to her sides.
“Throw her a rope,” Twilight said after seeing that Rainbow Dash was busy helping the Cant’r Laht soldiers up. Maybe insisting that she come with us was a mistake, after all, Twilight thought as she helped pull Fluttershy up, If this is how she reacts upon just hearing the dragon, how bad will things be when she actually sees it?
***
Only a half day’s journey awaited the Brave Companions after crossing the chasm. Though not by design this time, Twilight had left her escort behind again. Rainbow Dash had been able to lift the Cant’r Laht soldiers back up onto their ledge, but she didn’t feel confident enough to carry them across, not without another pegasus helping, anyway, and Fluttershy seemed to be unable to fly for the moment. So, the soldiers would backtrack out of the Snowshear Mountains and take the longer path around them to meet up with the Brave Companions on the return journey to Ponieville.
Soon after the six ponies left the mountains, Mount Caradrhorse came into view. Its peak soared above the surrounding mountains, making it stick out even without the alterations the dragon had made to it. The nearby mountains had dense forests growing at their bases, but around Mount Caradrhorse nothing remained but a few charred trunks sticking up at odd angles. The fields around the mountain were likewise scorched, creating a wasteland that separated the mountain from the rest of the landscape.
Just outside the scorched area, the fields had been ruined by a force other than fire. The hooves of hundreds of soldiers had trampled the crops flat and made space for the camp that was now situated there. The Brave Companions wove between the tents, making their way toward the camp’s center. They passed several soldiers on their way in—some in the blue and gray livery of Vanhuv’r, but many more in the green and brown of Tall Tale—yet the camp still seemed empty. Twilight estimated that at least half the tents, if not more, were simply set up for intimidation, and that no soldiers were using them. As the group approached the command tent, a bespectacled earth pony stallion trotted out to meet them. The attire he had on over his chestnut and cream speckled coat seemed more suited to a city than out in the field; emerald thread embroidered it, and a ruff was wrapped around his neck, making his nose seem perpetually turned up.
“We were sent here by Celestia,” Twilight announced before the stallion could speak, “Who is in charge of this camp?”
“That would be Ser Guarded Dawn, brother to Duchess Flying Saddle,” the stallion answered without hesitation, “However, the individual you are to speak to is myself. I am Eirik, bailiff to Duchess Flying Saddle and the pony appointed by King Hyelliff to negotiate terms with you.”
“Negotiate terms?” Applejack asked with bewilderment.
“Naturally,” Twilight replied to Applejack before motioning for Eirik to lead the way, “Shall we deal?”
Giving a bow with a slight smirk, Eirik led the mares to a smaller tent next to Ser Guarded Dusk’s command tent. There was barely enough room in Eirik’s tent for all six Brave Companions once he sat down behind the collapsible desk at its center, but they managed to all squeeze in by the time he had fetched a quill, ink, and a parchment with writing already on it.
“Now, I’m sure you know all about your side of this agreement: the dragon will leave Mount Caradrhorse, your actions will remove him from the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r, et cetera, et cetera, so let’s move on to the division of the spoils,” Eirik said as he looked over his spectacles at Twilight, “Naturally, the largest portion of the dragon’s hoard will go to the sovereign of these lands, and King Hyelliff has stipulated three-quarters of the total loot recovered from the cave will go directly to Vanhuv’r. Of the remaining treasure, five-sixths will go the lands devastated by the dragon. The rest will go to the six of you, to be divided evenly. I’m sure that you won’t object to one-one hundred forty-fourth each from the original hoard, as it will still be a significant sum.”
“Actually, I have an alternative proposal,” Twilight said as she stared down the bailiff, “How would Duchess Flying Saddle like to keep the full quarter of the treasure?”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Eirik feigned confusion as he looked down at his parchment to avoid eye contact with the sorceress he’d underestimated, “The Duchy of Tall Tale isn’t included in this agreement except under the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r.”
“You and I both know that the monies for ‘the lands devastated by the dragon’ are really going to Duchess Flying Saddle, ostensibly to be distributed to these lands later, but little will actually reach them,” Twilight cut through to the truth, “So, I will ask again, would Duchess Flying Saddle like to keep the full quarter?”
“I know that what you’re offering won’t come free, so I have to ask what you want in return,” Eirik said suspiciously.
“King Hyelliff will announce that he will attend the summit in Cant’r Laht in the spring,” Twilight said boldly.
“I don’t know that it’s really proper to trade money for my duchess for services from my king,” Eirik said with a nervous smile.
“Perhaps not,” Twilight said dismissively with a wave of a hoof, “If it would ease your conscience, then the twenty-fourth that you offered us can go directly to King Hyelliff instead, or we could split the treasure so that Hyelliff receives five-sixths and these lands receive one-sixth. Really, I would be satisfied with any of these scenarios.”
“Let’s not be too hasty now,” Eirik said, visibly disturbed at the idea of bringing Duchess Flying Saddle less than she expected, “I think I can agree to your original proposal.”
“Excellent,” Twilight said with a smile as she clapped her hooves together, “Now, if I could get that down in writing, with a signed and sealed copy for each of us?”
A few minutes later, Twilight had her copy of the agreement, the wax of King Hyelliff’s seal still warm, as a guarantee that her demands would be met even if Eirik tried to cheat her. Carefully, she tucked the important document into her saddlebags. From the moment they’d left Ponieville, Twilight had known that she could expect some form of repayment from Vanhuv’r for helping with their problem, but Celestia hadn’t specified what appropriate terms would be. Acting on her own intuition and initiative, the young sorceress thought that she had gotten a good deal. To her knowledge, none of Equestria’s leaders had yet accepted Celestia’s invitation to attend the summit. If King Hyelliff came forward as the first and announced he would attend, it could start a domino effect that would lead other leaders to do the same. Balte-Maer or Fillydelfiyaa would probably be next, followed by Stalliongrad and Los Pegasus. After that, Manehattan would be forced to attend, but King Hadish would probably still hold off on confirming his attendance until the last possible moment.
“Well then, now that that matter is taken care of, shall I lead you up the mountain?” Eirik asked as he filed away his copy of the agreement and folded up his desk.
“Yes, if you would,” Twilight answered, surprised that he was going to do the deed himself and not have a soldier lead them instead.
Once they’d all cleared out of his tiny tent, Eirik led the way through the camp toward Mount Caradrhorse. Their path didn’t take them directly toward the mountain, but rather around the base to curve toward a slope that they could ascend. As they trekked, the destruction wreaked by the dragon became even more apparent, with not only scorch marks and burned trees, but bits of ground torn up. The whole base of the mountain that was earth and not stone looked to have been ripped up and agitated, but there were some places where the dirt had been torn through by powerful claws to form deep gouges. Rounding the mountain, those gouges eventually formed words.
I WILL SPEAK ONLY WITH THE BRAVE COMPANIONS
It was the same message that had been conveyed to Twilight by Celestia, except that these letters were not ink on a page, but runes larger than a pony carved into the side of a mountain. How large was this dragon to write a message so huge? The thought occurred to the sorceress that they might have been misled, and that the dragon wanted more than just to talk with them. If he had responded to an army by torching the entire mountain and carving a message into the ground, how would he respond to six ponies that, though rapidly becoming known throughout the land, were well outmatched by a full-grown dragon? Maybe we should have brought the Elements of Harmony.
Twilight’s mind was still spinning and Eirik was pointing out the beginning of the stony path ahead, when a noise came from higher up the slope. The dragon’s tail appeared for a split second as he used it to sweep the remains of his victims out of the cave. The bones clattered over the ledge and rolled down the slope. When they struck the upturned earth, they bounced around and drew some of the dirt with them. It wasn’t long before the slope began to shift and slide as a wave of loose soil came sweeping down the hill.
“Hillslide!” Rarity yelled in terror.
“Everypony get to the path!” Eirik yelled, already galloping off toward it.
The others quickly followed suit, keeping an eye on the advancing wave, which grew wider as it moved closer. The hillslide roared past as they reached the path, and they kept their distance from the churning earth. The dirt continued to slide past for some time, erasing the dragon’s message as it tumbled down the slope. The hillslide slowed as it reached more even ground, but didn’t stop entirely, and some tents on the outskirts of the camp were obliterated. Hopefully they were some of the empty ones.
Seemingly unfazed by what had just transpired, Eirik continued to lead them up the mountain. Given that he hadn’t seemed bothered by the destruction of part of the camp, there was either nopony using those tents, or the bailiff just didn’t care about the soldiers’ lives; truthfully, either was equally likely. There didn’t seem to be any commotion in the camp except to see what had been lost in the hillslide, so it was probably the first scenario. Probably.
The path up to the dragon’s cave was littered with the remains of those who’d ventured up before them. Scraps of armor from knights and discarded weapons lined the path, along with plenty of charred bones and smashed wagons. Fluttershy, who had already appeared uneasy at the sight of Mount Caradrhorse, now looked positively terrified. Soon, they neared the peak of the mountain.
“This is as far as I go,” Eirik told the Brave Companions in hushed tones as he pulled them behind a large boulder that blocked half the path, “I don’t intend to become a dragon’s dinner. Give me a call when the matter is settled.”
Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack gave a collective nod and started back up the path. The group of ponies had nearly reached the spacious ledge in front of the dragon’s cave by the time they realized that only five of them were present. Fluttershy was still behind the boulder with Eirik.
“Come on, Fluttershy!” Pinkamena called down, “We’ve come this far; no turning back now!”
“O-okay, I suppose . . .” the shaking druidess said as she crept around the boulder.
The dragon chose that moment to give a roar that shook the mountain, sending rocks and pebbles sliding down the slope. A pile of skeletons was thrust out of the cave a second later and went tumbling down the mountain. Thankfully, it didn’t start another hillslide, but it did startle Fluttershy, and the pegasus darted back behind the boulder.
“I can’t do it!” Fluttershy called up the path, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do it!”
“Yes, you can!” Twilight called back down, “We need you, Fluttershy!” We had better not have travelled all this way and put up with everything just for her to turn back now.
Fluttershy continued to protest and apologize, and nothing seemed to be able to coax her up the last bit of path. One by one, the other Brave Companions gave up on convincing their least brave member to join them. Finally, Twilight had to hang her head in failure and admit that it was a lost cause. No amount of promises, encouragements, threats, or comforting words seemed to be able to move the druidess. Hopefully the dragon can be satisfied with the five of us. He’d better be, and maybe then she’ll see there’s nothing to fear and join us.
Twilight Sparkle turned her back on the path and trekked up to the ledge to join the rest of the ponies. As she did, she cast one more look back and saw that Fluttershy was beginning to retreat back down the path to the bottom of the mountain, dashing any chance that she would join them later. The five Brave Companions were gathered on the ledge outside the cave mouth, but none of them were standing very close to the entrance. Sounds of the dragon shifting around carried out of the cavern, adding to the sense of fear that prevailed. They had seen bits and pieces of the enormous lizard, but so far none of them had seen the creature in his entirety and had no idea how large he would be.
“How does one get the attention of a dragon without getting roasted in response?” Rarity wondered aloud.
Until then, Twilight hadn’t realized that she had no idea on how to confront the dragon, but Rarity’s question had brought the matter to the forefront of her mind. In haste, she put a plan together and cast enchantments over herself that would protect her clothes and flesh from flame damage. Finally, she memorized the appearance and layout of the ledge so that she could teleport back in a split second if necessary.
“I am going to try,” the sorceress announced before trotting toward the cave mouth.
Despite the brilliant daylight outside, the interior of the cave quickly drew dark and Twilight had to cast a spell of illumination so that she could see. It was empty at first, except for more remains of dead ponies. The dragon had had a feast when King Hyelliff’s army had tried to expel him from the mountain, and a few charred corpses of soldiers remained uneaten in the corners. At the center of the mountain, the cave opened into a larger cavern, where the dragon was hidden in the gloom. The flash from his scales as Twilight’s spell reflected off them startled the sorceress at first, but she quickly recovered and followed the pattern in the scales to locate the dragon’s head. Despite knowing what she was looking at, the sorceress still jumped back in shock when a yellow eye the size of her head opened before her.
“Greetings, I am Twilight Sparkle, one of the Brave Companions sent to speak with you,” Twilight introduced herself, speaking more quickly than she intended to.
“You may address me as Ornjuntirmirthar,” the dragon spoke as he shifted around, his voice booming, “You are one of the Brave Companions, you say; where are the others?”
“They are waiting outside,” Twilight said, pointing back the way she had come, “I thought that perhaps the two of us could come to an agreement-”
The sorceress never got to finish her statement, as it was cut off by a growl from Ornjuntirmirthar as he stood. A claw larger than her came down next to Twilight as the dragon made his way toward the cave entrance, and she made her own way back, trying to avoid being stepped on as the dragon moved above her. Ornjuntirmirthar’s head reached the outside first, and his body swiftly followed, revealing the entirety of the wyrm to the five ponies.
The dragon towered above them, the light reflecting off his crimson scales. They had all been prepared for a massive creature, but none of them had ever seen a living full-grown dragon before, and they hadn’t expected something so large that it could hold a pony in one of its claws with ease. Spines protruded from the top of his head down its neck and back and all along his slender tail. The wings that jutted from his shoulders were larger than the canvas sails fitted on even the grandest Equestrian ship. Ornjuntirmirthar’s wedge-shaped head was positioned at the end of a long, slender neck that he bent to better speak to the ponies, and when he opened his mouth he revealed teeth as long as a pony’s leg and sent a blast of warm, moist air out over the group.
“Allow me to introduce my companions,” Twilight said as she tried to keep her composure and not be overawed by the dragon’s stature, and she motioned to each of them in turn, “Applejack, a farmer from near Ponieville; Rarity, a blacksmith from Ponieville; Rainbow Dash, a Hunter from near Ponieville; and Pinkamena Pie, a baker from Ponieville.”
“Yes, yes; you are all from that tiny and unremarkable town that Celestia saw fit to elevate for some inconceivable reason. That is, except for you, Madam Sorceress, who happens to be Celestia’s personal protégé in Cant’r Laht,” Ornjuntirmirthar rumbled as his eyes swept over the lineup and settled on Twilight, “But this is not all of you. Where are the rest?”
“Regrettably, Fluttershy was unable to make it up here,” Twilight explained, hoping that the dragon didn’t look down the mountain to see Fluttershy walking away and take it as an insult, “The five of us should be sufficient to speak with you.”
“Speak with you?” the dragon said, looking puzzled, as if he had forgotten his own message, “Oh, yes, I suppose you want me to leave this mountain.”
“Yes, you have now seen the Brave Companions and can return to Tyrannus,” Twilight Sparkle said, glad that she had been correct in her assumptions, but those good feelings were dashed when the dragon began to laugh uproariously.
“Do you really think it is that easy to remove a dragon?” Ornjuntirmirthar asked as he bared his teeth at the sorceress, “Did you think I would leave just because you asked?”
“But you will leave for a price,” Twilight replied, only half sure that the dragon would agree.
“For a price,” Ornjuntirmirthar confirmed.
“Very well,” Twilight sighed, grateful that it would not be impossible to complete their quest, and the sorceress shifted into negotiating mode, “I am sure that we can come to some agreement. What kind of price did you have in mind?”
“Celestia will invite Ingrirtireth to participate in her summit,” Ornjuntirmirthar said, taking Twilight totally off guard.
I was expecting some amount of gold or precious stones, or maybe some alteration of the treaty between Tyrannus and Cant’r Laht, but what am I supposed to do with this? He’s got me trapped; there’s no way to negotiate down from this short of outright rejection, but there’s no way I can accept either. There must be some way around this, but how?
“If you and Ingrirtireth are similar in size-” Twilight spoke slowly and deliberately, and was cut off by the dragon’s laughter, “Fine, if Ingrirtireth is larger than you, then this is an even bigger problem. There is no way that he could fit in Cant’r Laht Castle’s great hall for the summit, except to maybe squeeze his head in through a window.”
“Well, then, the solution seems obvious,” Ornjuntirmirthar said, steering the conversation in a way that made Twilight uncomfortable, “Host the summit in a larger location, such as Tyrannus.” So that’s what he’s after!
“It cannot be done!” Twilight exclaimed, growing irate, “No pony besides Celestia would ever set hoof in Tyrannus, and the summit would be nothing but Celestia and Ingrirtireth talking just like twelve years ago! You seek to destroy the summit, and I cannot accept that!”
“Those are my terms,” Ornjuntirmirthar said with a shrug and a snort that caused his nostrils to glow dully.
“Your terms are impossible! Rightfully, we should not even be discussing terms, since your very presence here violates the treaty signed by Celestia and Ingrirtireth!”
“Why should I care for ink on a scrap of parchment?” the dragon said dismissively, “It means nothing to me, just as it means nothing to the dragonlord I represent, who was alive long before the other signatory and will live long after her death. You ponies believe yourselves protected by your treaties, yet how many of these ‘binding agreements’ have been discarded in times of war? The nations that rule Equestria now are not the nations that ruled a century ago, and they will not rule a century from now, so why pretend that a summit will change anything? Celestia can sign all the treaties she wants, but she has outlived all of them so far, save the one with Ingrirtireth, and a dragon will always have the advantage in longevity over a pony, even a sorceress who has pushed the bounds of life to the limit.”
“There must be somethin’ we can do t’ come t’ an agreement,” Applejack spoke up upon seeing the defeated look on Twilight’s face.
“I have given you my terms,” Ornjuntirmirthar said with a toothy grin, “Now, you can take them back to Cant’r Laht, or you can become my next meal.”
“Maybe we should have brought the Elements of Harmony along,” Rarity whispered to Pinkamena, echoing Twilight’s thoughts from earlier.
“Looks like diplomacy has failed,” Rainbow Dash said as she drew a sword, “If he won’t go peacefully, we’ll just have to remove him by force!”
Dash shot off the ground, her blade directed at the dragon’s neck. Ornjuntirmirthar seemed amused until he saw how fast Dash was moving, and he then took on a disapproving expression. Before the Hunter reached him, he twisted his neck, and her sword slid against his scales at an awkward angle, doing no damage to the dragon’s flesh but badly blunting the blade.
Rainbow Dash released three bombs from her belt, and they exploded into clouds of smoke after touching the dragon’s scales, completely obscuring the left half of his body. Dash hid in the smoke and prepared to strike while her opponent couldn’t see her, but a powerful beat of Ornjuntirmirthar’s wings cleared the smoke away, and the Hunter found herself face-to-face with him. As the dragon’s mouth opened wide, she threw her sword into the maw in an attempt to pierce the soft flesh within. The blade was melted to slag in the same blast of fire that Dash barely managed to dodge.
The fire followed her until she collided with the palm of Ornjuntirmirthar’s foreclaw. Scaly digits closed around her and blocked her escape and any attempt to get another weapon free. She was finally freed when the dragon threw her, sending her tumbling through the air and unable to gain control of her trajectory before impacting with the mountain’s face. A cry escaped her throat as she felt a bone in her wing snap.
With the Hunter out of commission, Ornjuntirmirthar turned his attention to the other four ponies. Twilight Sparkle lost sight of Dash as flames washed over the magical shield she had put up around herself and her friends. Rainbow Dash struggled to keep a grip on the stone, but the face she had impacted with was too shear, and she soon found herself falling out away from it. She tried to save herself with her wings, but the attempt only unbalanced her and sent her into a tumble. The Hunter was nearly at the ground when her trajectory changed and she went skidding across the ground, suffering no more than a few bumps and bruises.
“Fl-Fluttershy?” she asked in surprise as she looked up at the pegasus who’d come to her rescue.
The druidess was sweating profusely and looked ready to run for the hills at any moment, but there was a steel in her wide, terrified eyes that hadn’t been there before. She said nothing as she turned away from the wounded Hunter and winged her way up the dragon’s back to his head.
“Stop that!” she commanded as she landed on the dragon’s snout.
Ornjuntirmirthar was so surprised by the sudden appearance of a buttery yellow pegasus in druid’s robes on his nose that he actually did stop breathing fire. His next conscious action was, of course, to try to shake this newly appeared nuisance from his head. Somehow, Fluttershy managed to dart between his spines and wedge herself in the hollow formed by the dragon’s neck, cheek, and temple ridge.
“You can’t get to me here without hurting yourself,” Fluttershy said, her voice remarkably steady, “I, however, can hurt you, so let’s talk.”
“Who are you?” Ornjuntirmirthar rumbled as his eyes looked back at where Fluttershy was, but he couldn’t see, and light glowed from between his teeth.
“I’m Fluttershy, the sixth Brave Companion. Sorry I couldn’t make it until now,” Fluttershy introduced herself, and only Rainbow Dash had the vantage point (and remarkable eyesight) to see that the druidess’s eyes were darting around nervously.
Ornjuntirmirthar did nothing in response except to growl louder and look down at the four ponies within the ring of scorched stone.
“Why do you think you can be so stubborn?” Fluttershy accused, making Ornjuntirmirthar’s head jerk in surprise, “Twilight has been very patient with you. She’s remained patient even as you tried to kill her. We all have, when we could easily have used the Elements of Harmony against you.”
“You don’t have the Elements of Harmony,” the dragon said as he revealed a toothy smile.
“We don’t need them to use them. The Elements of Harmony are within us,” Fluttershy asserted.
“That’s ridiculous,” Ornjuntirmirthar said, but he grew less sure when the ponies on the ground seemed to be recalling that Fluttershy’s assertion was correct.
“You should count yourself lucky to leave here with no repercussions,” Fluttershy continued, “Under Celestia’s treaty with Ingrirtireth, no dragons are allowed in Equestria.”
“I already told your friends what I thought of that worthless treaty,” Ornjuntirmirthar laughed. His laughter ended when Fluttershy pressed against a vulnerable point.
“You obviously don’t understand Celestia, then,” the pegasus rebuked the cringing dragon, “Surely even in Tyrannus, word of her wrath has reached you. Rumors of entire towns disappearing and lands lying desolate? Whether she could dismantle the entirety of Tyrannus is debatable, but she would have no problem destroying you, and she would take this entire mountain with you. So, do you want to remain here, or will you leave with your hide intact?”
Fluttershy’s words were chilling, and her naturally soft voice made them doubly so. Twilight was shocked to see a look of unease pass across the dragon’s features. He wasn’t totally convinced, but there was worry in his eyes now. Where did this come from? Is this the same Fluttershy that we brought with us from Ponieville? The same Fluttershy that ran off into the forest at the thought of facing a dragon and had to be pulled up from that chasm because she heard the dragon roar?
“Very well,” Ornjuntirmirthar rumbled at last, looking displeased, “I will leave, but know that I shall inform Ingrirtireth of this, and he will not be so easily convinced by your words.”
Fluttershy removed herself from the hollow of the dragon’s neck, and he turned to look at the pegasus, as if contemplating roasting her on the spot for the discomfort she’d put him through. Apparently thinking better of it, Ornjuntirmirthar turned away, and launched himself from the side of the mountain. Opening his wings, the wyrm glided over the Vanhuv’r army camp before swinging southeast for Tyrannus.
“Fluttershy, that was amazing!” Pinkamena exclaimed as she rushed over to the pegasus and knocked her off her hooves.
“Where did that come from?” Applejack asked as she helped Fluttershy up, “I’ve never seen anythin’ like that, ‘specially from you!”
“I was terrified the whole time,” the druidess admitted, and her shaking legs seemed to confirm it, “I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew that I couldn’t let him hurt you. I couldn’t let him hurt my friends.”
“Pinkamena is right; you were amazing,” Twilight confessed, still reeling in surprise at the performance, “The way you took control and convinced him to leave, it was very impressive.”
“Most impressive indeed,” Eirik added as he cantered up to the group, “Until she showed up, I thought you were goners, and I was sure the rainbow one wouldn’t survive.”
“Thanks,” Rainbow Dash said as she trotted up.
“Are you all right, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, preparing healing spells.
“Just scrapes and bruises and a broken wing. It’ll heal fine once I bind it and take some potions,” Dash said, holding up a hoof to turn down Twilight’s implicit offer of healing, “All thanks to Fluttershy. Your wings appear to be working again.”
Fluttershy smiled and stretched them out, nearly poking Rarity in the eye in the process. She was silent through all the praises the other ponies heaped upon her, absorbing them with the timidity Twilight had come to expect from the druidess. But there’s more to her than meets the eye. She seems so helpless, but she pulls through when she’s needed in the most spectacular and unexpected way.
“Now that the dragon’s left, our job is done, isn’t it?” Rarity asked.
“Not quite,” Eirik said as he produced a lantern from his saddlebags and lit it, “I need to inspect the dragon’s hoard, and you will serve as witnesses that it is divided properly.”
After fastening the lantern to his side, Duchess Flying Saddle’s bailiff disappeared into the cave recently vacated by the giant lizard. The Brave Companions waited around outside, occasionally hearing the stallion’s movements come echoing from the cavern. After a few minutes, he returned, looking very disappointed.
“It’s empty,” he said incredulously, “There’s nothing in there but bones and rocks.”
“What did you expect?” Twilight asked with a sly grin, “He was not here long enough to collect any treasure, and he did not bring it with him from Tyrannus. Of course the cave is empty.”
“You knew!” Eirik exclaimed, growing angry with the sorceress, “That’s why you turned down the offer of part of the hoard! Well, if there’s no treasure, then the contract is violated.”
“Not at all,” Twilight said as she continued to smile, “We removed the dragon, fulfilling our end of the contract, and King Hyelliff will announce to all of Equestria that he will attend Celestia’s summit in the spring to uphold his end. The treasure will be divided up just as specified in the contract as well; it just so happens that three-quarters and one-quarter of zero both happen to be zero.”
“This is unfair; it was a trick,” Eirik ground his teeth in frustration, “Why should King Hyelliff comply with your demands if he gets nothing from it?”
“But he did. The dragon Ornjuntirmirthar will no longer plague the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r,” Twilight said firmly, “If that is not reason enough, then consider that I have an agreement with his seal upon it and that his legitimacy will be thoroughly shaken if he reneges on these terms and Equestria learns of it.”
“Very well; you emerge victorious this time,” Eirik surrendered, “But I will make sure that Duchess Flying Saddle and I are also invited to attend this summit of yours and I will see you again.”
“The more the merrier,” Twilight said with a grin, “Now, shall we return to Ponieville? Fluttershy, I am sure you want to return to your animals and that Spike will be glad to return the duty to you.”
***
After winging across Equestria and back over the Shimmering Sea, Ornjuntirmirthar glided over the forests and mountains of Tyrannus until he reached the fiery planes at the island’s heart. Slow-flowing streams of lava guided him to his destination, a mountain that had been transformed into a fortress of epic proportions. Other dragons in a kaleidoscope of colors watched as he flitted his way through the castle built by and for majestic beasts such as them. There were no doors to the throne room of the dragonlord who ruled here, only a breach in the wall that extended from floor to ceiling.
“You have returned,” a voice boomed from the far end of the throne room while Ornjuntirmirthar was still making his way past pillars carved with scenes of battle and destruction that dwarfed even him.
“Yes, my dragonlord,” Ornjuntirmirthar said as he reached the throne and gave a bow for the appropriate amount of time before craning his neck upwards.
Most dragonlords would have been content with a throne like the lesser races but of a larger size, but Ingrirtireth was no ordinary dragonlord. For the greatest of the dragonlords, only a throne that displayed his exceptional wealth and ferocity would do, and he had created this monstrosity himself. Ingrirtireth’s throne was a massive pile of gold, jewels, and the bones of those he’d killed, including dragons far larger than Ornjuntirmirthar, all fused into a single mass by the dragonlord’s flames.
At the top of the throne was a nest-like hollow, and this is where Ingrirtireth rested. He was abnormally slender compared to other dragons of his size, and his tail hung down over the edge of the throne, its barbed tip wrapped around the outstretched claw of a dragon foolish enough to oppose him. As large as Ornjuntirmirthar was, Ingrirtireth was far larger, and it would only have taken him three bites to snap the other dragon up if he were so inclined. His scales were black and shiny like obsidian, but their edges were blood-red, complementing his glowing ruby eyes.
“What news do you have for me?” the dragonlord demanded as he stared down at the smaller dragon.
It was an intimidating situation for anyone, dragon or not. There was an intensity in the dragonlord’s eyes that couldn’t be avoided, and clearly the threat there wasn’t empty. Though all the dragonlords of Tyrannus were supposed to be equal, they all had admit (begrudgingly, in most cases) that Ingrirtireth was in charge. Not only was he more powerful than any of them, but more devious, too. Many had tried to stand up to him, and all had failed, as his throne would attest.
“I met those six famous ponies,” Ornjuntirmirthar reported, “They could prove a nuisance, but I would not consider them a serious threat. Even if they can use the Elements of Harmony, I do not believe they are willing to use them unless pushed to great lengths.”
“That is for me to decide,” Ingrirtireth rumbled and Ornjuntirmirthar flinched, “What of my son?”
“He was not with them. They must have left him behind in Ponieville,” Ornjuntirmirthar said, fearing a backlash.
“Regrettable,” Ingrirtireth said slowly as he narrowed his eyes and Ornjuntirmirthar’s heart nearly stopped.
“Forgive me for this,” the smaller dragon pleaded, “I did not wish to return with no results.”
“No, the plan was sound, but I did not expect them to leave Spaaku behind,” Ingrirtireth said with the wave of a claw, “This venture was not all for naught, however. When Celestia learned of your presence, she paid me a visit, and I learned the most interesting thing from her. The Queen of the Ivory City intends to name her sister Luna as her heir ahead of Cadence in the line of succession.”
“What?” Ornjuntirmirthar said incredulously, “She cannot do that! What good is a hostage if she is no longer the heir?”
“The Lady mi Amore Cadenza may still be of some use to us,” Ingrirtireth said slyly, “Send a messenger to the Queen of the Broken Lands and tell her that I have a proposition for her. I believe she will find my offer most pleasing.”
“Yes, my dragonlord,” Ornjuntirmirthar replied as he gave another bow and departed, leaving Ingrirtireth alone to plot and scheme atop his throne of riches and carnage.
In the fields outside of Ponieville, a rent opened in the air, startling some nearby crows into flight. A cold gust of air flowed from the tear in space, flattening crops that were flash frozen a few seconds later as a herd of windigos charged through the rent, neighing in their brittle, icy voices. After emerging, the windigos fanned out, spreading cold in a wave as they galloped across the countryside, hovering just above the ground. A few flakes of snow blew from the rent, some evaporating in the still-cooling air, but some managing to land.
The frozen crops were crunched under heavy hooves as a new being emerged from the rent. The centaur surveyed his surroundings attentively, keeping an eye out for any living creature that could impede his mission. Heavy armor covered his body, from his fetlocks to the top of his head, which slowed his movement significantly, but would make him practically invulnerable to anything the residents of Equestria could throw at him. With nothing threatening in sight, he lowered the sword in his right hand and raised the metal staff in his left.
The gap widened and the frigid wind grew stronger, sending flurries of snowflakes flying through the air. Three more burly centaurs strode through the rift with weapons drawn, looking around cautiously just like their predecessor. The clouds in the sky began to darken and swirl as the lead centaur chanted and waved his staff around, beginning to release their own snowflakes. Accompanied by another swarm of windigos, a fifth centaur emerged from the rift, his greatsword sheathed at his side.
“Vittaï attö katteï! Vittaï Pönïvil aleffeï!” he shouted as he pointed with a gauntleted finger, and the other centaurs rushed forward, followed by others charging through the rift.
The White Procession had arrived.
***
Rarity trotted through Ponieville’s streets, completely oblivious to the dark clouds forming overhead. Her saddlebags were filled with precious fabrics she had just retrieved from a merchant’s office in Ponieville’s marketplace. This is my chance! Every so often, Mayor Mare would grow annoyed with the exorbitant cost of having clothes shipped to her from Cant’r Laht, and would charge a local tailor with making her an outfit for a much lower price. So far, each time she had been disappointed with the vast difference in quality and had gone back to her normal tailor in the mountainside city.
Rarity intended to break the cycle. For the first time, Mayor Mare had come to her with the proposal of making her a gown (well, not in person, but her bailiff had), and she didn’t intend to disappoint Ponieville’s governor. She had spared no expense; no local materials would be up to the Mayor’s standards, so she had had fabric imported all the way from Los Pegasus. The textiles had cost Rarity an outrageous amount, and the price to ship them had been even higher. She wouldn’t make much of a profit on this dress, but if the mayor liked it, then she could look forward to more orders and more income in the future, perhaps even enough that she could stop blacksmithing and work as a clothier alone.
Rarity shivered as the air cooled, wishing she’d worn a heavier dress to see the merchant, though it had almost been too hot to wear anything when she’d left her shop. That didn’t occur to Rarity at the moment, with her mind on how she would transform the fabrics in her saddlebags into a gorgeous gown for the mayor to wear to balls hosted by the nobility. The mare paused as a snowflake landed on her muzzle. Cold was one thing, but snow was the last thing she expected to see in the heat of the summer. Snow never fell this early in the year, unless …
The icy whinnies of a herd of windigos as they flew overhead startled Rarity. Snow began to fall more quickly, and blasts of it tore through Ponieville’s winding streets, coating everything in frost. Ponies out in the streets began to run for home, locking their doors behind them, and Rarity followed suit, galloping through the rapidly accumulating drifts toward her home. Warning bells began to ring out from Ponieville’s chapel, followed by bells from the Mayoral Keep a few minutes later. Almost there. Rarity’s smithy was in sight; all she had to do was get to the shop, clear the snow from in front of the door, and duck inside.
While she was still a ways off, a herd of windigos galloped past her smithy, and she pulled up short. An armored centaur followed the windigos, a mace at the end of an exceptionally long staff in his right hand. The centaur was slightly taller than the average pony at the withers, but the torso sprouting from where his neck and head should have been made him much taller than a pony. Steam emerged from the slits in his helmet’s visor as he turned to look Rarity’s way.
The blacksmith hesitated for a moment, snow settling on her back, before turning and galloping back the way she’d come. Terrified, she pushed herself to run even faster as the noise of pursuing hooves came from behind. Without warning, the mare swerved left and ducked through a narrow alleyway. Craning her neck back, she saw the centaur’s mace strike the side of one of the buildings lining the alley, the impact tearing away wood and wattle.
Rarity feared that the centaur would follow her into the alley, and he attempted to, but his armored shoulders proved too wide, and he retreated back into the street. Rarity made her way to the other end of the alley, taking advantage of the brief relief. She could try to make her way back to her smithy, but that was probably what the centaur was expecting, and she wasn’t certain she could outrun him again.
On the street she’d emerged onto, there was a pony who’d given up on making it home and was banging desperately on a stranger’s door, begging to be let in out of the cold that would soon become as deadly as a centaur’s weapon. Rarity had to give up on making it home as well. Maybe she could make it to the Mayoral Keep or the chapel. A centaur wielding a longsword galloped down the street, and Rarity took off while he was distracted, disemboweling the pony left out in the cold.
***
Applejack was trying desperately to make it to Ponieville’s east gate when the warning bells began to sound. It wasn’t easy, especially dragging a cart filled with apples behind her. She had been bringing them in to sell in Ponieville’s market, but the sudden chill in the air alerted her that normalcy was about to be shattered. The White Procession was here, and she needed to get back to the farm as soon as she could, even if it meant possibly losing money the Apples desperately needed. Better that they live and struggle on as always.
Most ponies rushing around her and bumping into her wagon lived in Ponieville, but a few, like her, lived outside the town’s gates and were headed in the same direction. They, also like her, were outraged when they reached the east gate and found it closed. Keeping them from simply forcing it open was a nervous-looking guard barely older than a colt brandishing his halberd.
“Turn back!” he ordered, his voice squeaking, “This gate has t’ stay closed! Go t’ th’ Mayoral Keep or th’ chapel!”
Before any of the assembled ponies could perpetrate the violence against him that they threatened, the guard dropped to the ground with a crossbow bolt embedded in his neck. Anger turned to panic as the mob of ponies spotted the killer. An armored pegasus with bat wings hovered overhead, fitting another bolt into her crossbow. More of the bat-ponies flew over the wall, and crossbow bolts began to rain down on a crowd struggling desperately to disperse. Applejack turned herself around, the panicked ponies nearby nearly causing her cart to tip over, and galloped off in the only direction it seemed safe to move.
“Hætten fettö æse!” one of the bat-ponies yelled to a battleaxe-wielding centaur that had appeared among the crowd, “Hü sæ algöttinï aleffö!”
The centaur cut a swath through the ponies that still hadn’t managed to flee, and charged after Applejack. Not stopping, the farmer tried to detach the cart with her teeth. The centaur was almost upon her when the straps finally came free. Applejack veered toward the centaur before releasing the cart entirely, causing it to crash into him and knock him off balance. Free of the dead weight, she galloped away as fast as her legs could carry her. Sneaking a look back, she saw that the centaur was no longer in pursuit.
She wasn’t in the clear yet, though. As she slowed her pace, a crossbow bolt embedded itself in the ground in front of her, right where she’d have been if she’d continued galloping. A bat-pony was perched on a nearby rooftop, preparing another bolt. Applejack took off in another direction, resigned to the fact that she wouldn’t make it back to the farm in time. Big McIntosh, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom would be fine on their own. This wasn’t the first White Procession attack they’d weathered. Her attention now was turned inward; Applejack needed to make it to a safe place, either the Mayoral Keep or the Ponieville Chapel, and she had to avoid the White Procession on the way.
***
Twilight Sparkle had felt a tingle in her horn when the rent had initially opened, so she wasn’t taken completely off guard when the bells began ringing to notify Ponieville of an emergency. The bells were what spurred her to take action, however, since it meant that the White Procession was not only here in Equestria, but here in Ponieville. Leaving her books behind, Twilight cantered up the stairs of Golden Oak’s laboratory.
“Spike, get me Hearthfire Incantations, Volume III,” Twilight ordered without pausing, but there was no response.
Of course; he’s not here. In her sudden haste, Twilight had forgotten that she had sent Spike on an errand earlier. He was probably still in the Mayoral Keep, speaking to Mayor Mare or one of her subordinates on Twilight’s behalf. At least he has the sense to stay there and not try to venture back here during an attack by the White Procession.
Twilight retrieved the book herself, using her magic to levitate the tome and flip it to the page she wanted. Golden Oak had grown his laboratory with a balcony nestled in the leaves, and the sorceress stepped out onto it to get a better view of what was happening. Dark clouds blanketed the sky, lightning emanating from within as they churned slowly around a point to the west of town, presumably where the White Procession had entered this world. Waves of snow blew through Ponieville’s streets, coating everything in a fine layer of ice and laying down drifts as they went. Screams emanated from down below as the Procession’s members sought out and killed everypony out of doors.
“Fausse prinessen, fetorsa feequus’r mrinessen!” Twilight shouted as she visualized summer, her voice carrying across the rooftops, “Fausse prinessen, fetorsa feequus’r mrinessen!”
At first nothing happened, except for the wind slowing slightly and the clouds lightening a negligible shade. Twilight continued the incantation, repeating the same five words faster and louder, channeling her energy into the spell. The snow blowing across the town settled to the ground and holes were punched through the cloud cover, letting sunlight beam down onto the artificial winter landscape.
***
In the fields outside of Ponieville, the centaur wizard watched the edges of his spell begin to fray and unravel. A cabal of wizards in Ponieville? Is my information that outdated? No, not a cabal of wizards, just a single wizard by the feel of things, though a powerful one at that.
“¿Væris epesanæ?” the centaur with a greatsword behind him demanded.
“Ætö sïnettöl Pönïvil æse nuttiffï,” the wizard responded, explaining that there was another working magic in the town, before gesturing for another centaur with a staff to come forward.
The wizards stood next to each other, the globes at the ends of their staffs nearly touching, and began incanting together. A miniature blizzard flurried around their staffs for a moment, and then the cold wind picked up again. The holes in the clouds filled back in, and they began to roil darker and more violently than before. The spell was restored to an even stronger state, blanketing Ponieville and the surrounding countryside in winter.
Nice try, but you’ll have to do better than that to overcome me. That, or find some other wizards to help you. The other wizard may not have been strong enough to defeat him, but they had still shown remarkable power for a single individual. With his free hand, the centaur pulled a map of the area from his saddlebags and tucked it into a groove in his chest plate as a reminder. I’ll see you later.
***
Atop Golden Oak’s laboratory Twilight Sparkle staggered backwards as her spell was utterly rebuffed. Of course, she should have expected this outcome. She’d forgotten that the incantation she was using was designed to multiply in power the more ponies were casting it. This made it powerful to fight off the White Procession in Cant’r Laht, where hundreds of sorcerers and sorceresses would be reciting the incantation simultaneously, but she was the only sorceress in Ponieville, so the spell was only as powerful as the energy she could pour into it.
The snow was coming down more swiftly now, and the square in front of the laboratory was covered in white powder nearly too deep to move through. One pony was trying to cross despite the snow, looking over her shoulder every few seconds to avoid the crossbow shots from a pair of bat-ponies pursuing her over the building. After a moment, Twilight realized that the mare down below was Applejack.
“Caen’r majia acca Ye’r accael!” Twilight yelled, and an unexpected downdraft caught the bat-ponies’ wings, sending them flying backwards and knocking their crossbow shots off course.
Applejack continued forcing her way through the snow, unaware of what had just taken place behind her. Movement at the other end of the square caught Twilight’s attention, and she turned to see Rarity trying to plow through the snow, faring worse than Applejack. A centaur wielding a long-handled mace emerged from the buildings behind her, aiming his weapon at her head.
“Eren’r majia acca Ye’r accael!” Twilight Sparkle shouted frantically, and the slightly frozen dirt beneath the centaur’s hooves rose up and threw him back.
Twilight tried yelling out to Applejack and Rarity, but the howling wind stole her words as the storm raged stronger. Spotting no more immediate threats, and no more of her friends, Twilight rushed inside, locked the balcony doors, and dropped Hearthfire Incantations on a table before galloping downstairs.
***
Rarity looked back, sure that the centaur chasing her was on top of her by now, but all she saw was a mound of earth covered in snow. Behind that mound, the centaur was lying on the ground, moving ponderously back to his hooves. She didn’t care how she was still alive; right now, her focus was on staying that way.
“Applejack! Rarity!” Twilight Sparkle’s magically augmented voice called from nearby, and Rarity spotted the sorceress standing in the open doorway of Golden Oak’s laboratory, beckoning to come to her.
Rarity changed course immediately, grateful to find a place of shelter (and a bit disappointed in herself that she hadn’t thought to seek out Twilight in the first place). Her trajectory suddenly changed as she struck a protrusion in the snow, the shaft of a wagon abandoned in the rush to find shelter. The mare flipped and rolled twice through the snow before landing on her back.
Strong forelegs lifted her up from the snow and deposited her back on her hooves. Rarity didn’t feel the weight of her saddlebags on her back anymore, and looked around frantically before spotting them hanging from the wagon, quickly becoming covered in show. The centaur was back on his hooves and charging through the snow from the same direction, but Rarity went for her saddlebags anyway; within was her ticket to a better life.
“Leave it!” Applejack said as she grabbed her and pulled her away.
Rarity struggled at first, but as the charging centaur grew closer, she stopped resisting and galloped alongside the farmer. Her saddlebags sank deeper into the snow as the centaur crushed the wagon underhoof, stumbling slightly before steadying himself. In a few seconds, he was on top of them again. Then, the blowing snow and freezing wind ceased as the two ponies stumbled into Golden Oak’s laboratory.
Twilight slammed the door shut behind them, locking it before beginning to trace runes over it. The centaur’s mace slammed against the wood, bowing the door, and Twilight drew faster. The banging continued for a few minutes, becoming muffled as the sorceress’s magical seal took effect, before the centaur finally walked away. Twilight Sparkle rushed around the laboratory, putting more magical protection in place. When she’d first started living here, she’d found that Golden Oak had already carved runes for protection from the White Procession into the tree everywhere, but it never hurt to be overprepared.
“Thank Faust for your hospitality, Twilight,” Rarity said as the adrenaline began to wear off, “I must admit, I didn’t know where I could go or if I’d reach anywhere before being slaughtered in the street.”
“Thank you, Twi’” Applejack offered her own appreciation, “If ‘t’wasn’t for you, I would’ve been trapped out there in th’ storm too. Making it back t’ th’ Apple farm in this is impossible.”
“Hmph, must you really act so uncultured?” Rarity spoke sideways at Applejack as the farmer shook and brushed off the snow caked on her and a clump hit Rarity in the face.
“I’m tryin’ t’ dry off so I don’t catch cold,” Applejack replied, keeping her voice low like Rarity’s and out of Twilight’s range of hearing, “You should do th’ same.”
Rarity harrumphed and stepped away from Applejack to keep from being hit by any more snow, but did begin to clean herself off as well, albeit a bit less vigorously. Honestly, I could put up with this kind of behavior when we were traveling together, but must she act like an unrefined peasant in the heart of Ponieville? Of course, Applejack is an unrefined peasant. It’s easy to forget that when we’re out being the “Brave Companions,” but not so easy to ignore now. Well, I suppose I shall just have to try to bear the discomfort for the time being.
“Here you are,” Twilight Sparkle said, returning with some blankets for the two ponies to dry off with, “I have dry clothes in my bedchamber if you would like to change.”
Twilight stopped and blinked a few times after the words had come unbidden to her lips. Did I really just offer to let somepony else (and non-sorceresses at that) wear my clothes? If my peers in Cant’r Laht heard this, they would be mortified! Maybe that’s a good thing, though. Maybe.
“Thank you ever so much, Twilight,” Rarity said as she brushed past Applejack on her way up to Twilight’s bedchamber, “You don’t mind if I go first, do you darling?”
“O’ course not,” Applejack said gruffly as she shivered, then began to rub herself more forcefully with the blanket Twilight had given her.
Who does she think she is? She’s no better than anypony else just because she lives within the walls of a town. And this town wouldn’t even exist without my family! We were here when the landscape was still crawling with monsters, and all any Hunter would do when we offered to pay for their services was laugh. That is, when they even showed up out in the wilderness. Rarity lives in a cottage, within the wall surrounding Ponieville. The Apples live in a home surrounded by a wall too, but it’s the wrong wall as far as any townsponies are concerned. It’s outrageous! Still, we’re supposed to be friends and comrades, so I guess I’ll just have to overlook Rarity’s belittling attitude toward me and my kin for the time being. I don’t know how long I’ll last, cooped up together in the laboratory, unable to leave …
Rarity emerged from Twilight’s bedchambers, wearing a set of the sorceress’s old robes from when she’d first visited Ponieville without the shoes, cloak, or the banner embroidered in runes draped over her neck. Well, she’s no sorceress, but they’ll keep her warm, at least, Twilight thought. Applejack ascended the stairs to Twilight’s bedchamber as Rarity descended, and shut herself in to finish drying off and change, leaving the two unicorns alone in the large central room of the laboratory.
“Say, I haven’t seen Spike around. Where is he, Twilight?” Rarity asked as the sorceress finished lighting a fire in one of the peculiar hearths grown into the laboratory tree’s structure.
“I sent him to the Mayoral Keep to speak with Mayor Mare before the White Procession arrived,” Twilight answered as she dragged some cushions from a sconce in the bookcases for her and Rarity to sit on.
“About having this space declared private again now that you’re living here?” Rarity asked as she gestured around, moving a bit awkwardly in unfamiliar clothes tailored for a pony with a smaller frame.
“Among other things,” Twilight said with a nod, but didn’t say any more. Queen Helianthus is making noise in the west about White Tail Wood again, meaning Ponieville will need to be prepared to supply troops if Los Pegasus actually attempts an annexation by force. It will probably turn out to be nothing, though, so there’s no point in worrying Rarity over it.
Applejack emerged from Twilight’s bedchamber, dressed in a simplistic black robe the sorceress rarely wore, especially after the incident with Trixie. The Black Sorceress had left in disgrace, but the scars of her botched fight with the ursa minor were still visible (or would be if they weren’t currently covered in snow), and Twilight didn’t want to remind ponies of that. Applejack didn’t wear the robes as well as Rarity wore hers, but seemed more at ease in them, having come from a life where one wore whatever one could get. Twilight sensed that Rarity had the same ability within her, but something had changed.
“These robes are mighty comf’table, Twi’” Applejack said as she sat down on the third cushion, “I can’t say I’ve ever worn somethin’ so soft before.”
“Oh,” Twilight said softly, feeling a bit embarrassed that her act of generosity had served to point out the vast gap between their social classes, “I will—uh—make us some tea.”
“Not that I’m in love with it,” Applejack apologized, thinking she’d offended the sorceress somehow, “It wouldn’t be very practical on th’ farm anyway, gettin’ covered in mud ‘n’ tangling up m’hooves.”
“Right, well, I am going to brew us some tea anyway to stave off the chill,” Twilight said as she trotted away to the laboratory’s kitchen.
“It wouldn’t be very practical on the farm?” Rarity asked incredulously once Twilight was gone, “Do you have any idea what a robe like that would cost to have tailored in Cant’r Laht?”
“No, but I have a bad feeling that you’re about t’ tell me,” Applejack said, glowering at Rarity as she sank into her cushion.
“More coin that you make in a year, more than you’ve seen in your life!” Rarity said, desperately struggling to reign in her annoyance, and succeeding only in making herself sound calm, though the bitterness was still there, “But, you rejected it because it’s not ‘practical.’”
“Yes, because I can’t afford t’ waste anything,” the farmer responded, her eyes daggers, “I lost a whole cart o’ apples t’ th’ White Procession, an’ even more o’ th’ crops’ll die in this frost. My family is struggling as it is, without this unholy winter coming t’ get rid o’ our hard work. Yet, this is how things always are—we have t’ plan for th’ White Procession—so I don’t panic. I don’t risk my life going back for saddlebags full o’ fancy cloth.”
Rarity sputtered at that, taken aback by the poor farmer’s boldness in condemning her for protecting her lifestyle. How could she understand what it meant to be held back from her dreams, never able to achieve what she truly wanted? All of Applejack’s identity was wrapped up in farming, and all peasants had to do was keep plants from dying to ensure they’d get paid for their efforts. Ponies would always need food, and it wasn’t really that hard to grow it. Didn’t the fact that peasants always filled in the gaps of farmland when others left prove that? She doesn’t have to deal with guilds and merchants and the whims of her customers, and the maze of regulations put in place by nobility all the way up the line to Celestia.
“F-f-fancy cloth!” Rarity eventually managed to stammer out, “Those fabrics were the finest produced in the textile mills of Los Pegasus and transported here at great personal expense!”
“I still think it’s a waste,” Applejack said, not letting Rarity finish her tirade and explain how they were meant for a gown for Mayor Mare that could secure bigger and better things for herself, “You’re a blacksmith an’ a tailor in a poor hamlet. You can get plenty o’ business without wasting your money making dresses nopony but a hooffull in this muddy village can afford.”
Twilight chose that moment to enter the room with a steaming teapot and three cups. She could have levitated all of the items with a simple spell, but it was easier and safer to levitate a tray beneath them instead. The tea vessels were not the only items on the tray; Twilight had also taken the liberty of adding three tumblers and a mostly-full bottle of wine to drink once they had finished their tea and the hour grew later. Considering Applejack’s comment about her robes, Twilight had tried to find something local or non-ostentatious, but she had no such liquors in her collection, so she had settled on a wine imported from Neighples across the Shimmering Sea.
“Is something the matter?” Twilight asked as she set the tray down, sensing the tension between her friends.
“Not at all,” Rarity said as she reached for the teapot, her voice tightly controlled and a false smile on her muzzle, “Thank you ever so much for the tea, and thank you again for inviting us into your home. I’m sure we’re not your usual kind of guests,” she added, giving Applejack a pointed look.
“Actually, I do not believe that I have had guests here since moving to Ponieville. Well, no guests who were invited by me,” Twilight said, thinking back to the party thrown by Pinkamena here on the night before the summer solstice, “Spike and I usually see to ourselves, me studying and experimenting and him—you know, I am not entirely sure what Spike does with his free time. In any case, the point I was trying to make was that I do not really have anything for entertaining, or to pass the time as a group.
If only I hadn’t left my chessboard and skirmishboard in Cant’r Laht, though I suppose neither of you are overly familiar with the rules of either. I thought it best they stay in Cant’r Laht, where they will be safe from any misfortune. They were both gifts from Twinkleshine—a sorceress I was familiar with in Cant’r Laht—and I know she would be mortified if anything happened to them. The craftsmareship is exquisite; the wood cut and smoothed to perfection and fitted together with a flawlessness that can only be achieved with sorcery, and the pieces are no less stunning, the eyes fitted with gems that sparkle just so to give them the semblance of life. Oh, but I am going on and on, aren’t I? Forgive me.”
Twilight scratched the back of her head with a hoof sheepishly and concentrated on pouring herself a cup of tea. Even after moving to Ponieville, you spend too much time by yourself, Twilight. These ponies are your friends, bound to you by the Elements of Harmony, and yet you know little about them personally. So, when you finally have some time with them, why do you speak only of yourself? Ask them about themselves. Involve yourself in their discussion. Go on.
“So, what were you two talking about before I got here?” Twilight asked, heeding the advice of the little pony in her head.
“Nothing important,” Rarity replied, taking a sip of tea, “Well, we can’t go outside, so I suggest we find some way to pass the time. Perhaps you could tell us about your life in Cant’r Laht.”
“You want to hear about that?” Twilight asked, and Rarity and Applejack both nodded their assent, “Well, I suppose, if you also tell me about your lives here in Ponieville before I met you.”
***
Year 978 of the 4th Age
The hooded stallion tried his hardest not to look suspicious as he trotted out of Manehattan’s gates, which of course (along with his hood on a cloudless day) only made him look more suspicious. Fortunately for him, the guards posted at the city’s gate were more interested in watching the nearby washermares at work than in searching one pony among the dozens moving through the gap in the rust-red walls surrounding Manehattan. He ignored the beggars squatting on the side of the road beseeching passersby to spare some alms, and they ignored him right back, knowing at a glance that he was a pony with not much to give.
Paranoid, the stallion repeatedly checked to make sure his saddlebag was tightly fastened to him and secured closed, using the opportunity to look back and see if anypony was following him. Seeming to be in the clear, he snuck one last look back at the city he’d never see again. The gate he’d passed through had been in a wall protecting the bridge to the true city, whose walls were just as red, but soared much higher. A few buildings were still visible from beyond the walls, such as the steeples of St. Cassius’s Basilica and the Kings’ Redoubt in the distance, where King Wexel held court when he could be bothered to go to the trouble. The scaffolding surrounding the Temple of the Divine Cleansing Flame’s construction could also be seen, but that structure gave the stallion a shudder, and he hurried on down the path.
Most of Manehattan’s trade came to the city by ship, so the road was not overcrowded by carts and wagons, and the stallion was able to move at a pace that fit his anxiety. Eventually he reached the tiny village of dilapidated cottages pressed up against the shore of the Shimmering Sea. Before he reached the first houses, he removed the hood from his head; wearing the covering would make his neighbors ask questions, and there was no need to hide the horn on his forehead, since most of them had the same protrusion on their own skulls. There was nopony in sight as he made his way to a cottage near the edge of the cluster and let himself in.
“Oi, Magnus, I was afeared the guards or street prophets had got you or somethin’!” the stallion’s wife said with relief as he entered, “What kept you so long?”
“A wall o’ that accursed temple collapsed last night, and the street prophets were right quick t’ point their devoted flocks in the directions of the nearest unicorns. Three died already, killed in the streets or their homes afore the king’s guards could step in,” Magnus explained his delay as he rushed over to his wife and embraced her, saving her the trouble of coming to him in her current state, heavy with foal, “I had to avoid the crowds, and when I finally made it to the falsifier, she wanted more than we agreed on, ‘considerin’ the current situation.’”
“That cheating hag,” the mare said with fire in her eyes, “How much have we got left?”
“Enough,” Magnus lied.
The night before, he had gone out the back corner of the little field behind their home and dug up the last bit of coin the two ponies had squirreled away in case of emergencies. After paying the counterfeiter, they now had only thirteen silver loeps, and a smattering of double quatres, not nearly enough to start their lives over. Still, what was the alternative?
“I hope those papers are worth it,” the mare said with concern, seeing that her husband was not being truthful, but deciding not to call him out on it directly.
“Oh, my ‘Rietta, they will be,” he assured her as he released her and unfastened his saddlebags to retrieve the documents in question, “These will allow us to travel freely, without being questioned, and cross the border out o’ this kingdom without being hunted through the woods. So long as we keep out o’ the way and don’t run into any o’ the prince’s knights, we’ll be safe.”
“Is this all really necessary?” Henrietta asked fearfully. It seemed so drastic to leave the place of one’s birth and one’s homeland at a moment’s notice to travel to a place one knew little about.
“Yes, my dear. Though the king’s officials deny the stories, the rumors have still reached us that Prince Hadish just torched a unicorn village on the mainland to the ground for hiding a witch that didn’t exist. And now the prince is returning home; why else do you think Greta—little magical ability that she has—disappeared? Hadish could come looking for her, and when we tell him we don’t know where she is, he’ll burn us as well.
And who would protect us? King Wexel has ordered his guard t’ stop violence against th’ non-earths—t’ keep him from having t’ deal with riots, probably—but they don’t leave the city, and the city guard has no love for us. Once Prince Hadish arrives with his own guard, they’ll be outnumbered more than they already are. We can’t count on Cardinal Oelifus protecting us either; the Church has gone quiet since those priestesses were found burned alive down by th’ docks.”
“Faust will protect us,” Henrietta said anxiously as she clutched at the crude pendant of a seven-pointed star around her neck.
“Yes, she will, but she will protect us on the road,” Magnus said as he pulled his wife close, “There have been signs for so long that we need t’ move on, and we need t’ heed them. Manehattan is no longer our home; we’ll head west, past Hollow Shades and cross over into th’ Hill Kingdoms, and from there t’ th’ Equestry Valley and Ponieville.”
“Ponieville,” Henrietta said wistfully.
“Yes, it’s a small village, out o’ the way, and under Celestia’s direct protection,” Magnus said, “We’ll be safe there from Hadish’s pogroms.”
“And what will you do in Ponieville, my dear?” Henrietta asked, “We were both born t’ tend fields, but your skills are better suited for fixing th’ fishers’ nets. There’s no fishers in the middle of Equestria.”
“We’ll find a way. Faust will provide,” Magnus said, desperately praying that he was right, “But now, my ‘Rietta, we must go. Grab only what we’ll need for th’ trip, and leave the rest behind.”
***
Trotstagor had once been a grand city, and in many ways, it still was. During the height of the Hill Kingdoms, it had been the city where the nation’s multiple kings would meet to decide matters of national importance, but those times were long gone. The Hill Kingdoms had shrunk significantly over the years, until only twelve kings remained, ruling over tiny patches of land. Pressed in on all sides by their neighbors, a few years earlier the Hill Kings had yielded and sworn fealty to Celestia, losing their sovereignty, but gaining Cant’r Laht’s protection from Stalliongrad and Manehattan.
The city of Trotstagor was now much reduced, and a large portion of the city within the walls had been demolished and converted back into farmland. Soldiers still inhabited the outposts along the walls, however, since the city was now the most important point on the border between the Dominions of Cant’r Laht and the Kingdom of Manehattan. At the moment, the city was flooded with unicorn refugees fleeing the nation to the east in hope of a better life under Celestia.
Magnus and Henrietta had travelled a long way to reach Trotstagor, and many had traveled from even farther away, yet it seemed that, like so many others around them, their journey would end here. One of the papers in Magnus’s possession guaranteed them passage across the border, but not without an entry fee. After paying for food and shelter along the way, the peasant couple had precious little money left. Four silver loeps and eighteen double quatres were all that remained on the string Magnus kept tightly secured beneath his clothing, which, according to the Bank of Trotstagor (whose wizards set exchange rates all across Equestria), was worth only three and a sixteenth Trotstagor duursmarks, or three Cant’r Laht shillings and two pence. The entry fee was three and a half shillings, but the couple had no means of acquiring the extra four pence they needed.
The refugee camp in Trotstagor was set up in a dilapidated plaza on the edge of the fields, an area that was no longer inhabited by permanent residents, but hadn’t yet been demolished to make room for more farmland. Those who had tents had set them up as shelter, forming a maze of canvas. Ponies who hadn’t brought shelter with them had to seek it in the form of abandoned homes and shops, but most of those were occupied by the time Magnus and Henrietta arrived. Henrietta was currently seated by herself at the base of a statue of a rearing pegasus who’d lost one wing and half its face, where she had a good view of her husband as he returned from the bank. At his side was a filly, perhaps eleven or twelve years of age, dressed in a rough leather jerkin and trousers, a sack filled with her worldly possessions—like the ones currently serving as the pregnant mare’s seat—slung across her back.
“As I thought, we’re short on coin t’ pay the entry fee, but I think I’ve worked out a solution,” Magnus announced as he neared his wife, “I ran into Viekas here at the bank. She’s a cooper’s apprentice.”
“Was a cooper’s apprentice, tho’ I know just about ev’ythin’ already,” Viekas cut in with her reedy voice, “Mah master turned me out; said losin’ the help would hurt his bizniss less than keepin’ a unicorn on. I c’n do it all, but nopony’s gonna hire on a cooper at mah age, an’ nopony’s gonna take on an apprentice who’ll leave soon anywho.”
“Viekas has two shillings and five pence, and if we pool our money we can all cross over,” Magnus took back over the conversation from the filly whose speech was even more broken than his peasant accent, “We’ll only have four pence left, but Viekas is sure we can make enough money barrel-makin’ in Ponieville.”
“You said nopony would take you on or hire you,” Henrietta said, puzzled.
“I’ll apprentice wif him,” Viekas answered, shaking her head toward Magnus.
“She already knows cooping head t’ tail, so I’ll claim t’ be a master cooper and take her on as an apprentice,” Magnus explained, “Really, it’ll be the other way around, but it doesn’t matter. So long as we can stretch those last few pence until we make it t’ Ponieville, we’ll be alright.”
“You’re a blessing, dear,” Henrietta said as she struggled to her hooves and embraced Viekas before she could pull away, “My husband, a cooper; we’ll be proper townsponies, not just peasants anymore.”
“Um, thanks?” Viekas squeaked, and pulled herself free of Henrietta’s grip, “We should prob’ly head on out o’ here.”
“Yes, let’s,” Magnus said enthusiastically, grabbing his and Henrietta’s bags and slinging them across his back, “Onward, to Ponieville and better things.”
***
“Can you believe this?” Magnus asked Henrietta as he looked around their home.
The cottage was small and cramped, especially with Viekas living with the family as well, but to ponies who’d spent their whole lives in poorly-constructed shacks, and the last few weeks in the wilderness, it was a mansion. Ponieville had been without a cooper for a few years, the village’s newly appointed mayor had been persuaded by the local guilds to make any accommodations necessary to ensure Magnus and Viekas stayed. To that effect, the money to purchase a home and shop had been forwarded to the family from the town’s treasury, with the expectation of repayment at some unset date in the future.
Magnus was learning the art of cooping fast, but Viekas still secretly turned out most of the goods. She was gracious enough to share all the proceeds of sales with the new parents, and they both vowed secretly that the filly would be repaid in full and more as soon as she could be. It was more than they ever could have dreamed, going from fearing for their lives in a tiny settlement outside Manehattan to living relatively comfortably in Ponieville in such a short time.
“It almost doesn’t seem real, does it?” Henrietta replied quietly, so as not to wake their infant daughter, “Faust provided, just like you said.”
“And how,” Magnus said, sitting beside his wife and admiring the tiny unicorn together, “Have you thought of a name for her?”
“I’m just still so happy everything turned out alright,” Henrietta admitted, “It’s a miracle she was born into a life where she won’t have t’ worry about all the things we did. ‘Faust will provide.’ We say it all the time, but t’ see it play out like this, t’ see somethin’ so amazing happen t’ ponies as lowly as us, it’s such a rarity.”
***
Year 1000 of the 4th Age
“Celestia does indeed wield absolute power as Cant’r Laht’s Matron of Sorceresses and with many of her other titles, but she chooses to leave many small decisions, especially city matters, to the Lodge of Sorceresses. High-ranking members of the Lodge are also occasionally called to advise Celestia on the rare occasions that she is not familiar with some matter,” Twilight explained Cant’r Laht’s government to Rarity and Applejack, “It is much like the aldermares and alderstallions of Ponieville, who can be called upon to advise Mayor Mare or act in her absence, but otherwise have little influence. Of course, the Lodge is on a much grander scale; over a hundred members are in the 2nd Council alone. Any mage displaying great skill in magic may be selected to join the lower 2nd Council, and after some time may be invited to move to the upper 1st Council. Despite the lack of solid political power, it is still considered a great honor.”
“I should say so,” Rarity observed with awe, “I can only imagine what an honor it would be to receive such an invitation from your peers to join them.”
The three ponies had been talking for hours, while the storm raged on outside of the laboratory. Though Twilight hadn’t meant to monopolize the time, it seemed to her that she’d spent the most time talking, sharing things she knew about Cant’r Laht that nopony here had ever heard a whisper of. Applejack and Rarity didn’t seem to mind, and appeared to encourage it, lapping up every word Twilight spoke about the ivory city. Over time, Twilight began to prefer it as well. Whenever Applejack or Rarity spoke about their lives in Ponieville before the sorceress’s arrival, the other always seemed to be in a foul mood, or had some cutting remark ready. It wasn’t direct hostility, but Twilight could sense some tension between the two ponies, and it was making her uncomfortable.
“It doesn’t seem so great,” Applejack said, contradicting Rarity and earning a glare from the unicorn, “You said yourself, Twi’, that the Lodge has no real power, so it seems it’d be a waste of time t’ be a part of it.”
“You don’t understand what a position like that means, just as a symbol,” Rarity cut in before Twilight could say that there were some sorceresses that felt the same way as the farmer, and that she herself was on the fence about the matter, “Are you saying that if you were appointed as an aldermare, you’d refuse?”
“First off, I would never be appointed aldermare in Ponieville. Second, yes, I’d refuse. There’s no point in wastin’ my time with meetings that wouldn’t decide anything anyway. An’ even if I accepted just t’ get a voice t’ advise the mayor, there’s no way Mayor Mare would listen t’ anything I have t’ say, no matter what title I held.”
“Well, I guess that’s where we differ,” Rarity bristled, “If I was an aldermare, I’d make the most of it and improve my business.”
“It would be nice t’ make money without having t’ work for it.”
“I beg your pardon,” Rarity said, turning red, “Are you implying that I’m some spoilt, do-nothing laze-about?”
“Only if you’re implying that I’m just a poor, uneducated, unworthy peasant.”
“Enough!” Twilight cut in forcefully, startling the other two ponies, “You two have been at each other’s throats since I first invited you in. What is happening between you?”
“Oh, it’s just that Miss Better-Than-Thou-Because-I-Live-in-Town here treats me like I’m unworthy o’ common decency just because I tend crops instead o’ shapin’ metal, snippin’ cloth, an’ wastin’ m’savings on fancy garb nopony’ll ever wear!” Applejack snapped.
“You think your life is so much more difficult than mine?” Rarity retorted, “You understand nothing of what I have to deal with, nor do you understand decency is earned, and you must certainly have not earned it from me, what with your boorish manner and brutish ways!”
“Just how did you ‘earn’ th’ right t’ decide if y’should treat ponies like me with decency?” Applejack demanded, jumping to her hooves, “Just because you were born within Ponieville instead o’ outside th’ walls doesn’t make you any better than th’ rest of us!”
“That would be my breeding, upbringing, and class!” Rarity said with a sneer, also jumping to her hooves and going nose to nose with Applejack.
Twilight rose herself, flabbergasted by the heated argument going on. I had heard rumors that social rifts existed between townsponies and peasants, but I had no idea that it was so blatant or the cause for such malice and conflict.
“You were born within Ponieville, you were not; I do not see that as any reason for conflict, since the two of you really are not so different in my eyes. To any sorceress living in Cant’r Laht, the very notion that any difference in social class between peasants and townsponies exists would be laughable,” Twilight said, and realized she’d chosen the wrong method when the angry eyes turned on her, “Things are basically the same everywhere. There is always some divide—sometimes artificial, sometimes very real—between classes, but ponies are still ponies. The two of you have cut at each other like a nest of sorceresses, but you have also acted as rudely and vilely as the basest Cant’r Laht beggar.”
“Well, I say, Twilight!” Rarity replied, taken aback and more than a little offended that the sorceress had grouped her and Applejack into the same lowly group, but couldn’t say anything more before Twilight shushed her.
“Did you hear that?” Twilight asked, her hooves held up for silence.
“You can’t just-” Applejack protested, but ceased speaking when she heard what Twilight had a few seconds earlier.
It sounded a bit like somepony had run into the side of the laboratory, or was knocking ponderously against the wood. The reverberating thud came again, louder this time, and nopony could deny hearing it. Twilight rushed to one of the windows and carefully pulled back a thick curtain to look outside.
Standing in the blowing snow were eight centaurs in full armor, weapons out and at the ready. In the center of the group was a centaur with a greatsword, the wings and crests on his helm and the generally higher quality of his armor suggesting that he was the group’s leader, perhaps even the leader of the excursion. Two burly soldiers stood on each side of him, and Twilight recognized one of the four as the centaur that had been pursuing Rarity. The remaining three centaurs held weapons, but also staffs that marked them as wizards. One of them kept the spell of winter in place over Ponieville, while another directed the wind in the area to blow snow away and leave only a thin layer on the ground around the group’s hooves. The third was right outside of the laboratory’s door, banging his staff against the protective magical shield as he sought a way to crack it.
“Get back!” Twilight Sparkle yelled to her friends as the centaur wizard’s magic began to resonate with the shield, “Falan otha Ye!”
The magical shield burst into existence around Twilight as the laboratory’s door exploded inward, along with the frame and a sizable amount of wall. Twilight repositioned herself in front of her friends so that her defenses would protect them as well, and bits of wood bounced off her shield, sizzling and blackened when they fell to the floor. A cold wind blew into the laboratory through the new hole in the wall, carrying snowflakes and extinguishing the fire in the hearth. Twilight stood ready for an attack, but none came, and the seconds dragged on.
“Sïnettöl kæs Pönïvil leffæffï kattö!” the centaur who’d broken the spell yelled, then repeated his command in Low Equestrian, “Wizard of Ponieville, come out!”
“What are your intentions?” Twilight Sparkle called back, playing for time as she wove the groundwork for spells and mentally prepared herself to cast an enchantment at a moment’s notice.
“¿Yöng væris mettiffül?” the leader demanded, and the wizard turned his head slightly, so as to be able to see his commander and Twilight at the same time.
“Yöng pötissï kæs vittaï hölu mærs æmäru,” the wizard translated, before requesting no further interruptions, “¿Hü vitta mässu kassïö hef yïniga, äsæmæ?”
“What are they saying, Twi’?” Applejack asked, unknowingly mirroring the conversation going on outside.
“I do not know,” the sorceress admitted, “I speak four languages fluently, but Centaurean is not one of them. Only the peoples of Judd Caradain know how to speak it, and they are not inclined to share the information with anypony in our world.”
“You attempted to counteract my magic. On your own, you must have known that you could not succeed,” the centaur wizard answered Twilight, “You surprised me, and I wish to take your measure.”
“You wish to try to kill me,” Twilight called back, fully understanding the wizard’s intentions.
“Of course,” he admitted, stretching out his arms and holding his staff loosely, “You challenged us, and without the support of additional wizards, you had to have known that your death was a foregone conclusion.”
When she’d initially fought back against the White Procession, she had been acting on reflex earned from years of living in Cant’r Laht, and hadn’t considered the repercussions of doing so in this new location. Now, though, she understood that challenging the White Procession as the only sorceress in the area was sure to draw their attention to her, and on her own she wouldn’t be seen as much of a threat. The White Procession had mages just like Equestria, but they only sent their most powerful through into this world. Two of the wizards outside were preoccupied, and Twilight was fairly confident that she could hold off the one challenging her, but the trouble was that she had to protect Rarity and Applejack at the same time.
“If you won’t come out, then I guess I will have to tear your domicile down around you. Or, I could remove the apparent reason for you holding back,” the centaur wizard said, growing impatient and looking at Applejack and Rarity before waving his free hand forward, “Næssus, vez öennäthï ïssatö”
One of the soldiers stepped forward, a double-bladed axe clutched in one hand. Lowering his shoulders, the centaur rushed forward, his eyes set on the two ponies not directly protected by Twilight’s magical shield. The gap blown in the wall of the laboratory was more than large enough for him to fit through, and his hoofsteps rang out as he stepped on wood instead of muffling snow.
“Bei urga nof otha eri mottiren!” Twilight yelled the moment that the centaur was fully within the laboratory.
A wall of golden fire sprang into being around Golden Oak’s laboratory, the flames rising higher than the centaurs’ height. The seven centaurs outside stepped back from the explosive heat that melted the snow at their hooves, and their commander yelled for them to stay where they were. The lead wizard shouted for the other two to keep their spells going and maintain the winter.
“Ye seni cavan’r seyat!” Twilight shouted as she jammed a forehoof into the runes she’d traced into the floor.
Magical arrows leapt toward the centaur cut off from his compatriots, but he dodged to the side, using his torso to gain momentum, and only one of the glowing missiles sizzled a burn across his armor. The centaur wasted no time and angled back toward Twilight, striking her shield on the side with his axe. The shield shattered in a flash of light, and the force threw Twilight off to the side, though she managed to land on her hooves without much disorientation. The centaur turned toward his true targets, weapon at the ready. Rarity screamed, but Applejack grabbed the tea tray from the floor and threw it at the centaur. Cups and the wine bottle shattered against the centaur’s helm, blinding him momentarily and giving Twilight the time she needed to prepare another attack.
“Cant’r majia tanya Ye’r fecorar!” the sorceress incanted.
Bolts of lightning tore down from the sky and burned through the roof of Golden Oak’s laboratory, striking the centaur. The clouds above were only there because of the White Procession’s magic, and this and the passage through the laboratory’s roof weakened the spell so that it merely incapacitated the centaur for a few seconds instead of killing him. Twilight desperately traced runes on the floor while she kept her eyes on the centaur, watching for any sign of relaxing muscles.
“Get down!” Twilight shouted to Applejack and Rarity as the centaur regained the ability to move, and slammed her hoof down on the runes she’d just drawn, “Ye seni cavan’r essoc!”
A blade of pure magic shot out in front of the sorceress at neck-level and sliced through a wide arc. The centaur’s torso was cut from his body and his hands from their arms. As the afterglow of the spell faded, the warrior collapsed to the floor in four pieces, his axe sliding in the direction of the cowering Applejack and Rarity.
The frigid wind resumed with greater ferocity as the flames outside the laboratory were suddenly extinguished. Twilight Sparkle tried to call something out to her friends, but was interrupted as the wall next to her exploded inward, sending her rolling across the laboratory floor and into a bookshelf. A centaur with a shortsword galloped through the original hole and immediately set his sights on Rarity and Applejack. The farmer grabbed the nearby axe in her teeth and awkwardly threw it at the centaur.
“Come on,” Rarity said, suddenly calm and collected, as the axe bounced off the centaur’s raised forearm.
Applejack followed, seeing that Rarity at least thought she had a good idea, and the two of them galloped up the stairs to Twilight’s bedchamber. The centaur followed, taking the steps two at a time. Twilight turned to cast a spell at him as he ascended, but she was forced to duck down as a shaft of ice impaled the books just above her head. The lead wizard stood in the new gap, his sword and staff held out at his sides, and Twilight’s brow furrowed into a frown. He won’t give up until we do battle.
***
From Twilight’s bedchamber, Rarity led Applejack into the adjoining room and closed the door. The room had originally been used as storage by Golden Oak, and like the majority of the laboratory, the walls were lined with shelving filled with books. Twilight had converted the space into a room for her page, and relocated most of the tomes to make space for Spike’s minimal possessions. On one side of the room was a small bed whose straw mattress had been torn open by the dragon’s claws in his sleep and now resembled more of a nest than a bed. A pitcher of water sat next to the bed, just in case he awoke to find he’d inadvertently lit his bed on fire while he dozed. The only other furniture in the room was a small writing desk and a heavy chest, which Rarity was trying to open.
“What are we doing here?” Applejack asked, looking anxiously at the door.
“Remember when Twilight and Spike got back from speaking with the Griffon Free Companies?” Rarity said as she gave up on prying the locked chest open and turned to looking for the key instead, “Spike went around showing off that flail the griffons gave him.”
“A weapon!” Applejack said, “Y’know, Rarity, that’s not a bad idea.”
“Thanks,” the unicorn replied without a hint of warmth in her voice, “The brutish way you threw the axe at that centaur was good for something, at least.”
“Oh, give it a rest,” Applejack said as she hitched up her robes and struck the chest with her hindhooves repeatedly, until it began to crack and splinter, “Whether you approve or not, I was doing somethin’ useful, like saving your hide out there in th’ snow when y’tried t’ get yourself killed goin’ back for fabric.”
Applejack wrenched open the chest and grabbed Spike’s flail the same moment that the pursuing centaur tore the door free of its hinges. As he raised his sword, the farmer threw the weapon at the centaur’s sword hand. He cursed as the flail wrapped around his wrist, spikes punching through his gauntlet as the head impacted with the back of his hand. His sword dropped from his grip, and Applejack snatched it up before he could retrieve it.
The sword was designed for use by a creature with hands, and Applejack held the weapon awkwardly in her mouth. The hilt was too round to be gripped properly in her teeth, the crossguard obscured her vision, and the blade was not balanced well for use by a pony, but the edge was sharp and it would do in a pinch. Applejack jumped toward the centaur, aiming a slash at the gap in armor under his arm, but the centaur was too quick, and his good arm shot out and a gauntleted hand closed around the farmer’s throat.
The sword clattered to the ground as the centaur lifted her up, squeezing his fingers tighter as she struggled and kicked at his arm. Rarity picked the sword up off the ground and tried to hold it in her teeth like she’d seen Applejack do, but the hilt slipped out and she had to pick the weapon back up. The centaur’s foreleg shot out before she could do anything, and threw her over Spike’s bed.
This is insane! I don’t know anything about sword fighting, Rarity thought as she picked herself back up and grabbed the sword again. But if I don’t act, Applejack will die. Rarity jumped up onto Spike’s writing desk and it wobbled as she used it as a platform to launch herself at the centaur. The centaur twisted his head to the side as he spotted the movement, but not swiftly enough to close the gap in his armor between his cheek and neck guards, and the blade sank in deep, tearing through chainmail links and flesh.
The centaur coughed and blood dripped from the slits in his helm as his strength gave out. Applejack gasped for air as the dead hand released her and she fell to the ground. The centaur toppled over, nearly landing on Rarity, who had to dart out of the way to avoid being crushed under the heavily armored corpse.
“Yes, the fabric in my saddlebags was expensive beyond what is natural for a clothier in a village like this, but I had a reason,” Rarity said haughtily, continuing their argument like nothing had happened, and Applejack looked at her incredulously as she rubbed her bruised throat, “My work requires risks. Sure, I could stick to smithing and making common garments, but I can’t do that forever and be productive, especially when I find no joy in it. I was never meant to make horseshoes and farm implements my whole life, but to move beyond that I need to get the attention of somepony important. That fabric was for Mayor Mare, and I only have one chance to impress her, so the expense was worth it. At least, I thought so, but now I may have lost my only opportunity to move on, and might lose what I already have, besides.”
“Oh. Rarity, I didn’t know,” Applejack croaked apologetically, “You were right before when you said I don’t understand th’ lives of townsponies like you, but you don’t understand my life any more, an’ that’s no excuse for treating me any less than you’d treat any pony you’d consider you’re equal.”
Another centaur charged into Twilight’s bedchamber, the same soldier with the long-handled mace that had chased Rarity to the laboratory earlier. Eyes flashed through the visor of his helm as he spotted the mare who’d escaped him. Rarity struggled to pull the sword from the neck of the dead centaur at her hooves as the live one charged and swung his mace at her head. She pulled back at the last minute, and the mace crushed the helm of the dead centaur. Rarity jumped out of Spike’s bedchamber, climbing over the centaur’s back to do so. Before she reached the floor of Twilight’s bedchamber, the centaur struck out with his armored hindhooves and sent Rarity tumbling across the room.
The centaur turned his attention to Applejack, and raised his bloodied mace. She jumped aside as he brought the head down at her, smashing a corner off Spike’s severely damaged chest. He swung the mace up and around, a baggy pair of pantaloons fluttering from the end for a few seconds, and struck the bookshelf above Applejack’s head, shattering the contents or spilling them onto the floor. Applejack jumped out of the way as the centaur lifted his weapon and brought it back down toward her. Before the weapon struck the ground, the centaur removed one hand from it and reached for Applejack. Almost tripping over Spike’s bed, Applejack grabbed the jug next to it and threw it at the centaur’s outstretched hand, startling him as the jug shattered.
Another jug shattered a moment later, this one on the back of his head, and the oil Spike used to treat scrolls before sending them to Celestia ran down the centaur’s armor and through the cracks. The centaur spun around, his mace still outstretched and nearly flipping Spike’s bed as it whirled in an arc. Rarity threw another jar of the oil at the centaur, this one hitting him in the face and causing the oil to splash into his eyes. The centaur yelled and cursed as he charged blindly in Rarity’s direction.
Applejack pulled the sword easily from the dead centaur now that his head was no more than a crumpled helm and pulverized flesh and bone. Finding a suitable grip in her mouth, she galloped toward the centaur as he swung his mace wildly about. The farmer clambered onto the soldier’s back and began swinging the sword while trying to stay steady. Most of her slashes bounced off the armor or made minimal damage, until she found a vulnerable spot in the armor near the centaur’s upper shoulder and jammed the sword in. She held tight to the sword, keeping it impaled, while the centaur tried to buck her off.
“Applejack, get down!” Rarity yelled, and Applejack released the sword, nearly getting hit in the head by the flailing mace as she was thrown off and rolled across the floor.
Rarity had detached a lantern from the wall and opened the shutters all the way, and now she threw it at the oil-coated centaur. Flames with green edges consumed the centaur in seconds, and he fell to the floor writhing in agony. His mace clattered on the ground until Applejack grabbed it and used it to crush the centaur’s head, as much to put him out of his misery as to keep him from lighting everything in Twilight’s bedchamber on fire.
“Looks like y’need dragon fire t’ send ‘em t’ Celestia,” Applejack commented as the flames died out.
“That’s what you have to say about this?” Rarity said incredulously, then stood in silence for a few seconds, “I’m sorry.”
“What?” Applejack said, genuinely confused and taken aback by Rarity apologizing.
“You’re right. What you said before. Just because we live different lives is no reason to be at each other’s throats. I have no reason not to treat you with just as much decency as anypony else.”
The two ponies stood in silence in Twilight’s bedchamber, looking at the two centaur corpses. Outside the laboratory, the wind howled, reminding them that there was no escaping the building without freezing to death. The sound of an explosion came from down below.
“Twilight!” both ponies exclaimed at the same time.
***
“Cavan’r majia thula Ye assi cavan’r falan,” Twilight incanted softly as she rose.
Luminous magic covered the sorceress, encasing her in armor whose glow pulsed slowly between dim and bright. She also cast a simple spell mentally that would keep her warm if the fight took her out into the blizzard and protect her from the dropping temperatures in the laboratory. Twilight Sparkle settled into a battle stance, her eyes hard and focused and her robes flaring slightly, drawn up by the magic sizzling in the air around her.
“Now that’s more like it,” the centaur wizard said gleefully as he spun his staff around and moved his sword into a better grip.
The end of his staff glowed, and the interior of the laboratory became coated in ice. Twilight jumped into the air before the frost could reach her and poured additional power into her warming spell before radiating it, melting the ice in a circle around her. Steam emanated from her as the cold closed in around the sorceress and snowflakes began to strike her. As the centaur advanced, icicles grew at an alarming rate on the ceiling and plummeted toward Twilight faster than her radiant heat could melt them, forcing her to jump out of the way.
“Mrinessen’r torrisal!” Twilight yelled, and the ice on the ground rose up and encased the centaur in a block.
The icicle attacks stopped, giving the sorceress a breather to prepare herself. The wizard remained frozen, unable to move in his prison of frost. A centaur wielding a long-handled mace charged through the hole where the door once had been, and Twilight prepared a spell to strike him down.
“Ye sen-” she began to chant, and was interrupted when something struck her in the side.
The sorceress went flying across the room, her magical armor crackling and consuming the chunk of ice that had struck her. She hit the bookshelves hard and fell to the ground.
“Surely you didn’t think that the only element I was master over was ice,” the centaur wizard mocked as the ice around him melted away and fire flickered over his frame.
The centaur scraped the end of his staff across the ground, and a trail of fire sped in Twilight’s direction. The sorceress leapt to her hooves to escape the fiery demise some of the books met and evaluated her situation. Her magical armor was still intact, albeit damaged, and the centaur wizard was still facing her on his own. The centaur with the mace had disappeared, probably upstairs, and there was no way for Twilight to reach him without turning her back on the wizard, so Applejack and Rarity were on their own.
“Caen’r majia acca Ye’r accael!” Twilight shouted as the centaur sent another streak of fire her way.
A howling wind not of the White Procession’s making swept through the laboratory, dislodging the now-thick chunks of ice from the walls and ceiling. The ice swirled around the centaur, striking him and bouncing away from his armor or weapons, until the whole swarm collapsed on him in a pile, knocking him to the floor. Twilight quickly carved out the semicircle of ice into which she’d drawn runes for an attack on the mace-wielding centaur and rotated them.
“Ye seni cavan’r affle!” she yelled while the wizard was still picking himself up.
A magic lance formed before Twilight and shot away at incredible speed. The centaur wizard rapidly raised a shield around himself, but the lance missed him completely, smashing through a window and flying into the blizzard. The blizzard’s intensity picked up outside as the wizard in charge of tempering it in the area was struck through the heart by the lance he hadn’t had a chance of dodging.
“I attack your compatriots, so you attack mine. I suppose turnabout is fair,” the lead wizard said with a shrug, though Twilight didn’t believe that he was truly unfazed by her attack. He just shifted his body to form a barrier between me and his commander.
The centaur held his staff out in front of him, the globe at the end pointed at Twilight, and all the magic in his shield was siphoned to the tip. The ball of volatile magical energy streaked toward the sorceress, and she jumped out of the way, minding her positioning. An explosion threw her off her hooves as the ball of magic struck the floor and burst, shattering the floor and opening a hole to the workshop below.
Twilight stumbled to her hooves as a spear of ice rocketed past her, burying itself somewhere in the laboratory’s kitchen. Keeping her eyes on the centaur and dodging his magical attacks, the sorceress carefully drew a rune on the ground matching the others she’d placed about the laboratory over the course of the fight. Once it was done, she moved on to escape the increasing attacks, and traced the last symbol. The centaur waved his staff around, dislodging chucks of ice from all around the room and sent them flying in Twilight’s direction.
“Cavan’r falathulon otha Ye!” Twilight called as the ice was about to hit her, and her magical armor flared out into a larger shield that redirected most of the objects about to strike the sorceress before shrinking back to cocoon her body.
The flying ice had been a cover to disguise the centaur’s movements, and he was now almost on top of Twilight, his sword’s blade flashing in the light radiated from his staff.
“Ye seni Mer Isroc’i’r Dorentai!” Twilight yelled, eyes burning, as she placed her hoof upon the rune before her.
The runes around the room glowed and magical energy snaked between them, forming a curving line of power. The energy solidified in an instant into a long chain of pulsing links, and a moment later a wickedly sharp blade sprouted from each link, an especially long one at each place on the ground there had been a rune. The entire length rose up from the ground in a swift jerking motion with the crackling sound of thunder and breaking ice and the howl of a beast longing for blood. What is this power? the centaur wondered with horror.
Directed by Twilight’s mind, the chain flailed around the room, tearing apart the chunks of ice the centaur directed toward the sorceress. The blades struck at his armor as he continued his charge toward her, and he summoned up a shield to keep the chains from fouling up his legs and tripping him. His sword swung down toward the unmoving sorceress’s head, but the chain darted out and wrapped around the blade a dozen times, halting his swing.
“Twilight!” Rarity shouted as she emerged from Twilight’s bedchamber, Applejack at her side. How did they defeat seasoned soldiers? The centaur raised his staff in the direction of the two mares.
“Falan’i otha Applejack nof Rarity!” Twilight shouted as she saw the staff move, and twin shields sprang up around her friends before the centaur’s spell could reach them.
How? She was able to hinder my weather alteration spell on her own with as much effect as an entire cabal of wizards! She can support this many spells simultaneously without any noticeable decrease in effectiveness! Twilight looked up at the centaur wizard, and he was struck by the expression in her eyes, a violet fire burning hot with anger and resolve. What is she? Her magic is of Equus, but there is also … something else there. Some power beyond that of a wizard dwells within this pony. But, what could it be?
The centaur had not realized he was locked in place staring into Twilight’s eyes until she looked away. He followed her gaze, and an icy dagger of fear lodged in his heart. She was staring out into the blizzard, directly at the approaching commander. She can’t mean to cast a fifth spell!
“Eren’r oxelle soretta Ye’r mathis!” she said coldly, and spears of hard-packed dirt erupted from the ground around the commander, several of them piercing his armor.
The centaur wizard tried to pull his sword free, but no spells seemed to have an effect on the magical chains. Neither was he able to attack Twilight directly, for every time he attempted to do so, the chains struck out at his staff and hand or formed a protective barrier.
“Vez Ribbölef äthærïtïer sötter æse!” the last remaining centaur soldier outside called, and the wizard turned to see that their commander was, indeed, mortally wounded. One of the earth spears had impaled a lower lung and his lower heart. Without healing in the next few minutes, he would die for certain.
“Vittaï menüttö kattaï! Vittaï menüttö sæ ökeffa kattaï!” the wizard ordered a retreat before releasing his sword and slamming his staff on the ground to release an explosion of ice that held the chains back long enough for him to get away.
Twilight stood motionless, her chain whipping around, until long after the centaurs disappeared into the raging blizzard.
***
The bright blue summer sky had returned by the following morning, the only reminder of the White Procession’s attack the rare devastated building and the heaps of snow that still covered everything. Golden Oak’s laboratory had taken the worst beating, and it would take Twilight significant time to repair the damage. For the moment, though, she needed her sleep. The fight with the centaur wizard had drained her magical reserves substantially, and she needed large amounts of food, sleep, and time to replenish them.
“Found it!” Applejack proclaimed triumphantly, lifting the saddlebags out of the snow.
Rarity galloped over as fast as she could in the drifts and checked to see what could be salvaged.
“Yes, I think that with some drying and a bit of care, I can save this fabric,” she said, “Thank you, Applejack.”
“Think nothin’ of it,” Applejack said, “Now, I need t’ get back t’ the farm and see what the damage is there. Good luck with Mayor Mare!”
***
The centaur picked up his staff and gauntlets as he walked brusquely away, the blood on his leather gloves smearing across the reflective surfaces. After returning to Judd Caradain, he had regained access to his full range of sorcerous abilities, and healing his commander had been foal’s play. The punctured heart and lung were fully restored, and after a few hours of sleep, the viscount would be back to his old self. That could prove to be both a blessing and a curse, as he would no doubt bring complaints of his injury to his father.
It was inevitable that Duke Bittræen would have questions, even had his son returned unscathed. As Knight-Commander of the White Procession, it was his right to know everything that transpired on a raid, and too much had gone awry on this one to cover it up. It was rare that more than a handful of soldiers died, and then it had always been expected, as an enemy with multiple wizards or a feared army was the intended prey. Not this time. Ponieville was expected to be an easy target, but four had fallen to a single wizard, one of them a promising apprentice.
I’ll have to find a replacement for him, the centaur thought to himself as he entered his chambers, a spacious set of rooms at the peak of the North Tower that were his right as one of the four most powerful wizards in the Procession. Of course, there’s no shortage of youths yearning to join the White Procession. Our order is still respected, even if all we do anymore is raid helpless pony villages for supplies and spread fear and panic across Equus. Emperor Hæsthür’s attention is fixed here, in Judd Caradain, so much that he can’t see the problems we could so easily solve, the problems the White Procession was created to solve as soon as we discovered the way to Equus open.
The Third Empire has expanded to fill nearly every corner of Judd Caradain, and though the civil wars have trimmed our population, we’re faced with overcrowding again. It won’t be long before this globe has more centaurs on it than it can produce food for. At least the Emperor has not constrained the White Procession to this world and his internal affairs, as his great-grandfather attempted to do, likely due to the insistence of his brother. Bittræen is a true believer in the Procession’s mission, to bring about what the ponies of Equus fearfully call The Last Winter. He knows what we must do, but his brother holds us back. If I had been able to unveil my full power, that wizard would not have stood a chance! Such is the way of things, and it would not do to oppose the Emperor’s wishes. Perhaps the next emperor will be more accommodating, and the White Procession will have the freedom it deserves. I doubt I will live to see it; Emperor Hæsthür has sat the throne little more than a century and will sit at least a century more. Unless …
Chapter 1:9 – The Woods Witch Year 976 of the 4th Age
The sun was sinking beneath the west horizon, but none were in their homes or sleeping in the tiny village of Providence. Waves crashed against the shore, causing empty boats to bob in the water with nopony to witness. The entire village was assembled around two posts in the town square, around which were heaped bundles of wood. Tied to the tops of these posts were a young zebra couple, who looked at each other with fear in their eyes. Once again, they were unwelcome.
They had begun their lives far across the Shimmering Sea, beyond Tyrannus and Saddle Arabia, in a tiny village much like Providence. The province of Cainhira, like most of the Eastern Continent, was part of the Zebrikaanian Empire, but it was an unimportant part. Desert and barren rocks covered the far-southern province, and the zebras who dwelled there had few possessions besides the dusty patch of land they lived on. Resources were so scarce that if it hadn’t been for the underground deposits of dimeritium, the miraculous magic-cancelling metal, the Zebrikaanian Empire would have passed it over and let the region starve.
From the moment they’d recognized their magical abilities, both of the young zebras had found themselves shunned by those around them. In the Zebrikaanian Empire, all powerful shamans served the state, a preferable alternative to a slow death by labor in Cainhira’s dimeritium mines, which is what would await them if they refused. Neither Panid nor Zecor had enough magical ability to be employed by the Empire, but they had too much to keep it a secret either. This put them in the position of being suspected by everyzebra around them as spies for the Padishah, a common suspicion placed on those of mediocre magical talents. So, in isolation they’d found each other, fallen in love, and decided to leave Cainhira no matter the price.
But only more misery awaited them. They’d travelled to Zebrikaan, the capital of the largest empire in the world, only to find they were no more welcome there than they were at home. Suspicion fell on them again for their magical abilities, for the rumors of untalented shamans serving as the Padishah’s spies were true in Zebrikaan. The only work they’d been given was what others turned down, for they were not only unrecognized shamans, but also nekgeler ar-pelleymiz’iy: dirty provincials.
They decided to go even farther, abandoning the Zebrikaanian Empire entirely and sailing to Equestria. They’d settled in Providence, a tiny fishing village in the Duchy of Balte-Maer, and everything had gone well at first. The local ponies frowned at their strange coats, traditions, and inability to learn the land’s tongue perfectly, but they were overall tolerated. That was before the priest had arrived.
He was hopping around now in front of the pyres, his red robes glowing in the torchlight. This priest of the “True Faith,” from the Fiery Isle near Manehattan, had come to this tiny town to tell all the good earth ponies how evil every other race was, and especially how evil magic was. It wasn’t long before he had the townsponies whipped into a frenzy with the desire to purge Providence of devils such as Panid and Zecor using the True Faith’s preferred method: death by fire. Over the bobbing torches, Zecor could see through the stained-glass windows of the chapel, the town’s priest of the Church of One. Horror was in his eyes, yet he stayed locked up in his stone chapel, unwilling to speak out against this madness for fear that he’d be burned next.
“Zecor’rumaezz-eva, rifea’orezze!” the zebra stallion called out to his wife, telling her to be brave, and she turned to look him in his eyes. They were glistening with tears.
Panid’s head snapped back as a staff struck him in the face. Zecor looked down to see the angry face of Providence’s baker at the end of the staff, a stallion who’d just sold her bread three days earlier, and smiled pleasantly when she’d managed to say “thank you” in Low Equestrian. All around were the faces of neighbors, who she’d never imagined capable of this.
“Will we let these heathens, these striped devils bewitch us with their foul words, my kin?” the red priest demanded, becoming even more agitated than before. The answer was a resounding 'no'. “Then let us put an end to their sin once and for all and cleanse the world of their filth! Fire will cleanse!”
“Fire will cleanse!” the assembled ponies replied as one, and surged forward with their torches.
Panid’s pyre caught fire first, and the flames blazed up around the zebra. He gritted his teeth as the fire began to lick at his hooves, and the crowd cheered. Tears escaped the corners of Zecor’s eyes as he struggled to turn his head toward her.
“Mun ingi tun iyize, yuntze-eva,” Panid promised his wife while he was still lucid.
“Oake,” Zecor said softly, shaking her head as she watched the blood running from her husband’s broken nose begin to be hardened by the flames leaping all around him now.
Panid screamed as the fire consumed his body, babbling broken words of his native tongue, which the priest at the base of the fire mocked as an attempt to overcome the flames with heathen spells. Flames began to catch at the base of Zecor’s pyre, but the wood was damp and wouldn’t burn well. She paid no mind anyway, her gaze fixed solely on her husband’s burning body as tears ran down her face.
“Oake, oake, oake, oake! Oake! Oake! Oake!” Zecor protested desperately, before finally forcing out the word in Low Equestrian, albeit with incorrect intonation, “NO!”
It was as if a dam within her had burst. Magical energy flowed through her body, and her braids waved with a life of their own. Her bonds snapped and the pyre exploded beneath her, sending wood flying in all directions. The crowd fled, screaming about a demon being unleashed, and the red priest was trampled in the rush.
Zecor leapt for Panid’s pyre and started shoving the burning wood aside, heedless of the flames singeing her own flesh. His body was charred all over and he was no longer moving, but she pulled him down anyway. Everything passed in a blur as she fled Providence, the flames from the pyres spreading to the buildings. She didn’t stop until she was deep in the woods, the glow from the town lighting the eastern horizon as the sun had lit the western horizon not so long earlier.
“Panid,” she whispered in a broken voice to the burnt corpse next to her, but the life was long gone from her husband’s body, leaving only this charcoal behind. “No!” Zecor screamed into the dark, allowing the tears to flow freely.
***
Year 1000 of the 4th Age
Twilight looked dejectedly at the stack of books destroyed in her fight with the centaur wizard. She had restored everything in Golden Oak’s laboratory as best she could, but these few rare tomes were beyond saving, and now the knowledge they held was lost forever. Why did Golden Oak have to collect so many rare books in one place?
It had been difficult, and had taken a significant amount of time and energy, but the laboratory was finally back to normal. Twilight didn’t have much experience with plant spells, but she’d been able to learn enough from the surviving books to regrow the destroyed parts of the tree. With some help from Spike, their bedchambers were also restored to their original condition - better, in fact, since they’d had to install new doors.
The day was bright and beautiful as Twilight and Spike departed the laboratory to run some errands. After a brief artificial winter, summer had returned. Twilight regretted that she had not been able to take part in Ponieville’s “winter wrap-up,” but by the time she’d finished repairing Golden Oak’s laboratory, everything was back to normal. It was a peculiar method the townsponies of Ponieville employed to overcome the White Procession’s winter, doing so entirely without magic, and Twilight hoped to have a chance to observe it someday.
“Um, Twilight?” Spike interrupted the sorceress’s thoughts from his place on her back, “Where is everypony?”
The sorceress snapped out of her musings on cleaning up snow without sorcery to observe her surroundings. She came to a stop as she realized that the streets were empty. Ponieville was far from a bustling metropolis, but Twilight had never stepped out in the middle of the day and found the muddy paths entirely deserted.
“Is it a holy day?” Spike asked.
“No, we would have heard the chapel’s bells,” Twilight said as she resumed her trot through the town, more observantly this time.
“Did Celestia declare a state holiday?”
“No, we would have heard the Mayoral Keep’s bells.”
“A plague?”
“We would have heard both.”
“Zombies, perhaps?” Spike asked, looking around at the locked houses.
“Oh, now you are just being ridiculous,” Twilight scoffed, “You know that necromancy is forbidden and that no rogue sorceress could possibly have the power to raise the dead.”
“What if they were hiding out in the Everfree Forest, though?” Spike asked, building his conspiracy theory, “It’s impossible to detect magic within it, so a powerful necromancer could be hiding there.”
“Sure, in theory,” Twilight sighed, “But they would have to stay within the forest forever; the moment they stepped outside, the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht would detect them.”
“Twilight!” a familiar whisper came urgently from behind the partially open door of Sugar Cube Corner, “Spike! Hurry and come in! Hurry! Before she sees you!”
Twilight could see no danger, nor anypony on the street, but Pinkamena evidently thought she knew what was going on, so the sorceress hurried into the darkened bakery, hoping for some clue. The bard/baker’s face was lit by a single candle that gave off little light, but Twilight could see the unease on her face.
“Who were you afraid would see us, Pinkamena? A zombie?” Spike asked, and Twilight rolled her eyes.
“There’s a zombie too?” Pinkamena asked as her eyes grew wider.
“No, I can assure you that there are no zombies,” Twilight cut in before things got out of control, “What I do not understand is why the streets are deserted and you are hiding here alone in the dark? What are you hiding from?”
“Oh, I’m not alone,” Pinkamena replied, not really answering either of the questions Twilight had posed.
As if to prove that she wasn’t alone, Pinkamena began using her candle to light others around the room. Within a few minutes, more ponies came into view. Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, her younger sister Apple Bloom, and even Rainbow Dash were here, as well as Master and Mistress Cake, who owned the bakery/diner. What could compel all these ponies to hide here? Unless there really is something frightening out there.
“I will rephrase my question,” Twilight said patiently, “What are all eight of you hiding from in the dark?”
Applejack beckoned Twilight to follow her over to one of Sugar Cube Corner’s windows and the sorceress followed with trepidation. After moving all candles in the area away, she slowly pulled back the heavy curtain.
“We’re hidin’ from her,” Applejack said, pointing out the window, and Twilight moved closer to get a better look.
She could see an individual standing out in the street now, a pony mare wearing a rough cloak over her whole body. No, I was mistaken; not a pony, a zebra. Her muzzle was a different shape and the foreleg she was using to hold a worn staff was striped. What is a zebra doing in the middle of Equestria? While Twilight was watching, the zebra turned to look directly at Sugar Cube Corner, and Applejack quickly pulled the curtain closed.
“Madam sorc’ress, did y’see the witch?” Apple Bloom squeaked, looking up at Twilight, “Is she really horr’ble? Applejack wouldn’t let m’see.”
“Mind your manners around your elders,” Applejack rebuked her sister, pushing her out of the circle of adults.
“A witch?” Twilight said skeptically, “Do you realize how ridiculous your accusation sounds after inviting me, a powerful sorceress, into hiding with you?” I don’t know what is worse: that they mistook that zebra for a mage and are hiding because of it, or that they thought I needed to hide as well. Even if she does happen to be a mage with evil intent, don’t they have faith that I could defeat her?
“She’s nothing like you, Twilight,” a wide-eyed Pinkamena said with her face illuminated eerily by a candle, “She’s a malicious woods witch who casts curses on all ponies who come near!”
“Please. Woods witches are just sorceresses with mediocre magical talent and occasionally minor knowledge of herbology,” Twilight said, “I have seen nothing to suggest that she is even a woods witch. All she did was look toward us, and you panicked for no reason.”
“I had t’ close the curtain, Twi’,” Applejack explained as if she were the most rational pony around, “Else she might’ve hit you with her bewitching gaze!”
“There is no such thing as a bewitching gaze!” Twilight said angrily, “Arcano-hypnosuggestion is an incredibly complex spell that requires weeks, sometimes months, of preparation and for the target to already be in a suggestible state!”
Twilight halted in her tirade when another thought popped into her mind. I didn’t sense any magical energy from her, but she is a zebra, and zebra magic is (for whatever reason) different from pony magic. Could it be possible that there is more to this than mere superstition? Could this zebra really have a bewitching gaze? We pony sorceresses know so little about zebra magic’s mechanisms and capabilities that it may just be possible.
The other ponies watched curiously as Twilight silently went back to the window and pulled the curtain aside. The zebra was still standing in the middle of the street, a bit farther from Sugar Cube Corner now. Her staff was stuck in the ground beside her, and she was making strange and stiff motions with her body. Just what is she doing?
“She’s putting a c-curse on Ponieville!” Fluttershy fearfully answered Twilight’s unspoken question.
“I do not think so,” Twilight said, though she was unsure. It looks like a ritual of some kind, but I don’t detect any magic.
Apparently finished with whatever ritual she’d been involved in, the zebra retrieved her staff and proceeded to walk farther from Sugar Cube Corner. It was a warm summer’s day outside, and the cloak was smothering her, so she pulled her hood back, revealing her face to the hidden onlookers. All but Twilight gasped and drew back at the sight. And they call us the Brave Companions.
“What? What is it now?” the sorceress asked, quickly becoming annoyed.
“Well, just look at her,” Rarity said, as if the source of their repulsion was obvious, “What dark powers did she invoke to be disfigured so?”
Twilight took another look, but couldn’t see any real substance to the blacksmith’s accusation. She appeared to be a typical zebra mare, though her mane was worn in a somewhat atypical fashion. Dangling from her head were numerous braids with fetishes tied and woven into them. Wait, didn’t I read somewhere that zebra shamans often tie talismans into their manes to help channel their magic? That wasn’t something Rarity would’ve recognized as disfigurement, though it did provide some reason as to why she was considered a witch, since Equestrian woods witches were often known to do the same thing for purely decorative or ceremonial purposes. On closer examination, Twilight realized that there were burn scars on the zebra’s neck and half her face (probably why she wore a cloak with a hood even on a stifling day like this), but that also probably wasn’t what Rarity was remarking upon. No, more likely it was simply her differentness as a zebra that was seen as horrible disfigurement.
“She was born like that, Rarity. She is a zebra,” the sorceress explained to the ponies in the circle of candlelight, and saw only a few sparks of recognition, “Zebras, the residents of the Zebrikaanian Empire on the Eastern Continent across the Shimmering Sea? The race that crossed the Z’harran Desert on multiple occasions to invade the Holy Maenean Empire prior to the crusade to take Equestria from the pegasi? Any of this sound familiar?”
“So that’s what a zebra looks like,” Rainbow Dash whispered as she looked out the window, “At first I thought she might be some kind of demon.”
“Don’t demons appear as four-winged alicorns with their flesh singed off?” Master Cake contributed to the conversation.
“Sister Cheerilee says they c’n also disguise themselves as ponies or possess a dark soul that invites them in,” Apple Bloom replied as she tried to sneak a look out the window, only to have Applejack pull the curtain closed in front of her face.
“Apple Bloom! What d’you think you’re doin’?” Applejack demanded.
“I’ve never seen a zebra before,” the filly said, only to be cut off by her elder sister before she could say any more.
“The sight’s not fit for a wee foal like you! Get back from th’ window!” Applejack ordered as Apple Bloom skulked away.
“Where did she come from?” Twilight asked the rest of the ponies, leaving the Apple family to sort out its own matters.
“She first showed up around a decade ago,” Rarity explained, “She only comes to Ponieville once in a great while and avoids all contact with ponies while she’s here. After everypony who ever followed her when she left town was cursed or never returned, we started avoiding her as well.”
“So, nopony knows where she lives?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, we know where she lives all right,” Applejack replied, “Her lair is somewhere in th’ Everfree Forest.”
The Everfree Forest? Why would anyone choose to live there? Unless, like the Children of the Night, they were hiding for some reason. Could this zebra truly be a malicious woods witch? She could be obscuring her powers now somehow, and when she is in the Everfree Forest, not even Celestia would be likely to detect her.
“See, Twilight, that proves that she’s a wicked witch,” Pinkamena said as she produced a lute, “I even wrote a ballad about her evil deeds in the Everfree.”
“Not again,” Dash groaned.
“Pinkamena,” Twilight said firmly as she magically removed the instrument from the bard’s possession, “I do not believe the situation calls for musical accompaniment. This is not a banquet nor a festival.”
“Are you sure?” Pinkamena said plaintively, “It’s called the ‘Evil Everfree Enchantress’ and has plenty more alliteration in it.”
“Maybe later,” Twilight said as she returned the lute, thinking of the choice comments the Cant’r Laht Enchanting Guild would have on the song’s name.
“So, d’you believe us now, Twi’?” Applejack asked.
“No, there is no evidence. This situation is, quite ironically, a witch hunt,” Twilight replied, “From what you have told me, nopony has ever seen her cast a spell, nor do you know anything about her other than rumors and hearsay. You say that ponies who followed her disappeared, but they went into the Everfree Forest, so is that really a surprise? Also, you say she avoids contact with ponies, but then what reason would she have to come to Ponieville? I find it more likely that this town has shunned her from the start. Perhaps somepony ought to talk to her and find out the truth!”
The rest of the ponies in the room objected, presenting Twilight with ridiculous stories to prove how wicked the mysterious zebra was. The sorceress rebuffed them all in turn, trying to conceal her own doubts on the subject even as they grew. She might be a woods witch, after all, but hiding here won’t accomplish anything; don’t they see that? Only one pony was not spending her time trying to prove to Twilight that she ought to be frightened of the zebra. After hearing Twilight’s suggestion that speaking to the zebra to ascertain the truth would be the best method, Apple Bloom made the decision to take it upon herself to do so (since she wouldn’t be allowed to do anything here in Sugar Cube Corner) and snuck out the back of the bakery.
“Sometimes she digs at the ground with her hoof,” Rainbow Dash presented more evidence against the zebra as she pantomimed the action.
“And just what is so wrong with that?” Twilight asked with exasperation. Of course, it isn’t normal, but it isn’t exactly malicious either.
“What if she’s digging up innocent creatures to mix into her witch’s brews?” Fluttershy asked fearfully.
“Or burying evil talismans to curse the town!” Rarity suggested.
“Have you ever found cursed talismans where she has dug?” Twilight asked.
“Well, no,” Rarity admitted, “But if she were burying them to place a curse on Ponieville, they would vanish before their target could dig them up, wouldn’t they?”
“Hey! Where’s Apple Bloom at?” Applejack interrupted before Twilight Sparkle could launch into a lecture on the principles of magically invested objects.
The other ponies murmured worriedly as they looked around for the little filly, but she was nowhere to be seen. A search ensued, which revealed nothing other than that the rear door of Sugar Cube Corner was unlatched.
“That witch stole m’ sister!” Applejack exclaimed as they looked out on an empty street.
“Calm down; I’m sure she just headed home,” Mistress Cake said, though she didn’t look too convinced.
“Or she decided to follow the zebra after somepony put the idea in her head that talking to her would be a good idea,” Rainbow Dash said, giving Twilight the stink eye.
“Even if she did, I am confident no harm will befall her because of it,” Twilight said, “Regardless, we should go look for her. There are still other things that could hurt her between here and the Everfree Forest. Spike, you stay here while we search, so that you can let Apple Bloom know where we are if she returns.”
Without further delay, the six ponies departed Sugar Cube Corner to search for Apple Bloom. Twilight Sparkle looked at the small, hoof-dug holes in the ground as they passed, wondering if she had missed something vital about this zebra.
***
Apple Bloom was regretting her decision more and more by the minute as she trudged through the undergrowth of the Everfree Forest. Strange and sinister noises came from all around her, and she was certain that she’d seen eyes staring at her out of the darkness more than once. The zebra had been finishing up her meandering tour of Ponieville when she’d passed Sugar Cube Corner and was now trotting briskly back to her home (wherever that was). Apple Bloom had been closing in on her, but hadn’t yet worked up the courage to approach and speak to her directly, and meanwhile the forest was closing in around her.
“Apple Bloom!” her elder sister’s voice broke through the forest air, and the zebra was startled by the sudden shout.
Spying the little filly for the first time, the zebra took off into the forest, and Apple Bloom tried to follow. She was swiftly overtaken as the Brave Companions galloped around her and Applejack held her in place. She struggled to get free and follow the zebra while she could still see her, but she had disappeared into the tangled mass of trees.
“Apple Bloom! What were y’thinkin’?” Applejack demanded, “You’re lucky we made it here in time afore that witch cooked you in one o’ her brews!”
“Where is she? Twilight’s right; it’s about time we take care of this once and for all,” Rainbow Dash said as she glanced at the sword strapped to her side.
“That was not my intention in the slightest,” the sorceress protested, “I was merely saying that we ought to speak to her before we pass judgement.”
“There she is!” Fluttershy screamed as she pulled her hood over her head and pointed into the bushes.
Sure enough, the zebra was moving through the forest not far away. She stopped and turned to look at the assembled ponies for a moment, her eyes glowing in the dim light. Pinkamena began to bound through the undergrowth toward her, but stopped short when the zebra’s voice rang out across the distance.
“Do something, Twilight!” Rarity pleaded, “She’s trying to curse us! Cast your own spells against her!”
“She is not casting a spell,” Twilight said, “She is speaking Zebrikaanian, though not a dialect I am fluent in. Something about suffering; she wants us to go back.”
“Of course she does,” Rainbow Dash said, “I bet we’re close to her lair. Is she threatening to curse us with suffering?”
“Shaman!” the zebra addressed Twilight, recognizing her sorceress robes, “Exis’iy toovo’abray! Hua issea’rivez!”
“I do not think so, but it is hard to tell,” Twilight said with a frown, “Grazit! Iedé ritoz’te? Oré okioz’tor sanz’te!”
The zebra tilted her head curiously, recognizing the tongue of the empire her homeland resided in. Unfortunately, she had never learned the fancy capital dialect of Zebrikaanian that Twilight was speaking, and the sorceress’s attempts to bridge the language gap were in vain.
“You go leave!” the zebra yelled, trying to get through with the little Low Equestrian she understood, “You stay, you will being hurt!”
“Okay, that was definitely a threat,” Rainbow Dash said before galloping toward the zebra.
“Stop!” Twilight commanded as she galloped forward with her friends.
“Oake! Zen exis’iy!” the zebra shouted before galloping away.
As the zebra finished speaking, Twilight Sparkle felt a tingle pass through her body. Did she just curse me? Was I wrong and this zebra was a witch all along? But, then, why did I not detect any magic in Ponieville? Did she conceal it until entering the protection of the Everfree Forest? How can this be!
The others didn’t notice that they had left Twilight behind. The sorceress stood alone in the undergrowth, trying to determine what had happened, while everypony else tore through the Everfree Forest looking for the zebra. Everypony except for Apple Bloom, that is, who was still standing where Applejack had left her.
She could be anywhere,” Rainbow Dash announced as the five ponies stumbled back into view, “Not even I can track her through this forest. The only reason we got this far was by following Apple Bloom’s trail.”
“Speaking of which, just what d’you think y’ were doin’?” Applejack demanded of her younger sister as she emerged from the brush, “Who knows what kind o’ curse that witch could’ve put on you! We’re lucky we scared her off afore she could do anything t’ us.”
“You mean none of you felt anything?” Twilight asked, awakening from her shock.
“Did you sense a curse?” Fluttershy asked the sorceress, dreading the response.
They all think this zebra is a witch. Even if she is, I have no proof, and there is no need to go spreading panic. I didn’t sense much anyway, and this is the Everfree Forest so it could have been anything.
“No, it was nothing. I must have imagined it,” Twilight assured the group as well as herself. Yes, I just imagined it, what with all this talk of curses. Everything will be fine, I am sure.
***
Twilight Sparkle awoke the next morning to a splitting headache. After returning from the Everfree Forest, she had searched Golden Oak’s laboratory for any information on zebras, but the deceased mage’s collection was sadly lacking on the subject. The only new thing she had learned had come from the books the sorceress had brought herself from Cant’r Laht. The zebras of Zebrikaania worshipped the sun, and said their prayers at dawn, noon, and dusk. It had been midday when the zebra had passed Sugar Cube Corner, which explained what she’d been doing flailing about in the street. There was nothing on zebra magic, though, and Twilight didn’t feel that the matter was urgent enough to ask Celestia to send books immediately.
Despite assuring herself that no curse had befallen her, and researching zebras to the best of her ability, Twilight’s sleep was incredibly restless. She was plagued with dreams of curses, with Pinkamena singing a dreadful ballad the whole while. Dragging herself out of bed in the morning, the sorceress made her way down to the laboratory’s kitchen. Flinching as her head throbbed, she began to make herself some willow tea.
She mumbled an incantation to boil the water faster, but it remained as cold as before. Grumbling, Twilight struggled through the pain to say each word of the incantation precisely, but she met with no more success than with her first attempt. Is it my focus? No, that can’t be it. This spell is incredibly simple, and I have cast it in just such a situation before. Could it be . . . ?
Twilight Sparkle tried other incantations of varying difficulties, but none even showed a sign of being cast. She was unable to cast any spell, nor could she even channel the magical energy within her or sense its presence. I’m without magic! This has to be a nightmare!
“Spike!” Twilight called for her page, hoping that he could help establish if this were a dream or reality.
“Yes, Twilight?” Spike answered, having been up since before sunrise running errands.
“What is today’s date?”
“The first day of the third month, Year 1000 of the Fourth Age,” Spike answered, raising a scaly eyebrow quizzically.
“No, that is no good. Of course the date would correspond to whatever I perceive it to be,” Twilight spoke to herself, “What question could I ask that I would not have even an expected answer for?”
“What are you doing?” Spike asked as Twilight scrunched up her face in thoughtfulness.
“I am trying to determine if this is reality or a dream,” the sorceress answered before going back to trying to think of a question to stump her subconscious.
“Don’t you have a spell you can use even in a dream to determine reality?”
“Yes, but that is of no use without the ability to use magic,” Twilight mentioned casually and went back to thinking.
Spike was aghast. “Did I misunderstand, or did you just say that you can’t use magic?”
“Could you get the door, Spike?” Twilight said, realizing that the banging on the laboratory’s door wasn’t just in her head. Or is it?
Spike was thrown back as soon as he unlocked the door as Pinkamena let herself in. She immediately galloped over to where Twilight was still trying to puzzle things out. Opening her mouth wide, she shoved it in the sorceress’s face, as if inviting her to examine it, and danced about animatedly.
“What are you doing here, Pinkamena?” Twilight Sparkle said, pushing the mare away, “And how many times must I remind you about personal space?”
Pinkamena looked plaintively at Twilight, but didn’t voice the reason for her visit. Instead she tried to pantomime her response, producing a lute from her tail and strumming it while pretending to sing. Or is she singing and I just cannot hear it? Is something wrong with my ears too? No, I can still hear the lute.
“Listen, Pinkamena, I do not have time for this,” Twilight said after the pantomiming had gone on for far too long, “I have an important problem I need to take deal with myself.”
“She’s trying to tell you that—despite your skepticism—that zebra witch cursed us after all,” Rainbow Dash said as she trotted into the laboratory though the still-open door, her wings hanging heavily at her sides, “Of course, she can’t tell you, because the witch stole her voice!”
Pinkamena nodded her assent, then strummed her lute again.
“I’m not going to sing your ballad for you,” Rainbow Dash said and Pinkamena’s face sank, “Well, madam sorceress, what do you have to say to this?”
“What is wrong with your wings?” Twilight asked with trepidation, dread creeping up inside of her.
“Oh, you noticed, did you?” Rainbow Dash said angrily, “When I woke up this morning, I found that the muscles in my wings had atrophied. That’s right, I can’t fly. That witch stole Pinkamena’s voice and my flight.”
“And my attractiveness,” a new voice sniffled from the doorway.
The pony standing there was covered in a heavy cloak that must have been stifling in the summer heat. Any flesh not covered by the cloak was wrapped in rags and scraps of cloth. Even without being able to see the pony beneath the garments, it was evident that she was horribly deformed. Twilight could make out signs of a humpback and a twisted spine at the least.
“Rarity, is that you?” Spike asked, approaching cautiously.
“Don’t look at me!” Rarity cried as she ran and tried to hide behind a table.
Her sudden shift in location opened up the doorway for Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Fluttershy to enter the laboratory. Applejack was sitting on a wheeled pallet, being pushed in by Apple Bloom. It only took one look at her withered legs for Twilight to realize what had been taken from the farmer. Fluttershy was less obvious. In fact, she seemed to be perfectly fine.
“Well, Twi’, d’you believe us now?” Applejack asked angrily, “That witch has gone an’ put a curse on all o’ us!”
“Even Fluttershy?” Twilight inquired, having been unable to determine exactly what could have been taken from the druidess.
Fluttershy shuffled uncomfortably for a few seconds, all eyes on her. She had arrived with Applejack and Apple Bloom, and they seemed to know what was the matter with her, but didn’t say. Instead, Applejack motioned for Fluttershy to come out with it, and Apple Bloom cringed.
“Even I,” Fluttershy said with a grating, guttural voice not so unlike that of the dragon they’d faced a couple weeks earlier, but much darker and with a deeply unsettling undertone. Had Twilight Sparkle been religious, she would have likened it to the voice one would expect from a demon.
“The animals in my care all ran away,” the druidess whimpered, deeply disturbing with her voice, “I can’t perform my druidic duties. It’s dreadful!”
“Did she curse you too, Twilight?” Rarity asked quietly, trying not to draw attention to herself.
“She can’t use her magic,” Spike answered before Twilight could.
“Well, that’s perfect,” Rainbow Dash said sarcastically, “I guess there was no point coming here to get some magical help against that witch. We’ll just have to take care of her the hard way.”
“Now see here!” the sorceress put her hoof down before things got out of control, “We do not know for sure that she is a witch. Tragedy has befallen us, yes, but that is no reason to lash out until we are certain what caused our misfortunes. Despite all that has happened, I am still not wholly convinced that the zebra is to blame. I did not sense any magic coming from her yesterday.”
“And now you can’t use magic at all,” Rainbow Dash snorted, “If she could take away your magic, don’t you think she’d also be able to hide her own from you?”
Twilight prepared an objection, but stopped short. What if that truly was what had happened? Yes, it broke several fundamental arcane rules, but those rules had been discovered and recorded by ponies, not zebras. What if zebra magic didn’t follow the same fundamental rules? What if magical potential really could be hidden even from the most powerful spells, and act without giving off any indication that an enchantment was being cast at all? What if she was wrong, and had missed her only opportunity to stop this yesterday, when she’d still had her magic?
“We return to the last place we saw her yesterday and scour the Everfree for her lair,” Rainbow Dash was saying, part of a conversation that had gone on while Twilight was lost in her own thoughts, “Once we find it, we force her to reverse her curses.”
“And if she will not or cannot do so, what then?” Twilight asked.
“We persuade her t’ change her mind, isn’t that right?” Applejack said, looking at Rainbow, who nodded and shifted her sword belt.
“Are you going to kill her? How will that solve anything?” the sorceress objected.
“Don’t kill her until after she’s reversed the curse!” Rarity pleaded, “We can’t live like this. I can’t live like this!”
“Where did Apple Bloom go?” Fluttershy asked, and looked stunned when the room instantly became silent, “Sorry, I’m used to ponies just talking over me.”
“Where is Apple Bloom?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking around the room.
“She wandered off again!” Applejack said frantically, “I knew I should’ve sent her back t’ th’ farm when we met Fluttershy, afore she got th’ idea in her head again t’ go look for that witch!”
“Well, let’s get moving!” Rainbow Dash said, making for the door, “The witch didn’t curse her yesterday; maybe she’ll be able to lead us to her lair!”
“Spike, I have to go and make sure they don’t do anything foolish,” Twilight told her page, “I want you to research what may have caused all our afflictions, besides a curse. Contact Celestia if you think it will help. Just try to do something to help.”
The rest of the ponies had taken off after Rainbow Dash, except for Applejack, who was trying to wheel herself out of the laboratory. Twilight took the job of pushing the farmer upon herself and followed after the group.
***
Nothing looked familiar anymore to Apple Bloom. It hadn’t been difficult at first to retrace her steps from the day before; the undergrowth that had been trampled underhoof had yet to recover on the fringes of the Everfree Forest. Deeper in, though, the strange forces present here had already regenerated the foliage, and the filly was soon lost. The Everfree Forest was closing in on her again, and this time she didn’t have the sight of the zebra to use as a reference point.
“Faust, Ekkele’r Sietir, eirie Noya othel Ye nof olithel Ye’ker briett,” Apple Bloom quietly recited what Sister Cheerilee had taught her.
Just when she was about to give up hope and try to return to Golden Oak’s laboratory or the Apples’ farm, she caught a glimpse of movement through the trees. A pony-shaped figure moved through the foliage, brambles tugging at the heavy cloak wrapped around her. Praying that it wasn’t a foul demon or cultist of the Children of the Night, Apple Bloom carefully moved forward.
It turned out to be the zebra from the day before, who she’d been looking for this whole time. She was searching the forest undergrowth, uprooting plants and examining them before either approving and tucking them into the satchel at her side or disapproving and throwing them away. As she worked, she mumbled to herself in a sing-songy tone in her native language.
Apple Bloom moved slowly closer, trying to remain inconspicuous. She had ventured into the Everfree Forest to speak to this zebra, but now needed to work up the courage to actually do so. The fears of her elder sister and her friends were beginning to worry her more now, as she would have nothing to protect herself from a curse if this zebra truly was a witch. But, she also remembered Madam Twilight Sparkle’s absolute rejection of those fears, and Twilight was an important and learned sorceress from Cant’r Laht. Not to mention what Sister Cheerilee had taught her, that Faust’s love was to be shown to everyone, even non-ponies. After all, the goddess was the Ekkele’r Sietir: Mother to All. As the zebra began to walk away, she made her move.
“Excuse me?” the filly’s voice squeaked, and the zebra spun around in surprise, wielding her walking stick as a weapon until she realized it was just a foal confronting her, “You’re not a witch, are y’?”
The zebra’s brow furrowed at the word “witch,” but the meaning of the rest of the sentence wasn’t entirely understood by her.
“Mun negirifo’ahir-exis,” the zebra said firmly, though she knew the filly standing before her probably couldn’t understand a word of it.
“Are y’saying you’re not a witch?” Apple Bloom asked, “I don’t think y’ are.”
“Me … not is witch,” the zebra said, trying to recall the Low Equestrian she’d learned all those years earlier and piece the words together into something sensible.
“Oh good, I didn’t think so,” Apple Bloom sighed, “Th’ others were cursed an’ they think y’ were th’ one who did it. They’re probably out here lookin’ for y’ by now.”
“Others,” the zebra said, thinking back to the ponies who’d tried to attack her yesterday, and the shaman who’d tried to hold them back, “Cursed is ... exis? Hum, bad magic?”
“Yes!” Apple Bloom said, overjoyed that they were able to communicate, “Exis. Y’were yellin’ that yesterday. Y’ didn’t curse ‘em, did y’?”
“No,” the zebra said, shaking her head to emphasize the point, “Me not did cursed.”
“D’you know how it happened?” Apple Bloom asked, and the zebra looked puzzled, “Why they’re cursed?”
“Hum, yes,” the zebra said after translating the question.
“D’you know how t’ fix it? Can y’ undo th’ curse?”
“Yes, me can … hum, heal cursed,” the zebra said and started walking away, “Need going to home of I.”
“Oh, good, m’sister will be glad t’ get her strength back, an’-” Apple Bloom chatted up the zebra as she followed through the undergrowth beside her, but ceased her prattle when the zebra suddenly grabbed her and pulled the filly towards her.
“Stay … close,” the zebra ordered sternly, “Cursed is here.”
Applebloom looked at the foliage around her. Cursed is here. Glancing nervously around, the filly followed the zebra, careful to stay close and in her hoofsteps.
***
“The trail leads deeper in,” Rainbow Dash announced some time later, rising up from examining the hoofprints hidden beneath the displaced undergrowth, “Apple Bloom was here not long ago, and she wasn’t the only one.”
“Did she find th’ witch?” Applejack asked anxiously, knowing what the answer would probably be.
The farmer’s pallet hadn’t made it very far into the dense Everfree Forest before it would roll no further, so Applejack was now draped over Fluttershy’s back. The druidess didn’t protest, though the farmer had to be a serious burden to her. The little grunts of exertion she gave every so often were deeply disturbing in her demonic voice, though.
“She left tracks we can follow this time,” Rainbow Dash replied as she advanced through the forest, leading the others along a trail only she could recognize, “Bad news is, it looks like Apple Bloom was following her.”
“Why ever would she do so alone?” Rarity inquired, cringing when the others looked her way and only continuing her thought once they averted their eyes, “She left before we’d laid out our plan, and she has no method of fighting that witch.”
“Is there any way to tell how far behind the zebra Apple Bloom was following?” the sorceress asked Rainbow Dash, outwardly ignoring Applejack’s concerns but inwardly worried that she had pushed her friend’s younger sibling into a dangerous (and potentially deadly) situation.
“Judging by the tracks, they were close, though I’m not sure exactly how close,” the Hunter answered, checking the trail again before moving on.
“So, it is possible that Apple Bloom has already spoken to her, and judging by the tracks, nothing bad came of it,” Twilight said, assuring herself that that was the case.
“Or she was bewitched into following the zebra!” Rarity panicked.
“Is she going to eat Apple Bloom?” Fluttershy exclaimed.
“Calm down, everypony,” Twilight ordered, “Now that is truly an old mares’ tale. Even if this zebra does turn out to be a woods witch, no woods witch has ever eaten other ponies.” Twilight was incorrect in saying that, but it wouldn’t have helped her peace of mind nor that of the ponies she was trying to calm down if she’d known the truth. As she’d told Spike, most legends had some grain of truth, and witches luring foals away to cook in a stew was not nearly as uncommon as the sorceress believed.
The Brave Companions (not appearing to live up to their name in the least) weren’t very convinced, and still looked around nervously as they trudged through the Everfree Forest. After all, most of them were suspicious of Twilight’s claims the day before about the zebra, now that they were all suffering from apparently magical afflictions. Given how wrong the sorceress appeared to have been about things before, they weren’t inclined to believe her assurances now.
“The witch’s lair!” Rarity exclaimed, hiding behind a tree, as the ponies entered a small clearing several minutes later.
“It does not appear to be a lair. It looks more like a cottage,” Twilight observed.
“A rather queer cottage, if y’ ask me,” Applejack announced.
Twilight had to admit that she had a point. It was clearly a dwelling built by an equine, but the structure was not quite the same as the homes in the Ponieville countryside. If the sorceress had seen zebra architecture before, she would have realized this as a fusion of it and contemporary pony dwellings, but none of the books on zebras she’d been able to get her hooves on had illustrations or descriptions of zebra villages, so the home appeared just as Applejack had described it: queer. The wood it was made from was also strange, though that was easily explained. Never in the lifetime of anypony living, apart from Celestia and Luna, had the Everfree Forest been logged, for ponies feared the wild woods, not entirely without cause. It wasn’t just the monsters and the strange disruption of magic that drove ponies away, but the sinister forces that dwelt here in the ground and air and plants themselves.
Around the cottage was a small garden. Twilight recognized many of the plants growing there as common ingredients used to make potions and poisons. Perhaps the zebra was an alchemist, but who would she sell her concoctions to? That was when Twilight noticed the bones, about the same time as Fluttershy, judging by screech that rang out. Rainbow Dash clapped her hooves over the druidess’s mouth to silence her, hopefully before the zebra heard, if she was home. The sorceress crept forward to better examine what had given her such a start. Next to the cottage was a scorched pile of pony bones mixed with scraps of burnt clothing. How could I have been so wrong?! Apple Bloom!
“Rainbow Dash,” the sorceress beckoned for the Hunter’s attention.
“You believe us now, don’t you?” the pegasus said, her face set in a hard expression as she drew her sword and advanced toward the cottage.
Twilight peered in through a window, confirming that the zebra was home. The cottage only had one room, and the zebra was standing in the middle of it, next to a cauldron whose rim came up to her chest. The sorceress inhaled suddenly when she saw that Apple Bloom was dangling over the cauldron, the back of her tunic held in the zebra’s teeth.
The door flew open as Rainbow Dash kicked it in, sword poised and ready. She tripped over her wings and faceplanted almost immediately after entering the cottage, but it was still enough to shock the zebra and she released her grip on Apple Bloom, dropping her into the cauldron.
“Oake!” the zebra proclaimed, looking at the thick liquid the foal was submerged in.
“Not okay!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she regained her hooves .
Taking up her sword again, the Hunter charged the zebra, who grabbed a long spoon in her teeth to fend off the attack. Rainbow Dash anticipated the zebra’s moves, and thrust her own weapon under the block. She was stunned when her blade struck the spoon’s handle. The zebra had not moved as she’d expected, and was retreating from the Hunter. Then, she moved swiftly forward, and with a swing of her spoon, knocked the Hunter’s legs out from under her.
The zebra swung her spoon at the cauldron, rocking as Apple Bloom tried to get free, but it was knocked from her grasp before it made contact. Pinkamena swung her lute at her like a weapon, but the zebra managed to grab her walking stick to fend off further attacks. The lute’s strings twanged discordantly as it met the zebra’s staff. Finally managing to knock the lute from Pinkamena’s grasp with a strike of her hoof, she struck the bard over the head with her walking stick, dropping her to the ground. Realeasing the walking stick, the zebra spun around and struck out with her hooves at the cauldron. Her legs were wrapped up by a bolas thrown by Rainbow Dash before they could hit the pot, and she was thrown across the room.
“Oake!” she cried out, “Appa’Bloem!”
Twilight entered the cottage just in time to see a magical aura materialize around the zebra. The beads in her mane vibrated as she released the sorcery into the floor in front of her. Ice sprouted up in a line before her, narrowly missing Rainbow Dash as she sidestepped the attack. The channel of ice ended beneath the cauldron, where it extinguished the fire and thrust upward, overturning the cooking pot. The brew spilled across the floor, and a drenched Apple Bloom emerged, coughing potion out of her lungs.
The zebra freed herself from the bolas and searched for something to defend herself, but nothing was within her reach. Rainbow Dash advanced, avoiding the fading magical frost, and staying attentive in case the zebra tried to surprise her again.
“Oake! Tun iekea! Tun nuko’foret niek tun runta!”
“We’ll not have you casting any more curses!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed as she raised her sword to strike.
“Stop!” Apple Bloom cried as she placed herself between the Hunter’s sword and the zebra, “She didn’t do nothin’!”
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack exclaimed, shocked by her younger sister’s forwardness, “How can y’ say that lookin’ at what’s happened t’ all of us!”
“She had nothin’ t’ do with it,” Apple Bloom defended the zebra behind her, “The curses were already out in th’ woods, an’ she tried t’ warn you.”
“Apple Bloom, spells do not just appear out of thin air,” Twilight Sparkle lectured, though the last day had severely shaken her certainty in what she knew about magic, but she was fairly positive that this point was infallible, “Somepony had to have placed them there.”
“Bad ponies. Ponies with hoods did cursed there,” the zebra spoke up, and Apple Bloom moved aside to let them see she was demonstrating with her own hood in case her words were incorrect, then switched to pantomiming praying and pointing at the sky as she continued to force the words out, “Ponies did worship night. Me did stop ponies.”
After too long a span of uncertainty and blurriness, everything suddenly snapped into focus for Twilight Sparkle. There were spells in the forest where we found Apple Bloom, placed there by somepony else as a trap. I couldn’t sense them until they were activated because the Everfree was interfering with my magical abilities. She tried to warn us? Orders to stay back, warnings about suffering. That had to have been it, only we misunderstood the source of the suffering. Exis, she said that several times. Could it be another word for Yíx, Zebrikaanian for hex, an enchantment placed on an object or area triggered by certain conditions?
“The Children of the Night,” Twilight said aloud.
“Yes,” the zebra nodded, recognizing the name of the cult hiding out in the Everfree Forest too, “Did cursed land, take thing … hum, dear to you.”
The hexes took what was most dear to us. I lost my magic, Pinkamena her voice, Fluttershy her ability to communicate with animals, Rainbow Dash her flight, Applejack her strength, and Rarity her beauty. The Children of the Night are to blame, and this zebra tried to stop them. So, the burned bones and scorched midnight-blue cloth were from them. This zebra is no evil witch. She is a woods witch, but not harmful at all, in fact taking the fight to the Children of the Night where no decent pony would dare to venture. I was right all along!
Of course, Twilight realized that being right didn’t matter so much since in the end she’d been swayed to the others’ way of thought. I was ready to kill her just as much as anypony else! Fear does strange things to a pony’s mind. One can be logical and intelligent, but it doesn’t take much to tip you over the edge and join in mob mentality. I should have recognized all these things earlier, but I was blind. Still, that’s no excuse.
“Please, forgive us,” Twilight said, stretching her forelegs before her and bowing her head in a gesture of apology (finally, something she’d learned from the books the night before that she could use.)
The zebra was shocked to see this from the sorceress, as were the other ponies.
“What’re y’ doin’ Twi’?” Applejack asked, befuddled, and Twilight explained what she had realized to them. Soon the other Brave Companions were mimicking the sorceress and expressing regret for their actions.
“See, there’s no reason t’ be afeared o’ Zecora,” Apple Bloom said.
Since nopony (not even Twilight) understood the structure of zebra names, they decided that she was confirming Apple Bloom’s understanding, that she went by Zecor’ah, even though her given name was truly only Zecor .
“Hold it,” Applejack said to Apple Bloom, “Why were y’ hangin’ over that cauldron?”
“I wanted t’ take a look,” the filly said innocently, “It was fine ‘til somepony broke down the door.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Rainbow Dash said sheepishly, before realizing that her sword was still unsheathed and hurriedly sheathing it.
“Zecora was tryin’ t’ make a potion t’ reverse your curses,” Apple Bloom said, looking at the pool of brew seeping through the cottage’s floorboards.
“Oh dear, we ruined it,” said Fluttershy, looking longingly at the cure for their afflictions slowly vanishing into the soil beneath the home.
“Once again, I beseech you to accept our apology,” Twilight Sparkle said, hoping her tone was overly apologetic enough to get her point across without prostrating herself again, “Could we trouble you to make another batch of the potion, or to give me the formula?”
“Yes, more lier-maniz … hum, potion,” Zecor said after squinting for several seconds and trying to determine the sorceress’s intention, “I must make. Needs magic. Better magic is at Ponieville.”
Better magic? There were rumors that zebras could tap into wells of magical energy buried in the earth, but no pony sorceress had been able to accomplish such a feat, so they were dismissed as rumors. Could this be why Zecora was digging at the ground in town?
“You want to go to Ponieville?” Twilight asked, pointing in the direction of the village, and Zecor nodded.
“The townsponies will never stand for it,” Rarity interjected, “You saw how fearful we were yesterday, and we weren’t the only ones. The town guards have shut the gates to keep her out of Ponieville more than once.”
“They will not accept her right away, no, but I believe the word of the Brave Companions will go a long way toward helping things,” Twilight said before addressing Zecor directly, “We want you to be welcome in Ponieville any time.”
Zecor gave a slight smile at Twilight’s invitation, but behind that smile was still uncertainty. These ponies certainly seemed earnest in their apparent invitation of welcome, but they had been trying to kill her just minutes earlier, believing her to be a witch. It was so alike to Providence, and she would not let herself become vulnerable again. The burn scars that covered her body and the bones of her husband buried behind the cottage would never allow her to forget the terribly cruelty ponies were capable of against one that looked different than themselves. She would remain here, in the Everfree Forest, where no pony would go without the desire to harm her, but perhaps it would not be out of the question to venture in to Ponieville for more than just to search for herbs and wells of magic. Perhaps, and time would tell if the ponies here were any different.
***
My dearest mentor, Celestia,
I am writing to you to request that you send all books on zebra culture, customs, and magic from the Cant’r Laht archives with the next trade caravan to Ponieville. I would also request any information you can provide on the dialect of Zebrikaanian spoken in the province Cainhira. I know you are in contact with the Zebrikaanian Padishah and hoped it would not be too much of an imposition to ask you to speak with him about acquiring such materials if they are not available. In addition to the resources listed above, I would also ask for any books on learning High and Low Equestrian written with speakers of Zebrikaanian in mind. To avoid allowing this letter to stretch longer than necessary, expect context on these requests to be explained in my weekly report.
Applejack scrunched up her nose as she stared down the apple tree straight ahead of her. Digging her hindhooves into the ground, she tensed her body and took off like a shot in an ungainly gallop. As the tree’s trunk loomed up before her, she dug her forehooves in and spun her body around. As she completed the twist, she struck out with her hindhooves . . . and went flailing, falling on her rear and sliding across the grass short of the tree.
“Phoo,” the filly said as she picked herself up and brushed the blades of grass from her braided tail.
“What’re y’ doin’, lass?” her father asked as he strode up.
The filly had to crane her neck to look up at her father, as his muscular form towered over her, blocking out the light of the sun. A heavy cart filled with apples was parked nearby, only recently detached, and Bright McIntosh’s coat was matted with sweat from doing all morning what his daughter had been attempting. He was amused with the young filly’s antics, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but there was also a spark of pride in his eyes.
“I’m apple bookin’,” Applejack said, “Well, I’m tryin’ anyway. I’ve got t’ practice if I want t’ help like Big Mac ‘n’ Jona!”
Bright Mac looked through the trees of the orchard at where his son McIntosh (lovingly dubbed “Big” Mac by his younger sister) and his nephew Jonagold were hard at work. Of course, they may not have realized they were hard at work. As colts of their age were wont to do when left to their own devices, they’d turned their appointed task into a competition and were now madly dashing around bucking the trees. Well, at least there was a productive outlet to it, and the trees could withstand the beating given them.
“There’s no need for you t’ worry about that yet, m’sweet,” Bright Mac assured his daughter, “You’ve got plenty o’ time afore you’re grown enough for that task.”
“But I want t’ help!” Applejack protested.
“I know, I know,” Bright Mac said, scooping up Applejack and depositing her on his back, “Y’ help out plenty around here with all th’ other crops, so there’s no need for you t’ fret about this. You’re just not grown enough for a job like this yet.”
Bright Mac’s head turned sharply as he caught the sound of a horn from the direction of the Apple homestead. Six blasts, long. An emergency! A chill breeze sent a shudder down his back, and his eyes widened as flakes of snow blew past.
“Run! Everyone home, now!” waiting to make sure Big Mac and Jonagold had heeded his warning before galloping off behind them with Applejack clinging to his neck, “It’s th’ White Procession!”
The temperature rapidly dropped as they galloped over the Apple lands. By the time the protective wall around the homestead came in sight, frost was visibly covering the ground. Bright Mac cursed himself as he saw the gaps in the palisade he’d been meaning to fix. There’s no helping it now.
Once they were within the wall, Bright Mac dropped off Applejack and checked to see that everypony was accounted for before pulling the heavy gates shut. Jona ran off to where his mother was waiting outside their cottage, and Big Mac and Applejack sped to their home, where their mother Buttercup was waiting nervously, the signal horn dangling from her neck.
“How’d y’ know they were comin’?” Bright Mac asked his wife after embracing her.
“You’ve got a wizard guest,” his brother-in-law Jonathan answered as he trotted out of the house, carrying both his own short sword and Bright Mac’s claymore .
“What’re y’ doin’ with those?” Bright Mac asked, looking at the weapons disdainfully, “Y’ cannae mean t’ fight them!”
“I mean t’ defend m’ family!” Jonathan replied, shoving the claymore at Bright Mac.
“Against th’ White Procession? Have y’ taken leave o’ your senses?”
Their argument was interrupted as a loud bang came from the main gate. A second later, the gates crashed open and an armored centaur strode through, knocking a gate aside with his fist when it swung back at him. Windigos bounded in around his hooves, leaving trails of ice across the ground.
“Jona! Goldie! Get inside!” Jonathan yelled to his family before taking up his sword and stepping forward.
“Get inside,” Bright Mac told his own family, though he took up his weapon with much more reluctance.
“Bright,” Buttercup said plaintively, reading his fears as clearly as always.
“Get inside,” he said again, “I’m goin’ t’ pull Jonathan in as soon as I can.”
The centaur had taken notice of the protective fathers, but as they didn’t seem to pose much of a threat, he was devoting little attention to them, instead directing the newly arrived bat-ponies to the granaries. Jonathan charged forward, swinging his sword at the centaur’s abdomen, but his armor didn’t give way in the slightest. He went rolling across the icy yard as the centaur stuck him with the back of his hand, the spikes on his gauntlets tearing into the pony’s flesh.
As the centaur moved to finish Jonathan off, Bright Mac rushed in and swung his claymore effortlessly, sinking the heavy weapon’s blade into the centaur’s more lightly protected armpit. Giving a grunt of pain, the centaur drew his own sword, which was nearly as long as Bright Mac’s claymore, and swung it at the stallion. He managed to deflect the first and second swings, but was then pushed back. Without the height and balance of the centaur, Bright Mac knew it was only a matter of time before he made a fatal mistake.
That moment came as he was nearly back at the farmhouse; the centaur struck with a blow that left Bright Mac unbalanced, allowing the centaur to swipe away the claymore with his free hand. Exposed, Bright Mac had no way of deflecting the slash that cut open his shoulder. Tumbling back onto his haunches, he awaited his fate as the centaur raised his sword for a killing blow.
When the sword came down, though, it did not strike Bright Mac. From the ground between him and the centaur, a patch of twisted roots suddenly rose that deflected the sword and knocked the centaur back. While the centaur was reeling, Jonathan rushed up to Bright Mac, blood dripping from the gashes on his face, and dragged him to the farmhouse door, where another set of hooves pulled him the rest of the way in.
“Don’t go,” Bright Mac said as Jonathan headed back after the centaur, but his request went unheeded, and the door closed off his view of what came next.
“Good, it’s not deep,” a voice said as the strange hooves that’d pulled him in examined his wound, “Now, this may hurt a bit.”
Bright Mac screamed as a sharp, fiery pain blazed from his wound and somepony put a spoon in his mouth to keep him from biting off his own tongue. Specks flashed before his eyes as the pain subsided and the world returned to normal. Looking at his shoulder, he saw that the wound was completely closed up, leaving a knotted scar to match the others on his body.
“Well, not my prettiest work, but it’s the best I can do safely,” the voice said again.
Rolling onto his stomach, Bright Mac finally got a glimpse of the pony that had healed him. The honey-colored stallion was rifling through the pockets in his simple brown robes. Spectacles perched on his nose flashed in the candlelight as he looked up, and the wide-brimmed black conical hat on his head tipped back, the bent end bouncing up and down.
“Golden Oak? What’re y’ doin’ here?” Bright Mac asked as he sat up.
“I came to ask your permission to test out an alchemical powder I’ve developed to ward off frost on some of your trees,” Ponieville’s resident sorcerer explained as he stared at the frost-coated windows and stroked his long, chestnut beard, “It appears I may have arrived too late.”
“You knew they were comin’?” Bright Mac asked.
“What? No, of course not. Not even Celestia can predict the White Procession’s movements. I detected the rift opening, but I was already here then,” Golden Oak said as he looked at Bright Mac’s shoulder, “I hope I’ve healed you properly. Ponies are so much more complex than plants. It’s the same basic principle, but I can reattach a fallen branch far more easily than I can knit flesh and bone back together.”
“Jonathan!” Bright Mac exclaimed, talk of his wound bringing his attention back to the struggle outside.
“Don’t go back out there,” Golden Oak commanded as Bright Mac moved toward the door, “This home is under my magical protection, but I can’t spare any more magic to aid or heal the two of you. If he has any sense, he’ll have run for shelter.”
“He hasn’t got any sense,” Bright Mac protested.
“Then I’m sorry, but going out there and getting yourself killed too won’t accomplish anything.”
At 'too,' Bright McIntosh snapped. How can he give up on Jonathan’s live like that so easily?
“I can’t just do nothin’!” the farmer exclaimed as he grabbed Golden Oak by his robes and lifted him up, “What kind o’ world is this? How can we hope t’ fight against these creatures from beyond, who can twist our seasons an’ wear armor that makes our weapons naught?”
“For now, we can only survive,” Golden Oak said in a measured voice, “I know it’s difficult to accept, but think of your family here around you. You can’t just abandon them.”
Bright Mac looked around at the others packed into the farmhouse. His wife, Buttercup, and his son and daughter standing near her, fearfully reacting to every shift in the wind and creak of the cottage. Granny Smith, the great matriarch of the Apple family, sleeping through the storm as if nothing were more natural than for six-limbed barbarians and pegasi with leathery wings to shift the seasons at their whim and steal peasants’ crops. Bright Mac dropped the wizard to the floor and bowed his head in resignation, as the wind howled outside and snow coated the summer ground.
***
After the storms ended three days later, Bright McIntosh stood where the other cottage on the Apple homestead had been. Jonathan, as expected, had died in the yard, cleaved apart by the centaur soldiers, and the snow had preserved his corpse admirably. Of his wife and son there was little to bury. The White Procession had put the building to the torch , and both Bright Mac’s sister Golden Delicious and his nephew Jonagold had burned alive in the inferno . Now all that remained were ashes and memories.
It’s not fair. Why did they have to die . . . and we were allowed to live? There are so few of us left now. How can we ever hope to get by? The number of Apples here has decreased so much recently. First the McLeans scattered across Equestria, then the McLellans headed south for the promise of fresh land. And, after the war, most of the McIntoshes went north to the homeland, only for so many of them die at the Battle of Caignwall. Then more returned to the Haeldmark, until only we two families were left. And now it’s just me and my kin.
Bright Mac straightened. They would mourn Jonathan and Golden Delicious and Jonagold, but then it would be back to work. The Apple family had always survived and managed here, and that was as constant as the cycles of sun and moon. They would get by; they would find a way. As long as the five of us remain together, we will survive. As long as we five all remain …
Rows of centaurs and bat-ponies were marshalled in the Great Disembarking Hall, the bright sunlight streaming in through the high windows illuminating their shining weapons and armor. Massive pillars held up the soaring ceiling, their bases adorned with regal statues of the previous great leaders of the White Procession. The stony faces stared down on the assembled soldiers below as they presented their gear for a final inspection, as if daring them to meet their lofty standards.
There is Knight-Commander Rössinän, who gave the White Procession its name and established the title of Banner-Lord, the great wizard noted as he trotted through the room, and Emperor Træstus the Venturer, who led the White Procession personally rather than leave its command in lesser hands. When will we live up to their standards again? Duke Bittræen has assembled a sizable force here, but we only fill a corner of this magnificent hall. This place was built with much grander goals in mind than pillaging Equestrian towns.
“Knight-Commander Bittræen,” the wizard addressed his commander in the centaur tongue as he approached and gave a bow, “It is a great honor to serve under you as you personally lead our troops to victory.”
“We have known each other for many years. Let us speak plainly, Nattalïer,” Bittræen said after waving away the commanders around him so he could have a moment to speak with the wizard alone, “You know as well as I that this is no noble mission we are undertaking. We are no more than bandits and marauders when our purpose is to be conquerors.”
“Of course, but one must comply with the Emperor’s orders,” Nattalïer replied matter-of-factly.
“You say that as if there is some room for interpretation,” Bittræen said, his eyes narrowing, “I know you share my disapproval of my brother’s decision, but be careful that you do not speak treason. I may not agree with the Emperor’s vision for the White Procession, but I will not stand idly by if one seeks to harm him.”
“I was merely stating a fact,” Nattalïer waved off the accusation, “Of course there is no way around the Emperor’s orders.”
The Knight-Commander harrumphed in resignation and looked away, surveying the assembled troops. “I assume you came here for some reason other than to compliment me on leading this expedition personally. Out with it.”
“I was wondering about our target. Why Ponieville again so soon?”
“I understand that your previous expedition was cut short when you allowed my son to be mortally wounded,” Bittræen said critically, still avoiding eye contact, “While I lead the main attack on Cant’r Laht, you will complete your appointed task of gathering food from the fields around the town, avoiding Ponieville itself and especially this wizard that gave you such a fright.”
Nattalïer nearly recoiled at the blow. The memory of that unicorn wizard forcing him to retreat still stung. I am the greatest wizard in the Empire, but how can I be blamed for failure under such conditions? Serving under an inexperienced commander—a whelp granted his first command by his father—and given only a token force. Furthermore, I was given no opportunity to prepare properly for such an encounter; it is truly the scriers that ought to be blamed for the failure, for they are the ones who failed to inform me that a powerful wizard had taken up residence in Ponieville.
“I’m sure we will be successful this time, my lord,” Nattalïer said, giving a slight bow. We’d bloody well better be, or I’ll never hear the end of it. I’m better prepared this time, and I’ll have some of the Procession’s finer wizards at my side.
“Be sure that you do. I am giving you full control of the forces assaulting Ponieville. You will also have Count Ræalis to command and coordinate the troops according to your orders,” Bittræen said as he continued to survey the troops, “You are dismissed.”
Giving another bow, Nattalïer walked away from the duke. The wizards under his command were already preparing to open the rift when he returned to his force. After tucking his beard into his armor, he pulled on his heavy gauntlets before fitting his helmet onto his head, the padded interior sliding snugly over his horns. This time things will be different. And, regardless of what the Knight-Commander said, if I see you this time foul wizard, I will destroy you.
“Open the rift!”
***
Twilight Sparkle galloped through Ponieville toward the Mayoral Keep. The moment she’d felt a tear between worlds open, she’d called for Spike to bring her every volume of Hearthfire Incantations she had at the laboratory. Ponieville had still seemed normal when she’d left with the heavy tomes in her saddlebags, and she’d nearly turned back when she saw the blizzard engulfing Cant’r Laht in the distance. Then, she’d felt a second rift open, and minutes later snowflakes began to float overhead. The sorceress had picked Spike up to increase her pace and navigate through the ponies who were now also making their way to the nearest fortified location after realizing the weather was not quite right for late summer.
As the Mayoral Keep’s gates came into sight, its bells began to toll out a warning. A large group of ponies were crowding into the keep’s courtyard, and Twilight knew she would never get through at a decent pace, so she focused on a spell and vanished from the packed street. A moment later, she and Spike reappeared in the Mayoral Keep’s great hall, which fortunately few ponies had entered yet. Mayor Mare stood at the end of the hall, speaking with her numerous officials, and Twilight approached her purposefully.
“Ah, madam sorceress,” Mayor Mare said as she detached herself from her lackeys, “I don’t know whether I should welcome you for coming to our protection here, or ask you to go someplace else so that my keep does not face the same fate as Golden Oak’s laboratory after your last run-in with the White Procession.”
“Mayor Mare, if I were you, I would welcome the help of a powerful sorceress when she comes to you, not insult her,” Twilight said haughtily as Spike dismounted, “I intend to place protective wards over the Mayoral Keep that will guard everypony within not only from attacks by centaurs, but also from freezing to death if the fires go out. However, if it is your wish, I could exempt your personal chambers from magical protection so as not to provoke the White Procession into attacking them.”
“That won’t be necessary. What I said before was only in jest,” Mayor Mare said, but though her tone changed to one of merriment, the expression in her eyes remained the same, “The personal protégé of Celestia is, of course, welcome here anytime. I hope I did not give you the wrong impression.” That’s right, you’d best remember that you’re merely an appointed official, and the right word from me to Celestia could end your term of office in an instant.
Spike held Twilight’s books open as she carefully cast the wards around the Mayoral Keep. When Rainbow Dash arrived a few minutes later, she set her to work drawing runes in vital spots around the keep that Twilight couldn’t reach without flying or levitating. As she was putting the finishing touches on the fortress’s protection, she felt another tear in the world, this one behind her within the great hall. Townsponies fled in panic, and Twilight spun around to face the portal opening behind her. Snow blew through the blazing gap, but it was not centaurs and windigos that stepped through the portal, but three ponies.
In the center was a wine-coated unicorn stallion wearing a royal purple cloak with scarlet trim over leather travelling attire dyed indigo. Leather straps holding pouches and vials of potions hung over his body, and a spellbook hanging by a hook through its spine completed his attire. The stallion had shaved off half of his scarlet mane, allowing the other half to grow out and obscure the right side of his face, and his tail was likely cut short since its end did not protrude from under his cloak.
To the stallion’s right was a sky-blue unicorn mare with a white mane pulled into a braid hanging down beside her head. She was brushing snow from her white robes, which were quite similar to the set that Twilight had ordered to wear around Ponieville. She also had a scarf embroidered in magical runes wrapped around her neck. At her side was a leather case, on the strap of which were several metal rings with cards hanging from them.
On the stallion’s left was another unicorn mare, this one with a cream-colored coat and a strawberry mane. She wore traditional sorceress robes dyed a bright green and across her back was a long wooden staff with a leather loop halfway down its length that would allow her to wield it with a foreleg. On her head was perched a wide-brimmed conical hat that sorceresses usually only wore when attending a meeting of the Lodge of Sorceresses.
“Penumbra Redallion; Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre. My companions: Amaranth Eeethok and Solith de Perth,” the stallion introduced himself and the ponies to his right and left respectively, “Celestia requested that we lend Ponieville aid.”
Twilight Sparkle knew that it had truly been just that: a request that they had accepted. Celestia had held the title of Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht since she’d taken the city by force centuries earlier and forced the then-Matron of Sorceresses to step down. Technically Celestia outranked every other mage in the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, but sorceresses and sorcerers tended to value their independence. Though bearing a title akin to a unit of Cant’r Laht’s military, mage cadres were independent organizations of wizards specializing in combat magic. They were formed voluntarily by their members, they undertook tasks decided upon by their members, and they answered to nopony but themselves. So, when Penumbra said that Celestia had requested they lend Ponieville aid, it meant that the most powerful sorceress in the world had genuinely made a plea for them to help and they had chosen to do so.
“I appreciate the assistance,” Twilight addressed the cadre’s leader before Mayor Mare could shuffle over and enter a conversation with them, “Were you not needed in Cant’r Laht?”
“The Matron of Sorceresses was confident that Can’t Laht is adequately protected. Evidently, she was less confident that her prized pupil could protect this hamlet,” Penumbra said haughtily.
Twilight frowned. Does he have a problem with me? No, it’s probably nothing personal, just a typical interaction between spellcasters. Then, why does it feel so personal? Maybe it’s that perpetual sneer he seems to have stuck on his face.
“You should not take it as a criticism of your abilities,” Solith said after Twilight was silent for several seconds, though her voice seemed to lack any real warmth, “Your skill means little when put into this context. The magic you wield is, perhaps, not entirely appropriate when dealing with the White Procession’s sorcery, not to mention that I can sense ten wizards of note surrounding us and there is only one of you.”
“So, you came here to help. What is your plan?” Twilight asked.
“To fight the White Procession, of course,” Penumbra replied, still sneering, “Now that we have met with you, nothing is keeping us from our mission.”
“Excellent. I have finished placing wards around the Mayoral Keep, so I shall accompany you,” Twilight announced.
“Hold on,” Amaranth objected, “Celestia wanted you to be safe from harm, and I cannot allow-”
“Let her come,” Penumbra interrupted, silencing the sorceress instantly, “She is a grown mare, and an accomplished sorceress as well. Besides, the safest place for her would be alongside us, unless you doubt your own magical prowess?”
“Hardly,” Amaranth scoffed.
“Right then, let us away into the storm,” Penumbra said, turning toward the great hall’s exit, “The White Procession will not wait forever.”
***
The darkened landscape from the storm clouds overhead and the violently blowing snow made it difficult to see very far ahead, yet the ponies pushed on. Rainbow Dash had managed to work her way into the group, making it a party of five. Pinkamena had also wanted to tag along, but Twilight had managed to convince her to stay behind in the Mayoral Keep to keep ponies’ spirits up. Navigating through the snow-covered landscape could have been much more unpleasant, especially after leaving Ponieville itself, had it not been for Solith’s magic. As soon as they stepped out into the blizzard from the Mayoral Keep, Solith projected a protective bubble around the group that kept the worst of the weather from getting in.
The White Procession’s wizards were arranged in four groups around Ponieville, and the group was currently heading toward the northernmost pair. Amaranth seemed to have the best idea of where they were and was leading the way, drawing a card from the pouch at her side every few minutes and whispering a sentence in the Language of the Horns to it before sending it flying into the blizzard. Occasionally a centaur could be seen galloping in the distance or a bat-pony flying above, but so long as they didn’t notice the group, they were avoided. There was no point in wasting time and energy fighting the unmagical troops when the only way to undo the White Procession’s magic was to counteract the wizards’ spells or take them out.
As they got closer to their target, a trio of centaurs did notice the group and charged in. Solith’s barrier was meant only to protect against the White Procession’s weather magic, and the attackers were able to gallop through unimpeded. Rainbow Dash’s sword met the blade of one as Twilight prepared a spell to cast on him.
“Ye seni cavan’r affle![1]” Twilight chanted, placing her hoof in the semicircle of runes she’d drawn in the snow while the centaurs were approaching.
At such a close range, and with a stationary target, there was no possible way for her to miss. The lance of magical energy shot through the centaur’s torso, burning away his lower heart. As the centaur began to shake and collapse, Rainbow Dash swung her sword around and thrust the point up under the centaur’s helmet and into his neck.
“Bei misa oro Ye’r fecorar![2]” Penumbra yelled nearby, and flames surrounded the centaur nearest to him.
The fire covered the centaur’s body and sought out the gaps in his armor, burning him to death in seconds, while he screamed in agony the whole time. Amaranth threw a card at the hooves of the centaur charging Solith, and an explosion halted him in his tracks. Before he could recover, she drew another card and whispered an incantation to it, transforming it into a crystalline scythe. The centaur backpedaled as the weapon whistled through the air, but the blade still managed to cut a gash through his breastplate and chest. As he staggered, the scythe swung around again, this time vertically, and the tip of the blade punched through the armor between his forelegs and out his back. The centaur slumped to the ground as the scythe vanished into thin air.
The Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre was reputed to be extremely skilled at what they did, yet it still impressed Twilight how they were able to cast their respective spells with such ease. They act as if this were a normal occurrence for them, something they do every day. I’ve certainly been practically applying my magic much more often since I’ve moved to Ponieville, but this is something else. These three have been making a living off adventures like I’ve been having with my friends long before we ever met each other.
“Not far now,” Amaranth announced a few seconds after throwing a card into the blizzard.
The ponies slowed as they neared a frosted copse. Shadows moving among the trees broadcasted the centaurs’ presence. Penumbra silently ordered a halt, and the group set about preparing for the fight ahead. Rainbow Dash applied poisonous oils to her blades, Amaranth reshuffled the deck of cards in their case, pinning a few choice ones to her robes for easy access, and Solith magically removed a ball of resin from her staff—which now projected the protective shield—freeing up her staff to aid in casting other spells. Twilight flipped through the volume of Hearthfire Incantations she’d brought along, looking for a good spell for fighting the White Procession that she was also familiar with, and Penumbra flipped through his own tattered book of spells, though it wasn’t any grimoire that Twilight recognized .
Once they were ready, Penumbra took the lead. Magical energy built up around him as he crossed his forelegs into symbols, then rapidly swung them apart to release the spell. An enormous fireball appeared out of thin air and rocketed toward the copse, exploding as it struck the trees. As the smoke was blown away, the extent of the destruction was revealed. A wide path between the ponies and the copse had been cleared of snow and scorched more thoroughly than any wildfire could accomplish. The first few rows of trees were completely gone, disintegrated into ash, and plenty more charred trunks remained beyond them. Smoking pieces of armor were all that remained of the nearest centaurs, and others had been thrown by the explosion and were badly burnt.
“Ætö sïnettöl vittaï mïevirun![3]” a centaur yelled a warning somewhere, but by then the ponies were charging in.
The windigos responded first, galloping through the air, and meeting Rainbow Dash’s blade as she slashed the beasts in half. Two centaur wizards and eight soldiers came into view as Solith’s magic nullified the storm. Amaranth transformed a card into a longbow and shot an arrow of fire through the nearest soldier’s breastplate.
“Hætten sïnettölï æseï!” one of the wizards yelled another warning before shaking his staff at the other, “Hü vez lïunarï tröyö![4]”
The second wizard raised his staff and held out his free hand, a glow surrounding his palm. The centaur soldiers quickly assembled into a line as crystalline shields of ice began to form on their gauntlets.
“Cant’r majia ita Ye’r atoc![5]” Solith incanted as she lowered her staff.
A beam of lightning burst from the staff’s end and struck the icy shield of one of the centaurs. The ice cracked, but did not shatter, and the lightning was dispersed across the surface of the shields as the centaurs stood in an impenetrable line.
“Eren’r oxelle soretta Ye’r mathis![6]” Twilight called, and behind the centaur lines the earth rose up through the frost in great spikes, punching through the armor of the wizard maintaining the shield spell.
The shields did not disappear immediately, but began to crack under the pressure from Solith’s lightning. As one of them finally shattered, Penumbra threw a vial over the centaurs and shattered it with his magic to disperse the liquid within over several of them, which was not a challenge since they were so close to each other. The moment Solith’s lightning touched the mixture, it ignited and three centaurs went down as they were simultaneously burned and electrocuted. The remaining centaur soldiers shied away, their line broken.
The voice of the non-impaled wizard rang out through the storm, booming in a new and unrecognizable tongue. Around the ponies’ protective barrier, the wind began to pick up and circle violently. A cyclone of blowing snow spun faster and faster around them, slowly constricting. The mage cadre fired off spells into the storm, but they either missed their unseen target completely or dissipated as they passed through the sorcerous gale.
Twilight Sparkle quickly ran to the edge of Solith’s barrier and began to draw a magic circle surrounding all five ponies in the snow. A centaur appeared without warning, charging through the constricting wall of snow as if it had no effect on him. Amaranth barely managed to throw out a card to conjure a shield in time to stop the swing of the centaur’s axe from splitting her head in two.
“Bei urga nof otha Ye’r corar’i![7]” Twilight yelled from the center of her magic circle the moment she finished drawing it.
The lines of the rune glowed momentarily before a wall of flame shot up from the edge. The cylinder of flame quickly mixed with the cylinder of blowing snow and rapidly began to circle. The centaur before Amaranth had been standing half in and half out of Solith’s protective shield when Twilight had cast her spell, and now he was divided in half by the spinning wall of flame. The armor and flesh of his midsection melted, and he quickly lost balance on just his forelegs and fell back into the spinning inferno.
Twilight Sparkle continued to feed energy to her spell, maintaining the flames and pushing back against the centaur wizard’s magic. The two mages warred against each other, the columns of flame and wind towering higher and higher as each sought to break through the other. Despite her frigid surroundings, Twilight began to sweat profusely from the exertion of holding up the spell and pressing against her foe. Eventually, the mages’ spells grew so high that they punched through the clouds and the blue sky could be seen above the ponies’ heads.
“Dash, go!” Twilight managed to force out as she struggled under the weight of her own sorcery.
Reading the sorceress’s intent, Rainbow Dash shot up through the tunnel of spinning flame. After what seemed to Twilight to be an eternity, the pressure lessened and her flames burst through the spinning wall of snow and wind, which was now dissipating. A centaur who had been standing too close screamed as the flames burst free and he was turned to ash, and the two remaining soldiers looked anxiously between the wizard they were supposed to be protecting and the group of mages.
Rainbow Dash was fighting the centaur wizard, though he was proving a troublesome opponent as he parried her swings with his staff. Releasing the staff with one hand, he stretched the palm out toward the Hunter and released a blast of magical energy that sent her tumbling through the snow. Even though the wizard was not under attack anymore, he knew that it wouldn’t last. The pony wizards had gone through his guard so fast that the remaining two soldiers would be dead too soon for him to have time to construct another cyclone. Quickly raising up a barrier of ice to protect himself, he ran over to where the other wizard’s bloody and punctured body was still hanging from the spikes of earth and retrieved the crystal ball hanging around his neck.
“Hü yöngï kænü[8],” the wizard ordered his pupil to hold off the ponies when he saw that the centaur was still clinging to life.
“Vitta yöngï kænösh, elektæ kæs vitta[9],” the severely wounded centaur promised his mentor through the blood in his mouth.
As the centaur soldiers were cloven in half by one of Amaranth’s conjured weapons, the lead wizard took off into the blizzard. Solith fired a beam of lightning after him, but the injured wizard reacted quickly enough to raise up a jagged wall of ice to block. An ominous aura swirled around the wizard as the pony mages advanced. With the last of his life he called forth the blood that hadn’t managed to drain from his body, combining it with the blood dripping down the spears of earth and pooling on the ground to form hundreds of spears of frozen blood. The mages dove for cover behind the centaur bodies or conjured up shields as the spears shot out in in all directions.
“Falan otha Rainbow Dash![10]” Twilight yelled as she saw that her friend was still lying on the ground, and a magical shield appeared around her body and deflected the frozen blood.
As Solith shifted position, so too did her protective shield, and Twilight rushed over to the Hunter once she was within the barrier. Twilight cleared away the drift that had begun to form over Rainbow Dash and confirmed that she was still alive. The wizard’s spell had temporarily paralyzed her, but it was already wearing off and soon Twilight was able to help her to her hooves.
“Where did he go?” Penumbra asked, looking suspiciously at the blowing snow around them, and Amaranth threw a card into the storm.
“He is headed southeast. He may be trying to meet up with the larger group to the east of Ponieville, which is nearing the Everfree Forest,” she announced a few seconds after throwing the card.
“Solith?” Penumbra asked, looking at the sky now, still sneering.
“I am able to put more pressure on their spell now, but it is still too powerful for us to have a chance of disassembling it,” the sorceress answered as she injected the ball of resin back into her staff.
“One more group, then,” Penumbra said, turning his attention to the southeast.
***
Nattalïer advanced steadily through the storm he’d architected. All in all, the raid was going quite well. Under his command, bat-pony squadrons glided across the landscape, seeking food stores and crops that the magical winter had preserved, not killed. They returned that information to Count Ræalis and his subordinates, who directed squads of centaurs to retrieve the food and return it to the nearest wizard for teleportation to the rift. Nattalïer’s wizards had cooked up a fine storm to keep any ponies from interfering, and though that irked some of the soldiers (who quite enjoyed bringing terror to this realm’s inhabitants), Nattalïer quite preferred it this way.
“Grandmaster Nattalïer!” one of the three wizards under his direct command called out for his attention in the language of Judd Caradain, letting the crystal ball around his neck drop, “Master Turæken has been forced to retreat!”
“Details,” Nattalïer demanded, though he had a suspicion what the answer would be.
“His position was assaulted by four wizards. He was the only survivor and is making his way to us.”
Upon arriving in this world, Nattalïer had immediately sought out and found the wizard that had foiled him during his last visit using his magic. She had been in the heart of Ponieville, and he had begrudgingly obeyed his orders not to seek her out. A short time after that, three new and powerful magical signatures had appeared in Ponieville, and now it seemed the sorcerers had all joined together to attack the White Procession’s wizards. She’s coming here, with help of course, but she’s coming to me just as I’d wished. Still, I can’t afford to let this distract me from my goal, or Duke Bittræen will have my head.
“Grassun, Alivet, take up the southern position,” Nattalïer ordered two of his wizards before turning to the one that had brought him the message of Turæken’s retreat, “Nössus, send word to the west cadre to take up the northern position, and the south cadre to take up the western position. We will face these pony wizards; their duty is to keep the winter in place.”
“Yes, Grandmaster,” Nössus replied before lifting his crystal ball to communicate the orders.
Yes, come to me, wizard of Ponieville. Bring whatever friends you wish; I will be ready for you this time.
***
Through the blowing snow, the landscape was beginning to look familiar to Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash nodded in confirmation as she saw the sorceress examining their surroundings to be sure it wasn’t merely her imagination. They were nearing the Apple homestead now, along with the wizard they’d chased off, judging by how quickly Amaranth responded after throwing her cards into the blizzard.
The homestead appeared quite suddenly, the protective wall rearing out of the snow before them. The gate had been smashed off its hinges, and the wind and snow were not as severe within the enclosure. A large force of centaurs was assembled here, nearly all of them facing toward the mages as they approached. More rushed around from outside of the enclosure and assembled behind them as they entered.
“A trap,” Penumbra swore, preparing to fight.
“You seek to challenge us, ponies,” a voice called out, “A bold move, I must say, though not a wise one.”
The centaur soldiers kept their weapons up, but moved aside to reveal the speaker. Two centaur wizards stood side-by-side, one of them the wizard the ponies had chased away earlier, and the other familiar to Twilight for another reason. Though the centaurs looked remarkably similar in their full-body armors, this one she recalled. His armor was fancier than the set he’d worn three weeks earlier—magical seals and banners were stamped to it and arcane tools hung at his side—but the voice was the same as the wizard who’d challenged Twilight to a duel at Golden Oak’s laboratory.
“Wizard of Ponieville, I’m very pleased that you came,” he addresses the sorceress directly, “Not only so that I can put an end to your ill-fated attempt to counteract our sorcery, but so that I can face you again, on better terms. I doubt you will find me an easy opponent this time.”
“You know this centaur?” Solith asked of Twilight.
“He may have sought me out to duel the last time the White Procession attacked Ponieville,” Twilight admitted.
“Eh, eh, let’s not be too hasty,” the centaur wizard warned, pointing his glowing staff toward the ponies as Solith raised her own staff and Amaranth levitated cards from her pouch and spread them out before her, “Your goal is to protect your fellow ponies, is it not?”
Twilight followed where the wizard was pointing with his free hand, finding it led to the Apples’ farmhouse. Out front, Big McIntosh lay sprawled on the snow, a dropped claymore nearby and a pool of blood forming beneath him. A centaur in gilded armor stood next to him, the tip of his sword pointed at Big Mac’s throat. More centaurs stood around the farmhouse, torches held ready to burn the place down at a command.
“Rebböfettö Ræalis, den vez sïnettölï vittaï mïevuï, hü vez helkintär ïssatö,[11]” Nattalïer ordered Count Ræalis to kill Big Mac if the mages tried to attack, “If you try to resist, their lives will be lost.”
“You think we are not prepared for collateral damage in order to stop you?” Penumbra laughed dangerously and began gesturing to prepare a spell.
Twilight realized that Penumbra’s challenge to the centaur wizard was no bluff. The Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre was ruthless, and they would be willing to sacrifice anything to obtain their objective. She had no doubt that the three wizards beside her would attack, and in the next instant Big McIntosh would be dead, followed by the rest of the Apple family locked in their farmhouse several agonizing minutes later as they were burned alive. The sorceress’s mind raced. and the rest of the world seemed to move in slow motion. There was only one course of action she could take; it was as if it had already been decided for her.
Before Penumbra could send a wall of flame crashing into the centaurs around them, or Solith could slam her staff to the ground and raise shields around their bodies, or Amaranth could send her cards flying to burn through the helmets and skulls of their enemies, Twilight Sparkle teleported into the midst of the centaurs. She appeared next to the centaur holding Big McIntosh hostage, on the opposite side from Big Mac. The instant she arrive, she placed a hoof on the centaur’s armor and poured just enough magical energy into it that the joints bound to each other and Count Ræalis was momentarily immobilized.
“Essoc soretta Ye![12]” Twilight yelled while he was still immobile and the surrounding centaurs still didn’t realize what was going on.
Count Ræalis’s sword shifted violently in his hand, spinning around and breaking his fingers. The blade shot out of hand as it tried to fulfill Twilight’s command for it to come to her, and punched through the weak protection of his armpit and through his heart before coming to a stop as the crossguard became stuck. Ræalis collapsed, and all hell broke loose.
The Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre fired off their spells, throwing centaurs aside as if they were made of straw. Nattalïer began barking out orders, and Turæken (the wizard they’d chased off earlier) started casting enchantments on the remaining centaur soldiers to improve their resistance to magic. Rainbow Dash charged into the lines of centaurs and wildly attacked with her sword and bombs. Bat-ponies took to the sky with crossbows and began firing down at the ponies. Windigos and rock-hounds charged forth at their handlers’ commands, adding to the chaos of the battlefield. A few seconds after the fighting broke out, the centaurs surrounding the Apple farmhouse remembered their orders to set the home ablaze.
“Mrinessen’r torrisal’i![13]” Twilight called out before they could touch their torches to the thatch, and they were encased in ice.
“Ye seni cavan’r seyat’i![14]” the sorceress followed up before they could break free, placing her forehooves upon the two rune-covered ribbons she’d thrown on the ground and bombarded two lines of centaurs with magical arrows simultaneously.
As a centaur’s axe crashed down beside her, Twilight jumped to Big Mac and teleported them both out of danger. They appeared within the farmhouse, and the sorceress saw Applejack, Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, and Fluttershy in the instant before she teleported back out to the battlefield. She reappeared atop the back of the centaur that had tried to kill her, and immediately cast a spell that caused the earth to drag him down and swallow him up. Stepping across the ground as it closed over the centaur, Twilight surveyed the chaos around her.
Rainbow Dash had taken to the sky to fight the bat-ponies and reduce the strain their crossbow shots were putting on Solith’s protective spells. Penumbra, much like Twilight, had teleported out of the centaur encirclement and was wreaking havoc among their lines with his offensive spells. Solith had allowed her weather-blocking spell to fall now that the centaur wizards were doing her work for her, but she was still maintaining protective shields around the fighting ponies. In addition to that, she was engaged in a duel with the wizard they’d followed here, and the two were firing spells back and forth at each other and attempting to nullify their opponent’s sorcery before it reached them.
Near Solith, trying to avoid being struck by the spells of the duel, was Amaranth. Piles of dead centaurs surrounded her, yet more advanced her way. She had not managed to get through the fight unscathed; one of her forelegs had been badly cut, and though she had a hoof clamped over the wound to staunch the bleeding, it wasn’t the perfect solution. Amaranth threw a card in the direction of the charging centaurs and it transformed into a pony-shaped figurine and clattered to the ground. Next, the sorceress cast another spell on the figurine and it grew into massive golem of volcanic rock. As it took on the centaurs, breathing fire at them and forcing them back, Amaranth was able to patch herself up.
Twilight marveled at the feat. Remarkable! She’s bypassed the laws of artifact compression by first compressing the golem and then transforming it into a card. It may take more skill and energy to do, but decompression is significantly cheaper and more stable. The Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre really is something.
“Cavan’r majia thula Ye assi cavan’r falan![15]” Twilight called out, encasing herself in another layer of magical protection.
“Ye seni cavan’r essoc![16]” she incanted after throwing down another rune-covered ribbon from her saddlebags, and a blade of pure magic sliced through the centaurs approaching her.
Five pillars of earth shot up around the sorceress, and the ground beneath her shifted. She teleported away an instant before the hand of soil constricted into a fist. Immediately, she sought out where the spell had originated and spotted the lead wizard staring at her from across the battlefield. Nattalïer reached up with his free hand and removed the faceplate of his helmet, revealing his grotesquely flat centaur face, largely hairless and with a small pink nose instead of a muzzle. His eyes flashed as he attached the faceplate to his belt and drew his sword.
“Cant’r majia tanya Ye’r fecorar![17]” Twilight called, and lightning lanced down from the sky to strike Nattalïer, but the centaur merely raised his staff and captured the lightning before redirecting it at Twilight.
“This is my storm. Do not think to use it against me,” he warned as the sorceress rolled through the snow to escape the lightning.
Twilight threw a ribbon to the ground and prepared to cast a spell, but before she completed the incantation, Nattalïer struck his staff against the ground and a line of flames lanced out and incinerated the ribbon. Twilight retaliated by returning a line of flames that looped back around as the centaur sidestepped them. Spinning his staff around, the centaur coated the ground around him in a layer of ice, extinguishing the flames.
“Eren nof onon, leya nof ita senarey’i’r kalar![18]” Twilight incanted, and the earth to either side of her rose up into pony-shaped mound.
“Falan othat Ye![19]” she summoned a shield around herself to deflect the lance of magical energy that Nattalïer fired at her.
Quickly, the sorceress wrapped rune-covered ribbons around the bodies of the dirt statues next to her. With a word, the statues were brought to life as crude golems. Twilight pointed them in the direction of her adversary, and the golems shambled toward Nattalïer, picking up discarded centaur weapons in their mouths as they went. Nattalïer charged forward, decapitating both golems with a swing of his sword before bringing the blade down upon Twilight’s crackling shield.
“I expected better from you than half-baked creations, wizard of Ponieville,” Nattalïer taunted as he forced his staff through the shield.
Before he could cast any spells, the centaur wizard was struck by a tackle from one of Twilight’s golems. The other aimed a swing at his head as he rose up and Nattalïer parried with his sword. Both golems charged the centaur, both now fully restored. The centaur cast a spell that froze the golems solid before smashing them to bits with the end of his staff and a hoof. To his shock, the pieces reassembled, the ribbon glowing slightly as the strands reattached.
“It is an enchantment of my own creation,” Twilight Sparkle caught Nattalïer’s attention from where she’d retreated to safety, “The golems I have applied it to may not be the best, but you will find them difficult to defeat all the same.”
As the golems attacked again, Nattalïer surrounded them with an inferno, but the flames only seemed to harden their forms, and the magical ribbons wrapped around them remained untouched. He sought to break them, burn them, crush them, yet nothing seemed to work. Every time he struck the golems down, they returned to their previous form and attacked him again. Finally, he melted them into pools of muddy water, and retrieved the ribbons from the puddles before they could reconstitute themselves. To ensure the ribbons wouldn’t come into contact with the dirt and bring the golems back to life, he wrapped them around his hands and sought out Twilight, who’d been out of his sight for far too long.
“Ye seni Mer Isroc’i’r Dorentai![20]” Twilight incanted, and the long, blade-covered chain rose up from the runes she’d drawn while Nattalïer was preoccupied.
Not this again! Nattalïer poured energy into his sword, lengthening it and causing the blade’s edges to glow a golden color. As the enchanted chain swung for him, he sliced through the links with his sword, managing to deflect most attacks before they hit him. A large portion of the chain, cut off from the end Twilight was wielding, returned the raw magical energy that drifted away.
Twilight was not finished, though. She had been busy while her golems distracted the wizard. A small cloud beneath the main cloud layer hovered over Nattalïer, and the snow it released sizzled when they struck his armor, marring the surface. To protect his face, the centaur replaced his faceplate, just in time for the snow to turn to hail, the stones of which managed to burn though his armor completely in some places and strike the leather layer and flesh underneath. Calling upon the storm he’d conjured, the wizard used harsh winds to tear the poisonous cloud apart and destroy it.
Off to one side, Nattalïer saw Turæken fall beneath the combined onslaught of spells from Solith and Amaranth. I am locked in a stalemate, but if two more of these wizards join the fight, it will become a losing battle for me. The battle was also going extremely poorly elsewhere. A legion of highly trained centaurs and bat-ponies was still nothing against a cadre of wizards, even if they were lowly ponies. If I stay any longer, the losses will be unacceptable. I’ve wasted too much time here anyway; I must turn my full attention to the mission, regardless of my desires to crush this pony wizard who has foiled my attacks twice now.
“Vittaï menüttö kattaï! Vittaï sattö sæ nessissæ kattaï![21]” Nattalïer sounded the retreat, magically augmenting his voice to ensure all his troops heard him.
“Ye seni cavan’r seyat![22]” Twilight yelled, not intending to let the wizard escape so easily.
Nattalïer summoned up a magical shield to absorb the swarm of arrows that assaulted him. Once Twilight’s spell subsided, he pointed his staff at the Apple farmhouse. The entire building vanished, only to reappear in the sky where it seemed to hover for a few seconds before beginning to plummet. While Twilight watched in horror, the wizard galloped away into the storm, joining the rest of the retreating centaurs.
Twilight estimated the velocity of the falling house in her head before teleporting into it. Penumbra was already inside the home when she arrived, and made eye contact with her for an instant before teleporting away with Big Mac. Twilight grabbed hold of Applejack, tuned out to whatever she was saying, and teleported to the ground. The farmhouse crashed to the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces. Twilight was relieved to see Fluttershy drifting down with Apple Bloom on her back, and that Amaranth had teleported in and saved Granny Smith.
“We need to return to the Mayoral Keep!” Penumbra announced, yelling to be heard over the blizzard, which had picked up in intensity now that the White Procession no longer needed the area clear for combat.
“What about stopping the White Procession?” Twilight yelled back, though inwardly she was glad that they could escort the Apples and Fluttershy to safety.
“The storm has become too strong!” Solith yelled in response, then returned to her normal voice once she had a protective shield over the ponies again, “If we want to stop the White Procession now, we would have to take all their wizards out. We cannot chase them through the storm forever.”
“We did our best, but all we can do now is wait out the storm,” Penumbra announced, and led the way back toward town.
***
Nattalïer watched the ponies through the thick storm that kept him hidden from their view. Next time, he’d need to bring an even greater power to bear, if Duke Bittræen allowed him to come here again. The chances of that were slim, given how many soldiers he’d once again lost. At least this time, he’d be able to explain that an elite cadre of wizards had caused the losses. And the Ponieville wizard, of course.
Just who is she, and how can she wield such inexplicable power? On the surface, that purple pony appeared to be simple wizard, a highly skilled one, but no more than that. Yet, there was something otherworldly there beneath the surface, and not otherworldly like the things of this world were to the residents of Judd Caradain. If only I could capture her and do experiments on her.
The centaur wizard started as he realized that the strange energy he was sensing was not only coming from the Ponieville wizard, but also from three other ponies. The one with the sword that was fighting us is giving off a strange aura as well, which may explain why she was so remarkably fast. The one in the dark robes and that orange one possess it, too. Just who are these ponies, and what is it that makes them so special?
When Twilight Sparkle awoke, she immediately took note that the wind was no longer howling outside. Rising from the bed that Trixie had slept in over a month earlier, the sorceress trotted over to the window and opened the heavy shutters. From the Mayoral Keep’s tower, she could see across Ponieville and the surrounding land, all covered in a heavy layer of snow.
The White Procession’s winter had raged for three days, and through it all, Twilight had stayed in the Mayoral Keep with a large portion of Ponieville’s residents. Mayor Mare had offered the tower room to the Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre initially, and Twilight had found herself sleeping in the Great Hall with the common rabble. Penumbra and his fellow mages had stayed only one night, though, and after they departed for Cant’r Laht (with the promise to return at a moment’s notice if the Mayoral Keep was attacked), the mayor offered the room to Twilight, perhaps to avoid offending the sorceress more than she already had.
The room had been a blessing to Twilight, and not just because it distanced her from the unfamiliar smells and noises that filled the Great Hall. She had a quiet place to continue her studies, which at the moment revolved around the only books she had on hoof—Hearthfire Incantations—but that was perfectly fine with her. After the most recent run-in with that centaur wizard, she felt it would be wise to investigate spells designed for combatting the White Procession’s magic. Besides, teleporting to Golden Oak’s laboratory and back to fetch more books seemed too dangerous of a feat to attempt.
Having a room to herself (and Spike) was also advantageous for other reasons. She could meet with her friends without being part of the crushing crowd in the Great Hall. After escorting the Apples and Fluttershy here, four of her five main acquaintances were assembled in the Mayoral Keep. There was no sign of Rarity, but the other Brave Companions held out hope that she’d barricaded herself in her home or made it to shelter somewhere else. According to Solith, the White Procession had, as a whole, left Ponieville itself alone, focusing their troops on the fields outside the town, so there was a good chance that Rarity was fine so long as she’d been within the town walls when the storm had hit.
As Twilight surveyed the frosty landscape, she noticed ponies beginning to assemble in the Mayoral Keep’s courtyard. It had to be the preparations for the winter wrap-up she’d missed the last time when she was repairing Golden Oak’s laboratory. She had first learned of this custom through the writings of her predecessor in Ponieville. Golden Oak had apparently been in the habit of jotting down his thoughts in journals, and then leaving those journals tucked away in obscure corners of his home. Twilight had found two so far, which she’d tentatively labeled volumes one and seventeen based on the time gap and topics discussed.
In the earlier journal, he’d written about the Ponieville winter wrap-up. In Equestria’s largest cities, recovery from an attack by the White Procession was often accomplished with aid of magic (apart from Manehatten, which had recently gotten into the habit of burning sorceresses at the stake); however, in rural areas, everypony fended for themselves in restoring the land to the rightful season. In Ponieville, the recovery from the White Procession was ordered, like in the cities, but traditionally no magic was used. Golden Oak had found it odd when the townsponies had turned down his magical help in cleaning up the wintery mess; Twilight found it strange as well, but she was here in Ponieville to learn, and one of the things she’d taken upon herself to learn was the traditions of this town whose importance in the Dominions of Cant’r Laht was vastly greater than its size.
The crowd down below began to disperse as the great gates in the Mayoral Keep’s wall were forced open, but Twilight had no fear that she would miss the winter wrap-up. Golden Oak had been very thorough in his description, and the sorceress knew that before the work began, ponies would return to their homes to survey the damage and bring word back so that tasks could be assigned. She had plenty of time to wake Spike, clothe herself, and travel to the laboratory and return better equipped. She was excited to experience this strange tradition that banned the very thing that was the source of her power. But, magic or not, she would be there.
***
An hour later, everypony had reassembled at the Mayoral Keep and were talking amongst themselves as they waited for the winter wrap-up to get underway. Near the keep’s entrance was a line of ponies behind collapsible desks, jotting down what ponies yelled out to them as fast as they could. Twilight didn’t recognize all of them, but a she had seen a good number of them in Mayor Mare’s retinue, so it was fair to assume that the rest were her lackeys as well. Just how many officials does a mayor need, anyway? The sorceress had yet to spot any of her friends, but she had Spike on the lookout atop her back to notify her as soon as one of the Brave Companions appeared among the mass of ponies.
The noise dropped slightly as the doors to the keep opened, and Mayor Mare trotted out among more flunkies. Halting where she could look out over the crowd, she motioned at ponies near her who drew horns to their lips and blew a blast to get the crowd’s attention. The mob quickly quieted and turned their attention to the mayor.
“Ponies of the Mayoral Fief! I know we had hoped it would not be necessary to do this again so soon, but the White Procession has given us no choice!” Mayor Mare yelled, “Let us see to our appointed tasks, looking ahead to the festivities and return to normality that await us! Let this winter wrap-up be the best in Ponieville’s long and proud history of undoing the White Procession’s magic with no magic ourselves!”
“If you have urgent matters to bring to the mayor’s attention, step forward!” the mayor’s steward announced once the stamping of hooves died down, “Otherwise, report to whomever you assigned to at the last winter wrap-up!”
The Mayoral Keep’s courtyard became quite chaotic as all but a few of the assembled ponies tried to leave at once. Twilight was jostled around very unpleasantly as the crowd flowed out through the gate and into Ponieville’s streets. Swept along, the sorceress found herself near Ponieville’s east gate by the time she was able to move freely. Taking a moment to situate herself, she spotted Rainbow Dash speaking to a crowd of pegasi nearby.
“Rainbow Dash is over there,” Spike announced, pointing at the pegasus, and Twilight rolled her eyes.
“I saw that, you know. I’m doing the best I can,” the page defended himself.
Spike hopped off Twilight’s back now that space wasn’t so hard to come by and he had fulfilled his mission, albeit mere seconds after Twilight had done so herself. He still had to be wary of ponies rushing around in a hurry and who weren’t looking out for an individual of his stature, but so long as he stood next to Twilight, he was relatively safe. Together, the duo made their way over to Rainbow Dash, reaching her just as she was about to take off herself after the pegasi she’d been talking to flew over Ponieville’s palisade.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight caught the Hunter’s attention before she left, “What are you doing? Maybe I can assist you.”
“I’m working on clearing away some of the snow clouds the White Procession left behind,” Rainbow Dash said, “So, unless you sprout wings, I’d have to say probably not.”
“Well, I could…” Twilight said, thinking of a spell she’d learned to manipulate the White Procession’s weather, then remembered the whole purpose of this experience, “Oh, right.”
“Sorry, Twilight. I’m sure you’ll find something,” Rainbow Dash said before shooting off from the ground.
“This could be more difficult than I anticipated, Spike,” the sorceress admitted to her page.
“Nopony says you have to,” the dragon pointed out, “They got along just fine without you last time, after all.”
“You think I cannot do this without magic?” Twilight said crossly, misunderstanding his intent.
“Do you really want to know what I think?” Spike asked, although he knew that Twilight’s answer would really be the opposite of whatever she said.
“I do,” she replied firmly. Oh, no; one of these moods. Well, I suppose I can’t really make things any worse by telling her what I think.
“I think you may be taking this ‘going local’ thing too far,” the dragon page ventured his opinion, “You want to study Ponieville and everything about it, and that’s fine, but that doesn’t mean you need to become a Ponievillian. You’re from Cant’r Laht, the most advanced city in all Equestria, where a White Procession winter is cleaned up by magic in hours. They may not use magic here, and that’s fine, but this is Ponieville, not Cant’r Laht, and Cant’r Laht is where you grew up. You don’t have to bend over backwards to adopt the traditions of this place, and I don’t think you should, especially not if it means that you have to abandon doing what you’re best at.”
“So, a sorceress is all I am?”
“No, but you are first and foremost a sorceress of Cant’r Laht, no less than the personal protégé of Celestia,” Spike said.
“Well, I will show you that I do not need my magic to help with this winter wrap-up,” Twilight said frostily, “I want you observing closely and taking careful notes as I show you what I can do without magic.”
“Oh, heavens above,” Spike swore in resignation as he buried his face in his claws, “Fine; what are you going to help with?”
“Um,” Twilight said as she looked around before spotting a familiar face through Ponieville’s gate, “Ah, there is Rarity. As a fellow unicorn, surely she is working on some task that I can do as well.”
With Spike in tow, Twilight trotted out to the buildings clustered outside of Ponieville, which had taken more damage than the ones within. The building Rarity and a few other ponies were standing at the base of had lost most of its roof. From the cart of thatch and other building materials nearby, the sorceress quickly deduced what these ponies’ appointed task was.
“Rarity!” the sorceress called out to her friend as she began ascending a ladder.
“Oh, Twilight,” Rarity said with surprise, looking down at the sorceress, “Did you come to help?”
“Of course!” Twilight replied, then looked at Spike until he got the hint and retrieved a roll of parchment and a quill from her saddlebags to record her adventures in wrapping up winter.
“Oh,” Rarity said, still a bit surprised that Twilight had come out to help repair a roof, “Well, grab some thatch and come on up here, then.”
The other ponies seemed surprised that the town’s only sorceress was taking part in manual labor, but Twilight didn’t notice. Wishing that she’d read something on thatching roofs in the past, the sorceress tried to figure out exactly what to do. She gathered as much thatch as she could into a bundle and tied it to her back before ascending the ladder. Once atop the house, she sat next to Rarity and laid out her building materials.
“So, where were you during the storm?” Twilight asked, trying to make conversation as she studiously watched Rarity work and tried to copy her.
“I was able to make it to the chapel with Sweetie Belle—my younger sister, I don’t believe I’ve mentioned her to you before—so we waited out the storm there,” Rarity answered without pausing in her work, “Did you have any guests at the laboratory this time?”
“No, the rest of us stayed in the Mayoral Keep,” Twilight said as she undid and redid some of her work, “How is that?”
“Oh … my,” Rarity said as she turned to look at Twilight’s work, trying to be polite, “Well, it’s a good start, but it could use some work.”
Twilight sighed. She could clearly see that Rarity was right. The difference in quality between their work was like night and day. But, she was determined to do this, and she hadn't made an egregious mistake. Giving up now would be counterproductive, and would also prove that Spike was right about her not being able to help without magic.
“Like here?” Twilight asked, thinking she saw a place to easily fix one of her mistakes.
“No, wait!” Rarity said as the sorceress leaned over and removed some of her thatch.
The roof shifted as Twilight put pressure on a weak point, and her work quickly fell apart as she removed something she thought would help. She also lost her balance, and tipped over the edge of the undamaged portion of the roof. As she grasped around trying to keep from falling, she only made matters worse, pulling chunks of the roof down around her. The sorceress fell through into the home she had been trying to repair, as thatch and wood rained down around her.
“Maybe I am not suited for this job,” she admitted as she looked up through the hole at a concerned Rarity.
“Well, maybe not, darling,” Rarity said uncomfortably, “Perhaps you should seek out Pinkamena and help her with cutting the ice covering the ponds and streams to the east.”
“Perhaps I should,” Twilight said dejectedly. Perhapsthatching roofs isn’t my thing, but I will find something. I will help with the winter wrap-up without magic, no matter what it takes.
***
There were quite a few ponds and streams between Ponieville and the Everfree Forest, so it took Twilight some time to find Pinkamena. She passed many ponies working to clean up after the White Procession’s unnatural winter, many of whom watched the sorceress curiously. Nopony had expected her to be out helping, and she was causing quite a stir.
She finally tracked down Pinkamena to a small lake bordered on two sides by frosty trees. As teams of pegasi shook the snow down from the surrounding timber, Pinkamena and her fellow earth ponies were out on the lake. Some were pulling ice cutting plows, while others chipped away at the ice and tried to break chunks free.
“Twilight! Twilight! Over here!” Pinkamena called for the sorceress the moment she saw her, and Twilight quickly rushed over to the energetic mare under the eyes of everypony in the area, “Did you come to help us with the ice?”
“She’s trying to help with the winter wrap-up without using magic,” Spike said before Twilight could answer.
“Yes, Spike, I am,” Twilight addressed her page brusquely, before turning back to Pinkamena, “I think this might be the thing for me. Where do I start?”
“You can work with me!” Pinkamena exclaimed enthusiastically as she fetched Twilight an ice chisel, “Our job is to break the ice up into chunks and pull it out of the water. It’s not especially thick, so it won’t be too hard.”
Like with thatching roofs, Twilight had absolutely zero experience with ice harvesting, and she primarily watched what Pinkamena was doing. However, like the rest of the part-time bard’s life, there didn’t seem to be any reason to her actions. She darted around the pond, jumping across gaps and using her chisel to break blocks of ice free, sometimes hammering vigorously at the pond’s surface and sometimes treating it gently. It was all Twilight could do just to follow the pink pony’s actions and try to determine when to do what.
At first, things seemed to be working out all right. The sorceress managed to dislodge a few misshapen chunks of ice and float them over to ponies waiting on the shore to lift them into carts. After struggling for some time with a block that required much more chipping than usual to break away, Twilight made a misstep and ended up standing on the block as it floated away. She tried to jump back, but as she shifted for the jump, the block tipped unsteadily and the sorceress very nearly took a swim. Instead, she lunged out with her ice chisel and embedded it into a groove in the main ice pack. Straining, she tried to pull herself and ice block back to safety.
The groove she’d embedded her chisel in, however, had been scored nearly all the way through, and as she struggled desperately to pull her way back to safety, the ice separated. The crack split all the way across to where ponies were detaching blocks on the other side of the lake, and the ice shifted. The ponies pulling the ice plows didn’t see the shift until it was too late, and their blades collided with the irregular ice, pulling them up short and damaging the plows.
Twilight hopped back onto the ice and safety, but all she could think about were the angry shouts of ponies as they disentangled themselves from their plows and the sound of Spike scribbling away. It felt terrible to know that he was recording her mistakes, but it was too late now for her to change her mind and tell him to stop. The sorceress quickly made her way back to the lake’s shore while trying to avoid the attention of the other ponies.
“What a mess,” Pinkamena observed as Twilight made it to the shore and dropped her ice chisel, “Where are you going, Twilight?”
“I think I had better go, Pinkamena,” Twilight said, “I caused this mess. I do not think I can be much help here, but thank you anyway for trying to teach me.”
“Don’t go, Twilight. Accidents happen; we can fix it,” Pinkamena reassured her.
“Thank you, but I think it would be best if I look for some other way to help with the winter wrap-up,” Twilight said, and moved on before Pinkamena could try to keep her from leaving.
“Okay,” Pinkamena said sadly, before bouncing back to her normal self, “I heard Fluttershy’s around here somewhere with the other druids. You should see if she needs any help.”
“Thank you, Pinkamena,” Twilight said as she left the disaster on the lake behind her, hoping that it wasn’t as serious as it looked.
***
Once again, Twilight found herself traveling across the countryside. Spike, her ever-faithful assistant, was with her, but she was feeling bitter at the moment and didn’t feel like talking to him, so she was alone with her thoughts. All in all, today had gone pretty poorly for her. In trying to help with Ponieville’s winter wrap-up, she had caused not just one, but two disasters. Perhaps Spike was right, and she’d be better off returning to Golden Oak’s laboratory to study magic; even so, she couldn’t allow herself to do that. It wasn’t just that she wanted to prove him wrong, either; she felt that she needed to do this, to prove that she was capable even without magic. Events lately had been rather odd; she’d had her skills with sorcery put to the test twice in the span of a month, and had lost her magic completely in between. She needed to know that even without her magic, she’d still be able to do something.
The druids were normally difficult to locate, given that they often blended into the wild places they tended to. However, with much of the land still covered in snow, they stood out distinctly in their plain brown robes. At first, they were reluctant to speak with Twilight, but she eventually managed to get Fluttershy’s location from them (likely so she would leave them alone). When Twilight reached her, the druidess was walking among the close-packed trees of a small copse, tapping on the trunks or stomping on the ground.
“Hello, Fluttershy,” Twilight announced her presence, and the druidess nearly jumped out of her robes.
“Twilight? What brings you out here?” Fluttershy asked with a puzzled expression once she’d regained her composure.
“I am looking for something to assist with in the winter wrap-up, and I was hoping I could help you with whatever you are doing,” the sorceress said before Spike could butt in this time, although, by his apparent disinterest, the page seemed to be inclined to do nothing of the sort.
“Really? You want to help me awaken the woodland creatures who secured themselves in their burrows when they thought a real winter was upon them?” the druidess asked with disbelief.
“If that is what you are doing, then yes,” Twilight said. How hard can that be?
“If you’re sure ... ” Fluttershy said, turning away slightly, but still looking at Twilight with a puzzled expression, “I can finish up this part of the copse if you take everything west of here.”
There were some more druids in the nearby fields watching Twilight and talking secretively to each other, but the sorceress ignored them as she went about her task. She had no idea which holes in the trees were home to birds and which tunnels in the ground contained animals, so she tapped and stomped at all of them. There didn’t seem to be some special way of getting the animals’ attention, and a few birds and squirrels emerged from their homes, so she must’ve been doing it correctly.
As she stomped outside one particular den, a growl emanated from within. The sorceress jumped back as a badger emerged from the burrow and swatted at her legs. Spike hadn’t been paying much attention, and he nearly walked into the badger. Of a much more similar size, he wasn’t able to flee as easily as Twilight, and rolled his parchment into a scroll before swatting at the badger with it. As Spike struck the animal with his recordings of Twilight’s attempt to help in the winter wrap-up, the nearby crowd of druids gave off sounds of displeasure.
“Spike, stop that,” Twilight commanded under her voice. The last thing I need is the Ponieville circle of druids finding a genuine reason to dislike me. They’re frosty enough toward me already.
“Twilight, look out!” her page warned as a badger emerged from a den she’d accidently backed into and collapsed the entrance of when fleeing from the first badger.
It latched onto her robes, and she tried to shake it off without hurting it or accidentally bashing its brains out against a tree. Finally, it let go but didn’t give up on trying to attack the sorceress. As she retreated, she helped Spike onto her back and backed away from the duo of angry badgers.
“Stop! Leave her alone!” Fluttershy’s voice commanded, her voice oddly resonant in a way that made Twilight’s senses tingle, and the badgers obediently backed off, “Are you all right, Twilight? I didn’t know they’d made new burrows in this part of the copse.”
“Yes, I will be fine,” Twilight said, hesitating before she continued, “But I think it may be best if I left.”
“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked, and Twilight glanced over at where the druids were whispering vigorously among themselves.
“Yes, I am sure. This is clearly a job for druids, and I am not one. I will try to make myself useful somewhere else.”
“Have you seen Pinkamena?” the druidess asked.
“Yes, and unfortunately things did not go well with breaking ice.”
“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy said timidly, “What about Applejack, then. She’s somewhere around here, probably near the Apples’ land.”
“Yes, thank you, I will go see if Applejack needs any assistance,” Twilight replied, faking a smile as she left in failure once more.
***
“It certainly is taking them a long time,” Spike observed as they passed ponies hauling away carts of snow.
“What do you expect?” Twilight asked, “Without magic, they have to shovel the snow and cart it away by hoof.”
“Twilight, I think you’re missing an obvious solution.”
“No, Spike,” the sorceress said, averting her attention from her page.
“You know spells that could clean up everything left behind by the White Procession in a matter of hours,” he argued anyway, “Do you think these ponies want to spend the whole day clearing snow when you could do the same thing much quicker and they can get back to their lives?”
“The winter wrap-up is a Ponieville tradition, Spike, and I cannot undo it merely for convenience.”
“Hear me out. What if the reason they’ve never used magic for this before is because they never had a powerful sorceress to help?”
“Golden Oak offered, and they turned him down,” Twilight replied.
“Yeah, but, I haven’t heard much bragging about his powers, and his magic was mostly plant-based, wasn’t it?” Spike said, making too much sense.
“No, Spike, I am going to make this work without magic, and if I am unable to, as you seem to think, then I will not do anything.”
Spike didn’t raise any further arguments as the two of them made their way down a slush-covered hill to where Applejack was shoveling snow. Several ponies were walking around pushing contraptions with angled plows at the front, which pushed the snow into long piles. Those piles were then shoveled by many more ponies into carts, and when the carts were full, they were taken away by even more ponies. Twilight wasn’t sure where exactly the ponies were taking the cleared snow, but she suspected the rivers, forgetting that most of them were still frozen over.
“Applejack!” Twilight called out to get the farmer’s attention as she approached, “How are things coming along?”
“Oh, hello, Twi’. What’re y’ doin’ out here?” Applejack asked after sticking her shovel into the ground.
“I came to help with the winter wrap-up,” the sorceress announced, though looking around, it seemed she wouldn’t be much help here, either.
She wasn’t accustomed to carrying anything in her mouth heavier than a book, and you didn’t use books for lifting heavy clumps of snow. The positions on the carts seemed to all be filled, but there was a plow left open. Most of the ponies pushing the plows were large and strong, but even if Twilight couldn’t push as fast as them, at least she would be helping with something.
“We could sure use th’ help,” Applejack said, “I don’t think we’ll ever get this snow cleaned up. Would you take my spot with th’ shovel, an’ I’ll clear some more snow with th’ plow?”
“Stay where you are,” Twilight said as she vaulted over the crisscrossing snow piles and moved into position behind the plow, “I can do some plowing.” It’s just walking, after all, how hard can it be?
“Are you sure, Twi’? ‘Tis not an easy task,” Applejack said uncertainly.
“Everything will be fine,” Twilight assured her, “I want to help; just go back to shoveling, and I will return to take your place if I get tired.”
Twilight set off pushing the plow, and things were going all right for her until she actually had to push snow aside with the contraption. The environment was slowly heating up as summer returned, and the snow was wet and heavy. Rather than just taking a walk, she had to dig her hooves into the wet, muddy ground and struggle through the drifts. It didn’t take long before the sorceress was drenched in sweat and her clothes were covered in mud. She had expected to move slowly through the snow, but she soon ground to a complete halt.
As she struggled and strained to make the plow move forward again, Spike’s words came back to her. Winter wrap-up seemed designed to be overly difficult, but that can’t have been the intentions of those who started it, could it? Perhaps this was the best the town could do when it was an even smaller settlement without a single pony with even a smidgen of magical talent, but times had changed. Surely they couldn’t object to just a little magic being used to speed things along if it made their lives a bit easier, could they? As Twilight struggled bodily to make the plow move, she also wrestled with the dilemma in her head.
“Y’ havin’ some trouble, Twi’?” Applejack called, and the sorceress made her mind up.
“I will be all right; I just needed a moment!” she called back over her shoulder before muttering a spell under her breath.
The plow began to slowly push forward through the snow as the blade became enchanted with the properties of fire. Soon, she was moving along at a steady pace again as the plow softened and melted the snow ahead of her. She was still exerting herself in pushing the plow, and that component of her contribution had nothing to do with magic, so it wasn’t really cheating, was it?
The sorceress was feeling a little better about herself, when the plow struck a downed tree buried under the snow and came to an abrupt halt. Steam began to rise as the snow around the plow’s blade evaporated, and the tree trunk began to groan and crackle. Twilight tried to pull the plow back, but she didn’t manage to succeed before the tree burst into flames. A few seconds later, the wooden plow blade, no longer cooled by surrounding snow, also caught fire. She was forced to abandon the burning contraption and retreat to safety. Some of the ponies hauling carts of snow caught sight of the fire and rushed over to dump their loads on the blaze, extinguishing it with a hiss.
“What was that?” Applejack asked as she galloped up to the charred remains of the plow and tree, before turning on Twilight, “Were you using magic?”
“I … some … I am truly sorry,” Twilight tried to think of what to say to her friend, struggling with shame and disappointment, “I just … I wanted to help with the winter wrap-up and …”
“That’s no excuse!” Applejack exclaimed, “I’m appreciative o’ you usin’ your magic t’ save me an’ my kin th’ other day, but not here! We don’t use magic for this, Twilight! I thought you knew better!”
The sorceress felt terrible. She had betrayed Applejack’s trust—no, the trust of all of Ponieville. It had been a mild spell, yet she had known that it wasn’t right. She was just so frustrated that nothing had gone right for her. Am I really unable to do anything without my sorcery? Do I belong back in Cant’r Laht, instead of here?
“I am … truly … sorry,” was all Twilight managed to say before taking off and galloping away as fast as she could.
***
“Don’t worry, Twilight. Applejack calmed down after you left, and she’s sorry for yelling at you,” Spike reassured the sorceress back in Ponieville.
“You were right, Spike,” Twilight said depressingly, “A sorceress is all that I am. How did I even function when I lost my magic in the Everfree?”
The unicorn sorceress and her dragon page were seated outside the Prancynge Ponie, which was currently closed for the winter wrap-up. Twilight wasn’t sure why she hadn’t returned to Golden Oak’s laboratory – maybe because that would mean truly admitting defeat since there was a chance, however slim, that something would happen that would allow her to help with the winter wrap-up so long as she didn’t go home. She was getting several odd looks as ponies walked by, though there weren’t very many of them out and about town since winter had finished wrapping up here. It wasn’t entirely clear whether the strange looks were because they’d heard of one or more of her instances of failure, or because of how unkempt she looked, her robes disheveled and sopping with mud.
“I didn’t say that, Twilight,” Spike said, “You’re great at plenty of things, just not anything that has to do with this backwards tradition.”
“Yes, it may be backwards, but it is still a Ponieville tradition,” Twilight said, “Ponieville is our home now; I hoped it would be for a long time, but I am just not sure anymore.”
“Cheer up; you did plenty to help protect against the White Procession during the winter, so don’t get worked up about not being able to help in the aftermath,” Spike said, providing a small comfort at least.
“This is a disaster!” Twilight heard from behind the Prancynge Ponie.
The sorceress pricked up her ears when she realized that the voice belonged to Mayor Mare. Since the town was mostly empty, she must not have thought anypony could overhear her conversation. Most ponies would consider eavesdropping rude, but Twilight still had some of her Cant’r Laht instincts in her. Every sorceress knew that the things ponies said when they didn’t know you were listening were the things that told you the most about them.
“Just how can the winter wrap-up be going so poorly? What do I pay you for!” Mayor Mare said enthusiastically, struggling to keep from yelling, “You came highly recommended from Count Baukus, and what have you done? And you, why did I hire you away from Count Trillhoof if all you’re going to tell me is that you don’t know what you’re doing?”
“This ‘winter wrap-up’ is quite different than anything I’ve experienced before, ma’am,” one of the mayor’s lackeys defended himself, “I was not told what to expect here, so how can I be expected to apply my previous knowledge to such a chaotic situation?”
“I had hoped that for once we would be able to finish the winter wrap-up without its usual complications and disasters, and that is why I hired all of you,” the mayor went on, “I needed organization and efficiency, but what you gave me is a greater mess than usual!”
The winter wrap-up isn’t successful. I had assumed it was meant to be as disordered as it is, but could it truly be that it isn’t the wonderful tradition I’d been led to believe? As Twilight thought about it, she realized that she had seen quite a few egregious mistakes today that she had simply brushed off because she thought that, as an outsider, she hadn’t understood the tradition. Why, just recently when she’d returned to Ponieville, she’d overheard an argument between Rarity—who was out of the supplies she needed to repair a roof—and the pony in charge of delivering said supplies—who firmly believed that it wasn’t his fault if Rarity was on the wrong roof.
Supply problems weren’t the only thing; there were so many flaws that Twilight could see how to fix now that she was thinking about it. Perhaps she could be of use after all. Spike steadied the table as Twilight jumped out of her seat and rushed around the Prancynge Ponie. The crowd of Mayor Mare’s flunkies recoiled as the sorceress took them by surprise.
“Madam sorceress,” Mayor Mare said uncomfortably, “How long have you been around?”
“Long enough,” Twilight replied, mentally preparing her pitch, “You have a problem, mayor.”
“I assure you, I have the winter wrap-up fully under control,” the mayor said slyly with an oily smile.
“No, you do not,” Twilight Sparkle said bluntly, shocking the mayor with her forwardness, “However, I think I may have the solution for you.”
“Oh, really,” the mayor said, still managing to keep up her smile, “Well, I would be quite interested to hear it.”
“The winter wrap-up is plagued with inefficiencies and poor organization, as you are well aware,” Twilight said, pausing for the mayor to nod her assent, “Instead of an army of stewards, bailiffs, and whomever else you have assembled, I want you to put me in charge of the winter wrap-up. I guarantee you will not regret it. My organization and management skills are beyond compare.”
“It’s true,” Spike offered. Having lived with the sorceress for the entirety of his live, he felt more than qualified to vouch for her on this matter. Twilight’s attention to detail was beyond compare, so much so that it was annoying sometimes.
“First off, the repair jobs should be planned in advance with a survey to ensure the proper quantities of materials arrive at the appropriate locations, to eliminate unnecessary transportation,” Twilight began listing off the ideas at the top of her head, “Ice scoring and snow clearing should be done uniformly, not wherever ponies think they ought to go. Ice harvesting should also be organized with the prioritization of clearing rivers for the snow to be cleared to. Furthermore, the druids and snow clearing teams need to work together so that neither group should need to wait for the other to begin their tasks. I could continue, but I think you get the picture.”
“You’re all dismissed,” Mayor Mare announced nastily to her minions, “Very well, madam sorceress, show me what you can do.”
“Right away,” Twilight Sparkle said, turning sharply on her hooves and trotting away, “Spike, take my instructions down.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the dragon said proudly as he prepared a fresh parchment and quill.
***
The banquet in the Mayoral Keep that night was something to remember. After Twilight had taken over administration of the winter wrap-up and whipped things into shape, the work had gone more quickly than the ponies could've imagined. Though the sun had set by the time all the work was completed, it was still the first time anypony could remember that the winter wrap-up had taken only a single day. Those who realized that Twilight Sparkle was to thank for this feat congratulated her, and the sorceress soaked up the adoration. After everything had gone so very wrong, finally something had gone so very right for her.
“Attention! Attention, everypony, I have an announcement to make!” Mayor Mare called over the crowd of ponies at various levels of inebriation, “Madam Twilight Sparkle, it is thanks to you that we were able to complete this winter wrap-up so quickly. The credit for this feat falls entirely on your shoulders.”
It must be killing her, but she almost sounds sincere!
“In light of this, I feel it is only fitting to bestow an honor upon you,” Mayor Mare continued once the cheers and hoof-stomping died down, “Twilight Sparkle, I appoint you to the position of Marshal of Winter Wrap-Up. From now on, you will be the sole pony responsible for organizing the overseeing of winter wrap-ups. I am confident that we are in good hooves.”
Like the titles of most of Mayor Mare’s “court,” it was essentially meaningless, but it didn’t feel meaningless to Twilight. She had proven herself today to be capable as not merely a sorceress, but as a leader. Spike had been right about one thing. Ponieville was not Cant’r Laht, and never would be, but she had no doubt now that it was her home.
A driving rain pounded down upon Ponieville. It was hard to believe that just a week earlier, the entire town had been buried under snow, but the denizens of Equestria had learned to live with the irregularities brought about by the White Procession’s infrequent forays into their world. The rain was especially welcomed by those who had lost crop to the centaur raiders and were trying to grow new produce so late in the season to make up for it. However, though Applejack welcomed it for that very reason, she did not appreciate the downpour halting the progress on the Apples’ new farmhouse.
While the farmer, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and several other members of the Brave Companions who’d been helping her took shelter in the barn, Apple Bloom was in a far different locale. She and several other foals from the area were seated in the Ponieville Chapel listening to the oration of Sister Cheerilee. As the nun narrated the early history of the Church of One, raindrops pattered against the stained-glass windows and ran down the portraits of saints and illustrations of important events in the Church’s history. A distant peal of thunder rang out as Cheeriliee finished her speech.
“Sistah Cheerilee?” a filly with a curly red mane said as she raised her hoof.
“Yes, Twist?” the nun replied.
“Why was Hallus a fahmah if dat wasn’t he was meant t’ do?” Twist inquired, “His cutie-mahk can’t’ve been fah fahming.”
“The great prophet Hallus had no cutie-mark, nor did anypony else at that time,” Cheerilee replied, speaking to the group, “Cutie-marks are a gift from Faust that were bestowed upon us after the Cataclysm prophesied by Saint Alinus. During the Cataclysm—which scholars call the Conjunction of the Spheres—we were tested with many terrible trials: monster entered this world then, and the White Procession was able to reach us for the first time. But, we were also blessed: magic came into the world, as did earth ponies.”
“An’ cutie-marks?” a younger foal piped up.
“Yes, and cutie-marks,” Sister Cheerilee confirmed, “Ever since the Cataclysm, every pony has been blessed to have a mark representing their destiny appear on their hindquarters. At about your age,” she pointed to Twist and Apple Bloom next to her, “when you discover what your talent is, a cutie-mark will appear on your flank in confirmation. I remember when I received mine, and knew then and there that my duty was to minister to you little ones who have no chance of private tutelage.”
The heads of everypony turned as one as the chapel’s door banged open. The chapel’s priestess trotted in, her robes dripping, and made her way down the aisle. She paused at the crowd of foals for a moment before asking to speak with Cheerilee in private. Excusing herself, the nun followed the priestess and stood with her before a stained-glass window with an abundance of red. It was a depiction of the destructive wars between the unicorns and the Great Lizards when the world was young. Ponies burned as dragons circled overhead, except for the family of Alginon, who had heeded Faust’s warning and followed her to the safety of the Valley of Uinor.
“You must return to the convent immediately,” the priestess announced, “A heathen priest of the Red Faith is in Ponieville, spreading his blasphemy, and he’s brought thugs along for protection.”
“My place must be here with these foals so that they are not led astray,” Cheerilee said.
“No, you will return to the convent,” the priestess commanded firmly, “You will be safer there, isolated. The red priests have been known to set fire to chapels, but convents are too far from towns to have much effect.”
“Surely you don’t think he will be allowed to set the chapel ablaze?” Cheerilee said, alarmed.
“I would not suspect my parishioners capable of such a thing, but darkness lurks within the hearts of us all,” the priestess admitted with a sigh, “These red priests have a queer way of twisting ponies’ hearts and finding the anger and hatred buried inside. As a precaution, I have sent word to the Brave Companions. It is in their hooves now.”
“And in Faust’s,” Cheerilee added.
“Yes, of course,” the priestess said, looking up at the stained-glass window again, but seeing only the flames.
***
Apple Bloom and Twist walked side-by-side down Ponieville’s muddy streets, the former lost in thought. When Cheerilee had returned, she'd seemed perturbed about something, but didn’t say anything except to say her usual prayer over the foals and dismiss them. That concern had quickly given way to other worries in Apple Bloom’s mind, though. Twist’s questions about cutie-marks had only served to remind her that she was without one while all the other foals her age (besides Twist) had theirs already. When will my cutie-mark finally appear? When will I know my purpose?
“Apple Bloom!” Twist called out a warning, but it was too late for Apple Bloom to stop before she bumped into a pony she’d been too distracted to notice before.
“Watch where you’re going, blank flank!” a snobby voice said as a hoof shoved Apple Bloom back and into the mud.
Having collapsed into a puddle, Apple Bloom looked up at who she’d run into, and groaned. Filthy Rich’s daughter, Diamond Tiara, stood the closest, and it was she who had pushed her away. The filly looked down on Apple Bloom like one would look at a dog that had nipped at one’s ankles and needed a reminder of who was master. Given her father’s status and her own over-inflated ego, it wasn’t unlikely that this was exactly how Diamond Tiara saw somepony who didn’t have her advantages. Beside her stood her ever-present companion Silver Spoon, who at the moment was holding an umbrella over Diamond Tiara to shield her from the slight drizzle that was still coming down. It was curious how Silver Spoon yielded to Diamond Tiara’s every whim, given that her mother was Mayor Mare, but it had always been like this, and probably always would be.
“What are you two doing here?” Diamond Tiara said cruelly, “Shouldn’t you be rolling in your own filth?”
“Sistah Cheerilee was giving lessons,” Twist replied while Apple Bloom tried to wave her off.
“Ambitious; now you can count your lice!” Diamond Tiara mocked before returning to her regular tone, “I don’t know why you bother listening to anything Cheerilee has to say; what can she know, anyway? Compared to the private tutor from Los Pegasus my father hired, she may as well be as dumb as you.”
“Now, see here!” Apple Bloom objected as she pulled herself up out of the puddle, “Don’t talk about Sister Cheerilee like that! She’s th’ smartest pony I know!”
“That’s really rather sad,” Silver Spoon interrupted before Apple Bloom could list off all the things the kindly nun had taught her, “Though, it does explain why you still don’t have your cutie-marks.”
Apple Bloom was swiftly becoming furious. It wasn’t enough for them to pick on her and Twist because of the gap in their social classes or to insult Cheerilee; Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon consistently mocked them just because they were without cutie-marks yet, when they themselves had only gained theirs within the last few months. It stung doubly so since Apple Bloom’s absent cutie-mark was still foremost in her mind after what Cheerilee had said.
“Just face the facts that all you’ll ever be is a peasant. If you really wanted your cutie-mark, you’d go back to your farm and earn it for rooting around in the mud. Know your place,” Diamond Tiara said as she shoved Apple Bloom back into the puddle again and trotted smartly away, Silver Spoon rushing after her to shield her from the rain.
***
“‘Tis not fair, Applejack!” Apple Bloom complained to her elder sister once she was back on the Apples’ farm, “How come I haven’t got m’ cutie-mark yet?”
“No Apple ever ripened fast without spoilin’,” Applejack answered from atop the partially constructed farmhouse. After the rain let up, the rest of the Brave Companions had returned to business elsewhere, leaving the work of rebuilding to her and Big Mac.
“What’s that s’posed t’ mean?” Apple Bloom asked in confusion.
“It means that th’ Apples are often late in gettin’ their cutie-marks,” the older mare said as she jumped to the ground, “But, you will get yours in time, an’ ‘til then, all y’ can do by worryin’ is work yourself into a lather.”
“But I don’t want t’ wait!” Apple Bloom objected, “Maybe Diamond Tiara is right, an’ I’ll never get my cutie-mark, or th’ only way I’ll get it is in farmin’.”
“Nothin’ would please me more. We could use all th’ help we can get around here,” Applejack said.
“I know, but what if it isn’t what I’m meant t’ do?” Apple Bloom said as she followed her sister around the house.
“Then you wouldn’t get your cutie-mark in it, would you?” Applejack said with a wink.
Through Apple Bloom’s eyes, Sister Cheerilee was the smartest pony in the world, followed by wise old Granny Smith, and then Applejack. What she said made a lot of sense, but it didn't completely get rid of the filly’s anxiety. She was desperate to get a cutie-mark, and it didn’t matter to her what it was perhaps as much as it should have. The only way to be sure would be to try different things out and find out if it was her destiny. Given how the Apples all tended to have a knack for farming, she could start right here on the farm and follow Applejack around, trying everything she did.
“Big Mac, I’m goin’ in t’ town for more supplies,” Applejack announced to her brother once she reached where he was working.
“I’m comin’ along!” Apple Bloom announced. She could help out on the farm any time; Ponieville would have more opportunities, and she could tell Applejack her plan along the way.
***
Apple Bloom would be better off if she were patient and waited until she earned her cutie-mark naturally, Applejack knew, but she couldn’t crush her sister’s enthusiasm entirely. She was eager to discover what it was that made her special, just like all little fillies her age. Wasn’t I the same way?
Of course, though Applejack would be proud of her sister no matter what her destiny turned out to be, she would prefer that it have something to do with the farm. Big McIntosh and herself had both found their place there, but they were the only two adult ponies working the land that had once been tended to by a family of hundreds. Unless the Apples rebuilt their numbers soon, they would be forced to sell off some of the land just so that it wouldn’t lay fallow and be seized by the mayor. It certainly couldn’t hurt Apple Bloom’s chances of gaining a preferred cutie-mark if she spent more time helping out on the farm.
One of the things Applejack had come to Ponieville for was more nails, so she and Apple Bloom set a course for Rarity’s shop. The town blacksmith was nowhere to be found, however, no matter how many time the sisters knocked on her door. They even tried out back by the forge, but she wasn’t there either.
“Th’ coals’re still warm; she can’t’ve been gone long,” Applejack observed after holding her hoof over the forge.
Where could Rarity have gone? When she left the homestead, she’d said she had some work here to get done before sunset. If she was sewing something up inside, she’d surely have come to the door. Maybe she needed to retrieve more materials, but it looks like she left here in a hurry.
“Let me try!” Apple Bloom said, seeing an opportunity to try to earn her cutie-mark.
“That’s not a good idea,” Applejack warned, but the filly was already in motion.
Apple Bloom jumped on the forge’s bellows a few times to heat up the irons Rarity had left in the fire. After drawing one out (before it was heated enough to be properly shaped), she trotted over to the hammering mechanism. With repeated and uneven blows, she struck the metal, trying to shape the end into a nail. When she let go of the iron to put more force into the hammering, she sent it flying off the anvil and it spun through the air.
“Good heavens!” Rarity exclaimed as the iron nearly struck her head, “What’s going on here?”
“Forgive her, Rarity,” Applejack said as she pulled Apple Bloom out of reach of the smith's tools, “She’s eager t’ try things t’ earn her cutie-mark.”
“Reminds me of somepony,” Rarity mumbled to herself, then addressed Applejack, “What are you doing here? Twilight went to go look for you at your farm.”
“I needed more nails. Why is Twi’ lookin’ for me? Is somethin’ wrong?”
“There’s a red priest in Ponieville stirring up trouble, and the priestess asked the Brave Companions to help take care of the matter.
“A red priest!” Applejack exclaimed angrily before turning to her sister, “Apple Bloom, I don’t want you comin’ with me for this.”
“Why not?” the filly protested as she turned away from the tongs she’d been eyeing, “What about earnin’ m’ cutie-mark?”
“You’ll just have t’ try somethin’ else on your own,” Applejack said, “Aren’t there any other ponies y’know without cutie-marks?”
“There’s Twist,” Apple Bloom admitted.
“Well, maybe th’ two o’ you can try some things t’gether,” Applejack said, relieved that it was somepony who lived close enough that Apple Bloom could make it there before it occurred to her to defy her sister and follow her anyway.
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom said excitedly, her mind now set on working with her friend to earn their cutie-marks together, and took off down Ponieville’s streets to find her.
Once Applejack was certain that Apple Bloom was out of sight and wouldn’t follow her, she and Rarity took off. Big Mac would tell Twilight where Applejack had gone once she arrived at the farm, and she would probably go looking for Fluttershy next. That left Pinkamena and Rainbow Dash for Rarity and Applejack to search for. When they spotted the priest in the distance and the small crowd around him, Applejack had to resist going up at that moment to drive him out of town. Rarity claimed Twilight had a plan, and once all six of the Brave Companions were together they would strike, but it killed Applejack that she’d have to wait and let the priest be until then.
***
Twist’s family lived outside Ponieville’s palisade in a cottage just beyond the north gate. Apple Bloom was in such a rush to reach her friend’s home that she didn’t notice the absence of the guard normally stationed at the gate, who had been called back by Mayor Mare to keep the crowd around the red priest from growing out of control. After Cheerilee’s lessons, Apple Bloom had snuck off here with Twist a few times before heading home, and knew that the best way to find her would not to be to go through the house. Instead, she trotted around the pen of bedraggled chickens out front and looped around to the back of the house, ducking under a clothesline strung across the gap to the nearest cottage.
None of Twist’s numerous siblings were around at the moment, leaving the filly alone with her habits. She was always trying something new, and for the last few weeks it had been rope-making. Her failed attempts lay all around the small garden behind the house, partially disintegrated by the rain. However, Apple Bloom saw something new in the backyard today: completed lengths of rope. Twist was spinning her makeshift ropewalk when she spotted her friend approaching.
“Apple Bloom! You won’t believe what happened!” she exclaimed as she abandoned the rope and bounded over, “I got my cutie-mark!”
Apple Bloom thought she could feel her heart drop. This wasn’t supposed to happen! How can we search for our cutie-marks together if Twist already has hers? She’s younger than I am! It’s not fair!
“You wanna see?” Twist asked, then checked nopony was around to see her immodesty before shifting her dress to show that her hindquarters now bore the image of a knotted length of rope.
“That’s … great, Twist,” Apple Bloom said sadly, trying and failing to come across as sincere but Twist was too excited to have her cutie-mark to notice.
“So, what did you come hah fah?” Twist asked.
“Oh, I guess nothin’,” Apple Bloom said and began to walk away.
“What? You had t’ have wanted t’ do somethin’,” Twist said, “Do you want t’ help me make rope?”
“I said no, Twist!” Apple Bloom snapped and galloped away, fighting tears.
***
Apple Bloom sniffled beneath a gnarled old tree outside of Ponieville. She was ashamed to be sobbing like a baby, but the crushing weight of her uncertain destiny had come down on her all at once. She knew that Applejack was right, and she still had time to earn her cutie-mark. She also knew that it would appear and signal her destiny when the time was right, and nothing she could do would hasten its coming. Apple Bloom knew all this, but it didn’t matter.
She wanted her cutie-mark, so that she’d have certainty of her purpose, and so that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would cease their picking on her for that reason. With Twist now possessing a cutie-mark of her own, Apple Bloom was the last pony her age that she knew without one. Several weeks earlier, she’d been instrumental in helping the Brave Companions and Zecora reconcile, but it may as well have been nothing to the filly if she didn’t have a cutie-mark to show for her efforts. How much longer would she have to wait, and would she have to do this waiting alone now?
The filly’s face was sprinkled with icy water as something shot past her before she had a chance to look up. Rainbow Dash whizzed by a moment later, sword in mouth. As Apple Bloom’s eyes followed the Hunter, she also spotted what she was pursuing. The creature was shaped shockingly like a mare, but there was no mistaking the monster for a pony. It had been a naiad once and wouldn’t have dared to hurt a soul, but that was before the White Procession had poisoned its mind and body with their unnatural winter. While the naiad’s coat had once been covered in moss and ferns and perpetually shimmering with a fine layer of water, the plants were now brown and dead and the water was crisscrossed with frost crystals.
Rainbow Dash threw out traps as she approached where the corrupted naiad stood and stared at the Hunter, flicking her tail and showering the ground with droplets that killed whatever plants they touched. As the traps formed a magical barrier through which the naiad couldn’t retreat, Rainbow rushed in. The corrupted naiad opened her mouth wider than a pony could, splitting the frostbitten edges, and let out an unearthly screech. Rainbow Dash flattened her ears against her head to block out the sound and lunged for the beast.
Rainbow Dash was fast, but the naiad was faster, and jumped onto her back and over her before she could strike. She didn’t have the naiad boxed in by barriers anymore, but instead of fleeing, the crazed river spirit let out another screech and charged Rainbow again. The naiad once again jumped over Dash, but this time struck out at the back of the Hunter’s head with her hindhooves. Rainbow Dash took the hit and spun around as the naiad launched off her back, her sword slicing through one of the monster’s hindlegs.
The naiad screeched as it tumbled across the ground, its stump bleeding a muddy half-frozen slurry. Pushing itself back up, it charged Rainbow Dash again, but its mobility was severely impaired with only three legs. With hardly any effort, the Hunter spun her sword around and sliced off both the naiad’s forelegs. Now unable to go anywhere, the corrupted naiad screeched piteously until Dash put it out of its misery by separating its head from its body.
As the corpse began to rabidly decompose into river mud and seep back into the ground, Rainbow Dash opened a pouch at her side and sprinkled powder over the area. The shrinkage slowed, but didn’t stop until the Hunter impaled the corpse where the heart would have been in a pony with a stake of holly. The mud quickly dried up and drifted away, and Dash trotted over to the nearby stream to wash the off the gunk still on her and confirm that the water was no longer under the corrupted naiad’s influence.
“Wow, that was amazin’!” Apple Bloom marveled as she approached Rainbow Dash.
“Thanks; tell the Wonderbolts next time you see them,” the Hunter deadpanned before looking up from the river at who was talking to her, “Hey, aren’t you Applejack’s sister … Apple Bloom, right? What’re you doing out here?”
“I don’t have m’ cutie-mark yet, though everypony else I know does. Applejack says it takes time t’ earn your cutie-mark an’ y’ can’t force it, but I can’t wait no longer. I thought helpin’ her out an’ tryin’ diff’rent things would help me get m’ cutie-mark quicker, but she had t’ go wi’ Rarity, an’ so I thought I’d go try t’ earn m’ cutie-mark w’ m’ only friend. But now m’ friend has her cutie-mark an’ I still don’t have mine, so I’m alone and wi’out a mark an’ don’t know what t’ do!” Apple Bloom rapidly spilled her entire story to Rainbow Dash.
“Well, that’s a lot to take in,” Rainbow Dash said, having not expected such a long explanation, “Well, good luck with that. I’m sure you’ll have your cutie-mark in no time if you keep trying. Not everypony can get theirs as fast as me, after all.”
“What if I did get one like you?” Apple Bloom asked as she trotted alongside Dash on her way to collect the bounty on the naiad.
“Unless you know how to fly and duel, I don’t think that’s possible,” Dash replied, “The tale of how I got my cutie-mark is quite a story.”
“I meant I could become a Hunter, like you,” Apple Bloom said, and Rainbow Dash stopped walking to face the filly.
“Listen, I can tell you right now that that’s not a possibility,” Rainbow Dash said seriously, “You gotta be a pegasus to become a Hunter, or find a Hunter school that trains ponies in a technique that doesn’t require flying, but those are rare. Also, you have to start training for combat young. I suppose you could still do that, but not to become a Hunter. A mercenary, maybe.”
“Aren’t mercenaries all fiends ‘n’ vagabonds?” Apple Bloom said, scrunching up her nose.
“Some ponies say the same thing about Hunters,” Rainbow Dash said as she resumed walking, “And sometimes they’re right. But, there’re a lot of Hunters who aren’t like that, and the same thing goes for mercenaries. You’ve heard of Iron Hammer-hoof?”
“Applejack told me how he fought off a hun’ed barbarians,” Apple Bloom replied.
“He’s a mercenary, and a hero,” Rainbow Dash said, “It all depends on the pony. If you want, I suppose I could try to teach you a thing or two once we get back to Ponieville.”
“Okay!” Apple Bloom said, excited about this new avenue that had opened up for her.
***
After collecting the corrupted naiad’s bounty (which would barely pay for the materials she’d needed to neutralize it), Rainbow Dash led Apple Bloom to the corner in Ponieville she trained in. The barrel she stored the mock weapons in when she wasn’t around wasn’t quite as watertight as she’d have liked, but the weapons were well-wrapped and mostly dry when she retrieved them. The real difficulty here would be finding something that Apple Bloom could use, as the weapons were designed with an adult pony in mind. Fortunately, like most Hunter orders, the Order of the Falcon preferred speed over striking power, so Rainbow’s arsenal here contained no warhammers, battleaxes, or polearms, though she did keep a few handy for training occasionally at her home, just in case. Some of the blades would still be too long and heavy, but Apple Bloom ought to have been capable of wielding the rest in an improvised manner at least.
Apple Bloom watched attentively as Rainbow Dash selected a war axe from the row of weapons. Surely the filly had chopped wood with an axe at some time in her life, and the war axe really wasn’t all that different. In fact, most of the time the axes wielded on the battlefield were the same axes the peasants pressed into service had used at home for splitting firewood. The Hunter went to work on a post, striking it repeatedly and moving slowly so that Apple Bloom could follow her motions before passing the weapon to the filly.
Clutching the padded grip in her teeth, Apple Bloom tried to copy Rainbow Dash’s moves. However, the axe was still ungainly for her, and she didn’t have the height needed to put the necessary force into her swings. The weapon repeatedly bounced off the post or missed entirely. Rainbow Dash gave another demonstration, but Apple Bloom’s technique didn’t seem to improve at all.
After a few more tries, the Hunter decided to switch weapons. Unfortunately, Apple Bloom proved to be just as inept at using a short sword. She also proved equally incapable of fighting with a mace, a flail, a dagger, or a longsword. After once again failing to strike her target with the speed, strength, or accuracy necessary to do damage, Apple Bloom sat down in defeat.
“I’m never goin’ t’ get it, am I?” the filly remarked.
“No, you just need a lot of practice,” Rainbow Dash said sympathetically, “Or a weapon more suited to your size. You’d still need to practice, of course, but you could get the hang of it easier.”
Apple Bloom wasn’t so sure she liked the sound of that. Practice meant time, and that wasn’t an option for a pony who wanted her cutie-mark right now. She felt she had a better chance of earning her cutie-mark by continuing to try out new things until she found something she was already good at instead of sticking to one thing for a long period of time in an attempt to become good at it.
“There y’ are, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said, turning sharply as she nearly trotted past, “Rarity ‘n’ I have been lookin’ everywhere for you. What’s going on here?”
“I was trying to teach her some fighting techniques,” Rainbow Dash said as she gathered up her practice weapons and rewrapped them.
“What?” Applejack exclaimed, turning to her younger sister, “I thought y’ were going t’ be with Twist.”
“Well I was, but when I went t’ Twist’s house, I found her out back makin’ rope, like she’s taken t’ lately, an’-”
“Okay, y’ can tell me all about it later,” Applejack cut Apple Bloom off upon recognizing she was about to launch into one of her long, roundabout stories, “Rainbow Dash, y’ve got t’ help us find Pinkamena.”
“Why, is she missing?” the Hunter asked as she stowed her weapons back in their barrel.
“Well, we haven’t found her yet,” Applejack replied, “Twi’ is getting th’ Brave Companions together. There’s a red priest in town stirrin’ up all kinds o’ trouble, and we’ve been asked t’ take care o’ the matter.”
“A red priest, huh,” Rainbow Dash said, thinking about the poor experiences of some of the Hunters she knew because of the True Faith’s denouncement against everything that wasn’t earth pony, “All right, I assume madam sorceress has a plan?”
“So I’ve heard,” Applejack said, “She’s busy fetchin’ Fluttershy, so we need t’ gather th’ rest afore she returns.”
“On it. You take the streets, and I’ll keep an eye out from above,” Rainbow Dash replied before taking off into the sky.
In the rush, Applejack completely forgot about Apple Bloom, and left her standing alone on Ponieville’s streets. Though Ponieville was never a particularly lively village, the streets weren’t usually so empty. Apple Bloom spotted only a single pony draped in a cloak hauling a cart filled with sacks of flour. As the cart bounced through a puddle, the flour sacks shifted, and one slipped off and onto the ground. With nothing better to do, Apple Bloom bounded over and hefted the sack onto her back before pursuing the cart pony.
“Excuse me, but y’ dropped this,” she announced as she caught up to the mare.
“Oh, thanks a million,” Pinkamena said as she flipped back her hood and returned the sack to her cart, “Master Cake would have my hide if I lost one of these again.”
“Pinkamena?” Apple Bloom said with surprise, “What are you wearing?”
“Oh, this,” Pinkamena said, looking at the drab cloak before pulling it off to reveal her normal attire beneath, “I admit, it’s not very fun, but it was all I had to protect me from the rain.”
“But, it stopped raining a while ago,” Apple Bloom said curiously.
“So it has. Glad you told me,” Pinkamena said, completely sincerely.
Apple Bloom sighed. Sometimes it was just better to not question things when talking to Pinkamena. There was no understanding this strange mare.
“Hey, what’re you doing in Ponieville, Apple Bloom?” Pinkamena asked.
“Well, I was tryin’ t’ earn m’ cutie-mark,” was all she was able say before Pinkamena resumed her chatter.
“No way! Well, you should come with me to Sugar Cube Corner. I’ve got all this flour, so you can try your hoof at baking. I’m sure Master and Mistress Cake won’t mind, but it doesn't matter if they do, ‘cause they won’t be there!”
“Weren’t y’ just sayin’ that you’d be in trouble if y’ lost the flour,” Apple Bloom said, trying to puzzle out why Pinkamena would care about that, but thought it perfectly all right to invite somepony in to bake with the flour the Cakes surely meant to be used for other things.
“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Pinkamena said, completely ignoring Apple Bloom’s comment as she lifted her into the wagon and took off for Sugar Cube Corner.
***
Apple Bloom had done some simple cooking back on the farm, and though the Apples did have their own mill for grinding grain, it was nothing like baking at Sugar Cube Corner. She had to knead large quantities of dough by hoof, and though Pinkamena helped her out in this (jabbering incessantly the whole time), it was still quite a lot of work. Then there was the matter of getting the bread into the oven, which was tricky for a pony who wasn’t even tall enough to see into the oven. A few dropped loaves later, and she was back to kneading dough while the bread baked.
“I think you’ll get the hang of this in no time,” Pinkamena encouraged her as she worked, “Why, you’ve already lost less dough than I did on my first day.”
“I don’t know, Pinkamena,” Apple Bloom said, no longer as enthusiastic about baking as when she’d started, “I guess I could be good at it, but is it really what I want t’ do?”
“Well, it’s not my first choice either,” Pinkamena admitted, “But after singing and merrymaking, I think baking is one of my favorite things, especially when I can make something sweet. Combining all my favorite things makes them better, too. I’ve written a song about baking that I find helps pass the time.”
“Why don't you sing it?” Apple Bloom said, searching for some way to escape the monotony of kneading dough.
“Really? Usually when I want to sing a song, Twilight tells me it’s not the right time. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she didn’t like me songs,” Pinkamena said, then was quiet for a long time, “Good thing I know better!”
Bounding up to her tower bedchamber, Pinkamena returned with her lute. She strummed it a few times and made some adjustments before settling in in front of Apple Bloom and finding the right tune.
“Let’s see, how does this go?” the bard said.
“Twelve kings stand upon the hills,” “Their kingdoms cold and dead.” “Thirteen kings now on the hills,” “The new one’s coat a bloody red.” “‘Surrender now!’ the new king yells,” “The twelve stand firm and strong,” “‘Give unto me your dales and dells,” “I shall do you no wrong.’” “Twelve kings stand upon the hills,” “‘Leave now!’ they say as one.” “Thirteen kings still on the hills,” “The red king won’t be gone.” “‘I offer’d you the peaceful path!’” “The red king cries with frown,” “‘Now you shall know my furious wrath!” “Your blood shall stain the ground!” “The twelve kings shiver at their fate,” “They know their end is nigh.” “And so they seek a ruler great,” “Within the city of the sky.” “Before the mare the twelve kings pled,” “‘Do not let our blood be spill’d,” “By this king with coat so red,” “Across our dales and rolling hills.” “We will do whate’er you say,” “We only ask one thing,” “That when we’re asked, we can say,” “Upon these hills, we still are kings.’” “The kings bowed to the lady’s will,” “And so the lady great did bring,” “The towns and peoples of the hills,” “All underneath her wings.” “The red king left the land of hills,” “Returning home in spite,” “The twelve kings now stand ‘pon their hills,” “Within the lady’s light.”
“That’s great, Pinkamena, but does that have t’ do with bakin’?” Apple Bloom asked once the bard finished her song.
“Oops, wrong song,” Pinkamena said, “I guess the smell of burning bread threw me off.”
“Burning bread!” Apple Bloom exclaimed as she rushed to the oven and extracted her loaves.
Pinkamena’s nose hadn’t misled her; they were burnt beyond recognition. Setting her lute down as Apple Bloom tried to fan the smoke away, Pinkamena bit into one. Scrunching up her face, the mare still somehow managed to swallow the charred bread.
“Could use some cream,” she croaked out.
“It’s no use, Pinkamena,” Apple Bloom said in defeat, “I don’t think I’m meant t’ be a baker. I’m startin’ t’ doubt I’m meant for anythin’. I’ll be a blank flank forever.”
“See, I told you circling back wasn’t a waste of time,” Rarity said as she and Rainbow Dash burst into Sugar Cube Corner’s kitchen, “Pinkamena, we’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“Everywhere? I was pretty sure I was somewhere,” Pinkamena said, confusing everypony in the room, “What’s going on.”
“We’ll explain on the way,” Rainbow Dash promised as she pushed past Rarity, “Twilight needs us right now.”
At the call to action, Pinkamena followed them out of Sugar Cube Corner. All day, whatever pony she was with had kept getting called away for something, and Apple Bloom wasn’t going to be left behind this time. The others hardly noticed the little filly trotting behind them and listening to their conversation as they rapidly made their way to the Ponieville Chapel, outside of which a large crowd had gathered.
In front of the chapel doors stood a stallion robed like a monk, except that no monk Apple Bloom had ever seen had worn robes dyed such a vibrant scarlet color. At the moment, the red priest was silent, preparing to address the crowd, which many of those assembled didn’t intend to allow him to do. They shouted at him to leave the town, though there were others in the crowd shouting back to let him speak. Some ponies looked ready to expel the priest from Ponieville by force, but they were deterred from acting by the priest’s companions. Two ponies stayed near the priest at all times, while two others paced the distance in front to keep the crowd back. Their garb was no different than a regular townspony’s, but the way they carried themselves spoke of experience in combat. No townspony carried a sword at their side either, and all four of the red priest’s companions were armed with blades ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice.
Apple Bloom spotted her sister, and began to trot over to her before she took off in the opposite direction and plunged into the crowd. She had been speaking to Twilight Sparkle, and Apple Bloom now approached the sorceress instead. She looked busy, but Twilight always looked busy, and it couldn’t hurt to ask for help in some way for her cutie-mark problem.
“Madam Twilight, can I ask you a question?” Apple Bloom asked as she reached the sorceress and tugged on her robes.
“Sorry … Apple Bloom, I have more important matters to attend to at the moment,” Twilight said as she went back to observing the crowd.
“It’s just, you’re th’ fourth smartest pony I know, an’ I thought y’ might be able t’ help me,” Apple Bloom said.
“The fourth smartest pony you know?” Twilight objected.
“I’ve been tryin’ t’ get m’ cutie-mark, ‘n’ nothin’s been workin’,” Apple Bloom continued, taking Twilight’s response as a sign that she was listening, “I was wonderin’—hopin’, really—that y’ might know some spell t’ help me get m’ cutie-mark.”
“That is not possible,” Twilight replied with a shake of her head.
“Why not? I saw y’ do all kinds o’ impossible things in th’ blizzard!”
“Cutie-marks are a post-Conjunction phenomenon we do not fully understand yet, even given how long we have had to study them,” Twilight shifted into lecture mode, “We are not even sure that they are magic, though if they are, they are an old magic beyond our grasp, like the Elements of Harmony. No spell can make a cutie-mark appear, and one may never exist.”
“Oh, I see,” Apple Bloom said dejectedly.
“That is no reason to be disheartened,” Twilight said upon realizing what her statement meant to a young filly with no cutie-mark, “I received my cutie-mark when the time was right, as has everypony else since the Conjunction. Yours will appear in time.”
“I suppose, but what am I supposed t’ do until then?”
“Find something you like and work at it,” Twilight advised, and pushed Apple Bloom away from the crowd as she realized that things were reaching a boiling point, “Why not start now? Like I said before, I have important matters to attend to.”
As Apple Bloom walked away, some ponies in the crowd began to chant for the red priest to speak. Most of them Twilight had never seen in Ponieville before, and she suspected that the priest had brought them with him and planted them to rile the crowd up. This priest had timed his visit perfectly. At most other times of the year, ponies would be suspicious of new ponies in a town of such a small size, but with the autumnal equinox only a week away, all kinds of ponies were passing through on their way to the White Tail Tournament. As the red priest raised his hooves, the crowd instantly quieted, except for the few who still called out for him to leave, until they too were silenced by glares from the priest’s bodyguards.
“My fellow earth ponies, it lights a fire in my heart to see such fervor for the truth here in the shadow of the Devil Queen’s castle!” the priest began his speech, “And to those who reject my message, I see you! Unicorns and slaves of unicorns! These single-horned demons have made you subservient with their witchcraft and their false religion! The Church of One is hollow and empty! The building I stand before is a prison of stained-glass where you pray to a dead goddess whose form you praise as divine because it has the horn of your masters! Embrace the truth that earth ponies knew long ago, when they did not bow before a winged unicorn, but communed with the world around them! We of the True Faith know there is no goddess, only the raw powers and spirits of nature!”
“You know nothing of nature!” Fluttershy spoke up from the crowd, lending her credibility on the matter as a druidess, “You claim to commune with the world, but your priests and militants burn down forests and slaughter ponies who’ve done no wrong!”
“You druids! You are the ones who don’t understand nature!” the priest replied, “You would have us believe it is about peaceful harmony among plants and the creatures of the forest, but the world’s natural forces are savage and wild! Have you seen the power of the all-consuming flame on the Fiery Isle that has blazed for a thousand years? Do you know the fury of the waves when they wash over a city on the coast and drag it from the shore? Can you comprehend the earthquakes that reshape the fragile ground we tread upon or storms that strip the bark from trees and flesh from ponies alike? This is what is natural! This is the world!
“Anything that would fight against this natural order is wrong! The druids, who would have us believe in a tame world, are wrong! The pegasi, who move the clouds when we can’t wait for nature to take its natural course, are wrong! And, above all, the unicorns, with their wretched witchcraft that draws on dark unnatural forces to subvert the world’s laws, are wrong!”
“Not all sorceresses are unicorns, and not all unicorns are sorceresses,” Rarity objected from her tactical position in the crowd, “I work just as hard as an earth pony, without magic.”
“Liar!” the red priest screamed as he pointed an accusatory hoof at the blacksmith, “The unicorns, that vile race, will always use their witchcraft to pervert the natural order and lord themselves over the earth pony, the rightful inheritors of this world! We once believed the lie that there could ever be a good witch, when Celestia and Luna ruled Equestria as queens! That was before the Tearing of the Veil, when Luna revealed the true face of the sorceress as Nightmare Moon!”
Many of the ponies in the crowd that had been standing skeptically by now began to mumble uneasily among themselves. How does this priest know all this? They’ve always ranted against Celestia, but never before have I heard of them using Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion to turn ponies against sorceresses. Then again, the rebellion and the fact that Celestia and her sister had once ruled Equestria was lost until recently. The only records I’ve heard of on the matter were sealed in the archives of the Church of One and Celestia has been very careful about the spread of this lost history. The True Faith can’t have gotten ahold of the Church’s records, unless … unless this is what Gunter warned me about regarding the records the True Faith had found. Could this be the origin of their hatred of sorceresses? Could it all be traced back to Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion?
“The Devil Queen banished her sister to the moon for her treachery, but she was no better!” the priest continued to rant, “She repressed any mention of that terrible moment when the truth was revealed! All sorceresses, all unicorns, are devils to their very cores! Give them the chance, and these witches will lay waste to this world! The Church of One hid the truth, and when the College of Winterm refused to do the same, the Old Witch put it to the flame! Only the True Faith remembered and kept alive this truth and warning! You may have fallen for Celestia’s spell, but be blind no more! She is a cruel tyrant who would burn this world away if she could!”
The murmuring grew louder, and fewer ponies seemed resistant to the red priest’s words, worrying Twilight. She had no intention of being burned at the stake or hanged today. She could stand idly by no longer. Her plan hadn’t involved getting personally involved, for the priest would surely find many ways to rail against a sorceress, but she couldn’t let him defame her mentor (even if half of what he said was likely true).
“Celestia has only brought good to these lands!” Twilight said from the back of the crowd, “Unlike King Hadish, she does not burn her subjects alive and threaten other kingdoms with war if they refuse to bow to her will!”
“Why would she need to threaten war when everypony is terrified of incurring the Old Witch’s ire?” the priest gave his rebuttal, “The monsters in the dark are a threat to our survival, but the Devil Queen is Equestria’s true terror! So has she been since she came into being millennia ago, no doubt through some dark art, and will continue to be until somepony stands up against her! With her witchcraft, she has lived on for centuries while the rest of us are doomed to grow frail and perish after a few short decades! You foul witches use your spells to prolong your own lives out of selfishness and greed, and bring only death and despair with your witchcraft! We can all agree that you care only for yourself, and any feigned interest in your fellow pony is only a ruse for the protection of your own pitiful form that will vanish the moment it is no longer convenient for you!”
More murmuring came from the crowd, but the opinion appeared to be turning. Perhaps the priest’s final challenge would have hit home when Twilight had first arrived in Ponieville, and the townsponies’ suspicions were as he’d said, but things had changed. Some lingering doubt as to the wisdom of allowing sorceresses in the town remained after Trixie’s stay, but foremost in the townsponies’ minds were Twilight’s actions during the latest attack by the White Procession. Not only had she placed protection over those within the Mayoral Keep, but she had also gone out into the store with three other sorceresses to do battle with the White Procession.
“Trust not in these witches’ tricks!” the red priest yelled as he sensed he was in danger of losing the crowed, “Celestia is naught but a perfumed corpse who has placed blinders upon you with her witchcraft! None stand against her but one, the future ruler of all Equestria and the only king who has seen the truth and recognized it for what it was! King Hadish the Righteous is the savior of all earth ponies! He will cleanse this world of all evil things! Monsters, witches, and unicorns will all be swept away forever by the cleansing fire!”
“Enough of your pagan babble!” Ponieville’s priestess proclaimed dramatically as she threw the chapel’s doors open and stepped outside. Right on time.
“The words of the witch have emboldened you to stop cowering within your den of lies, I see,” the red priest said as he turned to face the priestess, “Behold, everypony! She who feeds you the lies of the unicorn, bearing upon her head the symbol of that vile race’s tyranny! She would have you bow down before a horned goddess, a symbol all earth ponies ought to recognize as a lie!”
“Begone! I’ll not have you attempting to poison my parishioners against Faust any longer!” the priestess ordered, “I’ve known you all since you were foals, and cared for you as Faust’s children as if you were my own progeny. The Church has been here for you in feast and famine. Do not listen to this heathen’s lies!”
“Silence, witch! I am immune to your tricks! All these ponies here you have held under your spell until today, and I shall not let you bewitch them again! Silence her!” the red priest yelled, and ordered two of his bodyguards forward, while the other two continued to pace before the crowd.
On cue, Applejack and Pinkamena darted out to place themselves between the priestess and the armed ponies. The priest’s bodyguards paused, unsure of how to proceed.
“Kill them!” the red priest yelled, “All who stand in the way of the True Faith must be cut down for the greater good! If they would oppose our good work, then they shall be burned away and swallowed up by the Pit!”
The four bodyguards drew their swords, and the crowd shifted violently. It had been a tipping point, and the priest had failed. All day he had been proclaiming that the True Faith was the protector of earth ponies, but he had proved himself just as willing to cut them down as the unicorns and pegasi he regularly demonized. The bodyguards near the crowd quickly lost their weapons as the mob turned on them, and the other two moved quickly to take out Applejack, Pinkamena, and the priestess before returning to whisk their charge away. Their blades were stopped, however, as Rainbow Dash darted in and parried them. Hearing the commotion, Mayor Mare’s guards followed their orders and rushed in from the side streets to surround the bodyguards with dozens of spear points and hold the townsponies back from inflicting any more damage than they already had.
“Take them away to the Mayoral Keep’s dungeon,” the captain of the guard ordered, before turning to address the red priest, who now had no bodyguards to protect him, “You are no longer welcome here. Leave Ponieville immediately.”
“Very well, but you will all pay for your actions this day unless you turn from your false ways and embrace the True Faith,” the priest replied, “Fire will cleanse!”
“Rainbow Dash will lead you out of town,” the guard captain replied without emotion.
“Don’t touch me, foul creature!” the priest said as he recoiled violently to the Hunter placing a hoof on his back, “Mark my words; you all shall be burned, either consumed or purified. Fire will cleanse!”
The red priest continued to yell the True Faith’s mantra as he trotted slowly away, Rainbow Dash hovering nearby. As the crowd began to disperse, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t been particularly worried about Ponieville’s residents giving in to the fervor of the red priests and burning her at the stake, but stranger things had happened. Most of the unicorn persecution was confined to Equestria’s east coast, but not even the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, a land ruled from a city of unicorns, was safe.
“Your plan worked, Twi’,” Applejack said as she, Pinkamena, Rarity, and Fluttershy approached the sorceress, “I don’t see why we had t’ let them go, though.”
“It was impossible to determine definitively if his bodyguards were mercenaries, part of the Faith Militant, or Hadish’s housecarls. It is likely they were one of the latter two, and if either of those were killed, King Hadish could consider it a provocation. Celestia intends to avoid war with Manehattan for as long as possible,” Twilight explained, “Speaking of the future of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, I have a favor to ask all of you …”
***
Apple Bloom had stayed quiet during the priest’s speech near the back of the crowd, desperately wanting to speak up with what Sister Cheerilee had taught her, but nopony would take a foal seriously. Besides, Applejack and her friends seemed to have things under control. Once the fighting broke out, however, she quickly left. Though nopony would harm her on purpose, a pony as small as her went without notice easily, and she could be speared by accident. Unfortunately, after leaving, she almost immediately ran into the two ponies she least wanted to see.
“Oh look, there’s one of the rabble now,” Diamond Tiara mocked as Apple Bloom tried to ignore her.
“You think you can snub us? Show some respect!” Silver Spoon demanded as she stepped in front of Apple Bloom to keep her from leaving.
“Who do you think you are?” Diamond Tiara said as she circled Apple Bloom, “Even among the peasantry, you’re not special. At least they have cutie-marks to prove how good they are at providing for their betters, but you’re just a worthless blank flank.”
“Leave her alone!” a new voice squeaked, and the three ponies in the street turned to look at the white unicorn and orange pegasus filly emerging from behind some nearby crates, “So what if she doesn’t have a cutie-mark? Maybe she hasn’t found what she’s good at yet because it’s so great and special that it’ll surpass your cutie-marks.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, but I expected nothing better from you,” Diamond Tiara scoffed, and shoved the pegasus.
Instead of falling to the ground, the pegasus tensed her legs and sprung back up to knock Diamond Tiara down instead. Befuddled that somepony had stood up to her, Diamond Tiara sat on the ground for a moment before jumping back up in anger.
“Don’t you know who I am?” she screamed, “My father will hear about this!”
At first, she looked about to try to push the pegasus down again or go after her companion, but thought better of it and took off. Silver Spoon realized she had been abandoned and took off after Diamond Tiara a second later.
“Who are y’ two?” Apple Bloom asked after watching in amazement as the bullies left.
“Sweetie Belle,” the unicorn introduced herself.
“Scootaloo,” the pegasus said.
“I’ve never seen y’ around before, at least not any time I’m in town t’ learn from Sister Cheerilee. Are y’ new t’ Ponieville?” Apple Bloom asked.
“I am,” Scootaloo said, “I met Sweetie Belle not too long after I got here.”
“I’ve never been to Sister Cheerilee’s lessons, but my sister Rarity teaches me when she can,” Sweetie Belle said.
She’s Rarity’s sister? Why didn’t Applejack tell me her friend had a sister my age? Although, I guess they haven’t been friends for long. It’s hard to believe it now, but they barely even knew each other existed before the summer solstice ceremony when Nightmare Moon returned.
“I’m Apple Bloom, Applejack’s sister,” she said before something occurred to her, “What were th’ two of y’ doin’ hidin’ over there?”
“Honestly, hiding from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon,” Sweetie Belle admitted, “I guess I’m not the only pony they like to pick on. Do you … want to be friends?”
“You want t’ be friends with a blank flank?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Only if you don’t mind being friends with two other blank flanks,” Scootaloo said.
“What! Th’ two o’ y’ don’t have cutie-marks either? I thought I was th’ last pony our age around here wi’out one! This is amazing! How have I never met you?” Apple Bloom said excitedly with a fair bit of squealing, “We should all work t’gether t’ get our cutie-marks.”
“That sounds great!” Sweetie Belle said, “We can form our own order dedicated to finding out what we’re best at!”
“Sister Cheerilee says that cutie-marks are a gift from Faust, so this is like a holy quest,” Apple Bloom said, “We’re like crusaders; cutie-mark crusaders!”
“Yeah! Finding my cutie-mark with the two of you sounds like a great quest!” Scootaloo said enthusiastically.
“It’ll be just as great as the crusade to conquer Equestria!” Sweetie Belle said excitedly, before adding, “Except with a lot less dead pegasi.”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, somewhat less excitedly than before.
“Look out, Equestria,” Apple Bloom said dramatically, “The Cutie-Mark Crusaders’re comin’ for y’! An’ we won’t give up on findin’ our destiny, no matter what it takes!”
White Tail Wood. The name deceptively conjures up the image of a small grove of trees, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Covering roughly the same area as the Everfree Forest and nearly as large as all King Alhert of Fillidelfiyaa’s lands put together, White Tail Wood is the largest component of the various realms sworn to Celestia. The region also boasts the largest source of lumber in the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, and is home to the nation’s only ports.
Given the region’s size and prominence (wars have been waged over control of this densely wooded area between the Equestry River and the Silver Mountains), one might wonder how it got a name that suggests quite the opposite. The answer lies in the languages of Equestria. Nopony knows what the pegasi called the expansive forest that filled the Equestry Valley before the unicorns came, and in clearing land for farms, separated it from the Everfree and much reduced its size. As the crusade to claim Equestria pushed west, the unicorns took note of the vast numbers of deer dwelling in the forest, and so named it Einad Tol’i’r Wouden, 'Great Forest of White Tails' in the Language of the Horns. After the Conjunction, when speaking the Language of the Horns fell out of fashion due to the damage one with magical powers could accidentally cause by speaking it, other languages became dominant, eventually leading to the modern versions of High and Low Equestrian. High Equestrian has a word for “great forest,” grékkewödæ, but Low Equestrian does not, so when the residents of Einad Tol’i’r Wouden attempted to translate the familiar name for their home, they rendered wouden not as “great forest”, but as the more similar sounding “wood.”
Despite the misnomer, the rulers of White Tail Wood were well aware of their own importance. Nobles of varying ranks oversaw the governance of this corner of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, bowing only to Celestia. It was the custom of the four greatest lords of White Tail to hold a tournament once a year on the autumnal equinox, to which ponies from all across Celestia’s lands were invited; this year was no exception. The roads, normally empty apart from merchants, bandits, and travelling minstrels, were busy with ponies both high and low born. The fluttering banners and colorful tents of knights and nobles mingled with the smoky bonfires and raucous noises of the peasantry on the roadsides at night when both rested on their long journeys. Besides the summer solstice ceremony, the White Tail Tournament was the largest celebration in the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, and it was here that the Brave Companions were headed.
This year, the White Tail Tournament was being hosted by Duchess Periwinkle, whose domain was situated in the northern section of the forest. The end of the second day of the ponies’ trek had brought them among the trees, and the following day—the equinox—would see them at the tournament grounds. At the moment, they had broken camp in a small clearing just off the road, and had erected their tents around a small fire. Applejack and Spike had gone out to fetch firewood under Fluttershy’s watchful eye, leaving the other four ponies back at the campsite. Rainbow Dash was sharpening her blades while Pinkamena strummed away on her lute, reciting a song about baking bread, even though she’d announced she’d be singing a ballad about the Hill Kingdoms. While Rarity fussed over her travel attire, Twilight Sparkle complained to her about the sign posted where the road entered the forest.
“Really, I do not understand the ponies of the Equestry Valley’s obsession with Middling Equestrian,” the sorceress griped, “Either post a sign reading Grékkewödæ voorn Wittætallen or White Tail Wood; do not try to blend the two and create the monstrosity ‘Wite Taile Woode’!”
Rarity, having heard similar complaints from Twilight whenever they walked around Ponieville together and she spotted a sign printed in the mongrel language that was so abhorrent to her, paid only cursory attention. The blacksmith’s head jerked up from her work repairing her clothes, however, as she caught the sound of rustling branches and a low growl coming from the direction Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike had set off in to collect firewood. A moment later, a wolf larger than a pony whose body was composed entirely of wood and leaves bounded into the firelight, its eyes glowing a sickly green.
“Timberwolf! Get back!” Rainbow Dash warned as she rose and grabbed a sword.
The timberwolf snarled as it edged closer to the ponies, watching the fire warily. Rainbow Dash circled around toward it, her sword flashing in the firelight, poised for the perfect opportunity to strike. The timberwolf’s head snapped to the right as a yell came from that direction and Applejack emerged from the foliage. Applejack stopped just short of the monster and spun her body around, striking the timberwolf’s snarling face with a kick from her hindhooves. With the sound of snapping branches, the timberwolf’s head separated from its body and rolled across the tramped down grass. Applejack pounced on the still-growling head and pummeled it with her hooves until only splinters and smashed leaves were left. As the body began to stumble off into the trees, the farmer grabbed a branch from the fire in her teeth and threw it at the body. The headless timberwolf flailed around on fire for a few seconds before becoming still and continuing to burn down to ashes.
“Wow, Applejack, that was amazing!” Pinkamena exclaimed once the commotion was over.
“Indeed, you’re quite the monster killer,” Rarity remarked, “Between this and that criosphinx, it makes one wonder if we really need Rainbow Dash in our entourage at all.”
Rarity had meant it as a jest, but over-inflated egos also tend to be fragile, and Rainbow Dash’s was no exception. There’s no way Applejack could replace me! I underwent grueling training and trials to become an expert at what I do; Applejack just got lucky! I can’t be outdone by a mere farmer!
“I s’pose ‘twas just ‘cause o’ m’ strength from workin’ on th’ farm,” Applejack said humbly.
“That can’t compare to the training I’ve undergone to turn myself into a perfect monster hunting specimen,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, “It was more surprise and luck than anything else. Sure, Applejack has ‘some’ strength, but farm work can’t compare to a Hunter’s training.”
In seeking to defend her ego, Rainbow unintentionally insulted Applejack. Who does she think she is, saying that my work isn’t worth it? Does she really think me weak just because I don’t make a business of fighting monsters like her? I’ll show her that I’m every bit as strong from my struggles as she is from hers.
Across the campfire, Rainbow Dash was thinking the same thing. Blustering alone couldn’t repair her damaged ego; she needed to prove her strength somehow. The perfect opportunity was realized by both ponies almost simultaneously. They were on their way to a tournament, the perfect place to prove their strengths. All they had to do was win several events, and it would prove to everypony that they weren’t weak compared to the other. It was the perfect plan. What could possibly go wrong?
***
Rainbow Dash pranced back and forth, limbering up as she prepared for the mêlée to commence. She was pleased that several other Hunters had also signed up for the event in hopes of earning some quick coin; her victory wouldn’t be overwhelming, and would hopefully entertain the spectators. This wasn’t the first mêlée she’d entered, and she knew that having capable opponents was the most profitable. Facing down half-drunk peasants fighting on a dare and poorly trained hedge knights was comically easy, but unentertaining for the spectators, who would only shower the mêlée’s winner with coins if they felt they’d seen a good enough show.
The Hunter tossed her blunted sword up in the air and caught it a few times to get a sense of its balance. It was a poor excuse for a blade, but better than most of the weapons in the pile she’d pulled it out of. Fortunately, few of the ponies taking part in the mêlée knew a good weapon from a bad one. A few of the ponies, as if to boast how strong they were, retrieved the heavy warhammers from the pile. They could be dangerous in the fight, but only for their first three or four swings before they started to wear out. Bones were often broken in these fights, but the warhammers could kill a pony just as easily as a sharpened sword could, and Dash wondered why one was allowed when the other wasn’t.
As the pony who’d collected the entry fees yelled for the competitors to get into position, they made their way into the nearby roped off area. Though the mêlée ring was roughly circular, the ponies lined up into two rows on either side. The mêlée was probably the simplest event at the tournament. It began with a charge by two opposing sides, but once they met in the middle, the fight would devolve into a free-for-all with the last pony standing declared the winner.
The fee-taker blew a blast on his horn, and the two sides galloped toward each other to the sound of cheers, quickly closing over the short distance. Rainbow Dash’s direct opponent was one of the ponies with a warhammer, and she nimbly sidestepped as he brought the heavy weapon’s head down at her. She jumped without the aid of her wings and landed upon her opponent’s weapon’s shaft, knocking it from his mouth as she jumped from it. As she descended, she struck the pony smartly across the cheek with the flat of her blade, and he fell to the ground.
Spinning around, she deflected the sword aimed at her into striking her attacker’s leg instead. With a strike to her other foreleg, the pony dropped her weapon and yielded. The mêlée had quickly become chaotic, as expected, and Rainbow Dash sought out the other Hunters as she easily knocked away the attempted attacks of the other ponies around her. On the other side of the ring, two of the Hunters were engaged in a rapid back-and-forth exchange. At last, one was able to get past the guard of the other and snapped his foreleg. The injured pony yielded, but the victor wasn’t paying close enough attention to her surroundings and was struck in the back by a third Hunter, sending her gasping to the ground as he kicked away her weapon.
The only other remaining Hunter now looked at Dash; as they made eye contact, they both began to rush toward the other, knocking aside the other brawlers in the way. The other Hunter spread his wings and leapt as he approached, and Dash shrunk down to pass beneath his swing. Their blades clunked against each other as they both spun around, then quickly jumped back. Again, they charged in toward each other and their blades met. Again and again they circled, striking back and forth with their blunted swords, occasionally having to kick or deflect the weapon of another competitor as they tried to attack the duo. Eventually, only Rainbow Dash and her stallion counterpart were fit to fight, and the spectators cheered on one or the other, waiting for a serious slipup.
Rainbow Dash saw an opportunity, and struck out at her opponent’s wings. Though her blade struck true, she also left herself overextended and had to desperately roll out of the way to avoid being hit across the back of the neck by the other Hunter’s sword. She rolled against a competitor nursing a badly bruised side, and had to jump over her as her opponent advanced. Rainbow retreated as the other Hunter continued to strike out at her with his sword as quickly as he could. When she tripped over an axe dropped in the dirt, she found herself on her back with her opponent’s sword poised over her throat. Had this been a real fight, she’d have had no choice but to surrender, or risk having her throat cut open, but he was using a blunted blade just like her. Using her forelegs to push her forward, Rainbow Dash struck out with her hindlegs and swept her opponent’s legs out from under him. Swiftly leaping to her hooves, she struck the stallion in the ribs with her sword and kicked his weapon from his mouth to ensure his surrender.
“The winner!” the fee-taker announced as Rainbow Dash was the last pony left standing in the mêlée ring.
She gladly took the prize money and the additional coins the spectators presented her with for a good show. She could certainly use the coin, but that wasn’t the primary reason she’d entered the mêlée. We’ll see what they think of me now that I’ve won. I’d like to see Applejack do something like that.
***
Across the tournament grounds, Applejack focused on the task ahead of her. The White Tail Tournament had all sorts of sporting events from across Equestria, including some familiar to Applejack from family stories. The land of the Haelds may now be only a semi-autonomous region of the Principality of Stalliongrad, but its culture was still alive and well in events like the caber toss. She adjusted her forelegs around the branchless tree trunk to keep it upright, and looked out at the other throws. Several much larger ponies had gone before her, and she wasn’t expected to meet their throws, but Applejack had a lot of power in her small body from years of doing the work of dozens of ponies tending the Apple lands.
She shifted her forelegs to a lower position and hefted the caber, moving forward on hindlegs alone in an awkward gait. As she reached the rope stretched across the grass, she gave a drawn-out shout and threw the massive log into the air. It flipped over once before the end struck the ground, and the caber continued to tip. Spectators ran out of the way as the end crashed down on the line fencing them off from the event grounds, which had been assumed to be at a safe distance.
Ponies stomped, whistled, and yelled in ovation for Applejack’s surprising accomplishment. Nopony would be able to beat that. Applejack smiled as sweat rolled down her face. Let’s see Rainbow Dash do that.
***
Arrows arced through the air before burying themselves with a satisfying thunk in the line of straw targets. Rainbow Dash pulled the bowstring back and released smoothly, sinking another arrow in the target’s central ring. The other archers around her were quite good, especially at such a distance, but they didn’t have the sight and steady hooves a Hunter needed to do their job correctly. Like a machine, Rainbow Dash fired the bow again, once more landing the arrow within the central ring. There was no doubt she would win this competition. Another win for me, and more proof in my abilities.
***
Applejack looped her hoof through the ring attached to the heavy weight. The onlookers waited with bated breath, but none of them tried to rush her on as she prepared herself and regained her strength. This would be the winning toss, and she couldn’t be expected to throw the weight without a little rest after the eight times she’d thrown it already, passing over a higher bar each time. Once she felt up to it, the farmer swung her foreleg up with a grunt and sent the metal weight flying nearly straight up. She moved away quickly to get out of the way and get a good view as the weight barely cleared the bar balanced between the two high posts and came plummeting back down to the ground. The crowd went wild as she claimed her second victory of the day.
***
As Rainbow Dash watched ponies grapple with the log bobbing in the pond, she carefully removed her armor except for the innermost layer. Her balance would be slightly different, but she’d practiced without armor and didn’t want anything weighing her down. As she tied everything together to deter easy theft, music filled the air. A group of bards walked past, and Rainbow Dash recognized one of them.
“Pinkamena, what are you doing here? I thought you were with the others,” Rainbow Dash asked once she managed to catch the mare’s attention and drag her away from her song.
“I was, but they were going to speak to the lords of White Tail, and that seemed so boring compared to merrymaking, so I left,” Pinkamena said, pausing to strum on her lute a bit in time with the other bards before continuing, “Come to think of it, just Rarity and Twilight went to speak to the nobles. You took off, and Fluttershy met up with some druids, and Applejack went to do tournament events, too.”
“She’s doing what?” Rainbow Dash said with surprise, this being her first time hearing the news about her newly perceived rival.
“The local druid circle and representatives of all the other circles in White Tail Wood got together here to try to persuade ponies to stop cutting down the trees,” Pinkamena explained, “Fluttershy went to go join them, probably because she was too nervous to talk to the margraves and dukes with Twilight and Rarity.”
“No, not Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said with annoyance, “What did you say Applejack’s doing?”
“Oh, she’s doing tournament games just like you, and she’s already won a couple,” Pinkamena said, then was beckoned on by her fellow bards, “Got to go. Good luck!”
Rainbow Dash stood mulling over what she’d just heard. This certainly changed things for her. If Applejack was entering tournament events too, and winning them, then not only did Rainbow Dash have to win events to prove herself, she had to make sure she won more than Applejack. The thoughts were still buzzing around in her head as the pony in charge of this event called for all participants to make their way to the log.
The competitors of this logrolling competition balanced themselves on the log floating in the little pond and awaited the event’s start. At a signal from the pony in charge, the lines holding the log steady were released, and it began to shift and wobble. Several ponies fell off immediately, and more began to splash in the water as the others started spinning the log. Rainbow Dash made no attempt to slow the log’s spin, and even tried to speed it up, as she was confident she could handle something like this.
Soon, only a few competitors were left, and Rainbow Dash was sure she could win, which was, of course, when she slipped up. She could feel her hooves begin to slide off the log, and even a desperate scramble would undoubtedly end with her in the water. No! I can’t allow it! I have to win, or Applejack could win more games than me! The Hunter used her wings to give her only the slightest of a boost, just enough to stay on the log, and a few seconds later the other two participants fell off. Rainbow Dash backpedaled until the log was stationary in the water and balanced for a few seconds as the spectators cheered, none of them noticing that she’d used her wings, even for just the shortest instant, to save herself from falling when others would’ve splashed into the water.
***
Applejack grunted and strained to keep moving forward without pause. Attached to the heavy collar around her neck trailed a large stone. Behind Applejack were many grooves gouged in the dirt of the tournament grounds by similar stones pulled by other ponies. Most of these grooves ended with a pony sitting and resting, having failed to continuously move forward, but one other pony had matched and even exceeded Applejack’s distance. Apart from his coat color, he looked quite a lot like Big Mac, and probably also had significant experience pulling a plow across much more unforgiving ground than this.
Regardless of his resemblance to her brother, Applejack was determined not to be outdone. Big Mac wasn’t always the one who pulled the plow on the Apples’ farm, and Applejack was sure that if she kept pushing, she would succeed. The stallion had come to a stop and was breathing heavily as she crept slowly up on his position. Not trusting herself not to stop when she thought she’d passed him and accidently give up before she had truly succeeded, Applejack fixed her vision ahead. The stone ground slowly on as she blocked out the cheers of the crowd, and kept pulling until the complaints of her legs could be ignored no longer and she came to a stop. As she collapsed to the ground, she looked back over her shoulder triumphantly at the shocked face of the stallion.
***
Rainbow Dash ran through the woods, following the narrow path. There were plenty of logs and low hanging branches in her way, but that was the point of the course. She surmounted the obstacles easily, occasionally with the help of her wings to make sure that she won. As she raced on, she grabbed the colorful pieces of cloth that had been tied to branches. Some of the scraps had been tied high in a tree, and she quickly retrieved them with a quick flight. She told herself that it wasn’t really cheating to do so, since it was natural for a pegasus to use her wings when something was out of reach, but she knew subconsciously that it was a flimsy argument. Winning was more important, though; she couldn’t allow herself to be outdone by Applejack.
***
A rope with a stone at the end hung from the farmer’s teeth. She spun in a circle twice before releasing it, sending the stone arcing through the air. It passed where the other competitors’ stones had landed before bouncing three times and coming to a stop a respectable distance away. The spectators cheered as Applejack took a bow and backed off the stone put field. Victory was hers, without a doubt.
***
Rainbow Dash looked over the edge of the pit skeptically. The tournament organizers this year had added an event that would only be undertaken by the foolishly brave and the bravely foolish. Somepony had thought it a good idea to allow ponies or teams of ponies to fight monsters for prizes. That was right up Rainbow Dash’s alley as a Hunter, but for other ponies, it was merely a good way to meet a premature death.
Given the expected audience for the event, she wondered what monsters had been rounded up, and how it had been accomplished. Had they hired Hunters to catch local beasts alive, or had they captured the monsters themselves? If it was the latter, she wondered just how difficult they would be for her to slay. She was determined to win, and had signed up to fight the most dangerous creature to ensure her victory, but she was forbidden from knowing just what her target was until the fight.
When a pony with a booming voice called her name, she vaulted over the flimsy wooden railing around the pit and landed on the loose dirt at the bottom. She had her sword in her mouth in a flash and stared down the gate at the pit’s other end. She could hear struggling from the other side of the gate, but those noises could’ve been from any number of creatures, all of them foul. All around the pit in the makeshift stands, ponies stomped their hooves and yelled for the match to begin.
The gate began to slowly rise as ponies struggled to lift it, then was knocked aside as the monster saw an opportunity to escape its enclosure. Rainbow Dash immediately recognized the creature as a tauros, which looked like nothing so much as a giant bull with flatter horns and claws at the end of its forelegs instead of hooves. Its sandy coloration and scorpion tail told her that this beast had most certainly not been captured locally, but had rather been captured in the Kingdom of Los Pegasus and transported here at great expense. Queen Helianthus had made arena fights with these beasts a popular pastime for knights in her lands, and the tournament’s organizers were obviously following her example.
With a bellowing moo, the tauros charged Rainbow Dash, its head lowered with the intention of sweeping her up in its horns. She jumped to the side at the last moment, drawing her blade across the monster’s shoulder. The stinger came down at the Hunter, and she jumped back, using her wings to keep herself light on her hooves and ready to dash away at a moment’s notice. Digging it its claws, the tauros made a rapid turn and charged her again. This time, it didn’t lower its horn, and instead struck out with its claws once it was in range. Trying to keep some distance without running into the pit’s walls, Rainbow Dash backed away, and the claws swished through air.
Rainbow Dash switched to a closer fighting style, staying near enough to the tauros that it wouldn’t try to charge her, but far enough away that it couldn’t strike her. As it lunged in her direction, she jumped past its claws and horns and drew her sword across its back. When the stinger came for her, she jumped aside and sliced off the end before jumping clear of the stream of venom. The tauros spun around at her, and she ducked under its swinging claws before diving under it and stabbing up with her sword. Its hide was thick, but her sword was able to cut through it, and with a final jab at a hindleg as she passed, the tauros tipped over, its intestines spilled from the gash in its underside. The tauros moaned and scrambled with its claws as it died, until Rainbow Dash stabbed her sword through its ear and ended its suffering prematurely.
The Hunter wiped blood from her face as the crowd cheered for her victory. Striding over to where the stinger had fallen, she impaled it with her sword and held it up triumphantly as a trophy. Another prize earned, and another win to prove herself.
***
Far from the fields where the peasantry threw tree trunks and beat each other with blunted weapons, the nobility held their own games. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity made their way up the high-quality stands overlooking the jousting field. Twilight had hoped to have all six of the Brave Companions assembled together for this audience, but fate had conspired against her. Despite the bond they shared after defeating Nightmare Moon, they were all still individual ponies with their own personalities and inclinations. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had run off to partake in the tournament games, Fluttershy had joined her fellow druids, and Pinkamena had fallen in with her fellow bards. So, it was only her, Spike, and Rarity that would be speaking to the great lords of White Tail.
Twilight had never met them personally, but the long letter of instruction from Celestia had told her what to expect, and she identified them as she approached their sheltered seats in the middle of the stands. In the center was Duchess Periwinkle, this year’s host, her coat and dress matching her name. Her mane had gone gray years earlier, but time had not softened her spirit one bit. Ever since she’d taken the throne as a young filly, she had been a steadfast and loyal subject of Celestia, even going so far as to deny marriages of her children and grandchildren to nobility outside of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht. This had caused quite a few problems with the adjoining lands of Vanhuv’r, but she had dealt with such matters on her own, never calling upon Cant’r Laht for aid. The duchess wore nothing ostentatious; upon her head was a simple tiara instead of a formal crown like the other lords. There was no need for flash, when her lands all around and the castle in the distance spoke well enough.
To her left was the ruler of the White Tail Woods’ other duchy, Duke Stellar, trying desperately to keep his ill-fitting silver crown from slipping off his young head. When Stellar had taken the throne, he and Duchess Periwinkle’s lands had touched, but the inexperienced duke quickly found his vassals unruly and several successfully broke free of his control before he was able to assert his dominance. Celestia’s sources reported that Stellar was still trying to learn how to govern effectively, and was meanwhile involved in a shadow war with Periwinkle, attempting to threaten and persuade the lands he’d lost to return to him instead of turning to the imposing duchess. Who would be successful was still up in the air; Periwinkle had skillfully arranged betrothals between her family and the lesser nobles, but Stellar had a much more legitimate claim to suzerainty, and the counts and barons wished to keep their independence and direct vassalage to Celestia if possible.
To Periwinkle’s right, seated in a throne nearly as tall and just as ornate as hers, was Margrave Tristan in his finely tailored surcoat and cape embroidered with the symbol of his noble house in vivid colors. Though all four great lords of White Tail were technically the same rank, Margrave Tristan was by far the most powerful. His march contained the only ports in Celestia’s lands, as well as the best lumber. The largest realm within the White Tail Woods, it served the vital role of protecting against any invasion by Los Pegasus from the south. In addition to this, the margrave was closely related to many of the lesser lords and bishops in the Woods. Margrave Tristan was important, and he knew it. He was also related to the dynasty that had once ruled the kingdom of Helfast of which his lands used to be a part, and there were rumors that he entertained the idea of rebelling against Celestia and forming that kingdom once more. Judging by the symbols of that house embroidered on the inside of his cape, Twilight believed those rumors to have substance.
To Tristan’s right, Margrave Brekka lounged lazily across his seat. This one-eyed scarecrow of a pony was actually far from lazy, but not much seemed to interest him other than battle. His march occupied the northwest corner of the White Tail Woods, and he had repelled attacks countless times from the pegasi of the Silver Mountains, the tribes of the west, and the nobles of Vanhuv’r and Los Pegasus. Though he normally had very little regard for anypony without martial skill, he was oddly respectful of mages, and he sat up in his seat and straightened out his long drooping moustache when he noticed Twilight approaching.
“Madam sorceress,” Duchess Periwinkle acknowledged her presence as she reached the great lords of White Tail, “Won't you and your companions please take a seat?”
She motioned with a hoof to the seats next to Duke Stellar, and the courtiers that had been occupying them quickly abandoned them for the duchess’s guests. Rarity seemed nearly beside herself with glee at being able to mingle with ponies of such high class, but for Twilight, this was a familiar experience, albeit with a courser breed of nobility than that usually found in Cant’r Laht. Four crowned heads turned to look at the sorceress once she was seated.
“I was told to expect seven guests,” Duchess Periwinkle stated, looking down her nose questioningly, “Where are the rest of your companions.”
“I am afraid you outdid yourself with this tournament,” Twilight praised her diplomatically, “They all wished to partake of the festivities.”
“Forgive me, but I don’t quite understand why it is that Celestia sent you to us in the first place,” Margrave Tristan said smoothly, though his words were dripping in the same way Mayor Mare’s voice did whenever she was talking to Twilight, “Surely having the Brave Companions attend the tournament is a great honor, but nothing was said about any spectacle for the six of you. It makes me wonder just why it is that you are here?”
“It’s obvious, in’it?” Margrave Brekka butted in before Twilight could respond, “Queen Helianthus’s troops have been massing on both our borders for days now, preparin’ for invasion. If that invasion comes during the tournament, the illustr’us sorceress here is to be Celestia’s eyes, ears, and mouth.”
“Of course,” Tristan said with annoyance once Brekka finished his impassioned speech, “But we still must ask why this is necessary. The three of us have defended these lands for years; surely we have no need of guidance from a lady of Cant’r Laht to succeed?”
Duke Stellar frowned at being left out of Tristan’s statement, but said nothing. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the jousting field, moving his head a bit too quickly and causing his crown to slip down. Two knights in full sets of tourney armor charged each other, and one was knocked down with the crash of a lance impact.
“You are both quite right,” Twilight Sparkle addressed the lords once the cheering abated, “Celestia has appointed me as her representative for dealing with you and the other lords of White Tail. An order from me is the same as one from Celestia herself, and to question me is to question the ability of the matron of sorceresses to choose a fitting representative. No, I do not have the experience of leading armies to victory on the battlefield, but that is why you are here. I trust you have heeded Celestia’s orders and raised your levies?”
“You would not have seen them, but my forces are encamped north of Caştelæ Travond,” Duchess Periwinkle replied, “I have issued strict orders to them regarding behavior at the tournament.”
“Mine have also been raised and await orders back at Brightstead,” Duke Stellar chimed in, turning red when his voice broke, “Of course, Celestia must know that we cannot keep the troops assembled without orders indefinitely.”
“Yes, but neither can Helianthus,” Twilight replied, “If she means to make good on her vow to ‘reclaim’ White Tail Wood for her kingdom, then she will need to strike soon. What better opportunity than when the lords of White Tail are all away from home?”
“One might say that Equestria could find itself in a similar situation six months from now if its leaders all attend Celestia’s summit,” Margrave Tristan opined, “We will see; so far, only Kings Hyelliff and Alhert have agreed to make the trip to Cant’r Laht.”
Twilight was finding herself disliking Tristan more and more with each word he said. The skepticism he was professing was nothing new—Twilight’s own parents had expressed doubts whether the summit could actually work—but it almost seemed like the margrave wanted Celestia’s plan to bring Equestria together to fail. She had known plenty of ponies of this type too in Cant’r Laht, those that hoped for an opportunity to expand their own power and authority, especially if it meant the downfall of those superior to them. Even so, ponies had been waiting for Celestia to topple for centuries, and they would probably be waiting for centuries more.
“This is no time to discuss such serious matters; let us enjoy the tournament,” Duchess Periwinkle announced firmly as she gave Tristan a scathing look he unabashedly ignored, “We can discuss these things at the banquet tonight. I hope that all the Brave Companions will be in attendance?”
“I am sure I can arrange it,” Twilight promised.
Following Periwinkle’s lead, the ponies (and dragon) in the front row of the nobility’s box turned their attention to the jousting field. Two new knights cantered onto the field carrying their standards high.
The knight on the right was decked out in gleaming plate under a yellow-and-white checkered caparison. Jutting from his helmet’s forehead was a metal unicorn horn, though the stallion himself couldn’t have been a unicorn; given how long and slender the horn was, it was clearly meant for decorative or combat purposes. His standard was a unicorn slaying a boar, backed by a circle bisected into yellow and white halves.
From the other direction came a knight in armor just as gleaming, but also clearly dented from use, draped in a caparison of green and gold. His standard was a war horn hanging from a shield with a snow-capped mountain upon it, backed by the alicorn cross. After a moment, Twilight recognized it as the standard of House Bersian and wondered if the knight was Ser Lighting Charge, who’d been meant to escort her to the griffons two months earlier. The stallion was in full armor, and every part of his body was covered, including his wings; his tail was hidden beneath his caparison, so the sorceress couldn’t even tell if he was the same color. Lighting Charge was the seventh child of Count Starlit Mere, and likely not the youngest, so there was a good chance it could be one of his siblings.
The crowd cheered and shook the stands with their hoof-stomps as the knights took their places at either end of the tilt. Their squires took their standards from them and placed them in the ground before fitting a lance into the holder at their sides. As the cheers continued to build, the knights pawed at the ground before launching into a charge only a moment apart. In a real charge, the aim would be to strike the opposing knight’s armor in a vulnerable spot and seriously maim or kill them, but there were few jousts now where it was considered acceptable to kill your fellow knight in the charge. Tourney armors were specially reinforced in certain areas to withstand the impact of the jousting lance, and it was there that knights would attempt to strike. The goal was to knock your opponent off their hooves—onto their back if possible—without being knocked down yourself. A favored method was to sweep your opponent’s legs out from under them, but it was considered more skillful to strike their hindleg with the lance directly, which was more difficult, but would almost certainly topple your opponent. Both these knights were skilled with the lance, and they crashed to the ground as they struck each other’s hindlegs.
Their squires rushed out onto the field with their knights’ swords and shields as the two armored ponies rose to their hooves. Each removed their lances and drew their sword from its scabbard, and the crowd burst into cheering again. Since neither had remained on their hooves after the charge, the rules of the joust now demanded they duel with their blades to determine a winner. Just like in the charge, killing your opponent was frowned upon, but wounding them was not if it could compel them to yield.
The unicorn-knight attacked first, his sword bouncing off the other’s shield as he raised it up in defense. His opponent pushed forward with his shield still raised, and the two shields struck against each other. Wood scraped on wood as they jockeyed for position, and the pegasus was victorious in forcing his opponent’s shield and leg down and out of the way. He swung his sword at the unicorn-knight, who easily deflected the swing with his own blade. Continuing to push forward, the pegasus knight brought his shield back up into his opponent’s cheek. The unicorn-knight’s sword fell from his mouth, but he struck back with his shield at his opponent’s head. The pegasus managed to keep ahold of his sword and swung it at the unicorn-knight. Though it bounced off his shield, he continued to be pushed back and was nearing the stands. To finish him off, the pegasus knight hooked his shield behind his opponent’s and forced it and his foreleg to the ground, putting the unicorn-knight into an awkward bowing position.
“Yield! Yield!” the unicorn-knight yelled as the pegasus held the point of his sword at the gap in his helm around his mouth, and he released him.
“Ser Lightning Charge of House Bersian is the victor!” the tourney’s announcer yelled over the cheering crowd, “As one of the final four, you may request a boon of the duchess.”
Lightning Charge helped up his opponent—whose shield-leg was, if not fractured, then at least badly sprained—before returning his shield and sword to the care of his squire. As he approached the duchess’s box, he removed the chanfron portion of his helmet and swept back his mail hood and leather cap to free his sweat-soaked mane of silvery-blue from its confining prison. He was surprised to see Twilight Sparkle seated in the stands next to Duke Stellar, along with Spike and another member of the Brave Companions he recognized from rumors. He quickly made up his mind on what to request.
“Your Grace,” he addressed Duchess Periwinkle with lowered head, “I would ask that at the banquet tonight, I be allowed to dine at the table with the Brave Companions.”
“Ser knight, I feel obliged to tell you that I have already invited the Brave Companions to dine at my table tonight,” the duchess replied, “Do you still wish to make the same request?”
“I do,” Lightning Charge proclaimed boldly, “If you do not see me fit to dine at your table, then it shall be so, but it is my resolve to make such a request regardless.”
“Very well,” Duchess Periwinkle said with a wry smile as she glanced at Twilight, “I shall honor your request, ser knight. Tonight, you shall dine at my table.”
“It seems you will be quite busy with conversation this evening,” Margrave Tristan commented as Ser Lightning Charge trotted away and the field was prepared for the next joust, “I had hoped to have a few words with you and your companions. Perhaps you would care to join me in my box at the race tomorrow?”
“What race?” Rarity asked, breaking her silence for the first time since sitting down among the nobility.
“The Running of the Leaves is a tradition of the White Tail Tournament,” Duchess Periwinkle explained, “The greatest racehorses of the land compete to see who can complete the long-distance course through the forest the swiftest.”
“Though my box may not be as close to the finish line as the one reserved for the duchess, it still has a fine view. I will also have a scryer in attendance so that we may watch the race as it unfolds,” Tristan added.
“I believe we would all be pleased to join you,” Twilight said as Rarity looked at her pleadingly. Games are being played here, and not just on the tournament fields.
***
Though the banquet that night was spread out around Caştelæ Travond, its center was in the great hall of Duchess Periwinkle’s keep. At every spot of the numerous tables sat a pony of great importance, almost wholly members of the courts of the many nobles in attendance. The room burst with color, as every noble had a banner with their house’s symbol hanging over the back of their seat; the only exception was Duchess Periwinkle, whose house’s standard hung as usual from the walls. Twilight’s chair was no exception; from her seatback hung the standard of House Haltrotsun: An impaled shield with a half eagle on the baron side and two seven-pointed stars on the femme side over a red stripe diagonally crossing a white background.
The Brave Companions were seated to the right of the duchess’s place of honor. Directly next to Periwinkle was a very happy looking Rarity, followed by an empty place for Rainbow Dash, and then Applejack. Across from the uncomfortable farmer sat Pinkamena, and to her right were Spike, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Lightning Charge, who was seated across from Duke Remere, Periwinkle’s husband. The banquet was well underway by the time Rainbow Dash arrived, but Twilight couldn’t complain about her appearance. Though the Hunter was wearing her armor instead of formal attire, the leather had been polished to a shine, and her coat and mane looked freshly washed and groomed.
“Where were you?” Spike asked bluntly as the Hunter began to dive into the food.
“I’ve been killing these tournament games all day,” Rainbow Dash bragged, and Applejack glowered at her, “One of them got a little messy. When a messenger told me I was expected at the banquet tonight, I was still covered in monster blood, and I thought it would be better to show up late than to show up stinking of the beast I killed.”
“What monster was it?” Pinkamena asked without stopping her undignified rocking in her chair.
“A tauros; can you believe they were going to let just anypony fight that thing?” Rainbow Dash said before taking a long draw from her tankard, “Applejack, I heard you were in some competitions as well. How did it go?”
“I won six o’ th’ events I entered,” the farmer said guardedly, already having heard about Rainbow Dash’s antics in her own events.
“Hate to outshine you, but I won all seven of the competitions I was in,” Rainbow Dash said smugly.
“Only b’cause y’ cheated,” Applejack accused her and the Hunter looked aghast, “I heard y’ used your wings t’ help y’ win half those events.”
“Of course I used my wings, they’re a part of me,” Rainbow Dash deflected, “I wouldn’t accuse you of cheating if you used your legs.”
“That’s different!” Applejack said passionately, drawing the attention of the ponies next to her at the table, “You have legs as well, but I have no wings! Neither did your opponents in those situations have wings on their side.”
“That has nothing to do with it,” Dash hissed, “You think you can outdo me in a physical competition, and you’re just mad that I succeeded in proving you wrong.”
“I would say you proved yourself wrong if y’ had t’ use your wings t’ best me,” Applejack said huffily.
“Well, I guess we’ll never know, since there’s no way to compare us side-by-side in a competition that seems fair to us both.”
“Hey!” Twilight said, getting the two bickering ponies’ attention with one sharp word, “It is important that we put our best hoof forward here, so keep your arguments to yourselves until afterwards, please!”
The ponies looked up and down the table at the surrounding nobles. Thankfully, Duchess Periwinkle was too preoccupied talking to ponies on the other side of her husband to take much notice of the commotion going on in the other direction, but some had clearly seen the heated argument. They had to remember that they were no longer just a Hunter and a farmer from Ponieville; revered as the Brave Companions, everypony would be watching them to see if they measured up to the stories told of them. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were not as a whole unreasonable, and they both made apologies to Twilight for their behavior.
“Thank you,” Twilight said, relieved that the matter had passed, “Whatever is going on between you, try to get it out before the Running of the Leaves tomorrow with Margrave Tristan.”
At the mention of the Running of the Leaves, both Applejack’s and Rainbow Dash’s expressions changed. They had the same idea, and they both realized as they thought it over that it was a good one. Well, maybe from Twilight’s perspective it wouldn’t be, but that wasn’t on their minds.
“The Running of the Leaves,” both ponies said at once.
“It’s not a purely strength or speed-based competition, but a test of endurance,” Rainbow Dash elaborated her thoughts.
“An’ it’s a running competition, so you’re definitely not allowed t’ use your wings,” Applejack added.
“It’s perfect. I wonder if we can still get in,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Oh, no,” Twilight tried to put a halt to their plans, “We are to be the margrave’s guests, not to be part of the spectacle.”
“Sorry, Twi’, but we have t’ do this,” Applejack said.
Twilight groaned. She’d been hoping to keep the six of them together, but she was already down to four before the next day even dawned. Twilight needed every bit of weight she could throw at the margrave, but it seemed likely it would be just her and Rarity again.
***
Thankfully, Twilight’s fears proved to be unfounded. Fluttershy, Pinkamena, and Rarity all joined her in Margrave Tristan’s booth the next day. Of course, Fluttershy kept asking about whether the race’s course had displaced any wildlife, and Pinkamena was spending more time talking to the margrave’s minstrel than the members of his court, but that was part of their personalities. The sorceress had resigned herself to the fact that Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s personalities prevented her from stopping their foolish plans to enter the race. They both had a drive to prove themselves to their peers, and once they felt threatened, there was nothing that could be done to deter them from their course.
It turned out that the name of the Brave Companions held enough weight for them to convince the race officials to let them enter without fee. The stands were in chaos once ponies learned that these legendary ponies had entered the Running of the Leaves, and many bets were placed on them. Margrave Tristan stood firm in his decision to place his wagers on two of his own trusted couriers, and Twilight did her best to remain noncommittal when asked by his daughter whether she should bet on Applejack or Rainbow Dash to win. The sorceress knew that the chances of either of them winning were slim but possible, if it weren’t for their constant confrontation. She just knew that they would find some way to foul their chances up by paying more attention to each other than the race.
Ponies cheered as the racers took their places at the starting line. Rainbow Dash looked a bit ridiculous with her wings tied flat against her body, but Applejack had suggested it and the Hunter had accepted; if she won now, there would be no doubt she’d done so without flying. The runners readied themselves as the race announcer counted down, and then they were off like a shot. Within a few seconds, the racers had disappeared among the trees and reddening leaves of the White Tail Wood.
Within Margrave Tristan’s box, the ponies turned their attention to the mirror set up at the front. Tristan’s court wizard, a young unicorn sorceress named Fireflight, sat next to the mirror, her closed eyelids twitching as she observed the race with her magic and projected what she saw onto the mirror. The pack was beginning to string out as the various racers settled into their long-distance paces, so Fireflight focused on the ponies in the lead. Though there were other ponies close behind, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were jockeying for the front position.
***
“I have to compliment you on your speed, but you can’t keep this up forever,” Rainbow Dash taunted as she remained neck-and-neck with Applejack.
We’ll see about that. Rainbow Dash knew she needed to pace herself if she wanted to win the race, but she put on some extra speed anyway to pull out ahead of Applejack. Not to be outdone, the farmer looped around the other side and dashed past Dash. Rainbow Dash grumbled and pushed on, catching up to Applejack and maintaining pace with her as they followed the rough path meandering through the forest.
They continued to push on neck-and-neck until Applejack’s hoof struck a rock and she tumbled onto the ground. Rainbow Dash yelled victoriously as she left her competitor in the dust. Applejack rolled off the path and into the undergrowth as other racers thundered past trying to avoid stepping on her.
“Rainbow Dash tripped me! I knew she couldn’t resist cheatin’!” Applejack exclaimed as she angrily rose to her hooves.
She was determined to be the better mare, though, and wouldn’t stoop to Rainbow’s level. Applejack got back onto the path and galloped ahead. She had a lot of ground to make up.
***
Oh no, Twilight thought as she watched Applejack displayed on the mirror. The scrying had no sound, but the sorceress could tell all the same that Applejack was angry and probably blaming Rainbow Dash for something that was nopony’s fault. The course of the Running of the Leaves was really just a loop of forest paths with signs pointing the right direction when there was a branch, so a rock was not an uncommon occurrence.
“Yeah! Go, Rainbow Dash!” Tristan’s daughter cheered as focus returned to the pony in the lead.
“I must say, I am quite impressed with your companions’ abilities,” Margrave Tristan commented to Twilight, “I understand that they have some sort of competition with each other going on, starting with the tournament events yesterday.”
“Yes, so I have heard,” Twilight said carefully, “They have not said so, but I suspect it has to do with the timberwolf attack we experienced before arriving at the tournament. Applejack defeated it on her own, which led to some words being exchanged between her and Rainbow Dash.”
“Timberwolves are a common nuisance in White Tail, but there are many Hunters living here to take care of them. Of course, just as your peasant friend was able to take one out, our own peasantry is learning how to defeat the beasts on their own. Soon, the Hunters may find themselves short on work,” Tristan replied, “Healthy competition can be constructive, but I don’t understand why you allow those under your command to take things this far.”
“None of them are under my command, as you put it,” Twilight replied, though now that she thought of it, she did serve as the group’s leader more often than not, “Bards and the grapevine may have construed the Brave Companions as a well-organized team, but we are really just six friends who met to stop Nightmare Moon, and look out for each other now.”
“I see,” Margrave Tristan said with a shadow of a smile as he looked back at the mirror, which now showed Rainbow Dash and Applejack neck-and-neck again.
“Do not take anything I have said to mean that we are not united or a notable team,” Twilight defended her friends to the margrave, “You have seen for yourself that we all have impressive skills that, when used together, can accomplish anything, even stopping the onset of eternal night.”
“Forgive me, madam sorceress, but the first time I heard of the Brave Companions, I could not believe the tale,” Tristan said without taking his eyes from the race, “A Cant’r Laht sorceress, a Hunter, a farmer, a blacksmith, a druidess, and a bard all joining together? Such things simply do not happen in the world I know. There are such differences among you, it makes an ignorant outsider like me wonder just how long this alliance can go on before it is torn apart by internal disagreements.”
Twilight had no immediate response to the margrave’s accusation, so she too watched the race, and saw Rainbow Dash trip over a root. The sorceress had wondered about the same things that Tristan had brought up, and she’d be lying if she said that her mind was totally at ease about them, especially given recent events. Rainbow Dash yelled after Applejack, no doubt blaming her for tripping her up when the landscape was once again to blame. Was this the future of the Brave Companions, six totally different ponies who had been thrust into fame so rapidly and now needed to prove themselves?
***
Rainbow Dash quickly gained on Applejack, pains beginning to sprout up across her body as she pushed it too hard for too long. However, that wasn’t going to stop her. If Applejack wasn’t tiring, then she couldn’t slow down either. She pushed even harder to catch up to the farmer, and was rewarded by the stunned expression on Applejack’s face. Not content with staying even with Applejack, in case she tried to trip her up again, she overtook her as they rounded a turn in the course. A branch jutted out over the path, but instead of ducking under it, Dash pushed it to the side and released it as she passed. The branch quickly whipped back around at Applejack, and she barely managed to duck under it in time, coming to a stop on the ground as she lost her momentum from doing so.
“Hey! You call that fightin’ fair?” Applejack yelled after the Hunter, who paid no attention to her.
As the other racers caught up, Applejack angrily chased after Rainbow Dash.
***
Sometime after the incident with the branch, Applejack was catching up again. Rainbow Dash had to admit that it was not just Applejack pursuing her that closed the distance, but also that her own body was slowing down. The only consolation was that Applejack was beginning to tire as well, even though she was still ahead of the other runners.
As a hill loomed up ahead, the path began to zigzag drastically. When Rainbow looked behind her now, she could no longer see Applejack, though she knew that she was close. Spotting a branch in the path, Rainbow guiltily thought of a way she could stay ahead of Applejack without tiring herself out completely. Unlike several of the other places the path branched along the racecourse, there were no cheering ponies pointing the way at this sign.
The arrow had been nailed to a tree, and it was easy for Rainbow Dash to turn it to point in the other direction. To avoid being seen headed the correct way, the Hunter dove into the undergrowth as she heard hoofbeats approaching. Applejack, trusting the sign to point the way, headed off down the wrong path. Once Rainbow was sure she was out of sight, she corrected the sign and trotted off in the other direction, just in time for the other racers to catch up and follow here. Let’s see Applejack beat me now.
***
“Has Applejack been to the White Tail Woods before?” Margrave Tristan asked as the mirror followed her progress alone on a path.
Nopony was quite sure why the farmer had gone off course, as the mirror had been focused on events happening farther back in the pack when Rainbow Dash had perpetrated her misdirection. Still, Twilight was sure that something fishy was going on, probably related to this competition between her friends. She was impressed with their progress so far, but less impressed that they seemed dedicated to messing up each other’s chances (and their own, in the process) instead of just running the race, just as she’d predicted.
“Not that I am aware; why?” Twilight answered the margrave’s question.
“She’s taking a shortcut that passes through a small hamlet before meeting back up with the main path,” he answered.
“Is that allowed?” Fluttershy asked, who had ceased asking questions about the White Tail Woods and was actually paying attention to the race, now that it was nearing its conclusion.
“Certainly, the race is as much about knowledge of the terrain as about speed,” Tristan answered, “The majority of the contestants are couriers, after all. It appears none of them caught that shortcut, or they’re waiting for the larger one closer to the end. I suspect about half of them will take that, since it is a fairly difficult and precarious path, and the rest will put on speed to make up the difference on the main course.”
Oh, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. How will you take it if, even with all the mischief you’ve played on each other, you still fail because you’re not racehorses familiar with the rules?
***
Rainbow Dash was feeling good. A few of the professional racers had passed her, but she could easily overtake them once she recharged and put on a burst of speed at the race’s end. Now that Applejack was sure to lose, it didn’t even matter so much to Rainbow that she win. She felt guilty for misdirecting her friend, but going off the main path wouldn’t disqualify her. At least, she suspected not, since she’d seen other racers branching off onto an unmarked path later in the race. The thought occurred to her that that path may have been a shortcut which she should’ve taken instead of plowing ahead, but it was too late for that now. Then another thought struck her. What if she had inadvertently sent Applejack down a shortcut?
As if to prove her fear correct, Applejack suddenly emerged from the woods ahead of her, looking tired, but not as tired as if she’d had to travel as far to get her as Rainbow had. Cursing herself for the mistake, Rainbow Dash surged ahead, catching up to Applejack. Applejack was beginning to slow down; just like Rainbow had said, she couldn’t keep this speed up forever, and her body was screaming for her to rest. As Rainbow Dash pulled up beside her, she panicked and, remembering the incident with the branch, bumped into the Hunter and almost knocked her down.
It took Rainbow Dash a few seconds to register that Applejack had done so on purpose before she responded by charging back and bumping her as well. The two ponies began to fight it out as they neared the final stretch to the finish line, ignoring the shouts of the other competitors as they ran past. They were stumbling along now, making very little progress as they fought for any advantage. By the time they actually made it over the finish line, they didn’t even realize it until they nearly ran into the other racers.
They both looked around in a daze at the cheering crowd, though a good portion of them who’d betted on the two of them looked quite upset. How had the other runners finished so quickly? Why wasn’t somepony being declared the winner? Who had won?
“Will you concede your defeat now, Applejack?” Rainbow Dash was the first to pant out.
“Why would I do that when I won?” Applejack wheezed.
“Are you crazy? I’m the one who won!” Rainbow replied.
“Here comes Twi’; we can ask her,” Applejack said as the sorceress approached, “Who won, Twi’?”
“Neither of you,” Twilight replied with a tightly controlled voice, “You both crossed the finish line at the same time … last.”
“Last?” the two ponies said disbelievingly at the same time.
“Yes, you both had a chance to win this race, if only you had not focused so much on outdoing each other,” Twilight continued, “What was the point of it all? To prove who is better at physical feats? What does it matter? Why do you need to compare yourselves to each other when you are two completely different ponies with your own strengths and weaknesses? Just be happy with who you are and disregard what others say about you!”
“You’re right, Twi’,” Applejack admitted, “Rainbow Dash was never really sayin’ anythin’ against me when she compared her trainin’ an’ my work on th’ farm. I’m just defensive ‘cause I been looked down on so much for m’ livelihood.”
“And I know you’d never try to outdo me as a Hunter, you were just in the right place to help,” Rainbow Dash admitted, “We sure made a mess of things, didn’t we?”
“Well, yes,” Twilight said, stunned that they had taken her speech so well and realized their faults so quickly, “It would certainly have been better if you had realized this before making an embarrassment of the Brave Companions, but the two of you were too stubborn to do it any way but the hard way.”
“I promise, Twilight, next time you drag us on a diplomatic mission, we’ll do better,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Remind us o’ this if we e’er get carried away again,” Applejack said.
And just like that, things are back to normal. Perhaps the Brave Companions aren’t doomed after all. Certainly, we have our faults and flaws, and more differences than we can count. Despite all that, we’re able to come back together when things tear us apart, and isn’t that the true marker of the strength of our bond? Twilight looked over her shoulder and saw that Margrave Tristan had been watching and listening, and was now turning away, looking slightly less pleased than before. Through this incredibly inconvenient tiff, Rainbow Dash and Applejack have proved to me the endurance and strength of the Brave Companions, and not just to me. That’s good, because our mission here isn’t over quite yet…
Through snowmelt and springs within the Titan’s Horn above the city, various streams cascade into Cant’r Laht in stunning waterfalls. These waterways then meander through the city, at first irregularly across the natural ledge upon which the pegasus trading town of Gladfengel had once stood before the unicorn city overtook it, and then in well-laid out paths across the unnatural platform built out from the cliffside. After that, the streams once again plummeted in brilliant waterfalls, eventually reaching Onon’r Laht far below. It is in this abandoned city of stone that the waters from the Titan’s Horn congregate in a large lake before meandering south.
After leaving Onon’r Laht, this waterway is known as the North Equestry River, which has grown in size significantly from the streams of the White Mountains flowing into it by the time it reaches Ponieville. A short distance past that tiny hamlet, it meets up with its counterpart, the South Equestry River, flowing up from the jungles and mountains of the far south. From here, the watercourse is known as the Equestry River, and it veers westward, hugging the southern border of the White Tail Woods before emptying into the Gulf of Sirens on the Blazing Ocean. A large part of this last stretch of river forms the border between the Dominions of Cant’r Laht in the north and the Kingdom of Los Pegasus in the south; it is here that just before dawn on the second day after the autumnal equinox, dozens of boats drifted silently across from the south shore to the north.
Without anypony realizing, a large force of well-trained Los Pegasus soldiers had invaded, and quickly went to work taking out the opposing soldiers holding the bridges. Once the bridges had been seized, the bulk of the Los Pegasus army moved forward, ponies and equipment advancing across the bridges with the intent to seize and hold the entire forest. From the west, a similar advance was taking place, though without the hindrance of a river crossing.
Marshal Flax watched approvingly as the army invaded by the first light of dawn, supply lines being established for the main advance and the forces that would split off to siege the nearest border fortresses. If her intel was correct, the fortresses were in the midst of construction to improve them, and Margrave Tristan had foolishly left them vulnerable and underdefended. They would pose but a minor hindrance in the march to the White Tail Woods’ nobility, who had so imprudently congregated themselves all in one place. Once their token forces were crushed, they would be made to swear fealty to Queen Helianthus, or they would be executed and more cooperative nobles would take their places.
Meanwhile, Admiral Lillium’s fleet set sail and began to blockade the Dominion of Cant’r Laht’s only ports. As unfriendly sails appeared within sight of the coastal town of Sonnet, ponies at the harbor began to panic, and a few brave souls made their way across the rickety bridge to the nearby island. The island was really not much more than a patch of dirt and rocks that happened to jut slightly out of the water, and it barely had enough room for the sole structure built upon it. A multi-storied stone tower rose from the island, and it tilted slightly toward the sea. Multiple layers of scaffolding surrounded the tower and kept it upright, but it would one day inevitably topple over, its stones spilling into the sea it seemed to long for. The ponies waited apprehensively after banging on the door with their hooves, not daring to touch the snarling gargoyle face of the iron knocker.
“What could possibly be so important to wake me at this hour!” an angry mare snarled as she wrenched the door open after the ponies’ seventh attempt to get her attention.
Siren’s Spell was not usually an unpleasant pony. Aloof and condescending at times, yes, but rarely unpleasant to be around. However, anypony woken at dawn who usually prefers to sleep until midday would be understandably upset. Siren had been sound asleep when the desperate knocking had awoken her, and she had had no time to get dressed; a bedsheet was wrapped around her torso, and a towel contained her frazzled mane. Even if she were in Cant’r Laht no longer, this was no way for a Cant’r Laht sorceress to be seen. The mare had been born in the shining city on the mountain, but when her studies began to lean toward aquatic magic, she had departed for the gulf bearing her name. This drafty old mage’s tower would not have been her first choice for a residence, but it was isolated, near the sea, and already had much of the equipment she would need. Sometimes, however, the isolation was not enough, and ponies from the mainland would cross the bridge she swore she would demolish someday to ask her for help with this or that problem. Their requests were usually reasonable, and she tried to accommodate her neighbors as best she could, but all that meant nothing if they were going to wake her while answering the door still caused the sun to shine into her eyes.
“Madam sorceress,” the lead sailor said as he bowed awkwardly, “We would not be bortherin’ you if we di’n’t need your help. There’s Los Pegasus warships a’comin’.”
“How is that my problem?” the sorceress replied as she wiped the sleep from her eyes, “Notify the town watch to ring the warning bells and send out a signal. Really! Is that so difficult that you had to come to me?”
“Margrave Tristan ordered the warning bells taken down for examination by his executor,” another pony in the group milling on the bridge spoke up, “An’ the signal tower can’t be used cause it’s bein’ heightened.”
“That is madness,” Siren’s Spell replied, her mind moving more quickly as she woke up, “Why remove both means of warning of danger at the same time?”
“The margrave ordered all the towers heightened t’ be better seen over the trees,” another pony answered.
“Did the town watch at least send out a courier with the news of the Los Pegasus ships?” Siren’s Spell asked.
“Yes m’lady,” the first pony answered, “Though ‘e was just a normal guard. All the couriers are at the White Tail Tournament.”
“Well, at least the information will get out some way,” Siren said, though she knew it would probably arrive too late to do much good, “The rest of you, spread the word to anypony who is not already looking out at the ships. Also, see if you can get some volunteer ships together. I may have an idea of how to break the blockade.”
As the ponies made various bowing motions and tried to turn around on the narrow bridge, Siren shut the door on them. Immediately, she made her way upstairs and drew herself a bath, fetching and heating the water magically to save time, though she would likely regret wasting magical energy later. This is not good. If Los Pegasus ships are blockading the coast, then Queen Helianthus must be making a serious move to take White Tail. There’s probably an army on the move as well. The mare closed her eyes as she leaned back and let herself soak. She wasn’t as skilled at scrying as other sorceresses, especially Fireflight, but she didn’t need much skill for this. The Equestry River flew by in a blur as she tried to steady her vision. As the movement slowed, she got a clear picture of Los Pegasus troops crossing at several points, and it looked as if they had begun some time ago. Having gotten the information she needed, the mare returned her focus to her tower, and dried and dressed herself. Somepony had to be warned about this. As the sorceress trotted to her megascope, she tried to think of who she knew that would be awake at this hour and also near their own magical communication equipment.
***
Twilight Sparkle marched purposefully to Caştelæ Travond’s great hall. On her orders, all the White Tail nobles in attendance at the tournament were assembled there. As she and her friends were preparing for the day ahead, Spike had coughed up a letter from Celestia. Shortly after dawn, a sorcerer had come to Cant’r Laht castle with word that the Los Pegasus invasion of White Tail had begun. Celestia had hastily drafted new orders and sent them to Twilight, and she sent the word out immediately for the nobility to assemble. They had prepared for this, but she was sure there were some who weren’t going to like what the letter said.
The great hall was packed with nobles chatting among themselves, but most of them quieted as Twilight and her friends entered the room. All but one table with a map of the White Tail Woods had been shoved aside to make space for all the ponies in the room. Besides the four great lords that Twilight had spoken to during the tournament, there were also nine counts and thirty-three barons with no overlord but Celestia herself, and all the many counts and barons who were vassals of the other lords were in attendance as well, though they mostly hung back.
“This is what we know,” Twilight launched into her speech without introduction, “Early this morning, Los Pegasus armies invaded the White Tail Woods from the south and the west. Simultaneously, they sent their armada to blockade the coast, though it looks like they have no intention of attacking from the sea. The force from the west is small, and Margrave Brekka’s levies should be able to hold them off on their own, but that means we will not be able to count on them for other battles.”
Margrave Brekka, already dressed for travel, and battle if need be, left at a nod from Twilight along with his vassals. Half his retinue had already left for their home march, and the margrave had only shown up for the war council to show his support for Twilight going forward, which she much appreciated. Despite being Celestia’s personal protégé and one of the Brave Companions, she was still only the daughter of an earl when it came to noble rank, and these lords and ladies wouldn’t take kindly to her ordering them around, especially given what she would be saying.
“The southern army is a more frightening force. We do not know exactly how large it is, but we know that they have sufficient troops to siege all of the southern border forts and move on without fear,” Twilight continued, sharing what she’d learned a few minutes earlier from Fireflight’s scrying, “They do not seem focused on seizing the forts immediately, but rather in bringing their main force to meet us as swiftly as possible. It is likely that they intend to kill or capture every one of you and force you to sign your loyalty over to Los Pegasus.”
A displeased grumble passed through the group, though Twilight noticed that a few of the nobles seemed to be merely going through the motions. Could it be as bad as Celestia feared? They would never risk an open rebellion, but do they want out from under Celestia’s rule so much that they are willing to collaborate with an invader?
“Los Pegasus’s armies are moving for us, so you must all send out couriers to call your levies to meet up. We will march to meet them at a place of our choosing, here, at the ford near the town of Marten. Whoever arrives first will have the advantage, so we must make haste,” Twilight paused before revealing the unsavory bit of information from Celestia, “Given this situation, Celestia has appointed Tulles, Count of Marten, to be her marshal.”
A hushed silence fell over the great hall for a moment before objections broke out, mainly from Count Tulles’s neighbors and peers, but also from the stunned count himself. If one of the great lords had been granted the position instead of them, they’d have understood, but to have one of their fellow counts chosen was unthinkable and raised the question of why they hadn’t been chosen. It was the natural order for the highest ranked noble to lead the army, but Celestia had the habit of turning the established order on its head. Usually she had a good reason, as she did here. Count Tulles was a fine leader and intimately familiar with the land the battle would be fought upon, but was that enough for the others to accept him as their leader, especially those who outranked him? Margrave Tristan said nothing, but his brow was furrowed in a furious frown, and his vassals made enough arguments for him that he had no need to speak. Duke Stellar looked like he badly wanted to say something, but lacked the courage to do so. Of the remaining great lords, only Duchess Periwinkle seemed unperturbed, her face looking slightly concerned, but not from anger or jealousy.
“See here!” the duchess said as she slammed a hoof on the war table, silencing the other nobles, “This is Celestia’s will, and we shall comply. Send out your couriers and prepare to depart. My levies will leave in two hours, with or without you.”
After Duchess Periwinkle left her great hall, the other nobles began to slowly file out, casting vicious glances at Twilight as they left. Count Tulles took a moment to adjust to his new role before squaring his shoulders and leaving. Margrave Tristan stayed until the end, and continued to say nothing, but fixed Twilight with a long, burning stare before sweeping out of the room with a flourish of his cape.
***
Despite their protests against Count Tulles’s leadership, the rest of the nobles had all complied with Twilight’s orders and sent out couriers to summon their levies to meet up on the way to Marten. Now their servants were tearing down their tents in preparation for the three-day march that would precede the battle. The Brave Companions watched the process as they toured the now-abandoned tournament grounds and made their way to the camp north of Caştelæ Travond.
Here, tearing down tents was being done as well, but the encampments were far humbler than the massive pavilions of the nobility, to match their inhabitants. This was the army of peasants that Duchess Periwinkle and her vassals had recruited. At points around the tramped-down field, sergeants and mares-at-arms shouted at the new soldiers to prepare to march. The peasants, of course, complied. It was the natural order; who cared if they had never fought in a battle before, or even knew how to wield a weapon? Not that it mattered much if they could wield a weapon. The only arms that would be issued them would be a pike; any other weapons they had would be provided by themselves, and were often of low quality if they even had something other than a woodchopping axe or a pitchfork.
“They can’t really expect to go into battle with this,” Rarity commented as she stopped before the wagons several mares-at-arms were filling with barding.
The helmets piled into one wagon were decent enough; they would do their job of deflecting arrows and might even deflect a blade if it was swung without much skill (not all that unlikely when your opponents were also poorly-trained peasant levies.) The shoes piled into another wagon were also of decent quality, though a few were a bit rusty. Several of the shoes even had spikes, which would be useful if the enemy got past the line of pikes and the wearer had no other weapon. The quilted gambesons, however, were, as Rarity put it: “absolutely appalling.”
“This simply won’t do!” the blacksmith/seamstress whinged, “The seams are liable to pull apart at any moment! It’s too thin and there’s no layer underneath; you may as well just wrap a blanket around yourself for all the protection this’ll give. There’s almost nothing that won’t just punch right through; you may as well go into battle naked!”
“What’s all this about?” a mare-at-arms with several scrolls tucked into her belt asked as she strode up, having heard the raised voice.
“Look at this!” Rarity demanded, pulling one of the gambesons from the wagon, “Do you really think this will protect you?”
“It doesn’t have to protect me; I have my own barding,” the mare-at-arms said in a bored voice as she rapped a hoof against the cuirass over her superior gambeson, “These are enough that the common rabble won’t revolt or desert, which amounts to the same thing really, except we don’t have to put them down right away if they desert.”
“This is unacceptable,” Rarity put her hoof down, “There’s no way an army outfitted in this can stand against Los Pegasus. Isn’t it your duty as quartermaster to properly arm your soldiers?”
“Listen, my job is to get them outfitted with gear, and this is the gear we have,” she replied with annoyance, “Nopony put me in charge of commissioning the barding, so we’ll make do with whatever somepony else commissioned. If you think you can do better, you go right ahead. I don’t have time.”
“Okay, I will,” Rarity said boldly.
“Will what?” the quartermaster asked in confusion, already having started walking away.
“I will make this equipment actually worth wearing,” she said stiffly.
“In three days, you’re going to improve a thousand quilted gambesons?” the quartermaster asked in disbelief.
“It does seem pretty impossible, Rarity,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
The other Brave Companions had hung around and remained silent during Rarity’s tirade and talk with Duchess Periwinkle’s quartermaster, but something had to be said. To outfit the entire army with better barding was a noble thought, but it was too much. The Brave Companions had other duties, like assembling the various nobles’ levies into an effective fighting force and ensuring it stayed loyal to Celestia. Well, admittedly that was more Twilight’s responsibility than anypony else’s, but they could support her.
“I’ll do whatever I can,” Rarity announced firmly.
Perhaps she really could make a difference, albeit a small one. The equipment really is pitiful. Would it be fair for Twilight to deny her friend this undertaking she seemed so set on? Her friends had come here to support her; it wouldn’t be right for her not to support them back. It could all be a pointless cause if the army can’t come together, though …
“We will help you however we can, Rarity,” Twilight promised, making her decision. I can’t just abandon her, can I? I just hope the others don’t mind me volunteering them; at least Applejack and Rainbow Dash owe me.
“Thank you so much,” Rarity said, revealing how worried she really had been, “I’m going to need shears, several sturdy needles, and lots of thread. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, see if you can get the soldiers to cut their manes and tails for stuffing. We’re going to need leather from every tanner along the way; Twilight, I’ll need you to work with the local lords to get it without paying, otherwise we’ll have to make do with the canvas from the tents. Fluttershy, …”
***
Two days later, after many leagues of travel, Rarity was still working on the army’s barding from the back of the supply wagon as it bounced up it down on the bumpy road. With the help of her friends, she’d received all the supplies she needed to bring each gambeson up to her standards, which still wasn’t much, but was a far sight better than before. Her work was also never done. Though she’d made it through an impressive amount of the original gambesons, as new levies joined up with the army, she also insisted on bringing their equipment up to snuff. It would’ve been a completely impossible task without the help of Fluttershy and Pinkamena to prepare the barding for the blacksmith’s expertise, or the procurement of supplies by Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. For the latter three, the work was done now, and they merely stayed around for company, Twilight often leaving to speak to this or that noble to keep the peace and enforce Celestia’s will.
“Mistress Twilight!” the voice of a margrave that Twilight was all too familiar with called from up ahead, “Might we have a word?”
A carriage was waiting on the side of the road, Margrave Tristan leaning out the side. Twilight Sparkle hadn’t spoken to the great lord since before the war council back in Periwinkle’s duchy, but his vassals had made his feelings more than clear over the past two days. The sorceress had been wondering when the margrave himself would finally speak to her, and she was dreading this conversation.
“Certainly,” Twilight answered pleasantly as she trotted up to the carriage, “Do you mind if we walk?”
The margrave looked surprised before giving a shrug and hopping down from his carriage, giving orders to his servants in harness to go on ahead and his guards to stay at a distance.
“I would think that a lady of Cant’r Laht like yourself would be accustomed to riding,” Margrave Tristan began the conversation as they trotted away from the column of troops.
“During my studies, I rarely left the castle grounds, though I did use a carriage on the rare occasions I had to travel across the city,” Twilight admitted, “Since moving to Ponieville, I have found it better to walk, and I must admit it can be quite refreshing.”
“There is also the lack of suitable roadways,” Tristan pointed out.
“Yes, there is that,” Twilight said, and a long silence passed between the two ponies.
“How much longer do you intend to let this charade go on?” Tristan came to his true intention, now that they were out of hearing distance of anypony else, “It is not right for Count Tulles to lead this army. You know it, Celestia knows it, so why not put things right before it costs us the battle tomorrow?”
“Whether you like it or not, Celestia has appointed him to be her marshal, so there is no point in trying to usurp his position, especially so close to the battle.”
“This is no power grab, and if it were, then it would be a rightful one,” Tristan defended himself, “To command this force is my right. I am a margrave; my duty is to guard the border from invasion. How can you stand by and let a count occupy the position of a margrave?”
“Celestia has commanded it,” Twilight said, and was cut off from saying any more by Tristan’s rapid response.
“Yes, Celestia, who is no queen, but merely Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht. She has no house, no title. Even Count Tulles has that, if only because one of my ancestors knighted one of his ancestors and Celestia later took notice and raised his line to a countship. Who is she to command the great lords when she holds no title herself?”
“Title or not, you and your ancestors all swore your loyalty to her upon accession to your thrones. Take care in what you say, lest you cross the line between dissension and treason,” the sorceress warned, “Celestia has written it, and it shall be as she says.”
“You know this is wrong. There is no way that a count can hold together all the lords of White Tail,” the margrave continued to press Twilight as she increased her pace slightly trotting through the forest, “Tomorrow, on that battlefield, the army will disintegrate as each lord’s levies pursue their own agenda, and the battle will be lost. Don’t let that happen out of some misguided need to follow Celestia’s every order, no matter how foolish. Let this army be led by a noble of the proper rank: a margrave.”
“Yes, you are a margrave! Do you think that I have forgotten and you need to remind me repeatedly?” Twilight demanded angrily as she halted in a small clearing and turned on the stallion, “You are a margrave, but a margrave with no army, a margrave that failed in his duty. Celestia granted your family their march and entrusted you with preventing a situation just like the one we’re in. Your duty, as you keep reminding me, is to protect the White Tail Woods from invasion, and yet when the Los Pegasus army invaded your lands, what happened? Your border forts fell in a day, and your levies that did not die in skirmishes or become trapped in your capitol all dissolved back into the forest! If I were you, I would spend less time questioning Celestia’s decision to appoint Tulles as her marshal and more time wondering if she might decide to revoke your march after such an appalling failure.”
Margrave Tristan was furious, though he couldn’t say anything; everything Twilight had said was true. There were a few moss-coated standing stones in the overgrown clearing—the last remnants of a millennia-old pegasus holy site—and Twilight sat down on one that had toppled over. While Tristan tried to formulate a response, she stared at him in the way that she’d seen Fluttershy use on unruly animals, which apparently was also effective on unruly lords.
“Even so, this is still an egregious insult, not only against me, but against Duchess Periwinkle,” Margrave Tristan said in a tightly controlled voice as he brought a new argument before Twilight, “She is the eldest noble present of our rank, and should be given the honor of command if it is not to fall upon me.”
“No,” Twilight said simply.
“No?” Tristan said before laughing nervously, “Does Celestia intend to insult some of the most powerful nobles in her lands? She would have to be mad not to realize that without White Tail, the Dominions of Cant’r Laht would be without ports, an abundant source of lumber, and a defense against the Kingdom of Los Pegasus’s growing power.”
“She has not forgotten,” Twilight assured him, “But I would suggest you speak to Duchess Periwinkle about the matter before coming to me in her name. The duchess fully understands Celestia’s intentions with her choice of marshal, and Duke Stellar has also moved into this camp. It is only you, the margrave with no army, who seems to have a problem anymore with Count Tulles. Fall into line, or be left out. I assure you, despite your vassals’ valiant attempts to sway me in your favor over the past two days, those whose levies made it to us will be more than happy to take full command of them without you lording yourself over them.”
Margrave Tristan was struck speechless again, which was just as well, since Twilight was done speaking with him. She hoped she’d made the right move; this battle could be close, and if Tristan’s vassals decided to walk with him after all, it could be the tipping point. Somepony had to put this rebellious margrave in line, though, and since Celestia wasn’t here, the duty fell upon her apprentice.
Twilight Sparkle felt a tingle of magic run through her a moment before the gap beneath an arch of standing stones transformed into a wall of magical energy. The portal blazed for a couple seconds before its casters made themselves known. Through the portal trotted Penumbra, Amaranth, and Solith of the Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre, looking just the same as they had weeks earlier, except less frozen. Once they were all through, Solith closed the portal behind them.
“Ah, how fortuitous,” Penumbra said as he turned to face Twilight with his usual sneering expression, “You’ve landed us right next to her, Sol.”
“Not to suggest that I am not pleased to see you, but what are you doing here?” Twilight asked as she rose from the “no-longer-standing” stone.
“Queen Helianthus has sent a mage with her army,” Amaranth answered, “We felt it was only fair to reply in kind.”
“You need somepony familiar with battlefield spells, and we were available,” Solith added as she straightened her hat with the end of her staff.
Once again, Twilight couldn’t be offended of the mage cadre not counting her in their reckoning of available sorceresses. Though she’d proven herself capable with combat spells, she was less familiar with spells that would turn the tide of a battle. Theoretically, she would be able to do some simple ones, but the larger the spell, the more the chance of unintended consequence – fatal ones, in the case of a spell designed to wipe out an army.
“We would be grateful to have you with us for the battle on the morrow,” Twilight said, “Not to mention that I am sure you will provide a much-needed boost in morale.”
“Problems?” Penumbra asked with a raised brow.
“Politics,” Twilight answered, “The nobles are displeased with Celestia’s choice of marshal, and it has been a chore to get them to work together and rally beneath him.”
“So, nothing new, then,” Penumbra said, and motioned for Twilight to lead the way to the column of troops making their way to Marten, “Who was that great lord who took off the moment we arrived?”
“Margrave Tristan Wingra-Hotzern, lord of the sea march and thorn in my side,” Twilight replied with some degree of agitation.
“Yes, him,” Penumbra replied with disgust of his own, “I can’t imagine Celestia would have thought it worth passing on, but do you know that Margrave Tristan ordered all the warning systems of his lands dismantled prior to the invasion? His border forts fell so swiftly because he ordered construction to expand them, and the news of the invasion reached you from Celestia because he ordered all bells inspected and all warning towers heightened. There’s no real proof, of course, but it’s almost as if he wants this invasion to succeed.”
Could it be? A traitor in our midst? But then, why would he want to command an army he wished to fail, unless he intended to lead it to its death. He could never allow a loss like that to besmirch his honor, though. It would look better if he let Count Tulles command, and turned on him with his own troops, except that he hasn’t got enough to do so effectively. Is he a traitor, or has somepony else betrayed us, or is this just a slip-up? Dangerous games were being played here.
***
Banners flapped in the breeze as the White Tail army drew up in ranks. In the midst of the fight, they would look for the standard and sigil of their lord, and for ponies wearing the same barding as them. Rarity had worked herself into exhaustion improving all the gambesons of the army, and was now asleep in a tent, but her hard work had paid off. The barding would protect the soldiers far better than what they’d had before, though whether it would be enough was yet to be seen.
Upon a nearby hill fluttered the standards of the houses Haltrotsun, Redallion, Eeethok, and de Perth. The Brave Companions and the Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre were assembled together, with a fine view of the battlefield. The White Tail army stood upon the eastern bank of the Meath River, at the only place it could be forded for leagues in either direction. The peasant soldiers had planted their pikes in the muddy ground to create a deadly wall, and awaited their enemies. Though the Brave Companions would not be taking part in the battle, unless something went terribly wrong, and the mage cadre was only to provide support against a hostile mage, they could feel the tension down below as the Los Pegasus army emerged from the tree line across the river and advanced in a line down the slope before coming to a halt.
***
“… the Wingra-Hotzern colors fly on their right flank, along with those of all Margrave Tristan’s vassals whose levies we did not wipe out on our way here,” a pony with a spyglass concluded to his superior.
“Duchess Periwinkle’s forces hold their left,” Marshal Flax said thoughtfully, “And the center is composed of …?”
“The various counts and barons with no overlord,” the soldier replied as he looked through his spyglass again, “The Count of Marten appears to have been given command of the center.”
“Makes sense; these are his lands we’re in,” Flax said as she paced, making it very difficult for her page to fit her armor on her, “You didn’t mention the banner of House Astras; where is Duke Stellar?”
“Nowhere to be seen, my marquesa,” the soldier answered after scanning the field again.
“My marshal, the Duke of Anglidon has had many internal troubles since he took the throne,” a smooth-voiced stallion in flowing robes pointed out, “We must also consider that our kingdom does border his lands for a nonnegligible distance. It is not unlikely that he has taken his levies home in order to either stomp down a rebellion or protect eastern White Tail.”
“Not a bad argument,” Flax grunted, stopping her pacing long enough for her page to attach her spaulders, “I don’t like not knowing where he is, though. All the other lords of White Tail are here, but he and his vassals are all conspicuously absent.”
“There are illusions all around us to make the forest seem denser and herd us toward the ford, but no illusions hiding Duke Stellar’s forces,” the robed stallion assured the marshal, “If you are still worried, I could level these woods with a spell.”
“No,” Flax said with a raised hoof, “If there are illusions here then there are also enemy sorcerers. There’s no need to provoke them unnecessarily and lose our forces before battle is even joined.”
“As you wish, my marshal,” the sorcerer said with a slight bow.
“They’ve made a mistake,” Marshal Flax said with a smile as her page pulled her helmet on, “They’ve drawn their forces up on the far side of the river, expecting us to have to cross to reach them. I will do no such thing. Our force is more unified than their motley assortment, and I have plenty of patience. Even if they don’t break and cross the river to meet us first, we have plenty of time to send forces upstream or downstream to cross at another point and attack their rear. In fact, the longer we wait, the more chance we have of reinforcements reaching us. I would bet on the former, however.”
“Very good, my marshal. I hope that you don’t forget me in the midst of battle. Queen Helianthus sent me because of my skills in sorcery, which could prove very useful if things turn against us,” the sorcerer reminded her.
“I would avoid using magic to alter this battle. Do not forget that our opponents fight for Cant’r Laht, the most magical city in the world. Only act if it is absolutely necessary,” Marshal Flax said before calling out to an armored pony cantering down the line, “Duke Iterian!”
“What is it, queensmarshal?” the duke asked as he trotted up to her, the soldiers making way for him.
“Take your forces and the red and black royal bow forward,” Flax gave the duke his orders, “Do not cross the river to engage. Harry them with arrows and try to provoke them into charging across to our side.”
“Yes, queensmarshal,” Duke Iterian responded before galloping over to rally his forces.
***
“Movement,” Count Tulles commented as slightly less than half of the Los Pegasus army began to advance, “Everypony hold fast! Archers, prepare to let loose your arrows!”
Even after stringing out their forces to siege and hold Margrave Tristan’s forts, the Los Pegasus force had the numerical advantage, but Count Tulles knew this land. This was his land, the land he’d known since he was a foal and protected from beasts and brigands since he’d grown into a stallion, first as a knight and then as its lord. Just over the hill on the flank of Duchess Periwinkle’s forces was the town of Marten, and just beyond that was the keep where he’d been born, and where his family now waited, along with every townspony who could not bear arms in defense. Nopony would take this land from him.
The Los Pegasus forces came to a halt on the western edge of the river, the front lines raising their shields against the hail of arrows from the White Tail archers. Then their own archers returned fire. Those that had shields raised them, but most of the soldiers on the east bank had to do without, and bent their heads, praying their helmets would deflect the missiles and quilted gambesons would cushion the blows. Though some were struck, many seemed to be saved miraculously, as the arrows bounced off their barding as if it were not just pockets of hair sewn together, but equal to the plate of the lords commanding them. It was fortunate that such a thing happened, for otherwise the losses from the Los Pegasus volleys would have quickly demoralized and broken the army.
On the right flank of the White Tail army, the knights pranced impatiently. Standing still among peasants with pikes was not their idea of a good time. There was no glory to be had in doing nothing while arrows rained down, and to them, glory was everything. It would increase their prestige, perhaps even the rank of their title if they were lucky. That, of course, would depend upon their liege, or his liege, and they were becoming increasingly tired of their liege. The margrave wouldn’t grant them what they wanted, for it would take away from his own power; however, if Celestia heard of their deeds to win the day, she would surely elevate them, and there would be nothing Tristan could do about it.
“Hold! Hold I say!” Margrave Tristan ordered as some of his vassals fitted their lances and prepared for a charge across the river, “I bloody said to hold!”
“Aye, and you also said to tear down and rebuild our defenses, and now the Los Pegasus banner flies above our homes!” one of the armored ponies shouted back, “If you won’t move to take back our land, then we’ll do it without you, and when we’ve thrown the invaders out, we’ll rule without you!”
Margrave Tristan stood dumbstruck. Perhaps it was for the best he hadn’t been put in charge of the army, if he couldn’t even command his own vassals. Everything had gone so terribly wrong, and he was beginning to worry that after this conflict, he would not be able to control his lands as effectively as before.
The armored knights galloped off through the shallow water, their lances ready to strike the defenders on the other side. Tristan’s remaining vassals averted their eyes as he looked to them, and a few marched off to prepare their own lances for the next charge.
***
“Margrave Tristan’s knights are charging,” Marshal Flax’s aide reported.
“Does it look like he ordered their charge?” the marshal asked.
“Hard to tell, my marquesa,” the soldier replied as he scanned the battlefield with his spyglass, “He is not taking part in the charge himself.”
“A probing attack, then, unless discipline has already broken down,” Flax said, “Odd that the army’s commander would send his own knights so soon, unless he wanted first glory.”
“Should I signal orders to Duke Iterian?”
“No, he knows what to do,” Flax said boredly, “So far, they have done exactly as predicted. This will be easier than I’d hoped.”
***
Duke Iterian issued orders for the left flank of his force to advance as the White Tail knights began to flounder in the mud as they neared the western bank of the river. Their lance charge had almost no shock value by the time the knights reached their opponents, and the long weapons proved to be more of a hinderance than a help. Swords, maces, and axes glittered in the light and spray of the river as the two forces clashed. The foam soon turned red as knights began to fall, far more on the Cant’r Laht side than Los Pegasus.
Margrave Tristan held nothing but disdain for his vassals who had charged out against his orders and were now falling to blows from their enemy, but it wouldn’t do to abandon them to their fate. Tristan rallied the rest of his vassals and their levies, and led a second charge across the ford. Maybe if he saved them, they would be more grateful to him. And if they died, then perhaps their heirs would be less rebellious. Either way worked for the margrave, who desperately needed a win right now.
***
“Margrave Tristan’s forces are advancing,” Amaranth commented, “As expected.”
“They’re all going t’ die,” Applejack said sadly.
“All? No. Most of them? Probably,” Penumbra said without emotion, “It was part of the plan, though no orders were given. We did not command this sacrifice; they freely chose to make it.”
“You mean their lords made it,” Applejack said, and Penumbra shrugged, “Farmers, loggers, tavernkeepers, ponies like me. Many o’ them will die, for their homes, but die nonetheless, an’ you’ll stand here an’ do nothin’.”
“There is nothing we can do that we are not already doing,” Penumbra said with finality.
“You have sorcery,” the farmer pointed out.
“Yes, I could annihilate the entire Los Pegasus army with a blast of flame that dried up the river, charred the land, and split the trees from the heat, but what then?” Penumbra replied, growing more livid with each word, “They have a mage as well, who would return in kind, wiping our entire army from the face of Equus. We could shield the army, of course, and the other mage could do the same for their side, and we would begin attacking each other instead. Except, it would be impossible for us to protect both ourselves and our respective armies, but if we were lost, then the army would fall next. It is an inescapable loop.”
“There are four of you and only one of him,” Applejack said, “You could at least try!”
“No! Down that path lies only death and destruction for us all!” Penumbra yelled angrily, “I have seen it all before. This is what happened the last time I tried!”
With a violent motion, the unicorn sorcerer flipped the long half of his mane away and over the other side of his head. It didn’t take long for the other ponies to realize that there was something distinctly wrong about the side of his face that was usually hidden beneath the mane. It seemed almost to be made of wax, and a shiver went down Twilight’s spine as she realized what it was only a moment before Penumbra dispelled the illusion. His true face, hidden by his mane and sorcery, was far worse. Penumbra’s hair was gone, for the most part, replaced by extensive burn scars that made it look almost as if his face had melted. His eye was milky, lidless, and immobile in its socket, and his cheek was completely gone, revealing his bleached teeth and jawbone, the pulled back flesh giving him his customary sneer.
“If I could help, I would,” Penumbra said to the shocked ponies as he restored the illusion and pulled his mane back into place, “I will not risk this happening to anypony again, unless there is no other choice. Do not take my hesitancy to act as cowardice or apathy, but as the full understanding of my actions’ consequences.”
The Brave Companions stood in silence, letting what they’d just seen and heard sink in. Amaranth and Solith had already known, of course, and continued about their duties. Amaranth stared at the crude map of the battlefield she’d carved into the ground, playing cards with trees on them stuck into the dirt at strategic points, generating the illusion of dense forest wherever she’d placed them. Solith stood nearby and leaned on her staff, concentrating on another, more difficult illusion. A horn sounded two long blasts from the White Tail line below.
“That’s the signal,” Solith said, and released her illusion at the same time that Amaranth removed a card from her map.
***
Across the battlefield, on the western bank of the river and north of Marshal Flax’s forces, the trees suddenly vanished, and a host of ponies bearing the banners of Duke Stellar and his vassals appeared in their place. The Los Pegasus sorcerer had detected the illusion of the trees placed by Amaranth, but hadn’t thought to look deeper and had missed Solith’s illusion hiding the soldiers. Having also heard the signal from Count Tulles, Duke Stellar’s forces advanced toward the river, a group of knights with the young duke at the head charging ahead of the main force. As they neared the enemy flank, they split in two.
The company of archers never knew what hit them as the knight’s lances speared them or they were trampled by armored hooves, or cut into by blades their minimal barding couldn’t protect them from. Screams from the dying archers gave the ponies on the left flank of the Los Pegasus force some warning, but not enough for it to make much difference. Many of them were entangled with Margrave Tristan’s troops at the edge of the water, and those that did manage to turn about and present their pikes did so in confusion. Duke Stellar and his knights slammed into them, most managing to avoid being impaled, and set to breaking the line and fighting through to the margrave’s surviving soldiers.
“Where did they come from?” Flax demanded of the smooth-talking sorcerer at her side, “I thought you said Duke Stellar’s forces were nowhere near here!”
“They were hiding beneath multiple layers of illusion. I detected one, and so thought by seeing though it I had seen through to the truth. It would have taken an expert to detect the second spell beneath the first,” the sorcerer explained.
“Now we must relieve Duke Iterian, lest they manage to roll up his line. Prepare to advance!” Marshal Flax ordered, before speaking only to the sorcerer, “You hold back. Stay in the rearguard with Baron Whisper’s forces and the yellow royal bow.”
“As you command, my marshal,” the sorcerer said with an over-exaggerated bow, remaining calm on the outside despite the annoyance he felt over being tricked. The Cant’r Laht sorcerer wants to play? I’ll show him something he won’t forget.
***
“The rest of the Los Pegasus army is advancing!” Pinkamena cried out as Flax’s force began a march toward the river, angling slightly so their left flank would intercept Duke Stellar’s approaching levies.
The relief from the hidden knights had turned the skirmish at the river around. Most of Margrave Tristan’s forces were no longer struggling through water, and the fight moved onto muddy but drier ground as Duke Iterian’s flank began to crumble. The Los Pegasus duke, fearful of his line disintegrating before relief from Marshal Flax arrived, began shifting his forces to push back against Tristan and Stellar.
Noticing the shift and the sudden drop in the number of pikes pointed in his direction, Count Tulles ordered part of his force across the river. It was difficult not to notice knights and armed peasants crossing the ford, and Duke Iterian’s forces quickly became confused. If they didn’t rush to the flank’s aid, it would collapse in on them, but if they continued to follow orders, there was a good chance the ponies crossing the water would strike them without the soldiers being able to defend themselves. The line disintegrated into confusion as each pony chose their own path, and in doing so, obstructed the others from following theirs. The nobility and sergeants among the troops shouted orders louder, but it wouldn’t help.
The Brave Companions and the Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre looked abruptly skyward as the clouds began to gather unnaturally and darken. Directed by the sorcerer across the river, they assembled and thunder roared out as lightning lanced down from the heavens. The bolts struck the river, electrifying it and roasting the crossing soldiers. The White Tail army cried out in anger and shied away from the river as the burned corpses of their comrades floated by. Compared to the full size of the army, only a small force had died, but the lightning had delayed the crossing long enough for Flax’s force to meet up with Duke Iterian’s and for order to be restored.
The storm clouds continued to hover menacingly, and the Brave Companions turned to the mage cadre. The three mages gathered around Amaranth’s map and prepared their respective spells. After some mumbling of incantations, Solith thrust her staff’s end into the earth, on the groove representing the river, and traced a new path for it that arced to the west. Down below, the ground shook as it reshaped itself, a vast groove appearing that cut off Flax’s rearguard. Amaranth threw a card into the ground at the upstream end of the river’s new path. As she said a few words, the card began to glow and a barrier rose up in the river, diverting the water down its new course. Now all but the Los Pegasus rearguard and Stellar’s levies were on the east side of the river, only a field of mud between them. Staring out on the battlefield, Penumbra made a motion with his forelegs, and a vast field of flame appeared, baking the mud dry in seconds.
With nothing standing in their way, and nowhere for their enemy to retreat, Count Tulles ordered the White Tail army’s advance. As their flank rejoined with Margrave Tristan’s forces, Duke Stellar’s knights succeeded in pushing through to join up as well. Once more united, the army began to push in on their boxed-in enemies. Across the new river, Duke Stellar’s forces quickly crushed the outnumbered force under Baron Whisper’s command and their accompanying archers. Only the sorcerer among them caused noticeable trouble, killing several ponies with his spells, but he quickly teleported away after being struck in the side by an arrow. The battle had turned decidedly in favor of the White Tail forces, and there was no turning it back.
***
Marshal Flax turned about in consternation as her army began to crumble around her. She hadn’t wanted that sorcerer to use his magic, and yet he had done so, bringing this failure upon them. Now the river no longer formed a convenient barrier between them and their enemies, but a barrier cutting off their retreat. The left flank was falling even as she tried to issue orders to the lords under her command, who seemed just as frightened as the peasants they were commanding. Duchess Periwinkle was moving south to surround and crush their right flank as well. There was no other option.
“Retreat!” Flax commanded as she watched Duke Stellar’s soldiers pursue the fleeing remnants of her rearguard on the west bank of the river, “Retreat south! Ford the river!”
The Los Pegasus forces began a disordered retreat, many dropping their weapons and shedding cumbersome gear as they splashed across the river. Duke Iterian’s knights rushed to stop Duchess Periwinkle’s forces from cutting off the escape route. Too late for it to be of much use, an earthen bridge sprouted up across the river, provided by the vanished sorcerer from his hiding place. As the last Los Pegasus tails disappeared into the woods, the White Tail forces gave a victory cry.
With such a crushing defeat, it was unlikely that the campaign would continue, and if it did, the Los Pegasus army would be in no state to win a victory. Unless Queen Helianthus intended to raise another army, which would be met by a more prepared army raised by Celestia, this war was already over. Autumn was beginning, and the campaigning season would end with it, granting Equestria relative peace until spring.
***
Marshal Flax looked over what was left of the army’s supplies. They’d had to leave much behind in their undignified retreat from the field of battle earlier that day. Now, they would have to leave even more behind if they hoped to return to Los Pegasus without their enemy catching them. It was easy to decide what to leave; if it couldn’t be eaten within the time it took to arrive home, it wasn’t worth keeping. There were some things, though, that couldn’t simply be left behind for the enemy to discover.
The camp was still and silent as Flax hauled down a small chest from the wagon her tent and personal belongings had been stowed in. Even though she’d ordered only the tent, bedroll, and collapsible desk unpacked, other items were missing from the wagon, taken by thieves. Order was beginning to break down; Flax had commanded the camp’s guards to stop anypony attempting to leave, but had no doubt that such an order would never be carried out, as most of the guards would also have vanished by sunrise. A quarter of her force lay dead on the battlefield, but desertions reduced her to less than half strength. It would be a long and painful march back to Los Pegasus.
By the light of the torch she’d stuck in the ground, Flax opened the chest and began to page through the sheets of parchment within. She began to sort them into two piles, one for documents that would still prove of use to her and one for documents that the enemy could not be allowed to see. Queen Helianthus wasn’t fool enough to believe she could hold White Tail Wood by force alone; this wasn’t the Westerlands. She knew that she would need the initial cooperation of its many lords if she wanted to wrench the territory away from Celestia, and in light of this had drawn up many promises to appease these lords. The enemy could not be allowed to see these.
She paused at the last sheet, which bore one of the most ambitious promises. It was a charter for the Principality of Helfast, a large realm to be granted to one of Celestia’s ambitious nobles. If the Battle of Martenford had gone differently, it was likely that a margrave would’ve agreed to become a prince and ruled a larger domain in exchange for bending the knee to Queen Helianthus. Sadly, the world would never know now, and it would be best as if the possibility had never existed.
“Queensmarshal,” a stallion’s voice startled Flax, and she dropped the charter into the pile of documents to save.
She loosened her sword and turned to face the pony who’d startled her. It was only one of Duke Iterian’s vassals, a count with a name she couldn’t recall, but she recognized him as a loyal and devoted subject of the kingdom and an honorable soldier. Too many of those had been lost today. Many knights and lords, including Duke Iterian himself, had been killed or captured. When peace was made, many ransoms would be paid, but all in one direction.
“You should not be alone here in the dark, queensmarshal. There has been much talk in the camp against you because of our defeat today,” the count warned, looking around, “If there is something you need done, I beg you allow me to do it in your stead.”
“Thank you,” Flax said as she tucked the documents to keep into the front of her surcoat, out of sight, and grabbed the other stack, “I need you to find a fire and destroy these completely. The enemy cannot find them.”
“Yes, queensmarshal,” the count said, giving a bow before taking the stack of parchment and trotting off into the dark.
Once he was gone, Flax removed the documents from her clothing and was surprised to see the charter had ended up in the wrong pile. Well, maybe it’s not so bad, after all. There’s nothing incredibly incriminating in it for Los Pegasus, and it would only sow dissent among the lords of White Tail, which could only be to our benefit. Flax trotted a few paces out of the camp before discarding the parchment in the undergrowth. If it’s lost, no harm is done, but if by luck it is found, then it’ll serve Los Pegasus’s interests in tipping White Tail over to our control. Perhaps we can salvage at least a small victory from the remains of this campaign.
Rarity sauntered home through Ponieville with a smile on her face. She had good reason to be joyous, for things were going well in her life right now. Her tireless efforts leading up to the Battle of Martenford two weeks past to repair the White Tail army’s barding had paid off both immediately for the military, and in the long run for the exhausted mare. Because of her work, the line of ponies didn’t break and run after the first volley of arrows, and she’d received personal expressions of gratitude from many of the lords of White Tail. Word of her accomplishments had spread, and business had been steadily rising since she’d returned to Ponieville, both from ponies within the town itself and those from surrounding areas who were curious if this mare would live up to the rumors.
That wasn’t the only good news for Rarity, either. Mayor Mare had been pleased with the gown she’d made for her—so pleased, in fact, that she’d requested another. She wasn’t ready to give up her tailor in Cant’r Laht completely just yet, though, but she’d implied that further pleasure with Rarity’s work would lead down that path. If this next dress went well, she would request Rarity make her a gown for the upcoming summit and Grand Galloping Gala, and if that was a success, then the blacksmith could look forward to designing and producing all clothing for Ponieville’s governor. That was exactly what Rarity desired, at least as the first major step to greater things.
If all went well, she could become a clothier full-time, and no longer need to do smithing jobs; she was good at it, but it wasn’t her passion. For now, though, her work would involve making horseshoes and nails just as much as stitching and sewing. Her long absence in White Tail Wood had resulted in a long backlog of items that needed to be made at her forge, but they could wait for another minute.
When she returned to her shop, Rarity offloaded the bolts of cloth she’d been carrying on her back. Many of the lords of White Tail had bestowed gifts of coin upon her along with their gratitude, and she’d used much of that money to buy new equipment for her business. The rest had gone into purchasing finer fabrics, this time shipped from Balte-Maer, since trade with Los Pegasus was somewhat tentative at the moment after the brief war. One of the bolts of particularly high quality had originated in Neighples, all the way across the Shimmering Sea. There was more than enough fabric here to make Mayor Mare’s new dress, but Rarity didn’t have plans for most of the rest. There was one thing she wanted to do with this exquisite fabric, though.
“It’s really happening, Opalescence,” Rarity said as she set different bolts of fabric next to her rough sketch of a gown and tried to imagine how they’d look, “With a dress of my own design, how can I fail to catch the eyes of important ponies at the Grand Galloping Gala? Perhaps it will begin a courtship with a minor lord, or gain me business in Cant’r Laht, as a first step to being recognized in that shining city!”
The fat, alabaster feline she’d been addressing didn’t respond, content to lie perfectly still near the window and soak up sunlight (and magic). Rarity’s bustling around as she stowed the cloth safely away eventually disturbed the cat enough that she moved from her perch, making sure the mare knew she was being an inconvenience. The cat’s antics didn’t bother Rarity any, as she was too wrapped up in her fantasies of dancing with the nobility. The Grand Galloping Gala will be my finest hour. What could possibly stand in my way now?
***
Twilight Sparkle’s mind was on the gala as well as she approached Rarity’s shop, along with a great many other things. The sorceress’s mind was never still for a moment, and it churned endlessly as she and Applejack made their way through the streets of Ponieville. The Battle of Martenford and subsequent clashes between Equestrian and Los Pegasus troops as they retreated home had destroyed the Los Pegasus army entirely. Queen Helianthus had had no choice but to accept peace, though she’d played her cards well. The Kingdom of Los Pegasus had lost their army, but they were by no means defeated. Concessions would be made, but nothing major, for the country was still strong at heart. Even if Celestia did raise a fresh force to invade, the losses they would take to reach the city of Los Pegasus itself would be unsustainable, and they would never hold the capital for long.
Queen Helianthus had further lowered the concessions she would be expected to make by offering something that had little value to her, but which Celestia couldn’t possibly refuse. The queen of Los Pegasus would attend Celestia’s summit in Cant’r Laht in the spring, along with the prominent nobles of her land. Her announcement had prompted Prince Braid of Stalliongrad to follow suit, bringing the total number of Equestrian heads of state attending (including Celestia) up to five. Only Duchess Seaspray of Balte-Maer and King Hadish of Manehattan hadn’t confirmed their attendance. It was a good step forward for Celestia, but limited what she could take in the peace treaty. In the end, all that the Dominions of Cant’r Laht gained from the war were exclusive toll rights to the bridges spanning the Equestry River, an island fort where the Gulf of Sirens met the Blazing Ocean, and the guarantee that a few minor nobles of Los Pegasus would send their younger children to Cant’r Laht as hostages. Better than losing White Tail Wood, to be sure, but nothing that would shift the balance of power. That would be a matter for another war, but with Los Pegasus subjugating the Westerlands and pushing Vanhuv’r territory back, Cant’r Laht would have to do something soon if they didn’t want to have their lands gobbled up too.
By the time Twilight had returned from White Tail, the books she’d requested from contacts in Cant’r Laht had also arrived. What she pieced together was disturbing, though less surprising than she’d thought such a revelation would’ve been. The red priest had been right, or at the very least, there was compelling evidence that what he’d said had most likely occurred. The College of Winterm, a name rarely mentioned even in educated circles of sorceresses, had been the premier institution of knowledge in the time after The False Winter. If anypony had even heard of it, all they could say was that it had disappeared mysteriously sometime around the early third century of the Fourth Age, taking with it all records of the preceding millennium. Until recently, The Church of One’s archives had also had a gap in that time period, so knowledge of what had really happened around the time of Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, the False Winter, and Celestia’s Descent on Cant’r Laht had fallen into myth and legend.
After examining the records that did exist from shortly after the college’s disappearance, and cross-referencing them with the different speculations and stories, it was clear to Twilight what had happened. In the middle of one of the coldest natural winters in Equestrian history, in the midst of a blizzard, the college had burned down, consumed in a blaze so hot that the very stones of the college had melted like wax and the grand archive had been reduced entirely to fine ash, along with all the ponies within it until not even their bones remained. That wasn’t something that occurred naturally, and no dragon of suitable power and size had been in the area at the time, so the only explanation was sorcery. The only sorceress with the power, brashness, and motivation to do such a thing had been Celestia. She had wiped from the face of Equestria all mention of her and Luna’s reign, and of her sister’s eventual betrayal. Whether she’d done it out of a desire to protect her sister’s reputation, or a need to wipe away her mention to thwart the True Faith and Children of Night from using it to spread, or simple anger at the betrayal, Twilight didn’t know. It seemed more and more likely, however, that Celestia was at the center of a massive cover-up.
She had destroyed the College of Winterm, and with it the largest stash of historical documents on the Third Age. The Church of One, cowed by this ruthless act, had agreed to lock away their own records on the subject, and had kept them locked away until Luna’s return. Of course, there were other records out there, and Celestia hadn’t been willing to let them just slip away. Twilight had recently found another journal by Golden Oak in which he’d decided to write more about his quest to acquire records pertaining to Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion and less about his theories on crop rotation or the unique flora of the Everfree Forest. He’d found the same things Twilight had turned up in her own investigation: records on the Third and early Fourth Age were incredibly rare, because fear that those who possessed them would meet a fiery death, just like the hundreds of ponies at the College of Winterm. Golden Oak had discovered records of ponies burning great stacks of books and scrolls to ensure their town didn’t meet the same fate. So, Celestia may have started the cover-up, but through one act of sorcery she’d brought the entire population unwittingly in on it.
However, that wasn’t something Twilight Sparkle wanted to think about right now. She had nothing but respect for her mentor, but it was still unsettling to find out something like this about a pony she was so close to, even if she did have a ruthless reputation (and it was now much clearer why). Currently, the sorceress’s focus was on the Grand Galloping Gala, which was why she was going to see Rarity. Her work on the gambesons for the White Tail army had been extraordinarily impressive; when she’d finished, they were almost as good as real armor, and Twilight would’ve expected them to be enchanted had she not known for a fact that Rarity had no sorcerous talent whatsoever. She also had not forgotten the dresses she’d been presented with by the eager blacksmith on her first day in Ponieville when she’d first received word of Celestia’s summit and the accompanying gala. They were of high quality, maybe not quite as high as Cant’r Laht standards, but certainly beyond anything one could expect in a town as small and remote as Ponieville. With an existing gown from Cant’r Laht to start with, Twilight hoped that Rarity could work wonders, just as she had for the White Tail soldiers.
“Do you think she is in?” Twilight asked as she and Applejack entered the blacksmith’s shop. The front door had been open, but there was no sign of life in the front room of the shop other than a rather large cat lounging on the counter, who would be quite in the way if Rarity had to pass anything over to a customer.
“She’s prob’ly out back by th’ forge,” Applejack commented, leading the way back out and around.
Both times Twilight had been here before, she’d been into the back rooms, so she knew there was a quicker way to the forge through them. Even so, it wasn’t terribly polite to go barging through somepony else’s home when they weren’t there, even if you were friends. Applejack had been right; Rarity was hard at work at the forge, trying to catch up on the many orders she had to fill. Horseshoes were stacked neatly on a bench, and Rarity added another after cooling it.
Oh, hello Twilight, Applejack,” Rarity said as she looked up from her work and saw her two friends watching her, “What brings you here?”
“I need some nails an’ fittings for th’ palisade,” Applejack spoke up first.
Over a month had passed since the latest attack by the White Procession, but the Apples were still putting things back to normal. Harvest became more of a priority as the seasons shifted, and Twilight stealing Applejack away for weeks to White Tail Wood had increased the workload on the other members of the family. There had been little time to work on rebuilding their home and the fence around their homestead that kept out the wild beasts and monsters of the nearby Everfree Forest, but they'd put what little time they had to good use, and slowly the restoration neared completion. It had cost them, though; all the money Applejack had received from the mayor for killing the criosphinx had been used up.
“There you are, Applejack,” Rarity said after giving her the bundle of supplies she had requested, “Now, Twilight, how can I help you? If you’ve come for a social call, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. There’s too much work I need to catch up on.”
“Actually, I came with a proposal for you,” Twilight Sparkle said, “But perhaps it would be best to discuss it inside.”
“Oh?” Rarity said curiously.
She decided that it was time to take a break from the forge anyway, and led the way into her shop/home from the back. Apparently, Applejack also wanted to know what was going on, since she followed Rarity and Twilight inside. She had nothing to do with this, but Twilight felt it would probably be rude for her to ask her to leave. If Rarity wanted her gone, then surely she would ask herself. Twilight and Applejack waited in the shop as Rarity excused herself upstairs to her living area. When she returned, she had traded her leather jacket for casual but stylish dress and had wiped the soot from her face.
“Now, what kind of proposal do you have?” Rarity asked with anticipation, knowing that if the prominent sorceress had come to her with a special request, it probably had something to do with tailoring an outfit and not forging horseshoes and nails.
In reply, Twilight pulled a dress from her saddlebags, confirming Rarity’s suspicions. She’d had the gown commissioned several years earlier for a banquet to which she’d been invited by Celestia. It had cost a small fortune then, and Twilight had gotten little use out of it, as the occasion rarely called for its use. However, with a few updates and improvements, she felt it could be fitting attire for the Grand Galloping Gala in the spring. And, after seeing the fine work Rarity had done on the White Tail army’s barding, she was confident that if anypony could bring it up to snuff for such an important event, it would be Rarity.
“This is the dress I am planning to wear for the gala next spring, and it could use some alterations,” Twilight explained her predicament, “It does not really seem worth it to send it to my normal tailor in Cant’r Laht when you are so much closer. I will pay whatever you think is fair, especially considering you will need to ship in materials for this to be fit for the Grand Galloping Gala. Do you think you are up to the task?”
“Oh, yes, of course, darling,” Rarity said with slight hesitation, “And don’t worry about paying for the work. You’re my friend; consider it a favor.”
“What is the matter?” Twilight asked, sensing her friend’s reluctance.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to tell you of all ponies, a unicorn of Cant’r Laht, what you should do, but …” Rarity said with reticence, then continued with increasing boldness, “It simply won’t do to wear the same dress you’ve worn before—probably in some of the same company—at such a monumental event, even with some alterations. You must have a brand-new dress designed especially for the occasion. I would gladly design and make it for you, and my offer to do so for free still stands.”
“Oh, no, I could not allow that.I have dabbled in trade economics, and I know how much it would cost you to make a gown fit for the Grand Galloping Gala. I could not do that to you,” Twilight said, pleasantly surprising herself that her motivation truly was Rarity’s well-being and not a fear that her work wouldn’t be good enough for Cant’r Laht standards.
“Don’t worry about it, Twilight.With my recent influx of cash from the White Tail nobility, I’ll be fine, and I even have some fabric that I know will look perfect on you.”
“Still, I cannot let you do this without paying you something.” Twilight protested, more weakly this time.
“Not another word on the subject,” Rarity said with finality, “I insist on making your dress for the gala as a gesture of friendship alone.”
“Then, you have my great gratitude, Rarity,” Twilight said as she inclined her head in a gesture of thanks and respect, “I look forward to seeing your craftsmareship when you are not rushed for time and packed into the back of a wagon.” I should have known I would lose out in my protests against generosity from the Element of Charity herself.
“Applejack, what are you planning on wearing for the gala?” Rarity asked as she noticed the poor farmer admiring Twilight’s dress.
“Oh, I figured I’d pull somethin’ t’gether, when the time comes,” Applejack said sheepishly, knowing she could never afford something that would truly shine in a gathering where kings and queens would be present, “There’s still plenty o’ time, after all.”
“Applejack,” Rarity said seriously, placing a hoof on the farmer’s shoulder to gain her full attention, “You want to impress the merchants of Equestria and gain business for your family, do you not?”
“O’ course; that’ th’ whole reason I wanted t’ go t’ th’ gala in th’ first place.”
“Well, you certainly won’t win their trust and respect with something you just ‘pulled together.’There’s only one solution,” Rarity said, somewhat more dramatically than Twilight felt the situation really called for, “I shall make you a gown for the gala in Cant’r Laht.It would be my pleasure, and you needn’t bother paying me either.”
“’Twould be a great help, but are y’ sure about this?I wouldn’t want t’ be a bother,” Applejack said, but her protests were just as useless as Twilight’s had been.
“Don’t you worry about it,” Rarity assured her, “I rarely get to tailor dresses, so this is as much a pleasure for me as it is for you.”
Rainbow Dash chose that moment to walk into Rarity’s shop.Four of the Brave Companions all in one room. If Celestia contacted me now, at least I wouldn’t have to hunt most of my friends down. The Hunter looked like she’d come fresh from a hunt, blood splattered over her armor, not all of it from other creatures, and a wildness still dying in her eyes.Her barding was rent in several places, and bloodstained bandages could be seen underneath.
“Hey, Rarity, I need some more thread to fix up my …” Rainbow Dash trailed off as she saw that Twilight Sparkle and Applejack were here too, “Did I miss another call to arms? Do we need to round up Fluttershy and Pinkamena?”
“The greatest idea has just come to me!” Rarity announced, confusing Rainbow Dash even more, who was under the impression that the Brave Companions were needed for another important task, “I shall make all six of us dresses for the gala! All eyes will be upon the Brave Companions; we shall need to look our very best.”
“Wait, dresses? What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking back and forth between the other ponies searching for an answer.
“Equestria is not in danger,” Twilight assured Rainbow Dash first. Well, not in any more danger than usual, and there’s always a fair bit of that. “Rarity intends to design and create dresses for each of the Brave Companions for the Grand Galloping Gala in the spring.”
“A dress? I don’t think so. I can’t meet Spitfire in some prissy gown,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, though like Applejack and Twilight before her, her protests would ultimately prove pointless.
“I suppose you were planning on wearing your armor?” Rarity asked.
“Well, yes,” Rainbow Dash said, before looking at the state it was currently in, “I’ll clean it up first, like for Duchess Periwinkle’s banquet. Nopony complained then.”
“That was a tournament feast in the woods during preparations for war; this will be the Grand Galloping Gala, a celebration attended by Equestria’s royalty, a fête with a long history of extravagance. Even the leader of the Wonderbolts would not attend such an event wearing the same armor she battles monsters in every day,” Rarity lectured, and Rainbow Dash looked to Twilight for confirmation.
“She is right,” Twilight said, “Though Spitfire will likely don a freshly scrubbed and polished set of armor for the summit, at the gala she will be formally attired.”
“Well, I suppose if it’s good enough for her,” Dash said with only minor reluctance, “Just … don’t make it too prissy.”
“Have no fear, Rainbow Dash. The garment I make will be tailored to fit you, not just by measurement, but also by your personality and preferences,” Rarity assured her, earning a slight smile from the Hunter, “Now, you said you needed some thread?”
“I’m goin’ t’ ask one more time, just t’ be sure,” Applejack said as Rarity returned from fetching the thread from the back of her shop, “Are y’ really okay with this? I can’t imagine makin’ six unique dresses fittin’ Cant’r Laht standards’ll be cheap or easy.”
“Put your mind at ease. I wouldn’t take on anything I wasn’t prepared to do,” Rarity assured her, “Besides, like I said, it will be a joy for me to do this for you all. And worry not about the cost, for by a stroke of providence, I just so happen to have already purchased fabric that I know will be perfect for each of you.”
“Then, thank you again, Rarity,” Twilight said, feeling that gratitude needed to be given once again for such great generosity, “I know I, for one, will be waiting expectantly to see what you can do.”
***
And so, Rarity set out on her ambitious project. She had nearly six months before the gala, but once inspiration struck, it was very hard to focus on much else. Work on the Brave Companions’ attire proceeded rapidly, in between all the other tasks Rarity had to undertake. Her forge was abandoned more often than it should have been as she worked indoors, sewing and cutting cloth as rain pelted down outside. Yet, despite the fact that many ponies did not receive their goods on time, there were few complaints. The inspiration and joy that Rarity had taken in her other work had improved the quality of what the blacksmith was able to forge, and ponies spoke of craftsmareship they’d never seen before.
Instead of business declining, it picked up, as more ponies wanted items made by the talented mare, even if it would take them longer to receive them. The townsponies began to say what Rarity held felt for years, that her talents were wasted on only making the simple things that Ponieville’s residents needed, that she ought to become a jeweler, a silversmith, or a goldsmith, but there was even less demand for that in the tiny town than for her tailoring skills. Her fellow smiths in the area began to grumble against her, that she was able to gain business while doing less work, and there was talk about forming a guild to oppose her. But, it was unlikely that the two ponies could convince Mayor Mare to grant them the letters patent required, and nothing came of it.
Meanwhile, Rarity continued to work away passionately at her project. The sketches and designs she’d drawn out were coming to life before her eyes. For Twilight, an elegant gown that would put her finest sorceress robes to shame, and highlight her prominent position as a powerful sorceress in her own right and the favored apprentice of Celestia herself. For Applejack, a dress that would show off a conservative care the merchants would respect, and a style that would dazzle them. For Pinkamena, a true troubadour’s outfit that would allow her to revel to her heart’s content without holding back. For Fluttershy, a gown that seemed to flow out of nature itself, as if the wearer had emerged from a forest pool to dance among the trees or greet a worthy champion. For Rainbow Dash, a spiffy and serious base with overlapping robes and cape to highlight her martial ability while also making her look quite dashing.
A week passed, and though the fall was still setting in, Rarity was ready to present her friends with the attire she’d made for them to wear in the spring. She had cleared out the back room of her shop, moving many things upstairs into her living space, in order to make room for her big reveal. Five dummies arranged in a semicircle wore the gala clothing, but were covered at the moment by cloths to protect the surprise. Gasps went up as Rarity removed the cloths with flourish, revealing the beautiful garments beneath.
However, the initial excitement that caused the gasps was a short-lived phenomenon. The dresses were quite clearly and objectively exquisite, rivaling even the work of tailors in Cant’r Laht, but still disappointment seemed to creep in. It was so soon after Rarity’s generous offer that the dresses had been on everypony’s minds frequently leading up to this, especially as they were reminded by Rarity taking their measurements. Everypony had an idea in their head about what they’d be receiving, and this just … wasn’t it. There were no reasons to dislike what Rarity had presented them with, but these weren’t what they’d been expecting.
“Well, what do you think?” Rarity asked excitedly, looking at the faces of her five friends as they tried to maintain their initial joyful exteriors, “Be honest. I want you all to be completely satisfied with them.”
What to say? What to say? Twilight Sparkle wasn’t sure what to do. She out of all the ponies here could most appreciate how much grander these dresses were than anything else that could be found in Ponieville, yet she too found herself underwhelmed. The dress is magnificent, but I pictured something a bit different.Would it be okay to say that to Rarity? She clearly worked very hard on this, and it’s not like I’m a customer paying for it; this is a gift given out of a desire to please friends. “No mare ought to look a given horse in the mouth,” as the saying goes, and it ought to apply to dresses just as much as it did to slaves in the southern isles where it was coined.
“They are very … nice,” Twilight said, trying to muster some enthusiasm.
“Yeah, nice,” Rainbow Dash said, with just as little enthusiasm.
“What’s the matter?” Rarity asked plaintively, “I can see something’s wrong. Don’t you like them?”
“No, they are clearly very beautiful …” Twilight trailed off, searching for the right words.
“It’s obvious y’ put a lot o’ work int’ them an’ we’re grateful …” Applejack said, she too trailing off as she tried to think of a good way to break the news to the enthusiastic tailor.
“It doesn’t really look like what I wanted,” Rainbow Dash said, “But still, it’s very good.”
“I suppose we all had an idea in our minds of what they would look like, and these … well, they are just not it,” Twilight summed up what everypony was thinking.
“Oh,” Rarity said disappointedly as the others nodded to confirm Twilight’s statement, “Well, that’s all right. I can take another pass at it and try to get you what you really want.”
“There is no need for that, Rarity,” Twilight said, “You already worked so hard on these, and they really are exquisite. I am sure that in time we shall learn to love them as much as you hoped us to.”
“Yes, you don’t have to put yourself through this again, Rarity. They’re fine as they are,” Fluttershy piped up.
“I want them to be better than fine, and you shouldn’t need to learn to love them,” Rarity said, “If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right, and you shall all receive exactly what you wish for the gala. It’s the least I can do.”
“But it’ll be so much more work for y’,” Applejack said.
“Nonsense.I wouldn’t take no for an answer before, and I shan’t now,” Rarity said firmly, “I’ll do whatever it requires of me to make sure you all are fully satisfied with my work.”
After thanking Rarity again for her generosity, and asking her repeatedly to reconsider, the five ponies filed quietly out of her shop. Very carefully, she removed the gowns from the dummies where she’d so lovingly placed them and tucked them away. These would not be worn by the Brave Companions at the Grand Galloping Gala, but surely somepony else would appreciate the thought and care that had gone into them, though in Ponieville she’d probably have to sell them for far less than their value. It was a shame they hadn’t worked out when they’d seemed so perfect in her mind, but sometimes things didn’t go as you wished. Rarity never did anything halfway, and this would be no exception.Her friends were going to receive the perfect attire for the gala, even if it killed her.
***
And so, Rarity began again, starting from scratch with each dress. Fortunately, she still had plenty of fabric left over to create the new gowns for each of her friends. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last forever, and Rarity soon began to fear that forever was how long it would take to get everything as everypony wanted. Already behind on her other work, soon she fell even more behind, and this time there was no accompanying rise in quality to placate those who waited for her goods. The inspiration was no longer as bright as before, as the seamstress’s ideas were torn down by her friends and replaced by their own expectations of their dream attire for the gala.
“You wanted to speak with me, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked as she stuck her head into the blacksmith’s shop one morning, pulling back her hood now that she was inside.
“Ah yes, Fluttershy, glad you could make it,” Rarity said as she immediately dropped the work that somepony was actually paying her for, “I’ve completely redesigned your gown, and I think you’ll be satisfied with the results. Come, let’s have you try it on.”
Off came the plain robes of a druidess, and on went the exquisite ensemble Rarity had created. This gown, while still embracing nature and springtime, had a more pastural than forested feel to it. Rarity was nearly as pleased with this design as she had been with the original. However, as Fluttershy stared at herself in the polished bronze mirror without reaction, Rarity’s heart began to sink.
“You don’t like this one either, do you?” Rarity asked sadly.
“Oh, no, I do like it, Rarity,” Fluttershy said with energy that was obviously feigned, “It’s very … nice.”
“I already told you, nice isn’t enough,” Rarity said, “I want it to be perfect.”
“It is perfect for me, and very beautiful too.”
“You’re lying,” Rarity said with a frown, “Do you think I’m made of glass, that I can’t take criticism? Tell me what it is you don’t like.”
“No, I-I couldn’t,” the timid druidess withered beneath Rarity’s press for the truth.
“I can’t fix what’s wrong unless you tell me,” Rarity said, not realizing that though the words were sensible and comforting, her tone was quite confrontational.
“You’ve already done so much.This is more than enough,” Fluttershy said as she began to physically retreat, though there wasn’t far to go in the shop’s back room before she was up against the wall.
“You must tell me what’s wrong!” Rarity demanded as she advanced on the cowering druidess.
Fluttershy had no way to escape this situation.She couldn’t run or fly away, especially not through town in this fine dress. She couldn’t avoid Rarity forever, and she was relentless. Summoning all the courage she could, the druidess stood up.
“Well, if you must know,” Fluttershy said, her quavering voice starting to stiffen through sheer force of will, “The fabric sits unnaturally on my frame; it’s too back-heavy. The shawl is a nice touch, but it pins my wings in too much. It’s too tight on my barrel, too loose on my neck. The train is too long, and forces my tail down. The shoulders have too much volume, and the overall design is too much a mimicry of nature and not enough of the actual thing.”
Rarity stood shocked. She hadn’t expected to receive such a long list of things that Fluttershy disliked about the dress. And that wasn’t all; it was clear that she had even more to say, but was holding back because she was too polite to go on any longer.
“But, other than that, it’s fine,” Fluttershy said, returning to her usual timid demeanor.
“Well, I suppose I have some more work to do,” Rarity said, still recovering from the deluge of deficiencies Fluttershy had named, “Thank you for your honesty.”
***
“Now, incorporating stars into the gown was a good idea, but I think we can improve upon it,” Twilight said as she and Rarity sat down to plan out her gown with typical Twilight overpreparation, “Spike, bring in my star charts.”
Her page obediently carried the heavy volume he’d carried all the way from Golden Oak’s laboratory into the room, laying it down on the table between the two ponies with a loud thud. He wanted nothing to do with this, knowing what Twilight had in mind and thinking it to be a bad idea. However, there would be no deterring her at this point. He’d lived with the sorceress long enough that he knew there would come a moment when he could point out the flaw in her plan and she’d realize her error, but that moment was not now, so he sat in the corner of Rarity’s shop and paged through a smaller book of Equestrian legends (in High Equestrian, to help him practice the language that Twilight insisted he learn to read and write).
“A random array of stars simply will not do, unless it is meant to represent a known dense cluster,” Twilight spoke to Rarity as she paged through the vast volume of the night sky, “However, I think we ought to stick to known constellations to really catch the eyes of other sorceresses.”
“Right,” Rarity said warily as she looked at the star charts Twilight was pointing out.
“Perhaps we could also add some bells to the dress,” Twilight said excitedly.
“Bells?” Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow, seeing no possible reason to even consider the possibility.
“Yes, according to legend, the great sorcerer Star-Swirl the Bearded wore robes adorned with bells,” Twilight said gleefully, “The fashion comes and goes in Cant’r Laht as tribute to him, and I know it has been out for several decades at least by now, but perhaps if I wear them to the Grand Galloping Gala, I could bring them back! I am no longer just Celestia’s apprentice, but also the Element of Sorcery, so surely there is a chance my attire could influence Cant’r Laht fashion, isn't there?”
“That is true,” Rarity admitted, though she wasn’t so sure she wanted any part in brining bells into fashion.
***
“I don’t know,” Pinkamena said critically as she stared down the outfit where it rested around a dummy, “I think it could use more colors.”
“More colors?” Rarity said incredulously as she looked painfully at what she’d created.
The dress was already far too busy, becoming more and more of a patchwork monstrosity with each change. She would never have made something like this without the constant prodding of somepony else that she desperately wanted to make it perfect for. But, she had devoted herself to making these dresses exactly what each of her friends dreamed of, even if it was more of a nightmare for her. The overall idea and execution, that’s what’s important for a successful dress. However, it was becoming harder and harder for her to convince herself of that as time went on.
“You know, more is not always better,” Rarity tried to temper her friend’s enthusiasm, “So many colors are difficult to pull off for even the most stylish pony, and you don’t even have the advantage Rainbow Dash does, where a tastefully arranged spectrum highlights her mane.”
“Hmm, no,” Pinkamena said thoughtfully, “It definitely needs more colors. I need to stand out among all the bards present!”
Oh, you’ll stand out all right.
***
“These shoes seem too … dainty,” Applejack commented as she examined yet another iteration of her dress, “Wouldn’t th’ mud ruin them?”
“Cant’r Laht’s streets are paved, though it wouldn’t matter, since the gala will be entirely in the castle and surrounding gardens,” Rarity explained wearily.
“But what if I meet some merchants, an’ we decide t’ go have a talk elsewhere in th’ city, an’ it’s rained?” Applejack asked.
“I’m sure for such a momentous occasion, Celestia will have pegasi clearing the skies,” Rarity said patiently, “It won’t rain.”
“Right, but if it does, I’d rather have some sturdier boots than these,” Applejack replied, and Rarity sighed, admitting defeat.
***
“Rainbow Dash, are you going to just sit there silently or are you going to tell me what you want?” Rarity asked with annoyance.
The Hunter apparently had nowhere better to be at the moment, and had decided to sit and watch Rarity work on remaking her dress. At first, the seamstress had thought it to be a great plan—she could get impressions in real-time rather than changing something only to find out the next time the intended recipient visited that they wanted something else—however, Rainbow seemed to be there only to watch. She hadn’t even been paying attention when Rarity had spoken and had to rouse herself and try to figure out what was going on and why she was being stared at.
“I mean, it’s just not quite there yet,” the Hunter said, “I’ll let you know when it is.”
“It would be much more helpful if you told me what it is you’d like changed,” Rarity said tiredly.
“It needs to be—I don’t know—tougher, more befitting a Hunter like me.”
“Are the colors not to your liking?”
“They’re fine, just not quite perfect,” Rainbow Dash, sitting up straighter since Rarity clearly intended to make this an extended conversation.
“What about how the fabric sits? Do I need to make adjustments for your wings?”
“No, it’s fine, it’s getting closer to what I want, but it’s not quite there yet,” Rainbow said, staring at the outfit thoughtfully, “I’d say, you’re about five-sixths of the way to perfection.”
Rarity turned back to her work, exasperatingly wondering how one quantified something like this.
***
Another week had passed since the first reveal, and Rarity was more exhausted than ever. After spending almost all her time designing and making, then redesigning and making her friends’ outfits, she was confident that it was finally over. The dresses were done, though they were nothing like her original vision. But, what was important was that her friends liked them, right? She prayed that they would be satisfied with this reveal and she could go back to the forge (something she’d never hoped for before).
With all six of the Brave Companions reassembled in the shop before a semicircle of dummies, she removed the cloths once more, though with less enthusiasm and flourish this time. Any joy that she would gain from this would come from her friends’ reactions, and their joy was abundant this time. Their eyes lit up as they saw their dreams before their eyes, painstakingly stitched together by an overworked mare with no more passion for what she’d been doing. But, they were happy, no matter how dreadful the dresses were to Rarity’s eyes.
Twilight’s dress was covered in star patterns and celestial bodies, interrupted here and there by equations or writing in the Language of the Horns.She had gotten her bells, both around the train of her dress and hanging from the completely out-of-place ruff around the neck.The rest of the dress was also a mess, with all kinds of styles that the sorceress was fond of stitched together without much thought for the bigger picture. Sadly, Twilight’s dress was probably the least horrible. Applejack’s gown had morphed into a rough cross between the terribly outdated things that Mayor Mare had considered “quite fancy” during the start of her reign (complete with the tall, pointed hat she still wore) and spiffed up work clothes.In this, Applejack would look less ready to make business transactions and more suitable to attack the Cant’r Laht sewers with flair. Pinkamena’s dress, despite Rarity’s attempts to temper her, had become a patchwork hodgepodge, with bits of fabric flapping completely freely in some places just because the bard had wanted them like that. It was an affront to the eyes, but it would surely make her stand out, which is what she had wanted. Rainbow Dash had turned the simple outfit Rarity had designed into an exaggeration of qualities fitting both armor and dresses. Parts of it actually had mail incorporated, despite Rarity’s protests, and the helmet would better suit a zebra legionnaire, if it weren’t for the multi-colored crest matching Rainbow’s mane. The train stretched out far longer than necessary, nearly twice the mare’s length, and strangely enough, the pegasus had also buried her wings in overlapping ribbons. Fluttershy’s dress looked like it had been torn straight from a bog, real branches adorning it in some places, and a garland around the head that would need to be replaced in the spring. Her legs would be completely enveloped by fabric and leaves, and Rarity wondered if she’d even be able to walk. At least her wings weren’t covered and she could fly, if the dress didn’t weigh her down too much.
“They are perfect Rarity,” Twilight said as she placed a reassuring hoof on the tailor’s shoulder.
“Aren’t they great?” Pinkamena asked as she went nose-to-nose with Rarity, “Are you as happy with them as we are?”
“I’m … pleased that you all love them so much, and that I’ve finally finished,” Rarity said, choosing her words carefully, “Why don’t you all try them on, so you can be sure they truly fit.”
As her friends excitedly changed into her gifts for them, Rarity heard a rapping coming from the front of the shop.Steeling herself for complaints from ponies who hadn’t received their goods from her smithy, she left the room to explain and apologize. The stallion who was standing in front of the counter, however, was somepony she’d never seen before, and he was clearly not from Ponieville. The earth pony was bedecked in dazzling attire, a strand of jewels around his neck advertising his wealth. He held his head high, and his gaze seemed to place everypony beneath him.
“How might I assist you?” Rarity asked as she strode forward.
“Yes, is this the shop of the seamstress Rarity? I’m looking for her, you see,” he said haughtily, in an accent similar enough to Twilight’s that Rarity placed him as coming from Cant’r Laht.
“You are speaking to her,” Rarity said, inclining her head toward the stranger, “Once again, how might I assist you?”
“You are she?” the stallion said, looking her up and down, though he seemed to be eyeing her attire as much as he was sizing up the mare herself, “I am Hoity Toity, the usual tailor for the mayor of your … fine town. I was on my way through the area, and decided it was a perfect opportunity to see who it was that managed to convince Mayor Mare to forego bringing her business to me twice in a row.”
“Well, what do you think?” Rarity asked, thankful she was wearing one of her nicer dresses and not her outfit for working the forge.
“Hmm, yes, she may have acted wisely,” Hoity Toity said thoughtfully as he continued to size her up, “You have talent, perhaps even great potential. With a bit of higher training, you could do spectacular things. If the rest of your work is of comparable quality or better, I might even consider offering you an apprenticeship in Cant’r Laht.”
Rarity’s heart soared; to become a truly great seamstress of Cant’r Laht was her dream! She’d assumed her whole life that she’d have to slowly work her way up, and would likely not make it even if she tried her hardest, but here was an opportunity she’d never expected! If Mayor Mare ordered her dresses from him, then surely he was a well-known tailor in Cant’r Laht, but not the greatest. Still, it would be a tremendous step forward for Rarity.
Then, her dreams were all crushed in an instant. Her heart plummeted as she heard her friends walk through the doorway behind her … wearing the most horrible things she’d ever designed. Hoity Toity’s eyes widened as he took in the spectacle.
“Thank you so much for making these for us, Rarity!” Pinkamena exclaimed as she grabbed the emotionally imploding mare in an impress, “They’re just the best!”
“Aha ha ha ha ha ha!” Hoity Toity laughed uproariously, and continued to chuckle as he tried to talk, “Perhaps we don’t have anything to discuss, after all. Oh, to think I actually thought there was a chance that I’d lose the mayor’s business to you permanently. I see I have nothing to fear here. Ponieville, you’re always good for a laugh.”
“What was that about?” Pinkamena asked obliviously as Hoity Toity departed Rarity’s shop, still laughing.
Rarity, already on the verge of tears, broke at this. All her hard work, her vision, her dedication, foiled by her generosity and accommodation to her friends. It was just too much. In the last two weeks, she’d soared to the peak of joy and gradually dropped in disappointment, and then the same thing had occurred in the matter of minutes, except she’d fallen much faster and harder than this time. Breaking free of Pinkamena’s grasp, she ran sobbing upstairs to her living area and shut the door, refusing to come out despite her friends’ pleas. Eventually, they had to abandon their attempts to draw her out and leave, trying to piece together what had gone so very wrong.
***
“Rarity, please come out and talk to us,” Twilight Sparkle plead through the door to her home.
When no explanation had been forthcoming from Rarity the day before, immediately after the incident, Twilight had launched a determined investigation. She now had a good grasp of just why the mare had run out of the room sobbing while the rest of the Brave Companions stood flabbergasted in the outfits she’d made for them. She had no acquaintance with Hoity Toity herself, but had heard the name mentioned back in Cant’r Laht, and after discovering the identity of the mystery stallion from Mayor Mare, things made much more sense to the sorceress.Here was a well-known tailor from Cant’r Laht, somepony that Rarity probably idolized, and he’d laughed in her face upon seeing the clothes she’d made at her friends’ requests. Twilight realized that they hadn’t been easy on the seamstress the past week, making all kinds of demands for their dresses that probably sounded bizarre, but she had gone along with them for their satisfaction. To see all that hard work laughed at by a pony who had the power to fulfill the mare’s dreams of running a business in Cant’r Laht or crush them underhoof, no wonder Rarity had run away crying.
“I can’t come out!” Rarity made an actual reply for the first time, “All of Ponieville will know of my disgrace, and soon Cant’r Laht will as well! All my plans, all my dreams, ruined! Just … leave me alone.”
“Any luck?” Rainbow Dash called up the stairs, and Twilight descended to the main floor of Rarity’s shop with a shake of her head.
“This is bad. I’ve never seen Rarity so upset,” Pinkamena said with concern.
“What can we do?” Fluttershy asked.
Rarity would probably recover from this, and she’d have to leave her home eventually or else waste away without food or water, but that wasn’t good enough. If it was necessary, three of the Brave Companions had the ability to break her door down, but Twilight hoped it wouldn’t come to that. What can we do? These interpersonal problems were still very new to her, a sorceress who’d lived a sheltered life in Cant’r Laht until just four months earlier.
Twilight paced as she mulled over the situation, and wandered into the back room of the shop. The dresses that had caused the commotion the day before were still draped across the dummies where they’d been left by the stymied mares. Mine looks fine, but the others are outrageous affronts to the eyes. Do the others feel the same? Could we have been wrong? Twilight investigated the room, looking under piles of discarded cloth and in cabinets until she discovered the original outfits Rarity had made, tucked lovingly away. There were all as exquisite and beautiful as Twilight remembered them, and though the dress on the dummy was exactly what she’d asked for, the one intended for her tucked away here easily outshone it. Accompanying the original dresses was a design Twilight hadn’t seen before.Clearly it was a dress made to fit in with the other five, but for Rarity to wear. It was beautiful and so fitting for the mare it was intended for, but had never been made. Instead, Rarity had toiled away at fulfilling all her friends’ wishes without a thought for her own, and then they’d taken away possibly her only chance at fulfilling her greatest dream.
“We have all made a terrible mistake,” Twilight said, extracting the design and dresses from the cabinet, “Instead of accepting the gifts given to us as the treasures they were, we pushed for our own vision, and what do we know about dressmaking? We should have trusted Rarity.”
The mares silently looked down and considered their actions, coming to the same conclusion as the sorceress as they marveled at Rarity’s original works in contrast to the fruits of their own imagination, which had badly strayed from any semblance of style.
“That’s a nice lesson and all, but unless nopony told me, our life isn’t a fable,” Rainbow Dash spoke up brashly after a few minutes, “So, how do we fix this now?”
“I might have an idea,” Twilight said, looking at the dummies.
***
While Twilight put her plan into action, Rarity was upstairs, wallowing in misery, or pity, or whatever it was ponies wallowed in when they were sad. Really, things had been hardest the night before, and she was beginning to bounce back, but she didn’t feel up to leaving. She knew she would have to come out eventually. Despite her disgrace, ponies would still be counting on her to forge and sew for them, and she’d put off that work for far too long already. She hoped to never see those terrible dresses again, that she’d worked so hard on only to have them turn out as miserably as they had. Part of her wanted to blame her friends for not being satisfied with her original work, but she also knew that some of the blame fell squarely upon her withers. She had been the one who’d insisted the dresses be perfect, and hadn’t accepted when they told her that the original dresses she’d made were good enough. Perhaps it was time to come out and talk to them.
Rarity’s nose wrinkled as she smelled smoke. She dashed quickly to her bedroom to make sure she hadn’t left a candle burning, but the smoke was not within her home. She could still smell it, though, and trotted over to the window and pulled back the heavy curtains. Behind the shop, out by the forge, were her friends, assembled around a fire. Within the flames, she could see bits of the final dresses that had yet to be consumed. Rarity rushed downstairs and outside to the blaze.
“What are you doing?” she asked the five ponies as the fire consumed their dream outfits, “Those outfits were exactly what you wanted.”
“Yeah, but they were, well …” Rainbow Dash said.
“Awful,” Fluttershy finished for her.
“We were so fixated on what we wanted that we didn’t let y’ keep us from makin’ mistakes,” Applejack added.
“We should have trusted your judgement, Rarity,” Twilight said as she stepped forward, “The first dresses you made us were perfect. We only made a mess of things with our ideas.”
“You all really feel this way?” Rarity asked, and was met with nods all around the semicircle.
“We are, and we are truly sorry about all that we put you through. I wish we could do something really spectacular for you, like create the magnificent dress you designed for yourself, but, unlike you, we are not mastercraftsmares … clearly,” Twilight said, glancing at the fire, “So, we thought the least we could do would be to destroy those monstrosities. Those original gowns you designed shall be our attire for the Grand Galloping Gala.”
“Oh, thank you!” Rarity said after a stunned few moments, and began embracing her friends, “At least we shall have that.”
“We actually do have one other thing for you to help make up for the fiasco with Hoity Toity,” Twilight announced, “However, we will need to move quickly.”
***
“Twilight Sparkle lives here, you say?” Hoity Toity asked Spike as they stood outside of Golden Oak’s laboratory, “Well, it’s not a conventional dwelling, but sorceresses have their peculiar tastes, don’t they? Why did she want to speak with me, again?”
“She has something she thinks you need to see before you continue on to Balte-Maer,” Twilight’s page told the Cant’r Laht tailor.
Hoity Toity stared suspiciously at the laboratory door. Since finding him, the young dragon had been very nonspecific about exactly why Twilight Sparkle was requesting his presence. Hoity Toity had had plenty of experiences with sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, and knew that vague and urgent summons rarely worked out in the summoned pony’s favor. However, to ignore a summons from Celestia’s apprentice would be unforgivable, so he really had no choice in the matter. Reluctantly, he opened the door to the laboratory and stepped inside.
“Oh, it’s you,” he said as he saw Rarity standing in the laboratory’s entry room, “No wonder my scaly companion was so insistent on talking about you and your work. So, what I saw yesterday was not indicative of your usual quality? That only proves you are not worthless, though you are still quite foolish. My offer is still withdrawn, and that’s the final word. I’m here to speak to Twilight Sparkle, not to you.”
“The reason I summoned you here was to see the true quality of Rarity’s work,” Twilight said as she emerged from her bedchamber, “I beseech you to give her another chance, to see what she is capable of when it is her inspiration and work that drives creation, and not others’ wishes.”
Twilight Sparkle trotted carefully down the stairs, wearing the gala dress that Rarity had designed for her. This dress was inspired by the night sky, just as the one Twilight had helped design, but the execution was leaps and bounds better. The stars were tastefully arranged to draw the viewer’s eye up to the sorceress’s face. A slight gradation across the dress transitioned it around the edges to the color of the sky just before dawn, the color of twilight. A jeweled sun radiated silver filaments from around the sorceress’s neck, highlighting her position as Celestia’s personal protégé. A simple circlet sat upon her head, further emphasizing her stature as both an important sorceress and the Element of Sorcery. Hoity Toity had to admit that the ensemble was quite stunning, better even than many of the pieces he himself had designed for Cant’r Laht sorceresses.
“Very well, then,” Hoity Toity said, pulling up a cushion and taking a seat, “Let’s see what you have to show me.”
Applejack emerged next, strutting confidently in the clothes Rarity had designed to catch the eye of the merchants she hoped to speak with. It was a very formal gown, simplistic and straightforward with reserved tones, apart from the edges and around Applejack’s neck, where color and flourish burst forth to make ponies do a double take. She looked quite respectable, a formidable business partner.
Out of the bedchamber next came Pinkamena, bounding along and causing her gown to bounce with her. But, through it all, everything stayed in its proper place. Knowing how excitable and active the bard was, she had designed her attire to accommodate her movements. The front half hung close to her body, flaring out in just the right places, and the back was free to move as it wished, a must since she would likely spend non-negligible time on her hindhooves while performing. The dress’s colors fit well with both the mare’s coat and the tone of her trusty lute, which was slung across her back. At the bottom of the stairs, she paused to strum a few bars, proving that the dress looked radiant from every angle and position.
As Hoity Toity was still finishing up his evaluation of Pinkamena’s dress, Rainbow Dash emerged from the bedchamber, and glided down instead of taking the stairs. Her movement was fluid and completely free of interference as she descended, the tight-fitting base of her outfit showcasing her skill and strength. As she landed, the attached robes and cape billowed out dramatically before settling around her form, the colors lining up perfectly to complement each strand of color in her mane and tail.
Fluttershy was the last to emerge, timidly trotting down the stairs, as she was uncomfortably the center of attention. Her dress was bright and verdant, flowers and leaves featuring prominently (though not real ones this time). She seemed to glide along as she descended, the gown flowing gracefully about her hooves. It was quite mesmerizing, and the shimmer of her movements brought to mind a dryad, free of the forest for a brief moment that nopony wished to miss.
Silence reigned as the ponies finished presenting themselves, and they all looked expectantly at the stallion seated before them. Hoity Toity’s facial expression rarely changed, and this occasion was no exception, but he was clearly impressed. He seemed to mull something over in his mind before standing and giving the assembled mares a slight bow.
“Perhaps we have something to discuss, after all,” Hoity Toity said to Rarity, “I would like to see more of your work, but haven’t the time now. The next time you are in Cant’r Laht, we should speak.”
The stuffy stallion turned and left, amazement still sticking with him, and once he was gone, the other Brave Companions clustered around Rarity to congratulate her. He wants to speak to me in Cant’r Laht! My dream may yet become a reality! Everything good and bad that had happened to her in these last few weeks had happened because of the friends around her. Without them, she wouldn’t have experienced such exhaustion and failure, but neither would she have had the opportunity to so thoroughly dazzle Hoity Toity and ensure herself a way into Cant’r Laht. They may have brought both fortune and misfortune, but she wouldn’t trade these five ponies for anything in the world.
Pinkamena looked up in wonder as the wagon rolled beneath the towering white walls of Balte-Maer. Though Balte-Maer was the smallest of the Three Sisters (the powerful cities on Equestria’s eastern coast), it was far larger than anything the filly had ever seen before. Until now, the largest settlements she’d visited were the village of Holderton growing up, and Dodge’s Crossing, where she’d met up with her current companions in her journey across Equestria.
The Renegades’ Troupe was a band of traveling performers that Pinkamena had immediately identified with. Though still a child, Pinkamena had left her family’s farm and had been journeying haphazardly across southern Equestria on a self-imposed quest to spread joy throughout the land. The Renegades’ Troupe was in the business of spreading joy to ponies as well, though they turned far more of a profit and had a much easier time of traveling. Many had been skeptical of taking Pinkamena in at first, but by the time they had made it to Balte-Maer, they had all taken a liking to the filly, even if she was a bit tightly wound. Several members were giving her lessons in performance, both with voice and with instruments.
As they trundled through the streets of Balte-Maer, many ponies commented on the wagons draped with brightly colored banners. A few clever ponies followed, knowing that performing troupes often did their first show for free to help spread the word. The troupe’s leader had been to Balte-Maer before and knew that there would be no shortage of locations to perform at; the city was filled with coliseums, amphitheaters, and squares. Scouts were sent out to find which locations were vacant at the moment, but before they could arrive, a pair of guards wearing the white and blue of the ducal house approached the column of wagons with spears at their sides.
“Melodia of The Renegades’ Troupe,” one of the guards addressed the troupe’s leader, who had hopped down from her wagon to stand between it and the armed ponies, “Duchess Seaspray commands your troupe’s performance at the Sapphire Palace.”
“But of course,” Melodia replied wisely. A refusal would likely get the troupe banned from the city, and if the duchess enjoyed their show, they could expect a hearty reward.
Led by the ducal guards, The Renegades’ Troupe continued through the city, on a slightly different course. Pinkamena continued to marvel at the soaring structures of stone throughout Balte-Maer, their domes and columns shining in the sunlight. Atop a hill near the center of the city, the snowy buildings gave way to well-tended gardens surrounding an opulent palace. The Sapphire Palace, named for the blue tiles adorning its exterior, was the seat of the ruler of the Duchy of Balte-Maer, and its wealth mirrored the riches of the duchy.
The performers hastily unpacked their wagons within the palace’s courtyard, under the supervision of more ducal guards. They would need to leave behind many of their possessions, since there was no way to bring a stage or other large items into the palace’s throne room, and no reason to either. That they had changed out of traveling clothes into their performing attire before entering the city expedited the process, and soon they were ready to present themselves to the duchess.
When they arrived in the throne room, it had already been prepared for them. Space had been cleared, and chairs had been provided for most members of the duchess’s court. Duchess Seaspray herself sat at the head of the room upon a throne into which was carved waves and shells. The duchess was young, only six years older than Pinkamena herself, but had an air of authority about her. She wore her crown as a pony born to it, as indeed she had been. Though the troupe would be performing for the whole room, the only pony’s reaction that mattered was the one seated upon the throne.
At a signal from the duchess, the troupe launched into their performance, and Pinkamena was swept along, doing the part she’d been trained for. The nobles of the court laughed and cheered, but their voices seemed very far away to the filly. She stumbled mid-performance as images flashed before her eyes, a sense of urgency behind them. The other members of The Renegades’ Troupe looked upon her with concern, and one tried to usher her away, but Pinkamena found a strength she hadn’t known and broke free.
“You’re in danger!” she yelled as she galloped toward Duchess Seaspray.
Ducal guards rushed to place themselves between the filly with the crazy mane and their sovereign, drawing swords to hold her at bay. The performance came to a sudden halt as the other members of the troupe looked aghast at Pinkamena. Members of the court whinnied fearfully and called for more guards to protect them as well, perceiving the performers as a threat now.
“Is this a part of your performance?” Duchess Seaspray asked, unamused.
“You’ve got to listen to me!” Pinkamena said desperately, “They’re going to kill you!”
Ducal guards around the room leveled their spears and began to surround The Renegades’ Troupe, pressing in, but the duchess raised a hoof to signal them to halt. Rising from her throne, she stepped through her baffled guards, who parted for her to make way to the crazed filly, who was noticeably shivering now.
“Who is ‘they’?” the duchess asked as she proceeded past the final ring of guards between her and Pinkamena.
Pinkamena closed her eyes, and more images danced across the inside of her eyelids, forming a more cohesive picture.
“Him!” the tiny pink pony said, pointing a hoof at a mustachioed lord standing next to the throne, then pointing at another noble, “And him!”
“Such accusations!” the first accused said, “Is this your idea of comedy?”
“Your Grace, I urge you to back away,” the second said calmly, “The foal is obviously possessed.”
“Is that so, Bishop Dolus?” the duchess asked without looking away from the shivering Pinkamena.
“She exhibits none of the signs,” the elderly mare said as she stepped forward through the crowd of ducal guards, leaning heavily on her crosier, “It is far more likely that she is a magically-sensitive oracle, though I’ve never seen it manifest quite like this.”
“Assassins! Waiting in the corridor to your bedchamber!”
“Captain, take a detachment of guards and investigate,” Duchess Seaspray ordered the ducal guard at her side, and he rounded up a few of his fellow warriors and left the throne room.
A few minutes later, Pinkamena’s shivers stopped, and she nearly collapsed to the floor before steadying herself. The ducal guards returned, fewer in number and blood on their armor.
“It was as she said,” the captain reported, “Two assassins were lying in wait to ambush you. One gave us chase.”
“A pity you were unable to catch them alive.We might’ve discovered the true perpetrators of this plot,” the mustachioed noble said, and Duchess Seaspray whirled to face him, “Your Grace, somepony has tried to pin this heinous act on me using this foal.What reason would you have to distrust me?”
“She was right about the assassins; I can think of no reason not to trust her in this matter either,” the duchess said coldly, and the mustachioed stallion stiffened, “My father-in-law and the admiral of my navy, both key in securing my claim to the throne after my father’s death. Together you would control the duchy through my simpleton of a husband and the seas through your ships, but there was one obstacle in your way. I wasn’t the weak filly you thought I was, and so you would need to get rid of me if you wanted your own aspirations to soar.”
“Your Grace, I have only ever been your loyal servant,” the admiral said plaintively.
“To my face, yes, but I now begin to wonder if my navy is truly mine. No matter; if not, then it will be soon,” Duchess Seaspray said, “Captain, escort these stallions to the dungeons, and find out if they had any more accomplices in this conspiracy.”
Though the two stallions Pinkamena had pointed out loudly protested being dragged away, none of the other nobles came to their rescue. Though many feared they could be dragged off just as easily, and without evidence, as a whole they were satisfied with this turn of events. When powerful nobles fell, others would have the opportunity to rise to fill their positions.
“Rot from within must be cut out before it can spread,” Duchess Seaspray said quietly before facing The Renegades’ Troupe, “I apologize profoundly for the trouble my guards subjected you to.You shall all receive a great reward, for the performance, and for the actions of your smallest member.”
Pinkamena stood proudly, now fully recovered from the ordeal of her visions. The guards wavered nervously, but none made any moves as the rest of the troupe rushed forward to embrace the filly and congratulate her with awe at her abilities.
“Little one, you may have just saved my life, and so deserve a special token of my gratitude. Guard, the admiral’s telescope,” Seaspray said, and the nearest ducal guard rushed to retrieve the telescope from the belongings that had been stripped off the conspirator in a hasty search, “Take this, the telescope of the Admiral of Balte-Maer, as a reminder of your service to me. If, in the future, you need anything of me, present this telescope and I will do my best to help you.”
The Renegades’ Troupe sent up a cheer for Pinkamena, and some of the ducal guards joined in. The pink foal beamed with joy. Not bad for her first major performance.
Outside of Ponieville, Twilight Sparkle focused her attention on a lone tree. Normally, she wouldn’t have practiced new spells outside of Golden Oak’s laboratory, but in this case, it was necessary. A living tree was required, and the laboratory itself simply wouldn’t do, especially if anything went wrong. Twilight did not intend to become homeless just because a spell went awry (though that wasn’t an odd occurrence for sorceresses, especially ones that lived in flammable homes). This grassy hillock on the bank of the North Equestry River should be isolated enough that no harm would come of any accidents.
Celestia’s protégé stared down the gnarled plant, building a spell around it with her thoughts. Soil around the tree began to shift as it rocked back and forth slightly, responding to the growing net of magical energy closing around it. The spell Twilight was building now bound itself to the runes she’d carved into its trunk before retreating to a safe distance, and the tree steadied itself.
“Loqua[1],” Twilight whispered, and the tree responded.
Nearby, Spike watched with anticipation as the soil around the tree began to move again, taking notes at Twilight’s request. Soon the roots appeared, rising from the ground and moving about like tentacles. As they stiffened, they lifted the tree out of the ground and began to propel it forward. The tree was now mobile and slid slowly across the ground, the branches swaying visibly and dropping leaves. Success!Twilight prepared to release her enchantment before it drained any more of her energy.
“Look out!” Spike tried to warn the sorceress, but it was too late.
Pinkamena crashed into her, knocking them both to the ground. The spell destabilized, and the tree sank back into the ground before an explosion tore up the trunk, splitting it into four sections. As the smoke cleared, it looked like it had been uprooted and struck by a powerful lightning bolt. Small flames still burned on what branches were intact.
“Pinkamena!What do you think you are doing?” Twilight demanded as she pushed the bard off of her and rose to her hooves.
“Sorry, Twilight, didn’t see you there,” Pinkamena said as she too stood, keeping her neck craned and eyes fixed upwards.
“Why are you walking around without watching where it is you are going?” Twilight asked, knowing that the answer was probably Pinkamena just being Pinkamena.
“Something’s going to fall, and I want to be ready,” she replied, not taking her eyes off the sky for a moment. Yes. Pinkamena being Pinkamena.
“How do you know something’s going to fall?” Spike asked, not dismissing it as yet another quirk in Pinkamena’s personality.
“I sensed it was going to happen, and my senses have never been wrong before,” Pinkamena replied.
That caught Twilight’s attention. The ability to predict future events was limited to only the most powerful sorceresses (and prophets, if you believed the Church of One), so there was no way that Pinkamena was able to perceive the future. The number of sorceresses who’d been able to get even a vague impression of future events could be written on a single page, and Pinkamena would not fit in with any of them. Her magical potential was below the sorceress’s notice, like most ponies, so there was no possible way she could predict future events, even with the vague prediction that “something would fall.”
“Pinkamena, I can assure you that looking at the sky is pointless,” Twilight said authoritatively, “Nothing is going to fall.”
As if to prove her wrong, no sooner had Twilight finished speaking than a frog landed on her head. Raining frogs and fish were a documented phenomenon, but there were hardly any clouds in the sky, and the event was far too coincidental.
“Phew,” Pinkamena said, rubbing her neck as she let her head return to a normal angle, “I was afraid it might be you that fell, Fluttershy.”
The frog leapt onto her back and Twilight looked upwards, seeing the druidess hovering above her. She had many frogs on her back and head and gathered up in her robes. Fluttershy was carrying so many of the amphibians that she was having a hard time keeping ahold of them, explaining how the one now hopping to Spike had landed on Twilight’s head.
“Fluttershy, what are you doing?” the sorceress asked, and the pegasus hovered down to reply.
“I’m sorry, Twilight Sparkle,” the druidess apologized, grabbing the frog on Spike’s head before he attempted to snatch it up with his claws, “Ponieville’s ponds and rivers are becoming too overpopulated, so I’m taking some of the frogs down to Froggy Bottom Bog. The druid circle there sent word of underpopulation.”
“Of course they did,” Twilight sighed, wondering how druids, who prized nature above all else, justified so blatantly interfering with it. But, that was a debate she didn’t feel like getting into right now; she had other things on her mind.
“Oh no,” Pinkamena said with a shudder as Fluttershy flew away, “Something else is going to fall around here.”
“Is the prediction of falling objects the extent of your prophetic skills?” Twilight asked snarkily. It was a coincidence, nothing more. She can’t be clairvoyant.
“No, I once predicted an assassination plot,” Pinkamena said with all seriousness as she stared at the sky like a madpony.
“Of course you did,” the sorceress replied, trotting away toward the ruined tree, “Pinkamena, there is no possible way that you could have the ability to predict the future without me being able to detect your magical energy whilst doing it. I sense nothing, and therefore your senses are inval-ah!”
Twilight Sparkle’s discourse was interrupted as the riverbank gave way beneath her hooves, dumping her in the stream. She paddled toward the bank and took Spike’s outstretched claw.
“I don’t know, Twilight,” her page said as he helped the sopping wet sorceress out of the water, “Maybe Pinkamena’s onto something here.”
“Impossible!” Twilight said defiantly, “The only logical explanation for these two events is coincidence.”
“What happened t’ y’, Twi’?” Applejack asked as she approached, part of the crowd of ponies that was assembling around the tree Twilight’s spell had destroyed, “I wouldn’t swim downstream o’ th’ town if I was you.”
“Pinkamena predicted something would fall,” Spike offered as explanation before Twilight could explain the situation.
“She did?” Applejack said with panic, looking at the sky.
“It’s fine now; Twilight was the one to fall,” Pinkamena assured her, and Applejack breathed a sigh of relief.
“You believe in this?” Twilight asked incredulously, “How long has this been going on? Why have I not seen it before?”
“It comes and goes,” Pinkamena said with a shrug, “I almost never get two premonitions in a single day.”
“Ever since Pinkamena first came t’ Ponieville, everypony around here has learned t’ heed her premonitions. They’ve never been wrong yet,” Applejack added, “We all just assumed she had a li’l magic in her.”
“Then why am I unable to sense any magical energy anywhere near her?” Twilight demanded, becoming more frustrated by the minute, “That is it. I need to disprove these powers now … or prove them. I do not really care, so long as I get a definite answer. Come with me, Pinkamena.”
***
The two ponies headed to Golden Oak’s laboratory, and (after a change of clothes) Twilight Sparkle was ready to settle the matter once and for all. Pinkamena was seated in the center of a magic circle Twilight had drawn in chalk around her in the cavern beneath the laboratory. On the edges of the circle at even intervals stood stands atop which were crystals connected with thread. The sorceress carefully watched the movements of crystals suspended from the threads and jotted down her observations as she infused the crystals atop the stands with different levels of magical energy.
The results were exactly what Twilight Sparkle had expected; Pinkamena had no magical potential to speak of.In fact, she had even less than usual: only 0.07 Bu, less than a tenth of the average adult non-Source unicorn, and less than a quarter of the average earth pony. More magical energy would be expended to convert her flesh into energy than would be gained back. Twilight was currently nearing 2000 Bu of magical potential, and looking into the future was far beyond her reach, so there was absolutely no way that Pinkamena would even have a chance of doing so. The numbers didn’t lie—the numbers couldn’t lie.Still, Twilight wasn’t completely satisfied.
“Twilight, how much longer do I have to sit here?” Pinkamena asked morosely, extremely bored with the activity that thrilled her sorceress friend.
“Until you get another one of your premonitions,” Twilight replied, “I need information during the event itself if I am going to absolutely confirm my argument.”
“That could take days … weeks … months,” Pinkamena protested, “Until today, the last premonition I had was the day before the summer solstice when I got the feeling I would soon meet a very important pony that would change my life.”
“Could you at least try to look into the future?” Twilight groaned.
“It doesn’t work like that. I can’t control when the premonitions happen, they just do, and usually very soon before the actual event,” Pinkamena replied, watching the bobbing crystals and trying to get some enjoyment out of the process, “Maybe your test is broken.”
“Impossible,” Twilight said with certainty, “This test was created from the work of the sorcerer Butterfrain, who created our modern concept of quantifying magical potential. It has been used for generations to measure the power of sorceresses, and has worked without fail.”
“Well, maybe it isn’t working because I’m not a sorceress,” Pinkamena said, fishing for excuses to leave.
“That is beside the point. This test is applicable to everypony, whether they are a Source or not. It was designed with nonmagical ponies as the baseline,” Twilight lectured, “Your magical potential is nearly nonexistent, yet still you have a reputation for being able to predict the future. How? Without magic, it is impossible! There is no logical way you could do such a thing! Yet, what is more likely? Every time you have predicted something, it has occurred by coincidence, or there is something here that I cannot see? I do not understand!”
“You don’t have to understand it, Twilight. Even I don’t fully understand why I’m able to sense the future,” Pinkamena said, “That doesn’t change the fact that I can. Why don’t you believe me?”
“Because it makes no sense!” the sorceress snapped, “How can I believe something that an infallible test proves is nonexistent, yet my physical senses say might just exist after all? What is the point of natural law if it can be circumvented for no logical reason?”
“I don’t know anything about that, Twilight,” Pinkamena said humbly, “I just know that the things I see or feel really happen, unless I prevent them.”
“If you can prevent future events from occurring, then why did you not stop me from falling in the river?” Twilight asked deadpan.
“I can’t always stop them from happening, especially if the premonition is too vague to know exactly what’s going to occur. Earlier, I sensed falling, but I didn’t know what or who would fall.”
“None of this makes any sense! There is no rhyme, reason, or explanation to these premonitions, yet ponies seem to think you are some kind of seer! I give up!” the sorceress said with frustration, and began to tear down the web of thread and crystal suspended around Pinkamena, “I am not making any progress here, and nothing further will be accomplished by measuring magical flux and prodding you with questions about senses and premonitions. I have other matters I should be attending to instead of attempting to puzzle out how you can tell the future, if you even can. I should just put the idea out of my head and get back to work on my studies.”
“Okay then, I was getting pretty hungry anyway,” Pinkamena said as she bounded out of the magic circle without a care in the world, far too cheerful for Twilight’s liking.
The sorceress gathered up her magical supplies and threw them haphazardly out of the way; Spike would see to them later. She tried to put the matter out of her mind like she said she would, but it proved impossible. The sorcery she’d studied since her youth was wondrous and filled her with awe, but it was always explainable, and it followed certain laws. She’d built up her studies on understanding these laws and finding novel ways to use and manipulate them to create new incantations, but there was always a sensible path from the known to the previously unknown. She could see no such path here; Pinkamena’s premonitions defied all explanation. Visions of the future could only be conjured up through intense focus, not involuntarily, and certainly not without the expenditure of great reserves of magical energy. Pinkamena has no magical potential, so she couldn’t create visions. Unless, she really does have magical potential and the premonitions temporarily deplete the energy she is storing in a way that skews the results and makes her seem devoid of potential? No, given how much time has passed, her potential would have risen to more than 0.07 Bu by now even if she were drained to empty.
“Twilight, watch out,” Pinkamena said after a shudder, placing a hoof in front of the sorceress.Twilight Sparkle had not been paying attention, consumed in her own thoughts, and walked right into her friend’s foreleg before falling back onto her hindquarters.
“Pinkamena, what was that?” she demanded as she stood.
A moment later, the door to the ground floor of the laboratory, which the two ponies had been trotting toward, swung open to admit Spike. I would have been hit by the door if she hadn’t stopped me. Slowly, Twilight’s head swung to face the oblivious bard with an intense stare. A premonition? It couldn’t be! Now I have no choice. I must discover how she is able to do this! I fear I shan’t be able to rest until I do.
***
Pinkamena was a mystery, and a larger one than Twilight Sparkle had hoped to get herself into. Everything she did brought up so many questions, and the sorceress had to stay focused on her goal. That didn’t stop her from jotting down the issues she wanted to look into later. Unable to concentrate on any of her studies until she got to the bottom of these inexplicable premonitions, the sorceress was clandestinely following Pinkamena as she went about her daily actions, observing everything and hoping to catch some vital piece of information that would reveal all.
The pink, poofy-maned pony had experienced no more premonitions since departing Golden Oak’s library (at least none that Twilight had recognized as such), but she had done plenty of other odd things. Her official profession was a baker, under the supervision of Master and Mistress Cake at Sugar Cube Corner, but the only time she spent at the bakery was to grab half a loaf of bread to munch on and slide a few unbaked loaves into the oven before departing. She spent some time in Ponieville’s town square strumming her lute and trying out different songs, gaining a coin or two from ponies who knew her, but for an aspiring bard, it was surprisingly little time to spend practicing her craft. The rest of the day she seemed to wander. Pinkamena spoke to ponies all throughout Ponieville: in the market, at the Mayoral Keep, outside their homes. In some places, Twilight found it quite hard to remain out of sight or discreet. Invisibility was still out of her reach, but she knew a few spells that could convince ponies with weaker wills (most of Ponieville’s population) that they hadn’t seen her. It wouldn’t work on Pinkamena, but it would keep the others from drawing her attention to her stalker.
Eventually, Pinkamena left Ponieville entirely, trotting through the surrounding countryside. Some of her time was spent visiting with ponies, other times it seemed like she was just gallivanting about in fields and pastures without a care in the world. All this was peculiar, but none of it was anything that Twilight Sparkle could use to determine from where this mare drew her baffling powers. When puzzling out problems related to sorcery, she had always been able to sense some progress was being made, however slowly, and she’d always known a sensible solution awaited at the end. Here, however, it felt like no progress was being made at all, and no solution seemed to have even the slightest possibility of existing. The frustration was driving her mad.
“Twilight, what are you doing?” Spike asked as he approached the sorceress where she was hiding behind a tree stump, fearing the answer as he saw Pinkamena hanging by her hindhooves in a nearby tree.
“Ah, Spike, good,” Twilight said as she spat out the quill from her mouth, “Do you have fresh ink and parchment on you?”
“Always,” her page sighed as he pulled them from the satchel at his side, long ago having learned to keep some handy at all times in case Twilight needed him to write something down, “Why are you spying on Pinkamena?”
“It is necessary,” Twilight replied, passing the notes she’d already scribbled down to Spike as she kept her eyes on her quarry, “I need to observe her without interfering. It is the only way I can gather the information I need to deduce how her predictive powers work.”
“How? What do you expect to see that would help in any way?” Spike asked incredulously, seeing no way the sorceress could have reached such a conclusion.
“It could be anything: interaction with an existing well of magical energy, ingesting a sorcery-infused plant, a lost prophetic relic,” Twilight said conspiratorially, “I do not know what piece of information will connect everything together, so I have to remain vigilant and record everything.”
“Twilight, that makes no sense,” Spike said bluntly, “You already did all the tests you could, and following Pinkamena around in the hope of discovering some miraculous solution is a waste of time. Nothing you could observe would help any more than what you measured with established sorcerous methods. Maybe, you should just accept that Pinkamena can predict the future, and there’s no real explanation for it.”
“Look, she just shivered!” Twilight said excitedly, Spike’s words falling on deaf ears, “It is a premonition! Now, we will see if it comes true.”
Dropping down from the tree, Pinkamena looked up with concern. So, she thinks something is going to fall. Twilight kept herself from looking up at the sky herself, but Spike had no such restraint. In a way, the sorceress was glad her page was doing so. If something was going to fall on her head again, he would spot it. Pinkamena backed up for a bit, still looking up at the sky, before looking back down and trotting briskly over to a nearby shed, shutting herself inside. Ha! So, her prediction didn’t come true, but what is she doing? Twilight got her answer as a swarm of angry hornets appeared out of a nearby thicket, bearing down on her hiding place.
“Ily’I consa nof leya![2]” Twilight incanted swiftly, causing a globe of water to rise from the nearby river and envelop the swarm, drowning every insect inside.
Twilight ducked back down behind the stump as Pinkamena emerged from the shed a few minutes later, hay in her mane. As she bounded away, the sorceress wondered just what she had predicted. Did she know the hornets were coming, or had she predicted danger? Or, had she predicted something falling, only to hear or see the hornets and run for cover? She couldn’t very well ask her without breaking her cover. So, perhaps her plan to observe Pinkamena wasn’t perfect, but it was all she had. Twilight was obsessed now, and refused to give up until she got to the bottom of this.
“Come on, Spike,” she commanded her page, who replied with a sigh as they took off after the pink ball of energy ahead of them.
***
Together, Twilight Sparkle, personal protégé of Celestia, and her ever-patient assistant Spike, son of the great dragonlord Ingrirtireth, spent the rest of the afternoon creeping from stone to bush to tree following Pinkamena as she wandered across the countryside around Ponieville with no distinguishable purpose. Just like before, there was no rhyme or reason to her actions. She talked to a peasant farmer as he walked through the field harvesting crops, giving a ride to his children on her back in the meantime. She tied together some of the ropes dangling from the hanging tree where Twilight had first met Fluttershy, and swung back and forth without a care. She chased a flock of sheep across the hills, imitating them until the shepherd asked her to leave. Everything she did was baffling, and she was always moving from one place to the next, until she ended up on the Apple lands.
Twilight peered down on Pinkamena from atop the newly built home of the Apples, watching as she told Apple Bloom her story of the White Tail expedition. Spike was next to her, still jotting down her observations, though this probably wasn’t the wisest position for him to be in. His skills at controlling his fire were still developing (and would be for years), and a sneeze could easily set the fresh thatch ablaze, but Twilight wasn’t concerned about that right now. She and her page had collected copious amounts of data on Pinkamena’s activities, but none of it had led her any closer to discerning the source of her premonitions. She needed more.
“Hello there, Pinkamena,” Applejack called out as she trotted up with a cart of potatoes, and Apple Bloom left to jump in the empty wagon Big McIntosh was leaving with, “What are y’ doin’ out here?”
“Oh, just wandering around while Twilight follows me without my knowledge,” Pinkamena responded matter-of-factly.
“What!” Twilight Sparkle cried, and instantly teleported herself and a stunned Spike down from the roof and next to her two friends, “If you were aware I was following you, why did you not say anything?”
“Well, you obviously didn’t want to be seen, what with all the hiding and sneaking around, so I thought it’d be politer to just act like I didn’t know you were there,” Pinkamena said with a smile.
“But, the premise of my observations was that you were unaware of them, and therefore I was not interfering with the system, but you did know, and therefore my results may be tainted from outside interference,” Twilight broke down.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Spike said, flipping through the stack of notes, “It’s not like you learned anything anyway, other than that Pinkamena leads a very … interesting life.”
“Is this still about my premonitions?” Pinkamena asked, looking askance at the sorceress, “Twilight, I figured out long ago that I could either spend time worrying about why I was having them, or I could use them to help ponies, and I chose the latter. You don’t have to understand why I have these premonitions to know that they exist.”
“No, you do not have to understand, but I do,” Twilight replied, “I cannot leave something like this unsolved. There is no logical explanation for these premonitions, and until I receive one that proves or disproves them, I cannot stop searching.”
Pinkamena frowned, but her expression quickly relaxed, and her eyes opened wide. She swayed on her hooves, and would have fallen over had Applejack not caught her. The mare squeezed her eyes shut before shuddering and opening them again. A premonition? It’s not quite like the rest.
“Believe it or not, Twilight, but I just had another vision, clearer than I have in a while,” Pinkamena said, “I saw Froggy Bottom Bog. Something dangerous is going to happen there, along with something big and unexpected.”
“Fluttershy was headed to Froggy Bottom Bog,” Spike reminded everypony, “Is she in danger?”
“Maybe?” Pinkamena said, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to recapture the vision, but few additional details were revealed to her, “I see her, running, and a big shadow.”
“If Fluttershy is in danger, we have t’ do somethin’,” Applejack said, and looked at Twilight.
“Fine, we will go to Froggy Bottom Bog,” Twilight said with some reluctance, having little desire to trek to a swamp, but compelled to so for Fluttershy’s sake, and to sate her own curiosity, “Pinkamena’s prediction, while still vague, is much more specific than her past ‘senses.’ If what she predicted comes to pass, then I suppose the power is truly reality. But, if it does not happen exactly as she said, then everything up to this point must have been mere coincidence.”
“Sounds fair to me,” Pinkamena said with a shrug, “Though that’s a lot of coincidences.”
***
Froggy Bottom Bog was a fairly new name for the region, a name given to the swampland as much by druids attempting to have the land set aside as a wildlife preserve as by the local noble family, who wanted the wretched ground to seem more appealing. When the pegasi had ruled Equestria, they’d named it Gwye’lnych Thraes, and when the unicorns invaded they’d kept the name, translating it to Hathie Eril’r Somp, Sinking Mud Mire. After the Conjunction, however, the swampy area began to be known by a more sinister name: Dead End Marsh. The region earned this name both from its placement and by how dangerous it was to enter.
South of Ponieville, the North and South Equestry Rivers merged into a single Equestry River that flowed to the Gulf of Sirens. The merger between the rivers, however, was anything but simple. Instead of merely joining together, both rivers flowed into Froggy Bottom Bog, whose waters eventually found their outlet to the west. This impassable bog made it impossible for a boat with cargo to travel down the North or South Equestry River and make it to a port that would buy their goods. Not that anypony would want to purchase what Onon’r Laht in the north had to sell, and there was little in the south worth shipping up the river, but perhaps the reason the Equestry Valley was so underdeveloped in the first place was this vast barrier to trade via river.
Froggy Bottom Bog had also attracted many monsters after the Conjunction; not as many as the Everfree Forest, but enough that a Hunter in the region would always have something to kill. The issue with this was that there were plenty of things to kill in the bog, but few ponies who lived there long enough to pay for the Hunter’s service. It was a dead end to life, as well, consuming ponies in an endless cycle. The local lord would make a compelling offer to anypony who would live on the land, and peasants would rush in as an escape from the fields and the lord’s crushing taxes. Then, monsters would begin killing them off and they’d send out word for Hunters. The Hunters would come, slay some monsters, but soon the peasants would be too few or too poor to pay for any further jobs, and the Hunters would leave. The rest of the peasants would die off, and nopony would set hoof near the marshes. Then, after enough time had passed that nopony feared them anymore, the local lord would make another offer. And so, the bog continued to swallow up hundreds of souls, and those were only the ones that were recorded. Plenty of peasants living on the surrounding land disappeared, either from bold monsters venturing out of the swamps or from wandering off into the marshes themselves never to be seen again.
It was here that Fluttershy had been headed in her mission to repopulate the area with frogs, just as the local nobles so often tried to repopulate the area with peasants; the result would be the same. Yet, Twilight Sparkle had not been worried for her friend’s safety. Despite all the deaths of ponies who’d ventured into Froggy Bottom Bog for one reason or another, the local druid circle stood untouched. They knew where it was safe for ponies to go, and where it was not. Fluttershy wouldn’t risk going deeper into the bog just to deliver frogs, would she?
“She’s … this way!” Pinkamena announced after closing her eyes for a few seconds to get a clearer picture. She had picked up a few more pieces of information on the way here, but the premonitions were becoming weaker, and she was only able to grab snippets and try to piece them into the bigger picture.
The sky was darkening as the three ponies began to trudge through the marshland, the sun nearing the western horizon. Twilight was thankful that she’d changed into her traveling robes to follow Pinkamena around, so they wouldn’t become too ruined. Still, the sucking mud and swampy water wouldn’t be kind to them, no matter how much Spike tried to save them from his perch upon her back. The sorceress resigned herself to the fact not long after they’d entered Froggy Bottom Bog; it was a small price to pay to put an end to the matter of Pinkamena’s premonitions once and for all.
Pinkamena continued to lead the way as they traversed the bog, and they eventually spotted the buttery yellow pegasus in the distance as they crossed a rickety wooden bridge over a span of water too wide and deep to wade. As Twilight had expected, they hadn’t had to travel too deep into the swamp before finding her; there were even a few cottages around here, and Fluttershy was speaking to some of their occupants. The druidess bid them farewell as she saw her friends approaching.
“Fluttershy, you’re all right!” Applejack said joyfully.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” the druidess said with confusion, “Did all four of you come out here for me? Is it an emergency, Twilight? Does Celestia need us for a quest?”
“No, no, nothing so important as that,” Twilight Sparkle said, stepping forward and looking around at the quaint collection of buildings in the midst of the bog, “Pinkamena was certain you were in danger. She claims to have seen it in visions and premonitions, but I think we can all see now that her predictive powers are not as infallible as she claims.”
“You have to admit it, Pinkamena, there doesn’t seem to be anything dangerous here at all,” Spike said neutrally as he jumped down from Twilight’s back.
“Precisely,” the sorceress lectured, “Fluttershy has completed her task of relocating the frogs without incident, and from here back to Ponieville we know there is little danger, nor much chance of something ‘big and unexpected’ occurring. I am quite relieved, and not only for Fluttershy’s sake. Not to boast, but I was never in error; foreknowledge requires the ability to do sorcery, an ability that Pinkamena lacks. Therefore, these premonitions of hers have only come true through coincidence. I am sorry, Pinkamena, but you can not predict the future.”
“Is that island moving?” Spike asked, completely ruining Twilight Sparkle’s dramatic conclusion.
Twilight looked with annoyance behind her, and an island was indeed sliding through the marsh.It wasn’t a large island, only a few small shrubs atop it, and it began to pick up pace as it neared the small collection of buildings. The muddy water began to ripple and swell as the island lifted out of the water, the thick soil soon giving way to glistening brown scales.Closer to the settlement, four armored heads filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth emerged from the water, long slender necks connecting them to the main body of the beast, which continued to rise from the swamp, the ferns and mud slipping off its back as it reared up. Two of the hydra’s heads gave out a bellowing wail as it neared the shore, drawing the occupants of the cottages from their homes.
As the hydra’s clawed feet scrambled onto the semi-solid ground, its necks reached out to snatch up the ponies before they could retreat back inside. Those that did manage to make it into their homes didn’t last much longer; the cottages were crushed easily by the hydra’s step or a butt of one of its heads. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkamena began to retreat, making their way toward the bridge, but Twilight stood firm. She was reeling from the hydra’s sudden appearance as much as anypony, but she didn’t want Pinkamena’s visions to be any more fulfilled than they already had been by the big, unexpected, and dangerous events playing out before her. Also, she was probably the only pony here who had even the slimmest chance of fighting it and winning.
“Cant’r majia tanya Ye’r fecorar![3]” she incanted, and storm clouds gathered overhead.
Lightning lanced down from the sky, striking a head of the hydra that was chewing a mouthful of peasant, thatch, and twigs. Twilight was no Hunter, for if she had been, then she would’ve known how thick and impervious to attack a hydra’s scales were. Her attack had no effect, other than to evaporate the swamp water still clinging to the hydra and draw its attention her way. Rather than wait around and be eaten, she turned tail and followed her friends. Any spells she knew that would have a chance against the creature would require the precise etching of runes into the ground, something that would be virtually impossible in the porous soil of the bog.
Pinkamena and Applejack were already across the bridge, and Fluttershy picked Spike up before gliding over herself. As Twilight galloped toward them, the hydra plodded forward, and extracted a large boulder from where it had sunken in the mud with two of its heads. A shadow passed over the sorceress as the boulder sailed overhead and crashed into the bridge. Twilight pulled up short as the planks tore free ahead of her hooves, leaving her standing on the remaining span on her bank.
“Wait, Twilight!” Pinkamena yelled as she prepared to teleport to where her friends were waiting, “Stay where you are!”
“Are you mad?” Twilight yelled back, looking over her shoulder as the hydra grew nearer.
“Trust me! You need to stay where you are!” Pinkamena replied with a shiver.
Pinkamena had been right.Even though they were still on the fringes of Froggy Bottom Bog, there was danger here. She didn’t have the ability to see Pinkamena’s visions for herself, but given what she had heard described, it was identical to how events were panning out. No, she cannot be able to see the future! But, what if she can? Does she know something I don’t?
Twilight decided that she would trust Pinkamena, and find out if she really had the ability to see the future. If she needed to, she could always teleport away at the last moment. The hydra was almost on top of her now, and its heads stretched toward her. As it reached the bridge, the beast’s feet crashed through the wood and into the sloping mud of the riverbank.The section of bridge Twilight was standing upon tore free and fell into the water, but remained afloat. Twilight ducked as teeth snapped at her, but she was soon out of the hydra’s reach as the section of bridge floated toward the opposite bank.
Not satisfied to let the purple pony escape so easily, the hydra surged forward into the water. The little structure of the bridge that was left collapsed, taking with it the sloping mud into the water, stirring things up.The hydra tried to paddle forward, but was quickly sucked under, the mud burying its legs and entrapping it. It could survive underwater, but wouldn’t be leaving its watery prison any time soon. As the hydra sank beneath the bog water, Twilight looked back in amazement.
“Twi’, are you all right?” Applejack asked as she helped the sorceress onto the bank after her makeshift raft washed ashore.
“Somehow, I am,” Twilight said as she looked back at the bubbling waters, “If I had not waited, the hydra may not have come for the bridge and become entrapped. Pinkamena, I still cannot see any way for you to have foretold it, but once again it was as you said: big, dangerous, and unexpected.”
“That wasn’t all,” Pinkamena said after closing her eyes for a moment, “I’m still getting a sense that the unexpected is yet to come.”
“Yet to come?” Fluttershy asked worriedly, “What’s more unexpected than a hydra attacking a settlement of ponies here?”
“Something else?” Twilight said incredulously, “Something else!”
What else could there be? Twilight Sparkle was on her last nerve. Random coincidences (or so she thought) had driven her throughout the day to obsession. She had to prove that either Pinkamena’s premonitions weren’t genuine, or that they were caused by sorcery; there was no middle ground! Yet, time and again, Pinkamena denied easy explanation. She had no magic, yet her foretellings continually came true. If she said something unexpected was still coming, then something unexpected probably would occur, yet there was not a hint of magic coming from her as she shuddered and prophesied. This mare contradicted all magical laws that Twilight Sparkle had learned since her foalhood. She was an impossibility, an anomaly, a foil to logic. Yet, the proof was there that her premonitions were fulfilled every time.
“Pinkamena, what else can you tell us?” Twilight asked softly.
“What do you mean?” the bard said as she cocked her head.
“What else can you tell us about this unexpected thing that is coming?” Twilight said calmly, “I cannot understand how, but your premonitions really do come true. It goes against everything I have learned, and everything I believe about sorcery, but the evidence is mounting against me. Somehow, some way, you are able to predict the future without the use of any magic. I may not be able to understand why, but it is clear that it is happening, and I would be a fool to deny it any longer. I suppose … I may never understand, but I can still trust that your premonitions are real.”
“You’re going to stop trying to disprove them?” Spike asked hopefully.
“Yes,” Twilight with finality, “I have to accept that they are real, even if I cannot understand how. That much is clear to me now.”
“That was it,” Pinkamena said after blinking her eyes a few times to make sure the premonitions had really ended, “I thought you would never accept my senses as real, but you did.”
“That was it?” Twilight said was disbelief, “The ‘big and unexpected’ event that was going to occur here was me choosing to believe in your premonitions, even if they were impossible to explain? Is it really so unexpected that I would accept something that could not be explained by my existing beliefs?” Wait, maybe it is.
“That’s just the sensation I got,” Pinkamena said with a shrug, “You have to admit, after all the time you spent today following me around searching for proof, it seemed pretty unlikely that you would come around without an explanation.”
“I … suppose you are right … again,” Twilight Sparkle admitted, “If nothing else frightening is awaiting us, I suppose we should return to Ponieville.” It had been an odd day, and the sorceress was looking forward to getting some rest.
“Nothing I can foresee,” Pinkamena replied with a chuckle as the ponies and dragon began their way back home.
***
Unbeknownst to Twilight Sparkle, she had actually been right the whole time. Pinkamena’s premonitions were not some supernatural gift that defied all reason; they required magic to work, though a magic unlike anything Twilight knew. The test the sorceress had administered beneath Golden Oak’s laboratory had been carefully created, and narrowly measured magical potential as understood by Cant’r Laht mages. Had she broadened the test to search for any type of energy, she would have discovered a strange power dwelling within Pinkamena, the source of her abilities. Had Twilight administered the same test to herself, she would have discovered the strange power within her own body as well.
This was a sorcery different from that studied across Equestria, and indeed, across the whole world. It was the sorcery that allowed Twilight Sparkle to rapidly master new spells without extensive practice, and push herself beyond her magical potential’s limits in extreme circumstances. It was the sorcery that allowed Pinkamena to peer into the future, and receive glimpses and sensations of what was to come. It was the same sorcery that made the White Tail army’s barding as tough as real armor, the gala dresses shine with a beauty and radiance their mere construction alone could not explain, and the quality of everything Rarity poured her passions into exquisite. It was the sorcery that Grandmaster Nattalïer of the White Procession had noticed in Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Each of the Brave Companions had abilities that went beyond the natural, and each owed it to this strange sorcery within them. For the moment, they remained unaware of this magic, but it wouldn’t be too long before Twilight Sparkle got the explanation she’d spent this day searching desperately for, and discovered that it may not have been mere coincidence that these six ponies had been the ones to gather and stop the return of Nightmare Moon.
“Unacceptable!I will not stand for this injustice!” the rust-colored pegasus said passionately as he slammed a hoof down on the table, causing the nearby inkpot to wobble dangerously until it was steadied by the wing of the pony he was addressing, “She cannot be allowed to become a Hunter!”
The protesting pegasus was Deadshot, captain of the Wonderbolts. His leather armor, like that of the other members of his order, had once been dyed sky blue, but battle and the spilling of blood, both monstrous and equine, had stained and faded it until much of the former glory in the color had diminished. The ornate breastplate fastened to his chest still shone, though only because it was worn for strictly ornamental use, never in battle where the added weight would slow the Hunter down. Deadshot had seen plenty of battles; teeth of some of his fallen foes were displayed as trophies on the bands that tied his black mane and tail back into buns. A knife was attached to each of his forelegs, a short sword hung at his side, and a bow was slung across his back, under a worn and ragged cape. At his side and a few steps back stood his young lieutenant, Spitfire, observing her captain without speaking up herself. The Wonderbolt captain was an imposing and dangerous pony, but the pegasus he was addressing was no pushover either.
“It is no business of the Wonderbolts what it is I will do with the members of my order,” she said, setting down her quill as she paused writing her orders, “The last time I checked, it was Maren, not Deadshot who was grandmaster of the Order of the Sparrow.”
During her many years as a Hunter in the Order of the Raven, Maren had built up a reputation as a ruthless and uncompromising warrior. Then, as an instructor in the Order of the Sparrow, she’d distinguished herself by turning out the most finely trained recruits to the point that other orders specifically requested Hunters trained by Maren, and the Order had standardized her training methods. The Council on Hunter Training, a small group of grandmasters from the different Hunter orders that made decisions regarding recruits, had rewarded her with the position of Grandmaster of the Order of the Sparrow. Now quite elderly, Maren was in no fit shape to fight most monsters, but would still do so if it meant protecting her students, even if her opponents were ponies, not monsters.
“A fine job you’ve done as grandmaster,” Deadshot scoffed, “One recruit missing, another dead; the Council will call for your resignation and exile if you don’t pass judgement.”
“The Council decides judgement in situations like this, and as I am the only member present currently, I am the Council, and my judgement is the Council’s judgement,” Maren said as she gestured to all the empty chairs around the table, “You look upon this filly and see only a delinquent—as if you were as valorous in your youth as you act—but I see the potential to be a truly great Hunter. The agility, ferociousness, and instinct she’s displayed since the incident make me believe that it would be in the interest of all that she becomes a Hunter.”
“She killed another recruit!” Deadshot said as he slammed a hoof on the table again, “She should be executed, not rewarded! At the very least, you must exile her so that she never becomes a Hunter.”
“Must I?” Maren said, raising an eyebrow, “No, I don’t think I must. Deaths of recruits in Cloudsdale are nothing new, but this act—as you’ve so passionately said—will not go unanswered. If she survives the Changes, she will be sent to the Order of the Magpie.”
“The Magpie?” Deadshot laughed, “If you truly have high hopes for this foal, why send her there? Exile might be a kinder option.”
“I have made my decision,” Grandmaster Maren said firmly as stood and smoothed down her robes, “As you can see, she will not be rewarded with a position in a reputable order for her actions, but she will become a Hunter. This compromise may not be enough to please you, but it will satisfy the Council, and their opinions are the ones that matter in the situation. If young Rainbow Dash truly has the potential I believe she does, then she will have no trouble surviving in the Order of the Magpie and finding her way to better things, perhaps even, one day, to your position.”
Rainbow Dash prepared herself for the task ahead, calming her breathing and steadying her heartrate. Normally, the Hunter would practice in Ponieville, where she’d be easily accessible to ponies needing her services, but for the past week she’d been doing something different. Mayor Mare (with a little monetary convincing) had agreed to let her use one of the fields outside of town that had already been harvested for her practice. Within Ponieville, she had a few dummies and posts to hack at, but here she had used her monster-killing earnings to build a true training course. It would never have fit in the tiny corner she was allowed to use in Ponieville, but that wasn’t her only concern. If she was able to pull off the new move she was trying, she didn’t want anypony too close to her.
“Rainbow Dash, why do I need to be here?” Fluttershy asked nearby, “I’m not a Hunter.”
“You did the first part of the training, same as me,” Rainbow replied as she stretched out her legs, “You’re probably the only pony around here with an idea of how my techniques really work. Besides, I trust you.”
“Oh,” said the druidess, looking at her hooves before posing another question to her Hunter friend, “Do you really need me in Cloudsdale with you?”
“Come on.You haven’t been back since you quite literally landed here twelve years ago. It’ll be good to see it again,” Rainbow Dash said, “I won’t accept any excuses, either. I know most of the animals you care for have already begun hibernating, and the rest can wait until you return. You’ll have a good time, I promise.”
Fluttershy groaned, but didn’t say anything. Visiting the place where she’d been aggressively pushed to become a Hunter while it was filled with even more Hunters than usual was not her idea of a good time. However, she knew that Rainbow Dash was right, and that she didn’t have any more pressing matters here. She also knew the real reason that Dash wanted her to accompany her to the floating city. She was nervous, and needed the support of a good friend. Despite her rough exterior, the Hunter was remarkably fragile underneath, a fact only Fluttershy was privy to and pretended not to know for her friend’s sake. They made an odd pair, the Hunter and the druidess, but their friendship went back a long way, and they would do anything for each other.
Drawing her practice sword, Rainbow Dash launched herself toward her makeshift obstacle course. Dummies shaped like various beasts swung around as she approached them, and she zipped between them, striking their limbs with her sword and sending splinters flying. Her strikes only made them spin more dangerously, but she easily dodged them and went for the vitals, the mushy apples she’d placed there exploding as she pierced them. The Hunter continued through the course, dodging swinging and spinning obstacles while making precise strikes on the monster substitutes, until only one remained “alive.”
This last dummy was incredibly large, and covered in layers of wood and leather to mimic flesh and armor. No simple strike from a sword, no matter how many times, would eliminate this opponent. Two or three bombs would break away enough of the makeshift armor for a sword to be effective, but Dash had other, flashier plans. Sheathing her training sword, the Hunter climbed into the sky, piercing several low-floating clouds on her way up.
Once she’d reached a high enough altitude, the Hunter drew her sword and plummeted downward. Her eyes watered as the wind tore at her face more and more viciously as she picked up speed. Every instinct in her body screamed for her to pull up as she approached the ground more and more rapidly, but she resisted. She couldn’t pull up yet.Rainbow Dash could feel herself approaching the edge, the boundary she had to cross over to complete this technique, but it was still out of reach, and she was approaching the earth far too quickly.
She had to adjust her trajectory some, or else her life was likely to end the moment she met the ground. She tried to pull up, but it wasn’t enough, nor was she able to slow herself down. Fluttershy, seeing the dire straits her friend was in, ran to a nearby bucket and withdrew a bomb. Rainbow Dash was still plummeting toward certain doom, but Fluttershy waited until the right moment to throw the bomb at the earth where the Hunter would impact. Blue lightning flared up, and Rainbow Dash disappeared within the field of sparks.
***
Within Golden Oak’s laboratory, Twilight Sparkle had assembled the rest of the Brave Companions.Curious about her home’s previous inhabitant (especially after stumbling upon another of his journals), she’d been questioning them about what they knew of the sorcerer Golden Oak. He’d already died by the time Pinkamena had arrived in town, but Applejack and Rarity (both having lived their whole lives in Ponieville’s vicinity) had plenty to say about him. Spike had recorded all the stories and information they’d shared, for Twilight to reference and organize later. With that business concluded, the four ponies were enjoying some tea in the laboratory’s main room and discussing the current events of their lives.
This peaceful discussion was interrupted by a crash from upstairs.With Twilight Sparkle leading the way, they hurried up to the small office area over the kitchen. Rainbow Dash, having rematerialized above the laboratory, had managed to slow herself to a speed that wouldn’t kill her on impact, but had been unable to regain enough control to keep from crashing through the window. The Hunter groaned as she sat up from her position sprawled against a bookcase and surveyed the damages. All the scrolls in the case had fallen after her impact, and she’d also knocked over Twilight’s writing desk, but there was no harm to her person, for which she was grateful.
“Rainbow Dash, are you all right?” Twilight Sparkle asked, and posed another question after receiving a nod, “Are your bombs designed to teleport you over my home?”
“No, just a coincidence,” Rainbow Dash said as she stood and flexed her legs to make sure everything was still working properly. It seemed suspicious to Twilight that this had happened twice, but she’d had enough trouble with coincidences lately that she didn’t think it wise to investigate.
“Rainbow Dash, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked as she flew in through the broken window, and got a nod in reply.
“Sorry about that,” Rainbow Dash apologized to Twilight as she looked over the damage again, “I was practicing a move that didn’t go quite as planned.”
“She really wants to astonish everypony at the Gauntlet,” Fluttershy added.
“The Gauntlet?” Twilight Sparkle asked, “I may have read about it, but I do not remember. What is it, again?”
“It’s a Hunter competition, one you’re only invited to attend once,” Rainbow Dash explained excitedly, “Every year, it’s held on the first day of the sixth month, when Cloudsdale arrives at its winter location. The Gauntlet is a chance to show off your skill to other Hunters from across Equestria, including the Wonderbolts! And, this year, I’ve been invited to compete!”
“Sounds exciting,” Applejack said.
“It is,” Rainbow agreed, “I’ve been waiting for this chance for a long time, and I have to make the most of it. If I can pull off a sonic rainboom, I’m sure to win.”
“A sonic what?” Twilight asked.
“Sonic rainboom. It’s the name I gave to an attack I did once,” Rainbow Dash said, “If I can fly fast enough, the force of my strike is so great that it sends vibrations through the air, accompanied by a flash of multi-colored light. It’s an attack that will completely decimate any foe. I’m the only pegasus to ever do it, but I was just a filly when it happened the first time.”
“You’ll do it again, won’t you?” Pinkamena said, hopping up and down.
“Um … yeah, sure, of course I will!” Rainbow Dash replied, puffing herself up. I have to.
“That would be quite a sight to see. I wish we could be there,” Twilight commented, not picking up on the Hunter’s nervousness.
“That would be great; Fluttershy is already coming, but if all of you could be there, it would be even better. I don’t know how impressive things would look from the ground, though,” Rainbow Dash said. Cloudsdale was a flying city kept aloft by powerful sorcery. Though much of the city was earth brought up from the surface, it was tied together by constructions of cloud, which only pegasi and gryphons were able to walk upon without plummeting to their deaths. Of the Brave Companions, only Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would be able to move about the city freely.
“Well, it’s a six-day journey to Cloudsdale’s winter location, and I want to get at least one more practice run in before I have to go,” Rainbow Dash said as she stretched her wings and trotted toward the broken window, “Come on, Fluttershy.”
The druidess headed toward the window as well, but stayed back for a moment after her friend had left.
“I really wish the rest of you could come to Cloudsdale with us,” Fluttershy said as she looked back over her shoulder, “Rainbow Dash needs all the encouragement she can get. She’s been practicing for over a week now and hasn’t come close to executing her rainboom. She can’t fail in front of everypony at the Gauntlet.”
As Fluttershy took off, Twilight looked forlornly at the broken window. Golden Oak’s laboratory was one of the few buildings in town with glass windows, and of course the sorcerer had grown the windows in irregular shapes. It would be incredibly expensive to replace it, but at least Rainbow Dash had crashed through it instead of slamming into the tree’s trunk.
“Come on, Twilight, I know we’re thinking the same thing,” Rarity said as she trotted up next to the sorceress, looking out the window and thinking about Rainbow Dash.
“Are we?” the sorceress asked, seeing no reason Rarity would be concerned about replacing a broken window.
“Yes, we must find a way to support Rainbow Dash in Cloudsdale,” Rarity said with a nod and a smile.
“Oh, right, that,” Twilight realized, “I do not know, Rarity. Rainbow Dash was right; None of us would be able to enter the city.”
“Cloudsdale is held up by sorcery; isn’t that pretty much your thing?” Applejack asked, “There must be a spell t’ let us wingless ponies walk on clouds.”
“I do not know any such spell,” Twilight said with a shake of her head, “Besides, it is not like I have the Cant’r Laht archives to search through for enchantments. Golden Oak’s collection of books is not so large, and I have not even gone through all of them yet.”
“Try this one,” Pinkamena said as she grabbed a random book off the shelf and threw it at the sorceress.
“Pinkamena, I would appreciate it if you would not-A Brief Study of Ornimancy!” Twilight said as she caught the book and glanced at the title, “How did you—no, never mind.”
Twilight Sparkle righted her writing desk and flipped through the tome, searching for an incantation pertinent to their situation. Spike came in while she was doing so and began cleaning up the spilled scrolls and broken glass, the other three ponies lending him a hoof while they waited for an answer from the sorceress. After a time, Twilight’s eyes lit up, and she turned around to face the others with book in hoof.
“Okay, I found a spell that will allow a non-pegasus to fly for one week,” Twilight said before looking up gravely, “However, it is a difficult spell, and I am not sure I will be able to properly cast it.”
“You must try,” Rarity insisted, “For Rainbow Dash.”
“Very well; Rarity, since you are so enthusiastic, I will try it on you first,” Twilight said before getting to work.
Copying part of the text, the sorceress gave it to Spike and instructed him to concoct the potion using the alchemy equipment beneath the laboratory. If it combusts and the laboratory lights on fire, that could be the least of our worries. Meanwhile, Twilight took a piece of chalk and began sketching runes on the floor. Normally, she would have used the sand table in the cavern beneath the laboratory, but the spell called for the runes to be drawn on a surface suspended over open air, and the chalk would come off easily enough later. The sorceress drew an equilateral triangle with a circle in the center and wrote words in the Language of the Horns along every line, as well as in a spiral within the center circle. After drawing some additional circles and runes on the floor, Twilight examined the quills from her writing desk and found one that didn’t seem too old, placing it in one of the magic circles. When Spike returned with the potion, she had Rarity drink it and waited until she had consumed every drop before giving her further instructions.
“Rarity, stand in this center circle with your hooves here, here, here, … and here,” she said as she helped the blacksmith get into position, “Now, whatever happens, do not move your legs or neck, unless you want to risk your bones shattering. Also, do not hold your breath; however much you feel you should, you must continue breathing or your lungs could liquify. Keep your eyes on me as long as you can, and ignore the sensations on your back. Do not try to look at it. Do you understand?”
Rarity nodded her affirmation, then stood completely still, keeping everything Twilight had said in mind (and trying not to think so much about the disturbing parts.) The sorceress calmed her mind and prepared the spell. There were no words for her to say aloud, but in her mind she wove together an incantation that pushed her skills to the limit, and Applejack and Pinkamena watched as she sweated in concentration, pouring magical energy from her ample reserves into the enchantment. The chalk lines began glowing brightly, and sparks danced across the runes, some of them finding their way to Rarity’s hooves. Gradually, Rarity began to rise off the ground, glowing symbols appearing around her occasionally as Twilight projected them to control the spell. The quill on the ground burst into flames, and a thick column of blue smoke rose from it even after the feather was completely consumed. The smoke wound its way like a ribbon around Rarity until she was fully encased in it. Flashes of light came from within occasionally, and the smoke began to take on a smoother and brighter form as it congealed into purer magic.
With one last push of energy from Twilight Sparkle that caused her horn to glow, Rarity’s magical prison flashed with a bright light.Applejack, Pinkamena, and Twilight were forced to look away, and when they looked back, the conjured smoke was gone. Rarity stood, unharmed, and Twilight smiled with pride and relief.The spell had been a success.
***
“I’m not so sure about this, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said as they ascended to Cloudsdale.
“Don’t worry about it,” her friend assured her, putting a foreleg around her partly to comfort her and partly to push her to fly faster, “Just be confident with the other Hunters, and they won’t bother you much. Besides, I’ll be with you most of the time, and nopony’s going to mess with you while I’m around.”
The two pegasi alighted over the edge of Cloudsdale and landed within its walls. Technically, the city had no need of walls, since its ability to float made it invulnerable to conventional attack; also, any enemy that could reach the altitude of the city could easily cross the walls, but old habits die hard. The facts that Cloudsdale hovered over the landscape and had no permanent location were not the only things that made the city unique. It was inhabited entirely by pegasi, the vast majority of which were Hunters or Hunters-to-be in the Order of the Sparrow, and the rest helped support them by trading with the towns they passed over for supplies or foraging the ground for food. It was a wholly unique city, and one that few ponies ever got to see up close for themselves. The only way up to Cloudsdale other than flying was to ride up in a lift that was only lowered to bring up large quantities of food and raw materials, or pegasus recruits who were unable to fly to the city (almost all of them, since Hunter training began at a very young age.)
“Well, well, well. What have we here?” a Hunter asked before Rainbow and Fluttershy had even taken a few steps in the city.
There were plenty of Hunters trotting about; for those competing and those observing alike, the Gauntlet was an opportunity to reunite with old comrades and together tour the city where their monster-hunting skills had been beaten into them. Still, despite the bustle around them, it wasn’t hard to pinpoint who had spoken up. Two Hunters were trotting toward them, familiar to the two ponies from years ago.
“Rainbow Dash, I never thought you’d show your face here again after what happened,” one with a scythe—the weapon of choice for Hunters in the Order of the Raven—on his back said.
“Hubert, Duvas,” Rainbow Dash addressed both the stallions with a frown, “You seem to have done well for yourselves.The Orders of Raven and Crane, huh?”
“You’ve done well for yourself, too,” Duvas said darkly as he stared at the falcon medallion around her neck, “I’m surprised they accepted you. There’s no way the Order of the Falcon didn’t know about Luther, especially after you killed him in their territory.”
“That was a long time ago, and Rainbow Dash didn’t mean to kill him,” Fluttershy stood up for her friend, seeing the guilt creeping in on her.
“Of course! His body was beaten apart, but it wasn’t because of the sadist that killed him. No, it was a mystical ‘sonic rainboom’!” Duvas said mockingly, with rising anger, “How would you know? You weren’t there—unless? Fluttershy, the one that went missing. I didn’t want to believe the rumors about the ‘Brave Companions’ that it really was you, because for so long I’d consoled myself with the fact that at least Rainbow Dash had lost somepony that day, too. But, no, you’re alive, Rainbow Dash gets to act like a big hero, and nopony remembers the blood on her hooves!”
“Duvas, we should go,” Hubert said sternly, perceiving that his friend was nearly ready to draw his sword and go after Rainbow Dash, “There is nothing more to be done. We are Hunters, and we must not fight among ourselves. Rainbow Dash will pay for her sins one day, but it will not be at your hooves.”
With a grumble, Duvas turned and followed Hubert away. Now that the threat was removed, Dash could safely relax, but found that she was unable to. The conversation had brought up too many bad memories, which had been hovering near the surface for a while now. Trying to recreate the sonic rainboom had reminded her of the first time she’d used it, when she’d torn apart another recruit with the force of her blow. Until now, she’d kept the details locked away, considering only how to apply such a devastating blow in a fight against monsters, her true opponents, but Luther’s face kept appearing. His surprise, shock, and terror as the blast of multicolored light shredded his body were etched in Rainbow Dash’s memory, and would always remain, no matter how deep she tried to bury them.
“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy spoke softly, trying to comfort the Hunter, who was still frozen in place and tensed up, “Nopony else may believe you about the sonic rainboom, but I do. You’re going to do it today and prove that it can be used for good, to slay monsters and not ponies. Isn’t that why you were so set on being able to do it?”
“Yeah, except I’m not going to be able to do it,” Dash said worriedly, breaking free of her trance, “I’ve only ever done it once, and I didn’t even know what I was doing! I’m going to fail tomorrow, and make a fool of myself! Why did I agree to this! Spitfire will be watching, and when she sees me crash into a wall, there’s no way she’ll even consider me for the Wonderbolts! What am I going to do?”
“Rare … flying?” Fluttershy said with surprise, looking over Rainbow Dash’s shoulder.
“It’s not going to be enough!” Rainbow continued to panic, misinterpreting the druidess’s words, “I need something spectacular, and I have nothing!”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Rarity said confidently as she landed next to Rainbow Dash, “I believe you’re more than capable of dazzling onlookers with your moves and your sonic rainboom.”
“Rarity! You have wings!” Fluttershy said with awe, finally getting her words out.
“Indeed I do,” Rarity replied, fanning them out and fawning over them.
Twilight Sparkle’s spell had worked perfectly, and two wings now sprouted from Rarity’s back. The feathers were of the purest white (fortunately, Twilight had used a quill that matched Rarity’s coat nearly perfectly) and shimmered and glowed like fresh fallen snow. They looked as delicate as lace, yet had no difficulty in lifting Rarity off the ground. Their span was longer than that of the average pegasus, and the tips reached nearly past her flanks when she folded them next to her body.
“Twilight used a spell to grow them, and I’ve spent the last few days learning how to use them,” Rarity said, “We could have traveled together to Cloudsdale and you could’ve given me some pointers, but I convinced the others that it would be better to surprise you.”
“Others?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked up from observing Rarity’s new wings.
Pinkamena suddenly appeared out of thin air, a short distance above the clouds. Rainbow nearly shoved Rarity out of the way in an attempt to save her from plummeting to her death, but when she landed, her hooves sank into the cloud only slightly more than a pegasus’s would’ve. Applejack appeared a few seconds later, followed by Twilight, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that her teleportation had worked.
“You’re all here!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly, her spirits soaring and her troubles almost forgotten, “I don’t mean to be rude, but how come you’re not all falling to your deaths?”
“If I may,” Twilight said, stepping forward to proudly show off her skill in sorcery, “Rarity insisted that we accompany you here and give you our support, so I used the first applicable spell I found on her to give her temporary wings. However, the spell was extraordinarily difficult and drained me considerably. While I was recovering and preparing to do it again, I discovered a less strenuous spell that would allow the rest of us to walk on clouds, even without wings. From there, all that remained was to scry out your position in Cloudsdale and teleport the rest of us here.”
“Well, I sure am glad to see you all,” Rainbow Dash admitted, “It’ll be great for Fluttershy and I to show you around.”
“That sounds delightful. We may be the first non-pegasi to see Cloudsdale in centuries. However, before we go,” Twilight said, and cast a spell that caused Rarity’s horn to vanish.
“What’s this all about?” Rarity asked, looking up at her forehead while Twilight pulled the shawl on her back over her wings.
“It will be impossible to hide your wings, and we do not want ponies thinking you are an alicorn. That could cause us all sorts of trouble,” Twilight said, “Even though you will be playing the part of a pegasus, you still need to keep your wings covered up whenever possible. They are extremely delicate, and exposure to the sun without filtering clouds for even a few minutes could cause them to weaken.”
“Come on, we’ll show you where we used to train,” Rainbow Dash beckoned to the group once Rarity was squared away.
***
Together, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy led the group through the streets of Cloudsdale. Apart from the fact that the ground was made out of cloud in some places, and the inordinately large number of weapon shops and taverns, it wasn’t all that different from other Equestrian cities. The monuments in the city’s many squares were statues of pegasi, not unicorns or earth ponies as they were down below. Rainbow Dash knew the story behind every one of these great Hunters, impressing Twilight with her encyclopedic knowledge of the legends.
Their path brought them across the city, and past the massive coliseum at its heart. The Gauntlet would be held here later, but for now, smaller events were taking place. Rainbow Dash cast a nervous glance at the imposing structure before regaining her composure and continuing the tour.
“Here it is, where every Hunter comes to train: Castle Brink,” Rainbow announced dramatically as they approached the greatest wonder of Cloudsdale.
Castle Brink was a fortress, but one unlike anything on the ground below. The traditional castle building strategy of using multiple buildings and layered walls as a defense had been abandoned, for they would be no good against an aerial assault.Other than a single wall, whose purpose was more to set a boundary between the castle and the city, Castle Brink was a single pyramidal structure, from which towers jutted at various elevations. Pegasi would have a hard time breaking in, but they weren’t the only threat the castle was defended from; along the walls and atop the towers were ballistae with enough force to punch through the scales of a small to medium sized dragon. Neither Castle Brink or Cloudsdale had ever been attacked, but this place had been built by Hunters, professional warriors who wouldn’t dare neglect their defenses. Though it was on the edge of the city, this was the most important site in Cloudsdale. It was the entire reason the city existed, as everypony living here worked to serve the Hunters of the Order of the Sparrow in some way or another.
“These are the training grounds. There are more outside of the castle, but they're mostly used for advanced training. Here is where they teach young Hunters to fight and fly,” Rainbow Dash announced as they crossed through the castle’s wall into the large enclosure in front of the fortress itself, “This sure brings back memories, doesn’t it, Fluttershy?”
“Mm-hm,” the druidess agreed, though her recollections of their Hunter training were not as pleasant as her friend’s.
“I wonder if our names are still here!” Dash said with foallike glee before flapping across the training yard.
Sent into brutal training at a young age, in preparation to fight monsters, the trainees of the Order of the Sparrow were wont to do what anypony in their situation would. Knowing they would likely die, maybe in training, maybe later, they had wanted to put their mark on this place, and, knowing that the outer wall served no defensive purpose, many of them had used it for just that. The vast expanse of stones was covered in the crudely scratched names of the ponies who’d come through here. Though Fluttershy had taken some convincing, Rainbow Dash had brought her around, and they had both made themselves part of this place, even if only one of them had finished their training.
Fluttershy’s name was still there, near the ground and so small that it was almost unreadable. Rainbow Dash pointed it out to her before searching for her own name. She’d been so proud of learning to fly while others could still only hover that, of course, she’d scratched it into the wall as high as she could go at the time. However, among the vast sprawl of names, hers was conspicuously absent. She eventually found it, but sank to the ground with her spirits when she did.Her name had been furiously scratched out, replaced with “Killer” and another name.
“Oh my, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said as she hovered up by the crossed-out name, “You must’ve made an enemy in training. Somepony named Luther has crossed your name out and replaced it with his own.”
“That’s … not what happened,” Dash said glumly. Why now? Why does it all have to come back now? I almost wish I’d never returned to Cloudsdale.
“Ooh, is there a story here?” Pinkamena asked, oblivious to Dash’s discomfort.
“If it’s all the same, I’d rather not talk about it right now,” Dash said.
“Why not? Is something wrong?” Pinkamena asked.
“How about we show you the inside of the castle?” Fluttershy interjected, trying to take Rainbow Dash’s mind off of things, “There’s the great hall, and the armory, and the place where they control the city’s movement.”
“Yeah, good idea, Fluttershy,” Dash said, perking up slightly as she set off toward the castle’s imposing entrance.
The Hunter couldn’t help but notice that Rarity was lagging behind a bit. The presence of outsiders had drawn the attention of the trainees practicing in the yard. Already anxious to watch the Gauntlet later, they’d easily been able to convince themselves to leave their training and see who these visitors were. Oddly enough, they all seemed drawn to Rarity, and were admiring her wings. Rarity was none too shy in showing them off, either, and welcomed their praise as the young pegasi followed them to Castle Brink. Rainbow Dash didn’t know why, but it made her uneasy. At least the attention wasn’t focused on her and her actions. She was beginning to think everypony and everything here was out to accuse her of her past.
“Master Cataphract!” Rainbow Dash said with surprise as she almost bumped into another Hunter in the hallway, and the trainees quickly made themselves scarce, “I … wasn’t expecting to run into you.”
“Nor I, you,” the aged mare said disparagingly, “I haven’t seen a mane like that in over a decade, which means you must be Rainbow Dash.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dash replied respectfully, “I’ve returned for the Gauntlet.”
“Of course you have,” Cataphract said with disdain, “I have never been one to beat about the bush, so I’ll come right out and say it. I objected to you being allowed to become a Hunter twelve years ago, I objected to the Order of the Falcon—my order before I came here—accepting you as a member, and I objected to you being allowed to compete in a competition with civilized Hunters who completed their training without pummeling other recruits to death. I will be in the judgement box alongside Spitfire and Grandmaster Oss, and you’ll have to do something spectacular in the Gauntlet if you don’t want my objection to be the final word. Prove it was worth it, prove me wrong, if you can. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash replied quietly, all her confidence snuffed out.
“Good, then we understand one another,” the master Hunter said as she pushed past her and continued down the hall, pausing as she spotted Rarity’s outstretched wings, “Oh my, what have we here?”
“Are you going to be all right, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight Sparkle asked while Cataphract inspected Rarity’s magical wings. Now I know that coming here was the right move. I had no idea what was going on and what Rainbow Dash was going through.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” the Hunter said in distress, speaking to Twilight alone now that the others were all assembled around Rarity, “I just need to do so well in the Gauntlet that I can win over an entire city of ponies that hates me for a mistake I made as a foal. No big deal, right? I’ll just do the sonic rainboom, except that I can’t. I can’t do it, Twilight! No matter how many times I tried, I couldn’t pull it off! What am I going to do? Right now, it seems like the only chance I have of getting though this is if ponies are so entranced with Rarity’s wings that they don’t see me fail.”
“You can do this, Rainbow Dash. Believe in yourself,” Twilight said, trying her best to be comforting and encouraging, “We all believe in you and came all this way to support you. You are going to do that sonic rainboom and show everypony what you can do.” It was odd, stroking the ego of a pony whose ego so often seemed out of control.
“Thanks, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, feeling a little better.
“We are here for you. And, if things do start going wrong, we could always try to distract ponies with Rarity’s wings,” Twilight said as she looked over her shoulder, “She does not seem to be hesitant about showing them off.”
***
The ponies continued to sightsee around Cloudsdale, and Rainbow Dash knew that this time with her friends should’ve calmed her mind, but instead she became increasingly nervous as her moment to perform grew closer. Others that had been members of the Order of the Sparrow when she’d been here were around, and the looks they gave her were largely judgmental. Around Ponieville, she was the Hunter that could always be counted on to deal with the beasts that wandered out of the Everfree Forest, and across Equestria her name was mentioned alongside the other Brave Companions as a hero out of legend. Here, though, it seemed she would always be the filly who’d murdered a fellow trainee. On top of that, she’d done it with the sonic rainboom, the same move she was hoping to use today in the Gauntlet. No longer could she separate the rainboom as a technique from the effect it’d had on that day twelve years earlier, and she desperately searched her mind for something else she could do in the Gauntlet to impress the judges, for now she was sure that she wouldn’t be able to repeat the move.
Eventually, the Brave Companions made their way to the same place everypony else in the city was filtering into: the coliseum. Cloudsdale’s coliseum was an impressive structure, hundreds of stone arches enclosing stands in a perfect circle. As they entered the stadium, Rainbow Dash was forced to leave her friends and make her way down to the competitors’ area while the others took a seat in the stands. Coliseums had been built by the pegasi across Equestria centuries before the unicorns set hoof on the continent, and their construction had later become popular across the Shimmering Sea in the Zebrikaanian Empire, but none were quite like the one in Cloudsdale. Neither the pegasi of the distant past or the zebras of more recent history had had the ability to lift a city into the sky, and they hadn't had the opportunity to create a stadium that only beings with wings could compete in. The Cloudsdale coliseum had no floor to it, instead opening out onto half a league of nothingness. Lines were strung across the hole, practice equipment like what Rainbow Dash had in her course outside of Ponieville hanging from them. Around the edge were large gated cells, one of them holding the Gauntlet’s competitors, while many of the others held monsters for them to fight.
A gong sounded to draw everypony’s attention, and the stadium began to quiet. An elderly pegasus in Hunter armor that looked nearly as ancient its wearer entered what would normally be the royal box, Master Cataphract at his side. As Grandmaster Oss and Master Cataphract were seated, the third judge made her entrance with a flourish. Over the edge of the stadium flew Spitfire, her blue armor blending into the sky. She threw several bombs into the air that exploded into smoke and lighting, and drew thunderous applause from the Hunters in the stands. Once the judges were all seated, without much fanfare, the Gauntlet began.
One at a time, the contestants, all Hunters with promising talent, emerged into the ring. Down below, they’d been briefed on what to expect, and had planned accordingly on how best to tackle the grueling obstacle course that had been designed for them. It was a difficult course, where moving even a fraction of a second faster could mean the difference between dodging a blow and being disqualified. As was expected, a few of the Hunters didn’t make it to the end of the course, taking too many hits. Those that did survive the obstacle course had one final challenge to demonstrate their skills in combat. They would choose a cage from around the ring and dispatch the monster within. This too was a dangerous task that not everypony succeeded at, but if things looked to be going too poorly, there were other experienced Hunters at the ready to kill the monster before it made a corpse of one of their own. Injuries were common, but nopony died.
“When do y’ think Rainbow Dash is goin’ t’ compete?” Applejack asked as the day wore on, “How many more Hunters are left?”
“Not many,” Fluttershy admitted worriedly, thinking back to the first time she’d witnessed the Gauntlet, back when she and Rainbow were recruits, “Normally, they only invite around twenty Hunters to compete.”
Is Rainbow Dash not going through with this? Twilight wondered. The twenty-second Hunter was finishing off her monster, so the Gauntlet had to be almost done. Twilight hoped that Rainbow had regained her courage, at least enough to attempt the Gauntlet. To leave in disgrace without even trying would be nearly as crushing as failing before a stadium of her fellow Hunters.
“The last contestant in this year’s Gauntlet!” the herald announced as the previous competitor joined the others who’d finished the course and the gate to the competitors’ area opened one last time, “Rainbow Dash of the Order of the Falcon!”
Looking even more nervous than when they’d left her, Rainbow Dash fluttered out into the arena, glancing back and forth between the obstacle course and the stands full of ponies. She had her work cut out for her. The previous Hunters had not gone easy on the Gauntlet’s equipment, and simply completing it without suffering a hit would not be as impressive a feat as it had been at the start. She would have to do something really spectacular in her monster fight to impress the judges, but she didn’t think she had it in her to pull off the sonic rainboom.
“This ought to be good,” Hubert laughed several rows ahead of where the Brave Companions were seated, and Twilight’s face creased into a frown as she caught the voice over the crowd.
“Look. She’s frozen up. She’s not even going to compete,” Duvas replied to the friend next to him.
“You can do this, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight Sparkle yelled, surprising the ponies next to her, “Show them what you are capable of!”
Rainbow looked up in surprise as the rest of her friends began yelling encouragement, drawing stares from the Hunters around them. Maybe I can do this, after all. Drawing her sword, Rainbow Dash stared down the obstacle course, calmed her breathing, and steadied her heartrate.
Without warning, she darted forward, zipping in between spinning posts, ducking and weaving around the obstacles. Her sword struck true as she flapped back and forth, using her hooves to launch herself away from traps. The crowd began to pay closer attention as her blade shattered the flails spinning toward her while she dodged attacks from all sides. Under, over, up, and down, the pegasus whirled through the obstacles, striking when she could, retreating when it was necessary. It was all going well, until she missed notice of a post that struck her in the back of the head. She began to fall, but recovered quickly, barely dodging the next post that swung her way. The end of the course was in sight, but her balance was off, and she was unable to dodge the next attack, taking a blow to the gut. She flipped over two more posts, striking them with her sword, spun around at a dummy and beheaded it, and was struck from behind by a swinging post. One more hit and she’d be disqualified, but she managed to make it to the end. She was still in the Gauntlet, but she was battered, bruised, and her confidence was once again shaken.
Her last chance to impress the judges lay in slaying her monster, but as the last competitor, there were few choices available to her. None of the beasts were particularly impressive, so she decided that she had to make a last desperate attempt to do the sonic rainboom. If it failed, hopefully she could still recover and kill the monster, and not leave completely dejected. She chose a grubbin: a squat, hairy, four-legged creature that could spit acid and shoot spines from its back. In order to keep the monsters confined to the arena, none of them could fly, and there was a platformed area in front of the cages.Rainbow Dash turned the grubbin loose into the area by pulling the chain to open its cage before shooting up into the sky.
“Where’s she going?” somepony in the stands asked as they watched the Hunter ascend higher and higher.
I’ve got to do this. The sonic rainboom is my only chance. But, what if other ponies are caught in the blast? No, the coliseum will protect them. Only the grubbin need die. The grubbin, a monster, not a pony, that is who this technique is meant to be used on. I’ll show them what I can do. I’ll show them the sonic rainboom is real. I’ll show them who I am: a Hunter, not a murderer.
While Rainbow Dash continued to ascend and psych herself up, the grubbin paced back and forth, growling through its rows of extra-long teeth. Its nostrils flared, nearly splitting its face in two, and it turned its small beady eyes to stare at the Brave Companions. Specifically, it saw Rarity, and the magic surrounding her wings. A fine feast she would make, enough for the beast disguised as a grubbin to grow even stronger. The monster’s flesh began to morph, its forelegs growing long and gangly and the hair shedding from its wrinkled pink skin. Leathery wings sprouted from its back while the previously nonexistent neck lengthened, its forehead curved back, and its eyes disappeared within a second set of flaring nostrils.
“That’s no grubbin!” a Hunter in the stands yelled in alarm, “That’s a full-grown warbelik!”
Hunters jumped to their hooves and drew their weapons, but they were too late. The warbelik let out a cry that was heard more with minds than ears. Twilight Sparkle tried to put up magical wards, but the beast’s sorcery shattered through the hastily prepared defenses, paralyzing her along with everypony else in the coliseum. Everypony but one. Warbeliks had a habit of playing with their food, and Rarity was left able to move so that the monster could have a bit of sport before dining.
The winged unicorn stood dazed for only a moment before she realized that the warbelik was flying toward her. Spreading her wings, she took off into the air to avoid its claws. The monster circled at a distance, seeing that its prey was not a particularly talented fighter and not wanting to rush things. Hundreds of eyes watched helplessly as the duo spun around the coliseum, the warbelik snatching at Rarity’s dress with its claws as she tried desperately to escape.
High above the coliseum (and well out of range of the warbelik’s paralyzing warble), Rainbow Dash leveled out and looked down. Unaware of the unfortunate turn of events down below, she allowed herself a moment to take in the view and prepare for her dive. Equestria stretched out in all directions, and in the center of it all, Cloudsdale, now no larger than a dinner plate from Dash’s vantage point. The coliseum was as small as a berry, and if it hadn’t been for her heightened Hunter senses, spotting the erratic motion within or hearing the frightened screams would’ve been impossible.
“Rarity?” Rainbow Dash said in confusion, straining her ears to determine if the screams really had originated with her friend, “Rarity!”
Rarity was in trouble, somehow. Was something chasing her? What? The grubbin was landbound, and even had it been able to fly, the other Hunters would take it out, wouldn’t they? Something was wrong. Rarity was in trouble, and Rainbow Dash had to get back to the coliseum to help.
The Hunter drew her sword as she dove toward the coliseum, searching for a target. The wind stung her eyes and forced her ears back as she picked up speed, but still she descended, faster and faster. Her quarry was in sight now, a large, gangly, winged creature that was toying with Rarity, chasing her around the coliseum. The warbelik was growing bored, actually nicking Rarity with its claws now that she was beginning to tire out. Rainbow Dash didn’t have much time, and she put on all the speed she could muster. Wind whistled past and her sword screeched as it cut through the air and threatened to fly from her mouth, but she kept a tight grip on it.
Rarity began to feel her wings weaken, too much exposure to sunlight causing their structure to break down. The warbelik grabbed at her, its long claws slicing through her mane, and she whimpered piteously as she tried to flee. Seeing there was no more sport to be had in chasing Rarity around, the warbelik ceased its toying with her and grabbed one of her wings. As it did, the magic came undone and the wings tore apart, breaking into long strands of shimmering fibers and motes of glowing dust. Rarity gave a cry of pain as the remainder of the wings tore from her back and she fell. The warbelik huffed angrily, cheated out of its meal as the magic it’d longed to consume drifted into the air around it. The unicorn that dropped through the air beneath it was no longer as savory a morsel. It sensed something else, however, and its nostrils flared as it inclined its head up. There was something descending toward it, burning with a strange magical energy it didn’t recognize. A meal was a meal, though, and the warbelik wasn’t going to play with this meal and risk it vanishing into thin air. With beats of its leathery wings, it ascended toward its new prey.
Rainbow Dash saw Rarity’s wings fall to pieces and her friend begin to fall, but she had to focus elsewhere for the moment. The warbelik had spotted her and was straining upward, even as she picked up even greater speed in her descent. She had to be faster if she wanted to kill the warbelik and save Rarity before she hit the ground, and that was all that was on the Hunter’s mind. She didn’t even notice the tension building around her as she neared the crucial point she’d strained toward for weeks in an attempt to impress onlookers in the Gauntlet she’d temporarily forgotten about. Sparks began to crackle through her mane and tail as energy built around her, energy belonging to a magic foreign to this world, the same magic that had baffled Twilight Sparkle only a few weeks earlier.Her speed got another boost as she neared the warbelik, and then she was in striking range.
Her sword tore the warbelik in half from shoulder to groin, the force of the blow liquefying every organ it passed through. A shockwave went out from Rainbow Dash’s supernatural strike, tearing the monster into pieces and sending blood, bone, and entrails raining down on the coliseum. As the shockwave expanded, it was accompanied by a thundering boom and a wave of multicolored light. Passing just over the stadium’s walls, the blast sliced through the flagpoles adorning the coliseum’s edge, sending the banners of every Hunter order fluttering down. With the warbelik’s death, its spell was released and the coliseum’s occupants could move again, but all stood transfixed by the sonic rainboom.
Rainbow Dash wasn’t finished, though. Barely pausing after slaying the fearsome creature, she continued to descend, dodging through the cables holding the Gauntlet’s obstacle course. Rarity was still falling, picking up speed with no wings to slow her fall. Rainbow Dash pulled up alongside the plummeting unicorn and grabbed her tightly in her forelegs before spreading her own wings to slow their descent. At the pace they were going, Rainbow felt like her wings were going to break before they slowed enough, but she kept at it, holding on until it was safe to redirect them. She and Rarity nearly grazed the hills as she looped back around and up towards Cloudsdale, but they didn’t crash.
A thunderous wave of applause went up as she ascended into the coliseum, still holding Rarity. Rainbow Dash looked around in wonder, the judgmental faces of her fellow Hunters replaced by cheering visages praising her for her actions. She spun around a few times before she spotted her friends in the crowd and returned Rarity to them, setting her down on the stone stands of the coliseum. The Hunters around pressed in to express their amazement, barely allowing her to squeeze forward to join the rest of the Brave Companions.
“You did it, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy said, “You did the sonic rainboom!”
“That sure was somethin’ t’ see!” Applejack praised her.
“And you saved my life!” Rarity said, choked up.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. Things had been going so poorly, but it had all turned around. The sonic rainboom wasn’t a fluke that had killed a fellow foal any longer; it was a weapon that helped her kill a dangerous monster and a tool that given her the speed to save Rarity from falling to her death. She now believed this in her heart, and everypony else knew it as well. A tap on her shoulder to get her attention prompted the Hunter to turn around and face two ponies who’d pushed their way through the crowd.
“Rainbow Dash, I think we owe you an apology,” Hubert said, before elbowing Duvas.
“I may never totally forgive you for killing Luther, but if that’s what killed him,” Duvas said, pointing at the still dissipating trails of colorful magic in the sky, “I can understand that his death was unintentional. I … I don’t think you meant to kill him, Rainbow Dash.”
“Apologies accepted,” Rainbow Dash replied, “I think we all needed to move past this.”
The banging of the gong drew everypony’s attention back to the Gauntlet, which was still going on even if the warbelik attack had paused it temporarily. Rainbow Dash extricated herself from the stands and flapped over to join the other Hunters who’d completed the Gauntlet. The three judges looked at each other without exchanging any words, and stood to announce the winner.
“I don’t think any of you will find our choice of this year’s winner of the Gauntlet a surprise, for it’s obvious to anypony,” Grandmaster Oss announced as he stroked his beard, “Rainbow Dash of the Order of the Falcon, join us and receive your prize.”
Her fellow competitors congratulated her as she flew to the judges’ box, knowing, like everypony else, that after the sonic rainboom, they had no chance of winning. Master Cataphract gave Rainbow Dash an approving nod as she passed the winner’s symbol to Oss. The Grandmaster of the Order of the Sparrow placed the iron circlet, inscribed with symbols of the Hunters, upon Rainbow Dash’s head, and she turned to accept another round of applause from the crowd. Once more, Rainbow couldn’t stop smiling as the approval of her colleagues was heaped upon her, wiping away all the cruel memories of the past, at least for the moment.
“I see even the tales of the Brave Companions don’t do you justice,” Spitfire said, and Dash turned with barely contained excitement to see the leader of the Wonderbolts standing right in front of her, speaking to her with words of praise, “You have talent, maybe even enough for the Wonderbolts; I’d have to be blind not to see that after that display. I assume you and your companions will be at the summit in the spring. Come find me at the gala; we may have something to discuss.”
Rainbow’s heart was racing faster than it ever did when she was fighting for her life. The captain of the Wonderbolts wanted to speak to her at the gala! It was a dream come true, everything she’d ever hoped for. For once, everything was going right. She knew that, in a land as brutal as Equestria, this would pass, but for now she wanted to savor the moment. Standing here with master Hunters, while the crowd cheered her on, the world didn’t seem so dark, and she could almost forget all the pain she’d endured. Almost.
Chapter 0:7 – Keepers of the Wild Year 989 of the 4th Age
Eight ponies made their way carefully through the twisted flora of the Everfree Forest. Most ponies would be too terrified to enter the foreboding timber, considered by many to be cursed, and would have found themselves hopelessly lost had they tried, but these weren’t most ponies. They were druids of the Ponieville circle, garbed in rough brown cloth with amulets made from roots around their necks, and they knew the rhythms of nature better than anypony else. Even so, for them to venture into the Everfree Forest was rare, for a curse truly did cling to this place, a curse that had taken root in the Conjunction, when monsters and magic had poured through here in abundance, twisting the forest and leaving a stain on the landscape. It had been nearly expunged during the reign of Queens Celestia and Luna, when they’d taken back the forest and established their capital at its center as a symbol of their mastery of the arcane, but the curse had returned in force after Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion and Celestia’s abandonment of the Three Palaces of the Two Queens forever.
The druids were not afraid (though there was a reason they’d come during a cloudless day and not during a moonless night); they were here in number, and they were led by their hierophant. The wizened earth pony stroked his long white beard thoughtfully before every adjustment in their course, listening to the signs around them that only druids understood. All living things around them had a voice, if one only had the means to listen. The creatures scampering through the treetops and crawling through burrows beneath the earth all told the druids something by their motions, their actions, the aura they projected subconsciously. Even the trees could speak, though their speech was far subtler and more difficult to discern the meaning of than that of creatures that flew, crawled, or tunneled instead of being rooted in one place.
Not everything in the Everfree Forest was bad, not everything wanted to kill ponies who entered, and the trick in navigating it was knowing where the good was. Rumors had been reaching the Ponieville druid circle for months now that there was a growing area of the Everfree Forest around here that was not as bad as the rest, and their forays into it had proved the rumors true. Ponies who’d done the same had reported seeing a foal at a distance, who some were calling a daughter of the forest. Nopony had ever gotten close enough to confirm her existence or learn her story, though, not even the druids. The trees, though not as hostile as in other parts of the forest, seemed to direct them away whenever they were getting close, as if protecting this foal, and many times had the druids been repulsed and forced to return home empty-hooved.
“Please, we mean her no harm!” the hierophant called out aloud, speaking to the forest around him, “You know who we are, and you know our ways! We seek only to speak to this daughter of the forest, to discern if her intentions are noble, and to guide her on her path!”
The trees seemed to rustle slightly, though the wind was nowhere near strong enough to move the branches, and the animals in the undergrowth became still. The hierophant waited patiently to see if the forest would believe them and let them through; if not, then there was no point forcing the matter any longer today and wasting time that could be spent tending to creatures elsewhere or petitioning Mayor Mare to ban the cutting down of trees in her territory. Eventually, nature around them seemed to come to a consensus, and a way was presented for them. Though the woodland creatures scampering away were out of sight, the druids were easily able to follow them.
Their path took them deep into a part of the forest they’d never been able to reach before, and they came upon a small clearing. The hierophant raised a hoof to signal the others to halt within the trees and observe. On one side of the clearing was a makeshift shelter. At the base of a tree that was tipping dangerously away from the clearing, a hole had been dug out among the protruding roots, and a curtain of branches and chainmail hung across the entrance. The hovel’s inhabitant was nearby, tying a splint around a wolf’s broken foreleg while other animals, hunter and prey alike, watched. This daughter of the forest was a young pegasus with a buttery yellow coat, and a pink mane of moderate length that looked to only have begun growing out in the last year. She was garbed in the tattered remains of the undergarment Hunter trainees wore under their armor. But, she didn’t look like a Hunter, and the leather bits of her armor were nowhere to be seen. Good, she’s already on the right path, then, though I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a Hunter becoming a druid.
“There, now you need to find a safe place to heal up, and don’t put pressure on that leg except to exercise it until it’s fully healed,” she said in a quiet voice that barely carried to the listening druids, and the wolf growled something back, causing the small pegasus to giggle, “Yes, and be careful near the edges of cliffs.”
What? Impossible! How did she do that? Druids could communicate with the creatures of the forest, but it was a difficult and indirect method, yet this foal seemed to be able to understand them as if they were speaking directly to her in a language she could understand. The small beings who’d led the druids here had been patiently waiting for her to finish her work, and as the wolf walked off into the trees, they approached her and began chittering to her. The pegasus looked up in alarm at where the druids were watching, gave a small “eep,” and began to back away into the woods.
“Wait!” the hierophant called as he emerged into the clearing, not wanting this mysterious foal to disappear again, “We mean you no harm! If we had, the forest would never have let us approach you! We just want to talk!”
Uncertainly, the foal trotted back into the clearing, but stopped several paces short of the hierophant.
“How are you able to speak to them?” he asked, seeing she wasn’t comfortable enough to get any closer.
“I'm not sure. I just understand them, and they understand me,” the pegasus said nervously, “It’s a talent I’ve had for the past year since I discovered my destiny—to care for these creatures. Why have you come?”
“We have come to speak to you,” the hierophant answered, figuring that it was only fair to answer her questions when he had so many of his own to ask, “We are from the Ponieville druid circle; do you know what druids are, child?”
“Keepers of the forest,” the pegasus responded.
“Just so; we care for nature the same way that you do.”
“Ha-have you come to take me away?” she asked, looking at her home beneath the tree.
“If that is your wish,” the hierophant answered, “Nothing would please me more than to see you join our circle and be taught the ways of the druids. You would learn to read the rhythms of nature, though I dare say you might have a few things to teach us, as well. Is that something you would like?”
“Mm-hmm,” the pegasus admitted meekly after thinking it over for a moment.
“Excellent. What is your name, child?”
“I-I’m Fluttershy.”
“Welcome to our family, Fluttershy,” the hierophant said warmly, “You shall make a fine druidess, a fine druidess indeed.”
Rarity furiously hammered metal at her smithy, shivering against the growing chill as she was forced to step away from the heat of the forge momentarily. She’d taken care of all her outstanding orders before leaving for the Gauntlet, and had let her customers know that she’d be gone for nearly two weeks because of it, but now that she’d returned, the orders had piled on. Rarity had been back in Ponieville for less than a week, and already she was swamped and frighteningly behind. Many orders were due tomorrow, and the only way they could be met would be for the blacksmith to work through the night. That is exactly what she intended to do, for she didn’t want a repeat of the time when she’d been working on the Brave Companions’ gala dresses and had to turn her customers away with apologies of lateness.
“Rarity!” a foal’s voice interrupted her work.
The mare looked up to see her younger sister, Sweetie Belle, running toward her. The glowing bar of metal she was holding had not been clamped down yet, and she didn’t have anywhere to set it where it wouldn’t fall. With nothing else to do, she threw it into the nearby quench tank, sending up a cloud of steam. Rarity groaned; she would need to heat up the metal again before she could shape it, and her actions may have hurt the quality enough that it would be unfit for its intended purpose. Sweetie Belle leapt at Rarity as she reached her and wrapped her in an embrace, her winter cloak protecting her dress (which Rarity had created) from the soot on the blacksmith’s apron.
“Sweetie, how many times have I told you that you can’t just rush me like that when I’m at work in the forge?” Rarity asked as she released the hug, “You could have been hurt.”
“Sorry, Rarity. I was just excited to spend some time with you. I haven’t seen you in weeks,” the foal said.
“Yes, well, work and the Gauntlet have taken up all my time for a while,” Rarity admitted sheepishly.
“Did Rainbow Dash really save you?” a young pegasus nearby asked excitedly, “What was it like?”
Rarity had met Scootaloo only once before, but she’d been around for almost three months at this point. After her mother’s death, she’d traveled from the Hill Kingdoms on her own to Ponieville, and had become fast friends with Sweetie Belle almost immediately. After staying for a time in one of Ponieville’s inns, she'd run out of the precious little coin that she’d brought with her, and Sweetie Belle had convinced her and Rarity’s parents to take the foal in temporarily. The young pegasus had an almost fanatical fascination with Rainbow Dash, having heard stories about her from her mother—though why somepony from the Hill Kingdoms had known about a Hunter practically nopony had heard of before the formation of the Brave Companions was a mystery—so her question for Rarity was understandable.
“I’m afraid I don’t really have time to talk much now,” Rarity said, trotting over to the forge and stoking it, “I have quite a lot of work to do, and it all needs to be done by tomorrow.”
“But … you’ll have time later, right?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“I’m afraid not, Sweetie. I’m going to have to work through the night to get all this done.”
“Oh … okay,” Sweetie Belle said with disappointment, “I guess Scootaloo and I can find something to do while you’re working.”
“Wait, do you mean you’re staying here?” Rarity asked, pausing in her work as the foals started trotting toward her shop/home.
“Yeah, mother and father are on their way to Trotstagor, and they didn’t want us home alone,” Sweetie said, “They’ve been planning this trip for months.”
“I’ve completely lost track of time with all this work. I had no idea that was today!” Rarity said, aghast.
This simply wouldn’t do.She couldn’t leave Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to their own devices in her home, completely unsupervised. There was a reason her mother and father had sent them here instead of leaving them home alone. Shortly after Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had met, they’d also become friends with Applejack’s sister, Apple Bloom, and the three foals had formed a group of “crusaders,” as they called themselves. Since then, they’d been known to engage in some ridiculous and often outright dangerous activities in the pursuit of their cutie-marks. Rarity shuddered to think what damage they could do to her home if she wasn’t there to watch over them.
But what could she do? She’d promised herself (and the ponies who counted on her to do her craft) that she wouldn’t repeat the kerfuffle with the gala dresses and complete orders late. She couldn’t look after Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and also complete all her work. However, she couldn't compromise on either responsibility. She couldn’t risk leaving the foals alone, and she couldn’t abandon her work until her parents returned to take them back off her hooves. There was no solution, no way out.
“Rarity, are you busy?” Fluttershy asked as she trotted around the shop, “I brought the salve you wanted.”
“Fluttershy, you’re a godsend!” Rarity proclaimed, escaping her spiral of worry long enough to greet the druidess, “This will do wonders for my aching neck and shoulders.”
As Fluttershy trotted around the low stone wall surrounding the smithy, instead of flapping over it like any other pegasus would’ve and ended up knocking over equipment, an idea came to Rarity. No, that would be too much to ask. Or would it? She’d known of Fluttershy for years, but only since the summer solstice had she really known her personally. Maybe they weren’t the best of friends, but they certainly weren’t strangers either, and their adventures together had led her to trust the druidess. There was also so much work that had to be done …
“Fluttershy, I don’t suppose I could trouble you to do me a huge favor?” Rarity ventured after taking the salve from her, “I have so many orders that I have to complete by tomorrow that I’ll have to work through the night, and I was wondering if you could do something in my stead. That is, if you’re free tonight.”
“It should be a quiet evening,” Fluttershy said, her ear subconsciously pricking up with curiosity at what Rarity would propose.
“Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo here have nopony to look after them while I’m working,” Rarity said, gesturing to the two foals, who stepped away from her bench of smithing tools and feigned innocence as she drew attention to them, “I wouldn’t want to impose, but would you be able to take them for the night?”
“Oh,” Fluttershy said with some surprise, but it didn’t take her long to make up her mind, “Of course, Rarity, if it’ll help you. They can’t be too much trouble.”
“Hmm, I’m afraid they can be quite a burden, always getting up to mischief,” Rarity replied with a snort, giving the pair a pointed look that made them back away from the tools again, “But, I really need to get all this work done. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to.”
“I know, Rarity, but I’d be happy to help. It’s what friends do,” Fluttershy assured her, “Okay, girls, it looks like you’ll be coming with me for the night.”
Fluttershy had barely made it a few paces from the smithy when Scootaloo hopped onto her back unexpectedly. If she hadn’t been so used to woodland creatures doing the same, the druidess surely would’ve bolted. As she turned to look back at her new passenger, Sweetie Belle rushed up alongside, nearly tripping Fluttershy up. Recovering her balance, she trotted on with the two foals in tow, keeping a close eye on their current whereabouts.
“So, you were at the Gauntlet too, right?” Scootaloo asked, “Did you see Rainbow Dash’s sonic rainboom?”
“Ooh, ooh!” Sweetie Belle piped up before Fluttershy could answer, “Apple Bloom might still be in town! We should find her and see if she can stay with Fluttershy tonight, too!”
“Yeah!” Scootaloo yelled, practically in Fluttershy’s ear, and dismounted, “Cutie Mark Crusaders unite!”
“Wait,” Fluttershy called as the foals took off down the streets of Ponieville, but they were already out of earshot.Perhaps this was going to be more difficult than she’d realized.
***
Fluttershy caught up to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo at the town square, where some of the last crops of the year were being sold. They had found the target of their search, and Apple Bloom was trying to convince Applejack to let her go with her friends. Fluttershy was convincing herself that after dealing with wild creatures and their vast interconnected web of interactions, taking care of three young ponies would be no problem, when she spotted Twilight Sparkle departing Golden Oak’s laboratory. The sorceress was dressed in traveling attire, and her saddlebags were stuffed with tomes.
“Hello, Twilight,” Fluttershy waved in greeting, “Are you headed my way?”
“Salutations, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied, “That would all depend as to whether or not you are returning home.If so, then yes, I will be passing by on my way to visit Zecor.I have been practicing my Cainhiran Zebrikaanian, and I have some more books in Low Equestrian for her to practice with.”
“I see,” Fluttershy replied, not understanding why the sorceress was so long-winded, “You’ll be careful in the Everfree Forest, won’t you?”
“Of course, I have taken adequate precautions,” Twilight said, demonstrating that the scarf wrapped around her neck had magical runes stitched on the inside for protection, “Would you like to accompany me, at least as far as your home? I really must get going soon if I wish to return to Ponieville before night sets in. The winter solstice will be here soon, so at least the days will begin to lengthen again after that, but for now we are condemned to early nightfall.”
“Oh, I would, but I’m looking after Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom tonight,” Fluttershy said, gesturing to the playing foals, “I’m afraid you might move faster alone.”
“I see what you mean,” Twilight replied, watching the three fillies galivant around and get chased away by a shopkeeper, “With those three together, you may have your hooves full.” From Applejack and Rarity, Twilight had heard plenty of complaints about the trouble these “Cutie Mark Crusaders” could get into, and Fluttershy didn’t seem to be the most formidable pony. However, she had faced down a dragon, so there was some strength in her that her silence masked.
“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Fluttershy said, “How much of a problem could they possibly be?”
***
Fluttershy’s home was not a house in the traditional sense, but it was perfect for the druidess. A small hillock in the countryside east of Ponieville jutted up above the surrounding landscape, atop of which grew an ancient tree with spreading branches devoid now of any leaves. Within the hillock, Fluttershy had dug her home, clearing space around the tree’s roots system and making holes in the hill for a door and windows. The roots had grown in such a pattern that it had been easy for the druidess to fill in the gaps with branches and divide the cavern under the hill into rooms. In essence, her home was a hole, but it was a far cry from her dwelling during that first year after she’d fallen from Cloudsdale. It was not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, for the druidess took meticulous care to keep her dwelling clean and dry. Abundant rushes were strewn on the ground to keep the residence fresh-smelling, and different herbs and fragrant plants grew on the walls. Fluttershy did not live in squalor, as some druids chose to do, so her home was well furnished. Furniture made from scavenged materials adorned the rooms, and there was a small fireplace and chimney of stone to allow her to cook inside without harming the tree.
The various creatures she’d taken in all scampered for a hiding place as her guests burst in with a tempest of foalish energy. They tore through the home, examining everything, and Fluttershy heard things tumbling over in other rooms before she even managed to step through the door. Fortunately, there was nothing here that couldn’t be replaced, but she still needed to reign them in. They were understandably excited to be all together in a new place, but Fluttershy couldn’t handle this much excitement for long.
“Look at this place!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she galloped back into the main room, throwing off her cloak.
“Girls, we need to quiet down now,” Fluttershy said as she retrieved the cloak from where it’d fallen over the fireplace before it burst into flames.
“Cool! Watch this!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she emerged from a passage near the room’s ceiling and jumped to the floor, her tiny wings doing little to slow her fall.
“Girls, really you need to settle down and stop rushing around,” Fluttershy said as she used her robes and tail to cushion Scootaloo’s fall, but the young pegasus took off immediately after landing.
“Maybe we c’n get our cutie-marks in potion-makin’!” Apple Bloom said as she knocked several jars and bottles down from the shelves.
“Oh, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Fluttershy said as she cleaned up the mess, taking the mixtures from the foal and placing them out of reach.
“Okay, then what about taking care of animals?” Sweetie Belle suggested, looking around for the creatures that had all found a hiding place by now.
“I think it would be better to do something calm and quiet before bed,” Fluttershy said tranquilly as the foals assembled in front of her.
“Ooh, ooh!” Scootaloo said, hopping up and down excitedly, “Do you have any stories about Rainbow Dash!”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Fluttershy said with relief that she was finally reigning them in, “I actually grew up with her as fillies, so I can tell you quite a few stories.”
“You c’n hear stories aboot Rainbow anytime, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom complained before Fluttershy could go on, “We’re all t’gether now, an’ we need t’ use this time t’ crusade for our cutie-marks!”
“Crusade?” Fluttershy asked, having never heard it put that way before.
“Yeah, we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Sweetie Belle said proudly, “And it is our holy quest to get our cutie-marks, no matter what trials we must face.”
“I have an idea!” Scootaloo exclaimed, “We should explore the Everfree Forest!”
Fluttershy’s home was perfect for her, except for a small issue with its location. The hillock and tree were practically right next to the Everfree Forest. The treeline was easily visible from any of the eastern windows, standing ominously in the middle distance. She was no stranger to venturing into the cursed woods, doing the same duties there as in the copses around Ponieville, but the trees outside her home were not the same as the ones she’d landed among when she’d fallen from Cloudsdale all those years ago. This stretch of the forest had a malevolent will that nothing she did could seem to purge. Not only was the very forest against anypony who ventured in, but the monsters here seemed more vicious and aggressive, as if possessed by an evil will. They did not fear the ponies of the surrounding countryside, and would often leave the forest to wreak havoc until cut down or forced back into the Everfree by a Hunter (usually Rainbow Dash).
“No,” Fluttershy said firmly as she stood in front of the door to keep the foals (who were pulling their cloaks back on) from leaving, “The Everfree Forest is far too dangerous, especially for ponies as small as you. There are many monsters that would eat you before you could scream for help.”
“But you go into the Everfree Forest all the time, so if you’re with us, it should be fine,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.
“Yeah, and all of us together should be able to take a monster down,” Scootaloo said, “We could be mighty monster hunters!”
“Like Rainbow Dash?” Apple Bloom asked tiredly, obviously unamused by the pegasus’s constant obsession with the Hunter.
“Yeah, we could be Hunters!” Scootaloo said, not noticing.
“Becoming a Hunter requires long and difficult training, as well as … other things,” Fluttershy lectured, “You can’t just become one by chasing down monsters. Now, I could tell you some stories about the time I trained with Rainbow Dash to become a Hunter; would you like that?”
“Maybe we can’t become Hunters with a capital ‘H,’” Sweetie Belle interjected before Scootaloo was drawn in by Fluttershy’s plan to keep them inside, “We could still capture the monsters, though. Fluttershy, you could help us avoid the really dangerous ones and find a monster we can capture and bring back to town.”
“No, I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Fluttershy protested, but the foals weren’t listening.
Scootaloo had climbed onto Apple Bloom’s shoulders and they’d wrapped themselves in a blanket from one of Fluttershy’s chairs. Scootaloo proceeded to take a pair of branches from the stack of firewood and hold them against her head as horns.Sweetie Belle gave her two friends a perplexed look as they stumbled unsteadily toward her.
“Behold, I am the great monster of the Everfree Forest,” Scootaloo proclaimed, trying to make her voice sound sinister, “One day I shall leave the forest to burn your crops and eat your children!”
“Oh …” Sweetie Belle said as she caught on, and shifted into a confrontational stance to play along, “Halt, fiend. You will do none of that if I capture you. Then, I shall parade you though town as my prisoner, and my fame shall spread far and wide.”
The foals began to chase each other around the room, Sweetie attempting to tackle the others from time to time. Fluttershy was still anxious, especially with Scootaloo nearly falling in the fireplace several times as they passed it, but at least they weren’t trying to leave anymore. This was not as easy as she’d hoped, and she doubted it would get any easier. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were very energetic and headstrong foals, and Fluttershy would have to bring all her confidence to bear in order to manage them. When Sweetie Belle finally managed to tackle the others, she sent the stack toppling over. Scootaloo crashed through a wall, the interwoven branches and twigs giving way to the impact, and Fluttershy rushed into the other room to make sure she was all right.
“Are you okay, Scootaloo?” she asked with concern as she helped the young pegasus up off the floor. It was fortunate that she’d been wearing her cloak in preparation to head out, for it had taken the brunt of the impact, and was now tattered and torn, but Scootaloo was mostly unharmed.
“Yeah, sorry, Fluttershy,” she apologized as she looked at the hole in the wall.
“I think we should settle down now,” Fluttershy said as she walked back into the main room with Scootaloo, breathing a sigh of relief that the foals seemed more subdued after the incident, “I’ll make you some food, and tell you some stories before bed.”
“Stories about Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo asked, having bounced back from her fall already.
“Of course,” Fluttershy said, grateful that at least she had no trouble manipulating Scootaloo.
***
Fortunately for Fluttershy’s sanity, the Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t much of a nuisance for the rest of the evening. There was talk still of crusading activities, but nothing came of them as the druidess insisted on help with the cooking, consuming the meal, and sitting quietly while she told them stories. As Scootaloo had requested multiple times, there were tales about Rainbow Dash, but that alone would obviously not satisfy the other two, so Fluttershy also told stories of the Brave Companions’ exploits. Of course, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had already heard much of these stories from their siblings, but there were some things they hadn’t been told, and they pointed these out as Fluttershy related the tales.
After food and stories, she had followed through with her plan to send them to bed. There had been some protest, but the druidess had put her hoof down, and they were all now tucked in and ready for slumber. There was no real bed in her home, but she had plenty of bedding and blankets to create an adequate sleeping situation for the foals in the room Scootaloo had crashed into. Fluttershy herself would sleep in the main room tonight, in case the foals decided to try to sneak out and explore anyway.
“What now?” Scootaloo whispered to her cohorts after lying awake staring at the ceiling in the dark for a few minutes.
“We have t’ do some crusadin’,” Apple Bloom whispered back as she extricated herself from the blankets Fluttershy had wrapped her in.
“What can we do from inside this room, though?” Sweetie Belle asked as she looked around, “Besides try to get our cutie-marks in twig-counting.”
“Is that something you can get a cutie-mark in?” Scootaloo asked as she trotted over to the window.
“If it was, would you want one?” Sweetie Belle asked, and Scootaloo grunted in reply as she pulled back the heavy curtain over the window.
The single window in this room (which usually served as Fluttershy’s bedchamber) had been dug out of the hill between two large roots. Scootaloo crawled up into the short tunnel and pressed her face against the crisscrossed branches in order to peer outside. The countryside was tranquil beneath the rolling clouds that would bring the first snow any day now. As the moon appeared with its unfamiliar pattern ponies everywhere were still getting accustomed to, the landscape was illuminated, and Scootaloo spotted movement. There was a farm not far from Fluttershy’s home, and the chickens from it were all wandering away in a line toward the Everfree Forest, as if entranced.
“Come look at this,” Scootaloo called, and Sweetie Belle crawled up into the windowsill with her, making things quite cramped, “The chickens are wandering into the Everfree Forest.”
“We have to save them,” Sweetie Belle gasped, “Before any of the monsters get to them.”
“But how’re we g’n t’ get out there t’ do it?” Apple Bloom asked as she watched Fluttershy through the hole in the wall, “Fluttershy won’t let us leave, an’ we can’t get past her.”
“Maybe we can,” Sweetie Belle said deviously, “Apple Bloom, keep an eye on her.”
While the farm-pony kept watch on the druidess while she relaxed in the main room, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo began to dig around in the windowsill, loosening enough of the cross-branches to make a hole to escape through. Once Scootaloo had passed through herself, tearing her cloak even more, Sweetie called Apple Bloom up, and soon all three of them were outside. After dusting themselves off, the three fillies took off toward the Everfree Forest, to seek their destinies or their doom.
***
Fluttershy remained blissfully unaware that her charges had escaped for some time. After resting a bit to recover some energy, she got to work cleaning up the remains of the meal she’d prepared. Her home, though humble, also needed some tidying up, and she set to work doing so before going to sleep herself. Padding a bench with cushions and wrapping herself in blankets, Fluttershy laid down for the night.
However, she had difficulty sleeping. She was used to the small noises of the night emanating from the woodland creatures all around her, and things were extremely quiet now that they’d fled the Cutie Mark Crusaders. In fact, it was almost too quiet. The druidess’s hearing, though not as sensitive as a Hunter like Rainbow Dash’s, should have been able to pick up the sound of the fillies breathing, especially with the hole Scootaloo had knocked in the wall, but she heard nothing.
Bolting up from her makeshift bed, Fluttershy rushed into the bedchamber to find it empty. How did they sneak past me?Unless… Fluttershy rushed to the window and pulled back the curtain, revealing the mangled crossbars. Pieces of cloth matching the cloaks each of the fillies had worn were hanging from the branches, telling a clear story of how they’d escaped.
Oh no! What am I going to do! They must’ve gone into the Everfree Forest, in which case they’re already more than likely dead. I thought I could handle this, but I was wrong! How could I ever break the news to Rarity or Applejack if something happened to their sisters—I’m not sure exactly who would be responsible for Scootaloo, but surely somepony will miss her. This is terrible! Awful! Dreadful! Horrid! I was supposed to be looking after them, and they’ve slipped right past me. Why can’t ponies be as simple as wild animals? At least I understand them.
No, I can’t let terror take me. I have to be brave, I have to be strong, for those fillies’ sakes. If I don’t save them, then who will? Even if it means going into the Everfree Forest, going under those trees that so clearly want me dead, I have to do so, to save them. I can panic later; right now, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle need me.
Infused with new confidence and a sense of purpose, Fluttershy pulled on thicker robes to protect against the night’s cold and departed her home. A crawling sensation traveled up her back as she neared the foreboding tree line and paused in its shadow. The trees stretched out their gnarled limbs over her, as if reaching out to snatch her home. She could’ve sworn she heard groans as the branches moved, but it may have been her imagination. Steeling herself for what lay ahead, the druidess plunged into the dark forest, determined to keep herself from panic, at least until she’d found the Cutie Mark Crusaders and returned them to safety.
***
Not surprisingly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had become lost almost immediately after entering the Everfree Forest. Scootaloo tried to fly up and get a look over the trees to establish their position, but her wings weren’t strong enough yet to lift her very far, and none of the branches wanted to help a pony to climb. So, they were stuck on the ground, wandering long-abandoned paths, and searching for chickens that they’d lost sight of before even entering the forest. Most ponies would consider this a good time to give up and try to return home, but foalish optimism and reckless ignorance to danger kept them going. At least they had the sense to all stay together instead of splitting up, but that was more out of a desire for safety and comfort than any logical decision.
“Chicken! Here chick-chick-chick-chick-chick!” Apple Bloom called into the dark.
“What’re you doing?” Scootaloo asked, perplexed.
“Calling for th’ chick’ns,” Apple Bloom answered, “Here chick-chick-chick-chick-chick!”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to work,” Scootaloo said, trotting on ahead.
“How d’ you know?” Apple Bloom asked, “It works f’r th’ chick’ns on m’ farm.”
“We’re not on your farm,” Scootaloo replied, “I don’t think these chickens’ll listen to you.”
“You don’t know that!” Apple Bloom shot back, “What if their farmer called ‘em th’ same way?”
“Girls!” Sweetie Belle drew the others’ attention, “We’re not going to find the chickens or get our cutie-marks by arguing. Also, we probably shouldn’t be making too much noise. Just in case.”
The brief silence allowed them to hear the noises coming from the forest around them, and the amount of movement going on was disturbing. Not only that, but the creatures moving in the dark were clearly not the same animals Fluttershy and the other druids cared for; these were monsters. Somewhere in the distance, something large toppled a tree, and the fillies suddenly felt very small and insignificant. Something screamed as its flesh was torn from its bones by another monster, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders edged away from that noise. In the other direction, a squawk sounded and was cut off.
“A chicken!” Apple Bloom proclaimed, forgetting her fear momentarily before dropping her voice to a whisper, “They’re that way.”
“Okay, Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Sweetie Belle said, “We have to move quietly, save whatever chickens we can, and get out of here.”
The others nodded, and the three foals wrapped their cloaks tighter around themselves before sneaking off toward the sound of the dying chicken. From the shadows, several monsters watched, wondering who among them would be the first to strike, and if they could do so without being in turn cut down by the rest. Even though they thought they were being sneaky, the fillies were far from safe.
***
Fluttershy was all too aware of how much danger she was in, nearly jumping out of her skin at every sound. The forest knew her and pressed in around her, but she continued to put one hoof in front of the other and forge on, rejecting the paths that the trees tried to send her down. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were in here somewhere, and she had to find them before something wretched happened to them. Of course, it was just as likely that something would happen to Fluttershy in these woods that were unfriendly even to druids.
“Get ahold of yourself, Fluttershy,” the druidess reprimanded herself aloud after almost bolting when an owl landed on a nearby branch, “You’ve been in the Everfree Forest many times.”
Of course, she’d only been in an unfriendly section at night once before, and she’d been with the other Brave Companions. Right now, she was all alone. The only thing that kept her going was her goal. She may have been vulnerable to the monsters of the Everfree herself, but at least she could fly out of reach in an emergency (provided that her wings cooperated). The three fillies in her care would have no such advantage, and could easily be boxed in on the ground and eaten. She tried not to think about the horrors they could succumb to as she pressed on, searching for any traces of the youngsters. If only she had Rainbow Dash’s tracking skills, then hunting them down would’ve been a breeze, but so would killing the monsters before they got to them.
“Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? Who goes there?” Fluttershy called out as she froze upon spotting a vaguely pony-shaped figure in the gloom ahead, “Twilight Sparkle?”
As she got closer, the druidess was able to make out that the figure ahead of her was definitely a unicorn, and the robes she was wearing made it likely that it was her friend Twilight. She also had the saddlebags bulging with books that Fluttershy had seen her with earlier that day.
“Oh, Twilight, am I glad to see you!” Fluttershy said after confirming that it was the sorceress, “Your time with Zecora must’ve gone late, but I’m almost glad it did because I need your help.”
Speech failed the druidess as she got close enough to get a really good look at her friend. She’d found it odd that Twilight hadn’t moved since she’d called out to her, but had been too distressed over the situation she was in to give it much thought. Now that she was up close, she saw the reason for Twilight’s inactivity; she and her belongings had been turned to stone. Though she’d tried to block out her Hunter training, a few things still remained with her, mostly lessons going through the bestiary, so Fluttershy instantly recognized that this was the work of a cockatrice. Fortunately, the fact that Twilight’s clothes and books had been turned to stone too meant that there was still hope, since the breed that had gotten the sorceress had been the kind that didn’t truly turn its prey into stone, merely coating it in a thin layer and paralyzing it to eat later. That knowledge wouldn’t help Twilight much unless the cockatrice had a change of heart and unfroze her or Rainbow Dash had the skill to undo it, but it did help Fluttershy to know at least one of the things she was up against out here.
She didn’t want to leave Twilight alone (and possibly lose her), but Fluttershy also knew that finding the fillies was still the top priority. Leaving the petrified sorceress, the druidess set off back into the forest, moving carefully as she spotted the cockatrice’s messy nest shortly after leaving. She froze up as movement caused the brush ahead of her to stir. What now?It’s too small to be a cockatrice. Fluttershy spread her wings and prepared to take off if something emerged from the undergrowth that she needed to escape from.
“Gotcha!” Scootaloo proclaimed as she pounced out of the brush, nearly giving the druidess a heart attack, “Fluttershy?”
“Girls!” Fluttershy exclaimed with relief as the other two fillies emerged as well, “I’m so glad I found you! We have to get out of here now.”
“We can’t, Fluttershy,” Sweetie Belle complained, “We saw your neighbor’s chickens wander off into the forest, and we have to find them before they get eaten.”
“No time for that. We have to get out of here before we’re eaten, or worse!” Fluttershy said as she tried to herd the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the direction she thought led out of the Everfree, “There’s a cockatrice out here somewhere, and we need to leave before it finds us.”
“A cockatrice! Cool!” Scootaloo said excitedly as she pushed past Fluttershy and trotted toward the beast’s nest, “Can they really turn ponies to stone?”
“Some can, but that’s not important right now,” Fluttershy said desperately, “What matters is we get out of here immediately.”
“Look, a chicken!” Apple Bloom exclaimed as she spotted one of the fowl wandering around between two trees.
“Girls! No! Stop!” Fluttershy called as the Cutie Mark Crusaders rushed off toward the chicken, headed in the direction of the petrified Twilight.
“Gotcha!” Scootaloo proclaimed again as she tried to tackle the chicken, but missed and fell on her face.
When she looked up, she was staring at the same thing that had transfixed her friends when they’d caught up to her. Twilight Sparkle loomed over her, her face frozen in surprise and fear as she hadn’t been able to cast a spell in time to stop the cockatrice from petrifying her. Scootaloo backed away as she stood, nearly bumping into an increasingly anxious Fluttershy.
“See, we need to get out of here!” Fluttershy said, horrified again at the sight of her friend.
“But, the chicken …” Sweetie Belle said weakly, pointing at the nearby bird as it wandered toward a rustling bush.
A set of talons suddenly shot out from the bush, and all four ponies screamed as they pierced the chicken and swiftly pulled it out of sight. Frantic squawking soon came to an end, leaving only the sound of crunching bones and tearing flesh hanging in the air. A low warble came from the bush, and the cockatrice reared up, revealing itself to the ponies. Twice the size of an adult pony, the cockatrice looked very much like a rooster with a mix of scales and feathers covering its body. It also had a long scaly snake’s tail, covered in spines, which it whipped around, gouging marks in the nearby trees as it stepped out toward the ponies. Blood and feathers covered its beak and wattle, the remains of the chickens it’d lured into the Everfree Forest to feast on.
“Girls, get behind me,” Fluttershy said in a voice broking no argument, and the three fillies hurried to obey, “If I say so, be prepared to run. Follow the moon.”
The cockatrice plodded toward the druidess, glancing hungrily at Twilight as it passed her. When it had caught the sorceress on her way back to Ponieville, it had been pleasantly surprised, and had anticipated making a meal of the pony after starting with some chickens. Now, this was even better. Four more ponies to eat, and three of them still young and tender; it was almost too much to ask for.
Fluttershy was visibly trembling by the time the monster was directly in front of her, practically close enough to touch. She couldn’t run, not without exposing the fillies behind her to likely death. She had to stand firm. She had to do something. It was a long shot, but if she could communicate with woodland creatures and with a manticore, then maybe she could do this, too. She doubted she’d be able to just talk things out with the cockatrice, though; this situation would require something more. The cockatrice’s eyes, until now a milky white, turned a blazing red as it opened its inner set of eyelids.
“Now you just stop right there!” Fluttershy demanded, her voice reverberating oddly in the air as it did whenever she spoke directly to animals, “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
Flakes of stone had begun to form across the druidess’s form almost immediately after the cockatrice had locked eyes with her, but her words had paused the progress of it spreading somehow. Fluttershy didn’t know it, but she was using the magic within her that had first appeared twelve years ago when she’d fallen from Cloudsdale. If Twilight had been conscious of what was going on around her, she might’ve recognized the oddity of Fluttershy’s ability to speak to animals and maybe even thought to probe deeper and discover what she’d missed in Pinkamena, but, alas for her, she was currently a statue. Fluttershy’s uncanny ability to speak to animals also manifested itself in extreme cases as an uncanny persuasion, and the cockatrice was having a hard time discarding the reprimand its prey had just given it. Shaking its head to clear its mind, the cockatrice locked eyes with the druidess again and leveraged its own supernatural abilities.
“Do you know what’ll happen if you start killing ponies?” Fluttershy continued on, blinking dust from her eyes as the stone began to spread over her body, “They’ll call in Hunters, and you’ll stand no chance against them. They’ll burn you out and kill you. But, before they kill you, they’ll chop off parts of your body to take as trophies. They might not even kill you, just put out your eyes and leave you to be torn apart by your fellow monsters.”
With every moment, Fluttershy grew closer and closer to becoming petrified (she was talking as much to fight her way out as to keep her jaw from seizing up at this point), but with every word, the cockatrice’s mind grew closer to caving. Its inner set of eyelids began to droop—what this prey was saying made great sense, and the consequences of eating these ponies sounded terrible—and the progress of stone on Fluttershy’s body slowed.
“Now, you’re going to unfreeze Twilight, and then go deep, deep into the Everfree Forest, where you won’t bother anypony ever again, and I might consider not calling Hunters in on you anyway!” Fluttershy gasped out as the stone around her lungs constricted her breathing, “Do I make myself clear?”
The cockatrice hesitated, but there was no stopping the inevitable anymore; it was completely under Fluttershy’s sway. It closed its inner eyelids and backed away from the half-petrified druidess. Making sickening noises, it coughed up spit that coated Fluttershy (and splashed onto the Cutie Mark Crusaders), dissolving the stone.
“Whoa, that was amazing!” Scootaloo exclaimed as the cockatrice repeated the process on Twilight.
“Yeah, how’d y’ do that?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Dealing with creatures is my destiny, and I have to be able to speak to them to deal with them. It’s what I got my cutie-mark for,” Fluttershy said as she tried to expunge the slime from her druidess robes, “Thankfully for us, I also have the talent to persuade them to do what is best.” If only I could do the same with ponies.
“You’re amazing, Fluttershy. We … we should’ve listened to you and not gone looking for trouble. We’re sorry,” Sweetie Belle apologized for the group.
“What … what happened?” Twilight Sparkle asked in a daze as she stumbled toward the group, soaked in cockatrice spit, with the cockatrice long gone.
“Fluttershy saved you!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.
“Fluttershy did?” the sorceress asked, looking in surprise at the druidess, “I must know how.”
“I’d love to tell it, but somewhere safer, perhaps with a change of clothes,” Fluttershy said, looking around at the terrifying woods around them.
The monsters watching, however, had lost their appetite after seeing Fluttershy turn the cockatrice away and the return of Twilight’s magic to the area once she was no longer petrified. They preferred a tamer prey, and this druidess was not as tame as she seemed. First impressions were often wrong, and it was especially true in this case. Fluttershy appeared frail and defenseless, but when she was pressed or had to defend others, she stood up firmer and bolder than anypony else, and revealed a strength and will unmatched by others. Twilight Sparkle had known the druidess for less than half a year, and was still learning just how much strength was hidden behind her silence.
Rarity galloped through town, the young filly ducking under carts as she passed through the market to cut down on time. When Gascoigne had first arrived in Poneiville, she hadn’t paid much attention. He was another unicorn fleeing the pogroms in the east, which had only become worse since King Wexel of Manehattan had died, and there was now nopony to reign in his zealous son Hadish, the new king of Manehattan. He dressed like aristocracy, but his belongings were few and his budget too meager to afford anything more than an upper room over a tannery. It had intrigued ponies for a while, who had assumed a pony of his class would pass through the town in time, but it looked like he was here to stay. Nopony really important would do more than pass through Ponieville, and talk about the newcomer died down after it became evident he had nowhere else to be.
Rarity’s interest was renewed when she learned why the old stallion was always dressed so fancily. In Manehattan, Gascoigne had been a reputable smith and clothier. Rarity had been haphazardly working in both those professions (favoring the latter), for slightly less than a year now, ever since she’d received her cutie-mark. She was determined to convince Gascoigne to let her apprentice with him, which would greatly advance her mastery of the crafts she was destined to pursue. It was a grand stroke of providence that she would have a master tailor to teach her.
“Master Gascoigne!” the filly called as she knocked at the door to his room, wrapping her scarf more tightly over her nose to filter out the smell of the tannery below, “Are you home?”
“Who wants to know?” the stallion snapped back through the closed doors, almost causing Rarity to fall back down the stairs.
“It’s Rarity, daughter of Magnus the cooper and Henrietta,” Rarity replied tentatively.
“Ah, yes, I’ve heard about you,” Gascoigne said grumpily as he opened the door and looked down at the hopeful filly, “An aspiring seamstress, hmm? I suppose you want some advice.”
“Yes, actually,” Rarity replied, dreaming of that advice becoming an apprenticeship.
“Well, I guess it can’t hurt,” the stallion said, ushering her into his room.
Though the chamber was quite small, the scanty number of possessions that Gascoigne had meant that it still wasn't crowded by any means. A straw-stuffed pallet served as a bed as well as a seat for the low wooden table next to it, which was stacked with a half-eaten loaf of bread and bottles at varying levels of emptiness. Rarity’s family was by no means wealthy, but even they lived better than this. The entire apartment was dingy, and everything was in disarray. The only things that Gascoigne hadn’t simply let lay wherever they fell were the beautiful clothes stuffed in the single trunk he’d brought with him to Ponieville. The craftsmareship displayed dazzled Rarity, and she was certain this pony could help her. Gascoigne himself was a reflection of his living space, his mane unkempt and his posture horrid, but his clothes gorgeous, even if they were a bit worn from travel.
“Vodka?” the stallion offered the filly as he made his way over to the table.
“Um, no, thank you,” Rarity said graciously, and Gascoigne took a swig from the bottle himself.
“You really want my advice?” he asked as he sat down on his mattress, and Rarity nodded, “Find another profession.”
“What?” Rarity said in shock, “No, I-I can’t. This is my destiny; it’s what I got my cutie-mark for.”
“No, that’s not quite how you got your cutie-mark, if I’ve heard the stories right,” Gascoigne said as he scratched his chin before taking another swig of vodka, “Good thing, too. If making clothes was your destiny, you’d be at a loss here. Ponieville has no future for somepony like that.”
“Then why are you here?” Rarity asked angrily, frustrated with a pony she’d hoped would help her, “If you’re not going to help, you should’ve just stayed in Manehattan.”
“Would that I could have,” Gascoigne glowered back, “Alas, King Hadish cared not that I was the best weapon and armor smith and tailor in all of Manehattan, for there is a horn upon my head, and that is enough of a justification to take it from my body in Manehattan these days. I grabbed what I could and ran, but like so many other unicorns, I lost nearly everything. I just want to live out the last of my days without the threat of execution hanging over me. How unfortunate that my life would end in poverty and squalor, for my coin will soon run out and I’ll be forced to beg for my meals.”
“You could get back to work,” Rarity offered, “Maybe then you wouldn’t have to live in this dreadful place.”
“I’m old,” Gascoigne complained, “I don’t have much work left in me, not enough to dig myself out of this hole, at least.”
“You wouldn’t have to work much, especially if you take me on as your apprentice,” Rarity propositioned.
“Didn’t you hear me before, filly? There’s no future for me in Ponieville. Besides, how am I supposed to apprentice you without a place to apprentice you in?”
“Um, well, I don’t know, but at least working a little would be better than letting your money run out and starving to death,” Rarity said, grasping at straws.
“Hmm, you may be right, and perhaps there is a way,” Gascoigne said thoughtfully as he scratched his chin again, “If you could convince your father to invest in a smithy and we could find one more backer, we could start a business, and maybe even turn enough of a profit to pay them back and keep me off the street.”
“So, you’ll take me on as an apprentice?” Rarity asked hopefully.
“Yes, if—if we can find two investors to forward us the money, I’ll allow you to apprentice with me,” Gascoigne allowed.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Rarity said excitedly, hopping up and down, “I won’t let you down!”
“Don’t get too thrilled,” Gascoigne cautioned, “It’s not going to be all pretty clothes. This is Ponieville, and ponies here need horseshoes, nails, hinges, and plow blades, not gowns and doublets. I’m getting too frail to work the forge without the expensive equipment I had in Manehattan, so that’ll be your job for the most part. I can still tailor clothing, so that’ll be my responsibility, and if you do well with your other work, I’ll teach you some tailoring as well. Don’t get your hopes too high, though. There’s no demand for fancy clothing in Ponieville, so don’t think you’ll ever be able to be a clothier full time, or that you’re an equal to the tailors of Cant’r Laht. If you ever do, it will just lead to disappointment.”
Fluttershy sat quietly at the table, staring at the plate of food in front of her. She was awaiting Rarity, but the blacksmith was nowhere to be seen. After Fluttershy had done her the favor of looking after her sister and her friends several weeks earlier, she had set up these informal meetings with the druidess to talk. The two mares came from completely different worlds and didn’t know each other very well. This seemed to bother Rarity, since, as members of the Brave Companions, they were supposed to be fast friends. Fluttershy didn’t mind this turn of events, as the onset of winter meant she had little work to do as a druidess, and she was beginning to quite like meeting with Rarity to discuss their interests and the issues of the day. She just wished the blacksmith had picked a more private location to meet.
Ever since the kerfuffle when Twilight Sparkle had received an invitation to the spring’s summit, the Brave Companions had unintentionally made The Prancynge Ponie their usual eatery. However, an outdoor tavern was no place to meet now that snow coated the ground. Instead, Rarity and Fluttershy had become regulars at the Green Dragon Tavern. It wasn’t normally the kind of place either of them would go, but the food was acceptable and reasonably priced, and it wasn’t too rowdy during daylight hours.
Fluttershy continued to stare at her meal, and tried to ignore the gryphon mercenary across the room munching on a leg of roast venison. The Griffon Free Companies were currently camped outside of Ponieville, on their way to the east, and some of them had discovered that this tavern served meat if enough gryphons were available to buy it. As a druidess, Fluttershy found the killing of animals for consumption to be especially barbaric, but didn’t want to confront the gryphon, especially given what had happened the last time she’d spoken to one of their kind. The tavern’s door opened briefly, allowing snow to blow in, before it slammed shut and warmth returned.
“So sorry to keep you waiting, Fluttershy,” Rarity apologized as she trotted over to the table and seated herself, “The most extraordinary thing held me up.”
“What happened?Is everything okay?” Fluttershy asked as Rarity waved for the tavern staff to bring her what she usually ordered.
“Absolutely; more than okay, I’d say,” Rarity said as she removed her scarf and cloak, “On the way here, I stopped by Golden Oak’s laboratory to see Twilight briefly. As it turns out, she and Spike were having a portrait done of themselves by Trompe L’oeil, to send to her parents in Cant’r Laht as a Hearth’s Warming gift.”
“Trompe L’who?” Fluttershy asked.
“I know; I had no idea who she was either until Twilight explained,” Rarity admitted, begrudging her low birth so far from high society, “She is a famous painter from Cant’r Laht, and quite well connected with the city’s nobility. Anyway, she was quite taken with the dress I was wearing. I’m so glad I decided to dress up for our get-together today.”
“Oh, Rarity, do you think she’ll tell her friends in Cant’r Laht about you?” Fluttershy asked, realizing what a success that would be for her friend.
“That was my first thought, too, but it turns out she liked my dress even more than that,” Rarity said excitedly, almost striking the server who was bringing her food as she motioned with her forelegs, “She asked if I had any works of similar quality, and of course I told her that I did. She’s nearly completed the portrait of Twilight and Spike, and wants to do some paintings using my dresses before she returns to Cant’r Laht!”
“Rarity, that’s wonderful,” Fluttershy said with a smile, sharing in her friend’s joy.
“Can you imagine? My dresses on canvas for all of Cant’r Laht to see! Even if things don’t work out with Hoity Toity, this could give me a way into business in Cant’r Laht!”
“This is wonderful, Rarity. I’m so happy for you,” Fluttershy said honestly. These weekly visits really were helping them become closer.
“Of course, there is one tiny wrinkle,” Rarity said, clearing her throat, “Understandably, Trompe L’oeil isn’t planning to extend her stay in Ponieville for too long, so she wants to begin painting my dresses tomorrow.”
“What’s the problem with that?” Fluttershy asked, “I’d think you’d be pleased to start as soon as possible.”
“Oh, I am. It’s just that none of the truly spectacular works I have on hoof right now would compliment me well,” Rarity said, coming around to her question in a roundabout way, “I was hoping to ask you for a favor, Fluttershy. The gowns I have would suit you perfectly; there’s nopony else in Ponieville who would be a better model for them.”
“You want me to pose for paintings with a strange pony that will be hung and gawked at all over Cant’r Laht?” Fluttershy asked with dread.
“Well, yes, that is the essence of it. I know you’re conventionally a timid soul who wants nothing to do with attention, but I wouldn’t ask this of you unless you were my only hope,” Rarity said, “Please, Fluttershy, will you do this for me?”
“I don’t know about this …” the druidess said, living up to her timid nature.
“Please, Fluttershy, this would mean so much to me.”
“Well … I suppose I could pose for … a few paintings. For you, Rarity,” Fluttershy caved, seeing just how much it meant to her friend that she help out with this.
“Oh, thank you so much! I am forever in your debt!” Rarity exclaimed, getting up from the table and trotting around to embrace her in gratitude, “Now, enough from me for the time being. Let’s eat, and I want to hear about Fluttershy.”
***
The next morning, Rarity’s shop was abustle with activity. She wanted everything to be just so for when Trompe L’oeil arrived, and was busily making last minute adjustments. The room was a bit crowded, since there were four ponies here instead of the two Rarity had counted on. Besides Fluttershy, who was standing patiently while Rarity fussed over the gown she was wearing, Twilight Sparkle was also in attendance, curious to see a painter at work when she herself wasn’t the subject; Pinkamena was also here, since she had nothing better to do today, apparently.
“This may be the best we’re going to get,” Rarity said with a sigh, biting her lip nervously as she evaluated the dress, “The other dresses could probably use some more work. We should go through them all again and make sure.”
“Everything looks spectacular, Rarity,” Twilight said comfortingly, “You have nothing to worry about, and should just let things be so you are ready when Trompe L’oeil arrives.”
“Oh, I know,” Rarity said as she paced back and forth, “I’m just so nervous. I have high expectations to fulfill. If I don’t live up to them, then everything could work the opposite way I’ve hoped. If she doesn’t like them, bad word could spread in Cant’r Laht about me and sabotage my chances there entirely, not to mention convince Hoity Toity to rescind his offer.”
“Don’t worry, Rarity. I know everything will work out perfectly,” Pinkamena assured her.
“Really? Is that one of your premonitions, or are you just trying to make me feel better?” Rarity asked desperately.
“Sorry, the second one,” Pinkamena admitted, “But still, there’s no reason to worry.”
“Mm, I suppose you’re both right,” Rarity said, “I’m just so nervous. Everything has to be perfect. Fluttershy, I know it’s not your normal demeanor, but I need you to be bold for me.”
“Bold?” Fluttershy asked, in a tone that was as far from boldness as possible.
“Yes, I know you try to avoid being the center of attention as much as possible, but I’m afraid it can’t be helped,” Rarity lectured her, “You’ll be the center of attention in Trompe L’oeil’s painting, and I want you to look your best.”
“Okay, Rarity, I’ll try,” Fluttershy said, taking a daring stance, then immediately shrinking away the moment the door to the shop opened unexpectedly.
“The baroness Trompe L’oeil!” the artist’s assistant announced her entrance.
Trompe L’oeil sauntered into Rarity’s shop, her heavy cloak flapping in the winter wind. Like Hoity Toity, she was one of the few notable earth ponies of Cant’r Laht. Darkly tinted glasses hid her eyes from view, and when her assistant removed her cloak, it revealed a dress of flashy and contrasting colors arranged in simple shapes and patterns. She sized her surroundings up as her assistant unpacked her painting supplies.
“Ah, this is simply magnificent,” Trompe L’oeil said with an approving gesture as she finished her examination of Rarity’s shop and turned her attention to the subject of her painting, removing her glasses to get a better look, “Hurry, Klaus, I must strike while the iron is hot, to borrow a metaphor from the cruder art of metalworking.”
Her assistant accelerated his unpacking process, but it still didn’t seem fast enough for Trompe L’oeil, who jumped at the canvas the moment it was ready. She examined her subject and began to make some positional marks. Rarity motioned for Fluttershy to take up a better posture, and the druidess snapped to attention, trying her best to do justice to Rarity’s dress.
“No, no, this is all wrong!” Trompe L’oeil snapped at nopony in particular, but Fluttershy still recoiled, her timidity taking over.
The artist returned to her canvas, and Fluttershy realized what she’d done. Thoughtfully, she tried to take up a more assertive pose, something that would look good on canvas. Judging by Rarity’s expression, she was doing a good job, without even taking cues from the seamstress. Trompe L’oeil’s reaction told another story.
“No, this is too unnatural!” the painter snapped, and Fluttershy unconsciously recoiled again, looking back at Trompe L’oeil with surprise, “Yes! Yes! Hold that pose!”
Trompe L’oeil continued at her work for hours, while Fluttershy stayed in more or less the same position, shifting only slightly. Rarity watched the whole thing nervously, afraid of the artist’s disapproval of her work. Twilight watched Trompe L’oeil’s process, mentally taking notes. It wasn’t that she wanted to paint herself, but the sorceress’s curiosity was insatiable on every subject, and she drank every brushstroke in. Pinkamena watched for a while, but eventually left to pursue other things. The artist continued to paint, until she stopped, set down her brush, and admired her work.
“Stunning.Perhaps one of my best works yet,” she marveled before passing the finished painting to Klaus without Rarity having a chance to see it, “I think that I may have to extend my time in Ponieville even more. There is so much work for me to do!”
“Really?” Rarity said, her hopes soaring.
“Yes, really,” Trompe L’oeil said, as if it were obvious, “But, not here. This requires a new location.Tomorrow, the same thing, but I will speak to your town’s mayor about using her keep. I must leave now.”
“Can you believe it?” Rarity asked after the painter had left, barely believing it herself, “She liked it! She wants to paint more of my dresses! It’s all working out!”
“Congratulations, Rarity,” Fluttershy said, “I was so worried that I’d messed up.”
“Well, obviously you didn’t. It all worked out perfectly,” Rarity said, “Thank you so, so much for doing this for me. I know it can’t be easy, but I’m so thankful that because of you, the nobility of Cant’r Laht are going to see my dresses. Thank you again, Fluttershy. It’s a dream come true!”
***
“Rarity?” Fluttershy asked tentatively as the seamstress made adjustments to her gown.
The two ponies were in a room of moderate size in the Mayoral Keep, awaiting Trompe L’oeil’s arrival. The painter had wasted no time after the session the day before in speaking to Mayor Mare to get permission. Rarity wondered just what the mayor had asked in return for them being able to use her home—probably a portrait of her family. Rarity and Fluttershy were alone today, both Twilight and Pinkamena occupied elsewhere, which was for the best. Rarity had gotten the impression that Trompe L’oeil hadn’t appreciated the bard’s constant chatter or the sorceress’s constant observation yesterday.
“Yes, Fluttershy, what is it?” Rarity asked, not looking up from her work.
“Have you given a lot of thought to exactly what it would mean for you to become a hit in Cant’r Laht?” Fluttershy asked nervously, “Will you have to move to Cant’r Laht and leave us behind here?” Until now, the only pony the druidess had been strong friends with had been Rainbow Dash, and she didn’t want Rarity to leave now that they were just beginning to build a real relationship.
“Well, I suppose that eventually I might have to move to Cant’r Laht, if that is where everypony who is buying my work resides, but that wouldn’t occur for some time,” Rarity said, sitting back and thinking about it, “If I did, I would be sure to stay in touch with you and all my friends.”
“Oh, that’s good,” Fluttershy said with a slight smile.
“The baroness Trompe L’oeil!” Klaus announced as he threw the door open for the artist to enter.
As before, Trompe L’oeil spent the first minute appraising the room. Rarity had little control over this, since this was one of Mayor Mare’s chambers and not her own shop; even so, she was still worried that Trompe L’oeil would decide it was no good and leave anyway, and breathed a sigh of relief when the artist gave an approving nod. When the painter took off her dark glasses, however, her look was not one of approval.
“No, no, this won’t do,” she said with a shake of her head, “This ensemble is far too brash; it is not becoming of its wearer. You need something simple, more natural. That is what is required for this to work.”
“Simple, more natural,” Rarity said nervously, looking at what she’d brought with her and seeing that nothing would likely fit the bill, “I could put something together, but it would take some time.”
“Not necessary; you can go now,” Trompe L’oeil waved her off, “Klaus, find something more fitting.”
“Jas, médamæ[1],” Klaus lapsed into High Equestria before rushing off to do Trompe L’oeil’s bidding.
“You … want me to leave?” Rarity asked in confusion, “I don’t understand. I thought you wanted to paint my dresses.”
“That was the original intention, yes, but now you see I have found a better subject for my art,” Trompe L’oeil explained as she pulled Rarity aside, “Your dresses are fine, but you have presented me with a subject that is far more worthy of art than anything you could have garbed her in. She is a goddess, a dryad of the forest. It is so clear to me. To capture her on canvas is to capture the fleeting glimpse you have of a mythological creature before she slips out of sight and is gone forever. In truth, what she wears is of little consequence, for it is merely a starting point for me to elaborate on artistically and portray truth through revision.
“If she had lived thousands of years ago, the old masters would have sculpted her likeness. Every fountain in Maene would bear her image, and every garden would be graced with her figure. I am no sculptor, so I will capture her as I know how, with brush and pigment. To paint your works was a distraction for me, an interesting hobby and challenge, but to capture Fluttershy on canvas and bring her likeness to the great houses will be a pleasure. You are no longer needed here, for you have brought me someone grander than anything you could create.”
Trompe L’oeil turned away without another word and returned to her paints, leaving Rarity crushed. Klaus had not yet returned with a new outfit for Fluttershy, and Trompe L’oeil was preoccupied with preparing her equipment, so Fluttershy trotted over to where Rarity was still standing in a daze.
“Don’t worry, Rarity, I won’t pose for any more paintings unless they’re done for your dresses,” Fluttershy assured her friend, placing a comforting hoof on her shoulder.
“That’s very kind of you, Fluttershy, but I can’t ask you to do that,” Rarity said with a sigh.
“No, it’s quite alright,” the druidess assured her, “After all, the only reason I was standing for these paintings was to help you out.”
“No, Fluttershy, you must do this. Trompe L’oeil is right; you deserve to be painted and admired,” Rarity said forcefully, “She has the ability to make that happen. I know we thought it was going to be me that she was going to help be admired, but now that I’m out of the picture, it must be you. Go, shine, and don’t worry about me. I still have a chance with our dresses at the Grand Galloping Gala and with Hoity Toity, so everything will be fine.”
“I don’t know, Rarity,” Fluttershy said, “I was only doing this for you.”
“Then continue to do this for me, even if I’m not involved. I want you to shine and be adored. Stand for Trompe L’oeil’s paintings; you must, if not for yourself, then for me,” Rarity said, forcing a reassuring smile.
“Well, I suppose if that’s what you really want …” Fluttershy said with a sigh.
“It is,” Rarity said with finality.
“Fluttershy, come, we must begin,” Trompe L’oeil called her as Klaus returned, out of breath, with some of Mayor Mare’s finer clothes.
“I’ll just … show myself out then,” Rarity said in defeat once Fluttershy was out of earshot, and she left the room behind, along with her dreams.
***
Trompe L’oeil continued to paint Fluttershy’s portrait, often creating two or three works in a single day. The artist began to set up a longer-term residence in Ponieville, brokering a deal with Filthy Rich to stay in one of the nicer inns that he usually kept closed except around the summer solstice ceremony. Word was sent to Cant’r Laht for more canvas and paints, and they were rushed down from the mountain city, along with many of Trompe L’oeil’s possessions to make her stay in Ponieville more comfortable. It looked like the artist was here to stay until Fluttershy no longer inspired her, which didn’t seem likely to occur anytime soon.
Soon, her works were sent back to Cant’r Laht, and when ponies commented on her long absence, they were presented with the fruits of her labor in Ponieville. All marveled at the passion the artist had put into her paintings, and some began to say that her true career had only just begun. The portraits were exquisitely done, conveying the grace and dignity of the subject. Though traveling down through the mountains during the middle of winter to a backwater like Ponieville was certainly not an attractive idea, a few of Trompe L’oeil’s acquaintances underwent the journey anyway. Several members of the nobility temporarily relocated to Ponieville, both to reconnect with Trompe L’oeil and to see who this mare was that had captured her imagination, being brought to life in every one of her new paintings. Mayor Mare was ecstatic, having acquired a court of ponies she considered her social equals without lifting a hoof, and Filthy Rich was even more so, as his inns filled up with ponies willing to pay exorbitant amounts of coin for comfort.
At first, things weren’t so bad for Fluttershy. Certainly, ponies were looking at pictures of her and talking about her, discussing her form and flaws, but they were far away in a city that could hidden on a particularly cloudy day. Only Trompe L’oeil and Klaus were watching her for the most part, and she was able to bear it, reminding herself that this was something Rarity insisted she do; to walk away before Trompe L’oeil was finished with her would be breaking that promise to her friend. The trouble began when word traveled through Ponieville that somepony had captured the famous artist’s inspiration, but even that was bearable, since everypony here had seen Fluttershy before and didn’t say much to her other than ask some questions. When nobles began making the trip from Cant’r Laht, however, things grew far worse for the timid druidess. Soon painting sessions saw the room filled with strange ponies commenting and critiquing her, as if she were merely an object to be portrayed on canvas and not a mare with very real feelings and little courage to stand up for herself. The coming of the nobility really grabbed the attention of the townsponies, and soon she was mobbed with questions by ponies she’d known for years. She preferred to reside in the background, but, as in all of Trompe L’oeil’s works, she was now front and center, and she didn’t like it one bit. It was unbearable for a pony who only wanted peace and quiet and the opportunity to tend to the creatures of the wild, and things were only going to get worse.
Through it all, Rarity professed loudly and often that she was happy for Fluttershy, but soon things began to wear thin. She wanted to be happy for her friend, she really did, but every painting that Trompe L’oeil completed and ponies marveled at was like another knife in her flesh. The painter had wanted to paint her dresses, not Fluttershy. All this attention, especially from nobles who went to the trouble of traveling all the way here, was meant for Rarity, not Fluttershy. It had all gone wrong, but she couldn’t say anything without ruining her friendship with the druidess. She was the one who had insisted that Fluttershy continue to have paintings done of her, and to take the opposite stance now would be hypocritical and selfish. So, the blacksmith stewed in silence, her frustration growing every day.
“Oh, Rarity, I did not expect to see you here,” Twilight Sparkle said with surprise as she spotted Rarity at a table by herself in the Green Dragon Tavern, “I was looking for Spike, since I know he has been trying to convince this establishment to serve meat regularly, but I suppose stopping for a bite to eat could not hurt. Do you mind if I join you?”
“No, go ahead,” Rarity said apathetically with a wave of her hoof, “I don’t think Fluttershy is going to show up. She cancelled our meetup last week and promised she’d be here today, but I guess she’s far too busy now to meet with a pony like me.”
“She has been quite occupied,” Twilight said, having only half paid attention to Rarity while she was making her order, and not having picked up on the hostility, “It cannot be easy for a pony like her, especially when Trompe L’oeil insists she come along with her to soirées with Cant’r Laht nobility.”
“What?” Rarity said as if struck, “When did this happen? How do you know about it?”
“I was invited, of course,” Twilight replied offendedly, “I am Celestia’s personal protégé, a respected sorceress in my own right, and the daughter of an earl. I may have been a recluse before moving to Ponieville, and admittedly still am to some extent, but at least I am accustomed to interactions with other nobility. Fluttershy has no such background, and I am sure it is taking a toll on her.”
“Yes, one would almost wish she make a terrible faux pas so that Trompe L’oeil would be forced to stop painting her and she could descend back into obscurity,” Rarity said venomously.
“Rarity! Fluttershy is your friend, is she not?” Twilight said, aghast, “I never expected to hear something like that from you.” A Cant’r Laht sorceress, perhaps, but not you.
“I know, I know,” Rarity said guiltily, “I know I should be happy for her success, even if it replaces my own, but instead all I can think of is how I wish I were in her place. Oh, I wish I weren’t so jealous, and I could be a good friend. Please, Twilight. You can’t let Fluttershy know how I really feel! You will promise not to tell her, won’t you?”
“Of course Twilight won’t tell her,” Pinkamena cut in as she leaned over from the next table, “Losing the trust of a friend is the fastest way to lose that friend.”
“How long have you been here?” Twilight asked the bard, certain that she hadn’t seen her when she’d entered the tavern and that there was no way she could’ve possibly made it to her current position without Twilight noticing.
“Please, you will keep this between us, won’t you?” Rarity pleaded, and Pinkamena bobbed her head up and down rapidly.
“Yes, I promise I will not tell Fluttershy about this,” Twilight said, brushing her concerns about Pinkamena’s sudden arrival from her mind, “Applejack may be the Element of Trustworthiness, but I want you to know that you can trust me as well, Rarity.”
“Oh, good,” Rarity said with relief as she rose from the table, having completed her meal, “I think I shall go find something to take my mind off of things. Perhaps it is time to check in with Mayor Mare and see if she is going to commission her dress for the Grand Galloping Gala from me. The event is fast approaching, after all.”
“How did you get here?” Twilight asked Pinkamena as Rarity left the tavern, her best efforts unable to clear the question from her mind.
“Rarity! Oh, I’m so sorry I’m late. I hope …” Fluttershy said as she burst in a few minutes later, ceasing her apology as she saw that Rarity was nowhere to be seen, “Oh, I missed her, didn’t I?”
“Sorry, Fluttershy, she only just left,” Twilight answered her, giving up on convincing Pinkamena to disclose her secrets while she was busy stuffing her face.
“Oh, I feel terrible,” Fluttershy said as she sat in the seat Rarity had been in, covering her eyes with her hooves, “Not just because I missed meeting with Rarity, either. Twilight, can I tell you something?”
“Of course,” the sorceress replied.
“Do you promise you won’t speak a word about it to Rarity?” Fluttershy asked desperately.
“Of … course,” Twilight said, a sinking feeling appearing in her stomach at these mounting promises.
“I hate posing for Trompe L’oeil’s paintings. I hate uppity ponies crowding in on me and asking me questions. I hate being mobbed wherever I go. I hate all of it!” Fluttershy poured out her frustration, “But I can’t give it up. Rarity insisted that I go through with it, so I have to keep going for her sake, even if I hate it. I can’t let Rarity down.”
“Oh, really?” Twilight said, “Well, as it so happens, I was speaking with Rarity before you arrived, and she-”
“Fluttershy, could you excuse Twilight and me for a moment? Thanks,” Pinkamena butted in as she leaned over from her table and pulled Twilight with her as she returned, knocking the sorceress’s chair over.
“What are you doing?” Twilight asked as she pulled free of the bard’s grip and found a seat at the table.
“Twilight, you can’t tell Fluttershy Rarity’s secret after promising not to. What kind of a friend are you?” Pinkamena asked in hushed tones.
“Maybe one who wants to help her friends,” Twilight Sparkle offered, “Both of them are clearly miserable. Better that I break a promise to help them both than I let them continue like this.”
“Nooooo, you can’t do that,” Pinkamena said with vigorous head-shaking, “You gave Rarity your word, and if you break it, how can she ever trust you again?”
“Listen, I know I am new to this whole ‘friends’ thing, but I am fairly certain that allowing your friends to remain miserable when you have the ability to stop it is not the way to go,” Twilight replied, “What am I supposed to do, just let them go on like this, becoming more frustrated and depressed with each passing day?”
“Trust me, Twilight,” Pinkamena said, pulling her close, “You must keep your word above all else. You can’t tell them the truth when you’ve promised not to.”
“Fine, but I do not have to like it, and they will have to learn eventually,” Twilight said in frustration as she pulled away from Pinkamena and returned to the table with Fluttershy.
“Well, you were saying?” the druidess asked eagerly as the sorceress righted her chair, “What did Rarity have to say?”
“She … said that she was sorry the two of you were unable to meet today and hoped that you could get together to talk soon,” Twilight replied with a frown, keenly aware of Pinkamena’s eyes boring holes in the back of her head.
“Oh, of course,” Fluttershy said sadly, and she got up to leave the tavern, “Would you … would you tell Rarity that I also want to meet up soon, if she believes me.”
This is ridiculous. I have to tell her! Don’t I? But, I’ve given my word, and apparently keeping it is more important. If I can’t tell them how the other feels, somepony else will have to. It would be best if they could tell each other, but they’re unable to even meet to do so. Of course, there’s always … Yes! I may not be able to share their feelings with each other, but I can at least push them into a situation where it’s likely they’ll do it themselves.
***
As night fell two days later, Rarity trotted gleefully up to the Mayoral Keep. The nobles wintering in Ponieville were having a banquet here tonight, and by invitation of Twilight Sparkle, who trotted next to her, she would be attending. A gaggle of servants from a dozen noble houses and Mayor Mare’s own house waited just inside the keep to take their cloaks from them. After discarding their winter attire, the two mares made their way up to the great hall, where the wine was already flowing freely.
Rarity had to take a moment to center herself as she entered the room. All around the edges of the hall were paintings of Fluttershy. It made sense, since these nobles had come to Ponieville to admire Trompe L’oeil’s works, but still, it seemed that there would be no escape for Rarity from this nightmare. She tried not to pay attention to them, to make small talk with ponies of a much higher class than herself, but found her eyes continually drawn to the canvases. Ponies commented on and praised the paintings and their subject, and she couldn’t help feeling jealousy return inside, for it ought to have been her works that were the focus of discussion, not Fluttershy.
Fluttershy herself arrived some time later, practically forced into the room to make an appearance by Klaus. Inwardly, the pegasus was terrified, but she put on a brave face, especially after spotting Rarity on the other side of the room. This was what Rarity had wanted for her; she couldn’t appear miserable, even if she really was. Rarity watched with envy out of the corner of her eye as Fluttershy trotted over to a group of nobles, feeling sick as she realized that she was thinking ill about somepony who was supposed to be her friend. Twilight watched with concern as Fluttershy and Rarity avoided each other, and tried to bring them together for her plan, but was stopped by a baron who wanted to speak to her before she could make it to either of them. They were on their own, and would have to find some way to patch things up themselves.
Things were going well, or as well as things could go when two of the guests were convinced they had to pretend to be happy for the other’s benefit, when one of the guest who’d had a bit too much to drink decided that it would be a good idea to fire a bow indoors. She fired for the ceiling, but the arrow lost too much momentum to reach its mark, and plummeted down toward Fluttershy. As the missile unexpectedly landed next to her, her instincts took over and she bolted for the nearest hiding place, which happened to be the table upon which a keg of wine was balanced. The table rocked as the druidess cowered fearfully beneath it, and the keg was overturned, bursting open as it hit the ground. There wasn’t much left in it by this point, but there was more than enough to splash on and soak into the fancy garb of the nearby aristocrats.
“Look what you’ve done!” angrily cried one pony.
“A disgrace!” yelled another.
“I don’t know how you work with her,” one commented to Trompe L’oeil as Fluttershy fled the room in tears.
“What a flighty piece of work,” another said snootily to the artist, “If I were you, I’d look for a new subject, one less high-maintenance.”
Twilight Sparkle was about to step in on behalf of her friend, but stopped when she saw Rarity’s face. At first, the seamstress had been merely mortified. Her wish had come true—the nobles were turning on Fluttershy, and Trompe L’oeil would move on—but she wasn’t enjoying a moment of it. For all the imagined joy of seeing Fluttershy, who’d been wrongfully foisted up, be brought low, all she could feel was compassion for the timid druidess. Fluttershy, her friend, was under attack, and she could not stand idly by while her standing faded away, even if it meant the seamstress must once more surrender her dream for the happiness of her friend. The look of fiery determination on Rarity’s face was what had convinced Twilight Sparkle not to step in, for there was no need for the sorceress to defend her friend, not when Rarity was prepared to do so.
“How dare you!” Rarity exclaimed, shocking all the nobles into silence, “Admiring these paintings all around us, you praise her grace and timidity, but when the actual pony upon which this art is based displays those qualities, you all turn on her like a pack of wolves! How could you? All your fine breeding has obviously gone to waste if this is how you treat a pony you’ve put on a pedestal when she only acts as who she is!”
The nobles were shocked, completely unaccustomed to being addressed this way, especially by a commoner. A retort and perhaps a retaliatory strike was in order for speaking to them this way, but they were held back by the knowledge that Rarity was correct in her assessment. They really had acted horribly toward Fluttershy and turned on her for merely behaving how she ought to be expected to behave. Also, the knowledge was coming back to them that both Rarity and Fluttershy were Brave Companions, friends of Twilight Sparkle, personal protégé of Celestia. They had to be careful how they proceeded, for the immortal sorceress could make their lives very uncomfortable when they returned to Cant’r Laht.
Well done, Rarity; you’ve come to your realization. But, you may also have unwittingly trapped Fluttershy in a personal hell she’s been trying to escape. Let’s see if this is enough for the two of you to finally end this.
***
“This isn’t so bad,” Fluttershy told herself as she wiped away her tears, “At least I won’t have to pose for any more paintings.”
“Fluttershy?” Rarity’s voice called questioningly from the corridor.
“I’m in here,” the druidess replied after a moment’s hesitation. She couldn’t avoid Rarity forever.
“Good news, Fluttershy,” Rarity said joyfully as she let herself into the chamber, noting that it was the very same room in which she'd been turned away by Trompe L’oeil and insisted that Fluttershy continue without her, “Trompe L’oeil has agreed to continue doing her paintings of you. I managed to convince her and the rest that it was unfair of them to turn on you like that.”
“You did?” Fluttershy said weakly, “She did?” How? How can I go on?
“Yes, I … I have to admit something to you, Fluttershy,” Rarity said seriously, “It’s awful, but I almost wished something terrible would happen so that Trompe L’oeil would stop painting your portraits. However, when it actually happened, all I could think of was how terrible it was that I could ever hope for something like that to happen to you. How could I have wished for you to fail at something you love?”
“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy said, surprised, “Well, I have to admit something to you, too. I hate posing for portraits. I was actually glad, in a way, that things went so badly tonight, so I’d have an excuse to quit. The only reason I kept going was because you insisted, and I couldn’t let you down.”
“And I couldn’t tell you that I was jealous of your success because I thought you’d think me a horrible friend,” Rarity admitted.
“This would’ve been so much easier if we’d only been able to tell each other this from the start.”
“Well, Trompe L’oeil did become a bit excessive with her paintings of you, and we barely had a chance to see each other,” Rarity said, “At least it’s over now.”
“Ah, there you are, Fluttershy!” Trompe L’oeil exclaimed as she burst into the room, “Your friend has made me come to a realization, and inspiration has struck! Come, we must paint it now while the ideas are fresh!”
“No, I think you’ve painted me quite enough,” Fluttershy said forcefully, “Best I tell you the truth now, before things spiral out of control again.”
Fluttershy and Rarity left the room, together this time, leaving Trompe L’oeil standing flabbergasted. What was she going to do now that she’d moved everything to Ponieville?
The fire crackled as the logs shifted, sending up a cloud of sparks and a puff of smoke that momentarily obscured the six ponies and dragon around the fire. Twilight Sparkle mumbled a spell that would keep the sparks away from the scrolls, books, and maps laid out in front of her. A wolf howled in the distance, followed by the response of a pack, and Rainbow Dash loosened her sword in its sheath before a look from Fluttershy made her set the blade back down. Pinkamena was strumming away at her lute as she tried to compose a new song, with little success. Every so often, she’d jot something down on a piece of parchment in front of her, but the symbols she was using to represent her music were indecipherable to Twilight and seemed a wildly inconsistent notation. The sorceress sighed as she realized she’d absentmindedly jotted down a theoretical notation system for the common scale where she should’ve been writing her notes, and passed the sheet of parchment over to Spike for him to scrape clean.
“Looks like it might snow again tonight,” Rainbow Dash commented as she gazed at the sky, pointedly ignoring the howls of wolves, nearer this time.
“Again?” Rarity whinged from where she sat huddled in furs near the fire, “We could’ve arrived already, if we hadn’t had this with us.”
The this Rarity was referring to was the wagon that was currently sheltering her from the winter wind. Despite the fact that it was the worst time of the year to be transporting crops over a long distance, Applejack was doing it anyway.
“’Tis Apple family tradition t’ bring a portion o’ th’ harvest t’ share, an’ with all seven of us comin’, a couple o’ basketfuls jus’ wouldn’t do,” Applejack said.
It wasn’t the only wagon around, though it was the only one that held perishable goods. The Brave Companions had joined up with a caravan of traders on its way to Balte-Maer shortly after they’d left Ponieville. Though they doubted any brigands would want to stand up to both a Hunter and a sorceress, there was always more safety in larger numbers. Rarity was right, in that the Brave Companions could’ve made it to Appleoosa sooner had they not been so encumbered, but Applejack wouldn’t hear of it.
The Ponieville Apples had received a mysterious message from the McLellan branch of the family urging them to visit, but Applejack was the only one who would be doing the visiting. Granny Smith was too frail to travel such a distance in the middle of winter, Apple Bloom wanted to spend time “crusading” with her friends more than she wanted to meet relatives she’d never seen before, and Big McIntosh had to keep an eye on the farm while Applejack was away. Applejack had been wise enough to realize that traveling alone across Equestria in the dead of winter was a foolish idea, and had invited her friends to accompany her on her journey.
Twilight Sparkle had jumped at the opportunity, looking to use the trip to further her own agenda. She’d been so excited that she’d had Spike send a letter to Celestia immediately, and had received a reply back that implored all six of the Brave Companions to join the trip to Appleoosa. The south Equestry Valley was a tremendously disorganized place, where nopony really knew who ruled what except for the locals, and even they might have conflicting stories to tell. The area was theoretically under the control of Cant’r Laht, but all that really meant was that they had the most influence in the area, since the land was also claimed by Los Pegasus and Balte-Maer. There were a few nobles in the realm that pledged themselves to Celestia, but they were on the borders with the neighboring Equestrian nations and were left largely to their own affairs. In this uncertain middle ground, rule of law was less stable, and it had become common practice for unpopular tax collectors in Cant’r Laht to be sent here, since half of them never returned, regardless of how they acted.
Several decades ago, the McLellan branch of the Apple family had left Ponieville and moved south, seeking new lands to farm and a new place to call home. They had apparently found it and had built themselves the village they dubbed Appleoosa. The Apple family had always been loyal subjects of Celestia, who had been the one to grant them their lands near the Everfree, and Twilight Sparkle hoped that these members who’d left those lands had remained so. This was a chance to pull a region of the south Equestry Valley firmly into the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, and would hopefully act as a stepping stone to bringing the rest of these lands under control. The Brave Companions would be a formidable negotiating team, and Celestia had empowered them to make a treaty in her name between Appleoosa and Cant’r Laht.
To be the greatest diplomat she could be (and not be caught off guard, like with the Griffon Free Companies), Twilight spent every night they camped studying. She cross-referenced maps and surveys of the region going back four hundred years, and worked on her own map of what she saw as they traveled. She also pored through the laws of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, which were a tangled affair of regional and local precedents, acts of the Lodge of Sorceresses, and Celestial decrees. She had to find some way to peaceably integrate Appleoosa into the Dominions that wouldn’t upset the other parts of the nation—or at least not provoke them to withhold taxes, demand additional privileges, or rise in open rebellion. The easy solution would be one that would cause mass protestations and rebellions, and that was to grant Appleoosa a special charter akin to the one Ponieville enjoyed. However, Celestia’s subjects already bristled at the preferential treatment that the hamlet received over them, and would never stand for a second Ponieville. Twilight was stuck with trying to figure out how to make Appleoosa an integral and special part of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht without causing uprisings, and the solution still eluded her.
“Do you have any idea why your relatives in Appleoosa wanted you to visit?” Fluttershy asked, before looking at the wolves approaching the camp and giving them a look like the one she’d given Rainbow Dash that sent them scampering away.
“Their letter didn’t say much,” Applejack said with a shake of her head, “Only that they wanted help from th’ family, an’ that it was urgent. It had t’ have been for them t’ pay for th’ letter t’ be delivered.”
“Well, perhaps we will find out tomorrow,” Rarity said as she stood, struggling to keep herself wrapped up, “I will be going to bed now, so as to be well-rested for the remainder of our journey.”
As Rarity shuffled off to her tent, the other Brave Companions prepared their own sleeping accommodations. They had learned on previous trips that it was unwise to stay up after Rarity went to sleep if they wanted to continue their conversations, as they would be sure to hear about it from the blacksmith the next morning. Each of the ponies headed to their own tents, except for Rainbow Dash, who would watch the fire burn down before turning in herself, as she needed less rest than the others. Twilight Sparkle gathered up her charts, books, and scrolls and tucked them away in her tent before carrying a half-asleep Spike in with her and turning in for the night. She spent some time staring at the canvas over her head, trying to think of a plan for Appleoosa, before drifting off to sleep.
***
The next day, the Brave Companions continued their journey, following the traders and their wagons through the snow. Most of them were talking about the royal procession Celestia had recently announced she’d be making through the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, but Twilight Sparkle’s mind was elsewhere. It wasn’t where she wanted it to be—focused on the integration of Appleoosa—but rather on her surroundings. The traders seemed incredibly on edge, constantly looking up at the surrounding hills. Their hired guards were also attentive, walking alongside the wagons instead of riding on them as they usually did.
“What do you think, Twilight, darling?” Rarity asked.
“Hmm, what?” Twilight asked as she blinked several times and turned to face her friends.
“Do you think Luna will be accompanying Celestia on her procession?” Rarity gave the sorceress context on the conversation she hadn’t been listening to.
“I have not heard anything on the matter,” Twilight said, slowing her trot to join back up with the companions she’d left behind in her absent-mindedness, “The purpose of the procession is for Celestia to personally reconnect with her subjects, so this would be the perfect opportunity for her to officially introduce Luna, especially if she is planning on having her sister join her in ruling, but I do not know what Celestia’s intentions are.”
“Up there!” somepony up ahead called, and every set of eyes in the caravan followed the pointing hoof.
Atop one of the nearby hills stood a twiggy, hairy quadruped. None of the Brave Companions had ever seen such a creature in the flesh, though those that had studied the different races of creatures in Equestria (Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle) could take a guess. It was a young bison, though just what her purpose for being here was was uncertain. She didn’t seem to be doing anything other than watching.
“Crossbows!” the leader of the caravan’s guard shouted, and the other guards jumped into action, drawing and loading their weapons.
The speed of the lead wagons picked up, and the Brave Companions hurried to follow suit, though they weren’t sure just why. None of the guards had fired their crossbows yet, though they all looked like they wanted to take a shot at the bison looking down on the group. Twilight was about to ask why they had drawn their weapons in the first place when a barrage of arrows suddenly flew over the nearby hills, from behind the bison. Ponies took cover as the shafts sailed down, and several of the guards and traders were struck, though not fatally.
“Falan otha Ye![1]” Twilight yelled, and a shield sprang up around her, deflecting an arrow bound for her head.
She’d have liked to project a shield around all the Brave Companions, but she was not yet able to do so without drawing a magic circle around them, and there was no time for that. Fluttershy ducked under the wagon, an arrow nearly striking her tail, and Pinkamena hid behind the wagon. Rainbow Dash drew her sword and deflected an arrow headed for Rarity, burying the shaft in the ground nearby. Spike, who’d been riding on the wagon, ducked under the covering and took shelter among the goods within. Applejack had no opportunity to seek cover, but the nearest arrow to her missed her body and snapped the strap connecting her to the wagon.
“Fire! Fire! Fire!” the lead guard ordered before pulling an arrow from her shoulder with her teeth.
A great herd of bison charged over the hills, bearing down on the caravan. The largest of them had younger fighters on their backs, firing bows attached to their mounts’ makeshift armor. Crossbows fired, and several bison fell, but it barely made a dent in the wave of oncoming warriors now drawing their swords. Guards and traders drew weapons, though most of the traders looked too nervous to actually use them, and focused on urging the wagons on instead of forming a defensive line. The bison crashed into the ponies, the younger ones jumping off the backs of their elders at the last moment and drawing their own weapons as they rolled across the ground. They didn’t pause long, though, preferring to keep moving, and ducked and weaved past the guards and wagons instead of sticking around for a drawn-out confrontation.
Other than Rainbow Dash, the Brave Companions were unarmed, and the guards were focused on protecting the ponies that were paying them for their services. Several bison were headed toward Applejack’s cart, and all but Rainbow and Twilight sought protection from the attackers. Rainbow Dash shot into the air before tossing a bomb at the bison that they all managed to dodge, but left a sooty mark in the snow. The Hunter whirled as she descended, her blade meeting a bison’s axe.
“Occosparis, renolla diel’r oxelle’i![2]” Twilight incanted as she levitated a half-dozen snowballs around herself.
One by one, she threw the snowballs at the charging bison, and they exploded into spears of ice spikes as they neared the creatures. Several were impaled, and one of them managed to dodge the explosion of ice only to meet Rainbow Dash’s blade.
“Aliminezaar![3]” one of the bison shouted, warning the others still charging that a sorceress was here.
The other bison were more careful as they approached, watching out for the deadly snowballs Twilight was chucking their way. It was obvious to her that she wouldn’t be able to hold them off forever, not like this. Up ahead, the bison had broken through and overrun one of the wagons. One of them tried to haul it away, but was quickly riddled with crossbow bolts. A second stepped in and was successful, protected by other bison with heavier padding, and the wagon rolled away through a gap in the hills. The other wagons focused on moving onward, the guards directing their fire forward to clear a path. With every second, the Brave Companions became more separated from the group.
“We have to run! Everypony close your eyes!” Twilight shouted before facing the oncoming bison and doing the same, “Cas binna assi mer Casiye’r spilie![4]”
A blindingly bright globe of light appeared momentarily in front of the sorceress. Every bison nearby stumbled and fell as they were temporarily rendered blind. Having been so close to the flash herself, even with her eyes closed, it took Twilight a moment to blink away the ache from her eyes. Some of her friends had already begun running to catch up with the caravan, but Applejack was (unsuccessfully) trying to pull the wagon along.
“Leave it!” Twilight Sparkle said as she pulled the farmer away from it, “Our lives are not worth it!”
Applejack begrudgingly abandoned the wagon and joined the others in galloping toward the traders, who were pulling free of the bison, a task made easier for them by the fact that some of them had been drawn to the noise and gotten blinded by Twilight’s spell as well. Rainbow Dash only had to strike out with her sword a few times to clear the path to the caravan, as most of the bison in their way were still shaking off sorcery. When they rejoined the traders, the bison were apparently done with their attack, and began disappearing back into the surrounding hills.
“Is everypony alright?” Rainbow Dash asked after sheathing her sword.
Everypony nodded, counting their blessings that they’d survived that attack with the little protection they had. Nopony would question that it had been a good idea to join up with the caravan for protection now, for they never would’ve stood up to all those bison on their own, even if they were the Brave Companions. Applejack was glum, having been forced to leave behind her gift for her family, but she would recover; everypony was safe, and that was more important than the traditional sharing of the harvest.
“Um, where’s Spike?” Fluttershy asked.
Twilight stopped immediately in her trot. Her page had been on the wagon when the attack had begun, and she hadn’t seen him since. He was most likely still in the wagon, which meant that the bison now had him!
“Don’t worry; I’ll find him,” Rainbow promised before shooting up into the air.
“Wait, Rainbow Dash! We need a plan!” Twilight Sparkle called after her.
“You go on ahead, I’ll be able to find Appleoosa easy enough! I’ll meet you there!” the Hunter called back just before she passed out of earshot.
***
Twilight Sparkle hoped that maybe Spike had escaped, in which case Rainbow Dash would easily be able to spot him and bring him back to the caravan. However, things were not so fortunate, and there was still no sign of the Hunter by the time they came in sight of Appleoosa. There was no sign of Pinkamena, either, though Twilight knew for a fact that she had made it back to the caravan after the ambush. The bard was nowhere to be found, however, even after a search of all the traders’ wagons. She hoped that, if she had gone after Spike as well, which she feared, that at least she’d managed to join up with Rainbow Dash for protection.
Fields and orchards surrounded the village of Appleoosa, all desolate now in the middle of winter. Still, given their expanse, Twilight wondered just how many ponies lived here. The town itself was not incredibly large, and was surrounded with a mere wooden palisade like Ponieville. Curiously, though, the sorceress spotted the beginnings of some stone sections of wall around the palisade, the blocks that hadn’t been moved into place yet sitting on sleds. As they entered the village, she also noticed ongoing construction to strengthen a large and rather unsteady-looking house in the middle of town. The town was filled with ponies out and about in the cold, most of them contributing in some way to the construction efforts. One of them excitedly made his way over to the Brave Companions as he spotted them wandering in with the traders.
“As ah live an’ breathe, ah cannae believe et. Ye mad et, Applejack!” the gold-coated stallion exclaimed as he approached the group and embraced the farmer.
“Cousin Braeburn,” Applejack returned the greeting, “It’s good t’ see you again. We ran int’ some trouble on th’ way.”
“Plenty o’ time fer that latter,” Braeburn said, “First, ye’ll have tae introduce me tae yer famus friends.”
“Braeburn, I’m serious,” Applejack said firmly.
“So am ah,” Braeburn responded, completely ignoring her concern, “We kin do that after I show ye aboot town, ah’s’pose.”
“Braeburn,” Applejack tried to cut him off as he trotted through Appleoosa.
“E’en though we mibay far fae other towns, ye’ll see we have a’thing any town needs, like our local tavern, the Salt Block,” Braeburn said as he gestured to one of the nicest buildings in town, which seemed busy even though it wasn’t yet noon.
“Braeburn,” Applejack said urgently as she followed him with the rest.
“This is th’ hoose o’ Sheriff Silver Star, Appleoosa’s chosen ladder,” Braeburn announced as they cantered past the large, central house that was being shored up. Twilight made a mental note that Appleoosa already had a leader, so that would need to be taken into account when discussing how the town should join the Dominions of Cant’r Laht. The mental note reminded her of her usual note-taker, though, and why Applejack was desperately trying to get Braeburn to cease praising the town for more than a second.
“Braebur-” Applejack pressed on, getting cut off this time before she could even finish their guide’s name.
“As ye kin see, we have a smith, armorer, farrier, an’ fletcher,” Braeburn said as they sped past the shops, “An’ an inn fer travelers, as well as dancin’ at night.”
“Brae-”
“Isnae just Apples ‘ere no more; we’ve goat outsiders comin’ tae stay, tae.”
“Br-”
“An’ one o’ th’ most important parts o’ Appleoosa, our catapult!” Braeburn announced proudly as they came to a stop before the weapon.
“How did you build a catapult?” Twilight Sparkle asked before Braeburn could launch into his description of another part of the town they’d already seen the majority of in their short tour.
“Well, we dinnae build et, exactly,” Braeburn said, “’Twas found on a ba’lefield nearby, an’ we brought et back ‘ere, set et up, an’ built that platform so’s we kin rotate et tae cover all ‘round th’ town. Ye ever seen som’ing like et?”
Instead of replying, the sorceress looked at Applejack, who gave her a thankful nod in response.
“’Tis a great town an’ all, an’ real impressive, but we have a huge problem I’ve been tryin’ t’ tell y’ about,” Applejack explained, “We’ve lost some o’ our friends on th’ way!”
“A herd of bison attacked the caravan,” Fluttershy offered.
“We think Spike was taken by them,” Rarity added.
“Rainbow Dash left to pursue them, but she has not yet returned,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“And Pinkamena is missing, too,” Fluttershy said.
“They ambushed us, an’ took th’ wagon o’ food I was bringin’ t’ y’,” Applejack finished.
“Bison?” Braeburn said worriedly, having looked increasingly nervous ever since Fluttershy had first mentioned them, “They’ve bin nothin’ but trouble fer us lately. They attack traders on th’ road, farmers in th’ fields, an’ disappear without a trace.”
“Why would they do something like that?” Fluttershy asked.
“Ah donnae ken,” Braeburn replied, shrugging with frustration, “We wiz fine here ‘til they showed up an’ demanded we leave, said this wiz their land, tho’ we ne’er seen ‘em afore. That’s why we sent fer ye, Applejack. We wiz hopin’, ye bein’ famus an’ all now, that ye could help put this matter tae rest.”
“Celestia has sent us here to settle things in the region, so we should speak to these bison,” Twilight Sparkle said, “Though, if they want any stake in things, they had better not harm Spike, Rainbow Dash, or Pinkamena.”
“If they really took yer friends, I’d say they’re oaf tae an awful start already,” Braeburn commented.
***
Where could they have disappeared to? Rainbow Dash had thought she’d have a much easier time locating the bison than she was having. It was the middle of winter, and that many bison made enough tracks that any pegasus—not just a Hunter—should’ve easily been able to follow them from the air. At first, things were just like that; the trail was easy to follow, especially with two wagons being dragged along, but then the path went into a forest. The wagons were discarded, but empty; all the goods, along with Spike, had been removed. The problem now was not that there were no tracks to follow, but too many. Almost every gap in the trees bore the prints of bison hooves, fresh and old. They were all overlapped, and nearly impossible to keep straight, even for an expert Hunter like Dash. She soon found herself lost among the trees, and flying above them to look around hadn't helped.
“Where could they have gone?” Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself as she traced yet another set of tracks, “They have to be somewhere.”
“Maybe they’re over there,” Pinkamena suggested as she popped out unexpectedly from behind a tree, startling Dash so much that she tripped over a root and faceplanted.
“Pinkamena, what are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked frantically as she looked around the forest.
“I followed you! Or, I started, but soon lost you with all your loop-de-looping around the forest. Good thing you found me,” Pinkamena said, ignoring the Hunter’s motioning for her to lower her voice.
“You need to go back to the others,” Rainbow said, before realizing that she probably didn’t know the way back, and couldn’t find it without having Rainbow scout it out for her.
“But then how would I help you find Spike?” Pinkamena asked, tilting her head quizzically to the side.
“I appreciate the gesture, but I really don’t need help,” Rainbow Dash said, “Besides, you’re not exactly the stealthiest pony.” Even if you do manage to surprise ponies by appearing in the most inexplicable places with no explanation as to how you got there.
“Aw, but I can’t leave now,” Pinkamena complained.
“Listen, Pinkamena, my only chance of getting Spike back is to take the bison by surprise, grab Spike, and get out of there as fast as I can,” Rainbow Dash explained, “You don’t have my Hunter training, you don’t have the skills to move silently and sneak up on an unsuspecting foe, and with you with me we’ll have a higher chance of being caught.”
“Might be a little late to worry about that,” Pinkamena said, looking over Dash’s shoulder.
The Hunter whirled and drew her sword as she realized they were surrounded by bison closing in on them from among the trees. Arrows were drawn back, and the bison drew their own weapons as they tightened the noose. If it came to it, Rainbow figured it would be possible for her to grab Pinkamena and fly away, but as long as there remained a chance she could defeat these bison and obtain information on where they were keeping Spike, she would take it.
“Wait!” a familiar voice called out before the bison were within swinging range, and Spike emerged from among the herd, “These are my friends.”
“That one killed some of ours,” one of the bison said, pointing at Rainbow Dash.
“And you killed ponies too, didn’t you?” Spike asked with crossed forearms, and Rainbow Dash could almost swear the bison looked ashamed.
“What … is happening?” the Hunter asked in confusion as she dropped her weapon.
“It’s a long story,” Spike said, “Come on, I’ll explain back at the camp.”
***
The bison’s camp was set up on the edge of the forest Rainbow Dash had been wandering through, sheltered beneath the overhanging trees that hid it from above. No wonder she had been unable to spot it while flying. Semi-permanent hut-like tents made up the camp, smoke rising from holes in the tops of those that currently had bison within. Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena, and Spike were seated around a fire outdoors. The ponies had bowls of a strange mash before them that Rainbow Dash was hesitant to touch, still not trusting the bison. Spike was munching on a roasted rabbit from the forest.
“So, you see, they had no idea I was in the wagon, and they feel really guilty about taking me against my will,” Spike explained while grease dripped down his claws, “They really respect dragons, and I mean really respect them, like I’m practically a god here.”
“Great, when can we leave?” Rainbow Dash asked, rising with her food untouched and scouting out the best way to get through the camp.
“Well, the bison offered to take me to Appleoosa immediately after they found out what happened, but they also offered to hunt for a meal for me, and you know how infrequently I’m able to get meat living among ponies …”
“They’re not going to hold us here, Rainbow Dash,” Pinkamena said, “Come on, there’s plenty of time to eat.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t come back immediately, and instead inspected the nearest dwelling. A young bison approached the fire, and Pinkamena waved at her, but her attention was entirely focused on Spike.
“Is everything to your liking?” she asked with a raised head (which for almost any other creature would be taken as a sign of haughtiness, but for a race with horns that one could harm a foe with when their head was lowered, it meant the opposite.)
“It’s great,” Spike said as he finished off the rabbit, and the bison smiled, “What was your name, again?”
“In the tongue of my people, it is Coccokohote owalla,” the bison said.
“Which, in Low Equestrian, is Little Strongheart, right?” Spike asked.
“Yes, that is what I am called in the pony tongue,” Little Strongheart confirmed.
Rainbow Dash looked back absentmindedly at the conversation before returning to her investigation. Her back went rigid as she realized something nopony else who’d been at the ambush could have noticed, thanks to her improved vision as a Hunter.
“You!” Rainbow Dash said accusatorially as she spun around and advanced on the bison, “You were on the hill, watching us! You were in charge of the ambush!”
“Yes, I was,” Little Strongheart said, standing her ground, but unfastening the strap over her knife’s hilt, “Things are not as you think they are, though.”
“Oh, so you didn’t attack and rob a caravan of traders, killing several ponies in the process?” Rainbow Dash said venomously.
“No, we did, but we had a reason,” Little Strongheart protested.
“I don’t know any reason good enough to explain away banditry,” the Hunter scoffed, reaching for her own weapon.
“It was a vicious attack, yes, but this is what the Appleoosans have brought us to,” the bison said, and Rainbow paused in drawing her sword, still not relaxing, though, “These ponies have stolen our land, and have refused to leave even after our demands. So, we steal from them in return, taking away the trade they need to survive in order to force them out. In reply, they spread word about bandits, so that traders will hire guards and mercenaries to kill us, and so we must now fight and kill to stop the trade from reaching them. They have started this fight, but they seek to pin the blame for it on us.”
“It’s still not much of an excuse . . . but I guess I could understand,” Rainbow Dash said after some thoughtful contemplation, “If this land truly is yours. I’ve never heard of bison living in this area.”
“Of course you wouldn’t have!” a great, booming voice entered the conversation as a beefy bison bull emerged from a nearby dwelling, “No ponies would ever tell you that we live here, because then they would not be free to take it from us! That is what they do, they cheat and they steal, and they treat us like filth because we are lower than them just because we live different lives!”
“My father, Chief Thunderhooves,” Little Strongheart introduced the older bison to Pinkamena and Rainbow Dash.
“Khan Nóratotekkah, do not call me by that pony name!” Thunderhooves said angrily.
“Ola, durare; moli uargu[5],” Little Strongheart apologized.
“Sometimes I think she cares more for ponies than her own kind,” Thunderhooves complained to Spike, completely ignoring his daughter and the two ponies present.
“That is untrue,” Strongheart protested, “I only see that we must find a way to live together and deal with them. Prolonged conflict will only bring our destruction.”
“Enough!” Thunderhooves shouted, slamming his hoof down, “I will make no deals with ponies. Our people our proud, and if we attempt to bend, we will only break our own backs! Remember this when you are khan one day!”
“So, about the land …” Spike said, trying to get the conversation back on track.
“Of course, wise one,” Thunderhooves said, raising his head to Spike, “These lands of the south have been ours for generations. Our herd has traveled from the Shimmering Sea to the Blazing Ocean and back along the same path for generations, and never have we allowed ponies to impede our progress. These … Appleoosans seek to defy us, and they have withstood us so far, but our patience is running thin. If they do not leave soon, we will have no choice but to crush them, like so many other settlements that refused our rights to us.”
“Well, Rainbow Dash, what do you think?” Spike asked once Chief Thunderhooves finished his speech.
The Hunter pondered the situation. What the bison were doing, attacking traders as if they were no better than bandits, was wrong, but was the reason for doing so good enough? One race moving in with little regard to another; this was a familiar story, especially in Equestria. For Rainbow Dash’s people, it had been the unicorns who’d invaded, and the end result had been the entire erasure of the pegasus culture. Would that happen again, if Appleoosa and its denizens pressed into these lands that the bison had inhabited for far longer?
“This raiding of caravans needs to stop,” Rainbow Dash said slowly, and Spike was worried that she would do something foolish, like attack the bison around her in retribution, but then the Hunter turned around with a cocky grin on her face, “If the Appleoosans move, there will be no more need for such attacks, right?”
“We’re only doing it to force them to leave and give back the land they’ve stolen,” Little Strongheart said, and looked at her stone-faced father.
“Well, then Appleoosa has to go,” Rainbow Dash said with conviction, “Lucky for you, Pinkamena and I have some leverage over the town, and I think it’s time we applied it.”
***
The remaining Brave Companions were preparing to depart from Appleoosa’s western gate to search for their missing comrades. Rainbow Dash (and Pinkamena) had taken too long; they were assumed either lost or captured, and feared to have been killed. They wouldn’t be setting out alone, though; several of the townsponies, including Braeburn, would be leaving with them. The Appleoosans knew the land better than these newcomers ever could, and they would be bringing weapons with which to defend themselves from the bison, or attack them if that was the only way to free the missing dragon and ponies.
“Pinkamena?” Fluttershy asked uncertainly as they trotted through one of the many orchards surrounding the town, “It is her!”
The druidess galloped ahead, and the others quickly overtook her as they spotted the pink mane bounding among the trees too. At her side trotted Rainbow Dash, Spike seated upon the Hunter’s back.
“Spike, you are safe!” Twilight exclaimed as she ran up to the dragon while he dismounted, “What happened? How did you escape?”
“Escape?” Pinkamena snorted, “Easy, we didn’t!”
The Appleoosans drew their weapons as Pinkamena pointed at the young bison among the trees behind them. Twilight tried to determine if she was the same one who had overseen the ambush on the caravan, but couldn’t decide if she was. Just to be safe, she scanned her surroundings and prepared some spells in case of another ambush.
“Wait!” Rainbow Dash cried out, placing herself between the ponies and the bison, who looked prepared to flee at any moment, “We talked to the bison, and we promised them the opportunity to be heard out by the Appleoosans, and by the Brave Companions.”
“Really?” Applejack said skeptically, “An’ just what is it they have t’ say?”
“This is Little Strongheart, daughter to the bison’s chief. She’ll explain the situation and why Appleoosa should go,” Rainbow Dash introduced the bison as she led her toward the ponies, Strongheart glancing nervously at the Appleoosan’s weapons.
“Well, ah s’pose et cannae hurt tae hear the reason fer aw this trouble,” Braeburn (who hadn’t drawn his weapon when the others had) said as he stepped forward to greet Little Strongheart.
“An’ y’ can try t’ explain t’ them how much work y’ve put in just t’ survive, an’ how there’s no way Appleoosa is goin’ anywhere,” Applejack prodded her cousin, who didn’t look to disagree with what she was saying in any way, but still appeared uncomfortable.
“That would be useful to know, so we can all come to agreement,” Little Strongheart addressed Braeburn directly, and he appeared slightly less uncomfortable, until Rainbow Dash cut off whatever the bison was about to say next.
“This land is in bison territory,” the Hunter addressed Applejack, completely bypassing the two creatures who actually lived here and had to work things out, “Maybe your family didn’t know that when they settled here, maybe they did. What matters is that they shouldn’t be here. They have to move out.”
“Why should they?” Applejack demanded, going head-to-head with Rainbow Dash, “They worked hard t’ plant th’ fields an’ orchards an’ build their town! Goin’ somewhere else, an’ leavin’ all this t’ rot just isn’t an option, ‘specially not in th’ middle o’ winter!”
“The bison were here first!”
“When th’ McLellans arrived, th’ land was empty! There were no bison here then, they have no right t’ demand land they were nowhere near when ‘twas settled!”
Rainbow Dash and Applejack continued to go back and forth, arguing their points passionately. Meanwhile, Braeburn and Little Strongheart looked more and more nervous. Twilight Sparkle watched with unease as well. The Brave Companions were supposed to be Celestia’s appointed representatives to make an agreement with the region’s residents, which it was increasingly obvious would need to include the bison, and here they were fighting each other. At least nopony could accuse them of taking a side, but this couldn’t go on.
“Enough!” Twilight exclaimed, taking everyone off guard, “Rainbow Dash, Applejack: nothing will be accomplished just from the two of you arguing. Braeburn, Little Strongheart: I am afraid things will not be settled by the two of you here either. Bringing along a representative of the bison was a good idea, but this is an issue that cannot be settled by proxy alone. We need to get the leaders of each side together to talk and come to an agreement. We need a parley.”
***
While this simple parley was nowhere near as grand as the summit that Celestia had planned for the spring, Twilight Sparkle couldn’t help but feel pride and the sense that her mentor would approve. Like the immortal sorceress, Twilight was bringing together parties that seemed irredeemably at odds to settle their differences and make a lasting peace. At least, that’s how she hoped the parley would go. In the time leading up to it, she received unsettling word about the temperaments of Chief Thunderhooves and Sherriff Silver Star from Spike and Braeburn respectively. Perhaps it had been wrong to go straight to the top, but this was likely the only way a lasting settlement could be reached.
The day of the parley, the day after the Brave Companions had arrived in Appleoosa, dawned clear and bright, the snow nearly blinding the delegation from the village as they trotted out to the appointed meeting place. A spot near Boulder Brook, a tributary of the South Equestry River, had been chosen for the ponies and bison to sit down and hash out their differences in a way that didn’t involve them killing each other. It was an ancient meeting spot the bison claimed as their own, but which Twilight knew immediately after seeing the height of the central stone table and the size of the stone stools around it had certainly been built by the pegasi.
That was the trouble with this issue. The bison claimed this land as their own, because they had been here first, but that wasn’t really true. They’d been here before the Appleoosans, to be certain, but the idea that they’d been on this land forever was absurd. Like earth ponies, gryphons, and all monsters, they’d only entered this world roughly nine thousand years earlier in the Conjunction. Before that, unicorns had ruled Equestria, and they’d taken the continent from the pegasi. That was the story of Equestria: always one group taking it by force from another. The pegasi had been conquered by the unicorns, who had in turn been conquered by the earth ponies. Now, earth pony nations reigned supreme in Equestria, but that could easily change with another millennium.
“Ow!” Twilight exclaimed as Spike pinched her, bringing her out of her contemplation of time and back to the parley she’d helped organize.
The bison were arriving now, and took their places around the great stone table. At the head of their group was a heavily muscled bull with an ornate headdress—Chief Thunderhooves. At his side were Little Strongheart and several warriors from his herd. The table was divided in three, with the Appleoosans located clockwise from the bison. Sheriff Silver Star was in the most prominent position, with important town members (all of them Apples of the McLellan branch) around him. Braeburn was also present, drawing attention to the fact that he had more of a pull in town matters than he’d claimed. The Brave Companions occupied the other third of the table, seated between the two groups as mediators.
“Attacks on traders must cease; we must reach an agreement here that sees peace return,” Twilight Sparkle began her speech, “We have been appointed by Celestia to seek such a peace. We are here to facilitate, but it must be you that reach an agreement with each other if we hope to have a lasting peace between bison and ponies. Celestia is eager to see these lands come under her protection in the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, whatever form that may take.”
“I care not what the Old Witch wants,” Chief Thunderhooves replied in an attack on Celestia that shocked even Little Strongheart, “There is no bargaining to be done with ponies. These lands are ours; that is the fact. Give back what you have stolen, or we will take it!”
“We’ve stolen nothin’!” Sheriff Silver Star shot back, “This land wiz empty when we goat here! We’ve been here fer years now an’ ne’er seen hide nor tail o’ ye afore! Some o’ us were born an’ grew up here, an’ ye expect us just tae leave wi’out a fight!”
On no. This is just like Applejack and Rainbow Dash! Have I only made things worse?
“We have followed the same path for generations!” Thunderhooves rumbled, “My father followed it, as did his father, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and on and on! You expect us to abandon our traditions without a fight!”
“If et’s a fight ye want, et’s a fight ye’ll get!” Silver Star said as he stood and slammed his hooves on the table, “Appleoosa stays, an’ we’ll track down a’ry last bison if we have tae tae defend ourselves!”
“Wait! There must be some way to work this out,” Twilight Sparkle said as she stood, joining the majority of those around the table at this point.
“Stay out of this!” Thunderhooves and Silver Star rebuked the sorceress simultaneously.
“Seems we found somethin’ else tae agree in,” Sheriff Silver Star said icily, “This matter is between us an’ the bison.”
“We will give you one day,” Chief Thunderhooves said ominously while Little Strongheart looked aghast, “If Appleoosa is not emptied by noon tomorrow, we will kill every pony we find.”
Both sides stomped off to their respective homes, looking ready to kill each other right now. There would be plenty of time for that tomorrow, though, everyone knew. Neither side would be backing down, and there would be blood. Twilight Sparkle stood shocked as her plans crumbled around her. The parley had had the opposite effect intended, and she couldn’t help but wonder what the outcome of the spring summit would be if things were able to go so terribly wrong here.
***
“There must be some other way,” Applejack said glumly.
All through the day, the Brave Companions had tried to talk sense into both parties, but neither would hear a word of it. While Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkamena worked on the bison, the other four tried to convince the Appleoosans to take another course of action. It was all for naught, especially since both sides would have to agree to come to the negotiating table. Neither wanted to take the risk, especially given how obstinate and unyielding the other had seemed at the parley.
Defeated, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity sat in the inn’s common room and tried to think of a plan. Braeburn had claimed dances were held here at night, but there were no dancers to be seen; they were all busy working on shoring up the defenses on the palisade and Sheriff Silver Star’s house. Applejack’s cousin sat with the Brave Companions, looking just as dejected as the rest of them.
“Ah wish there was, but Sheriff Silver Star willnae listen tae me,” Braeburn bemoaned their predicament, “He doesnae care how many o’ us might die, so long as we win in the end.”
“He must realize that even if the bison are beaten, the survivors will just retreat into hiding in the countryside and continue to strike against traders,” Twilight Sparkle said, “If he attempts to hunt them down, he will only lose more ponies, for they know this land better than you do.”
“Ah ken, ah ken,” Braeburn said, “But we McLellans are just as proud as the bison, ef nae more so. We cannae just leave the town, either; ‘tis an absurd demand fer the bison tae make.”
“Yes, that is why I hoped to work out a compromise at the parley,” Twilight grumbled as she stared at her empty tankard.
The inn’s door slammed open and close, letting in the winter wind that the Appleoosans working outside were bundled up against, and a young mare named Honey emerged from the cold. They had met her earlier in the day, accompanying her father Silver Star as he made the rounds of the town and issued jobs and orders to its residents to prepare for tomorrow’s attack. Honey waited no time in trotting directly up to the table the Brave Companions were seated around.
“Ah’ll come straight tae the point,” she addressed Twilight Sparkle, “Ah ken ye spoke out agin’ this, but when et comes down tae et, yer still a pony, an’ we need tae know ef we kin count on yer magic t’morrow.”
The sorceress considered the situation. She didn’t much feel like helping out ponies that had spurned her attempt to establish peace between them and the bison, but she was not the kind of sorceress who would condemn a town because of pettiness. The Brave Companions had been instructed by Celestia to bring Appleoosa into the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, and that couldn’t happen if the town no longer existed. Furthermore, even if they were victorious tomorrow, their strength would be much diminished, and it might not be worth bringing them into the Dominions if there was nothing for them to offer. The aid of a sorceress could ensure their victory with fewer losses, and perhaps put an end to the affair if no bison were able to escape.
“No, I cannot,” Twilight Sparkle answered. She had placed herself as the mediator in this dispute between the bison and the Appleoosans, and to pick a side now would be despicable.
“Fine! We’ll beat those bison t’morrow on our own, an’ we’ll see what Celestia thinks o’ that!” Honey said, storming off and leaving the inn the way she’d entered.
“Ah admire yer conviction tae stay true tae yer neutrality, but ah wonder ef et’ll hold t’morrow, ‘specially ef the bison overrun the walls,” Braeburn said before draining the rest of his tankard, and spoke the next bit quietly to himself, “’An ef yer friend Rainbow Dash joins the other side.”
***
“There has to be some other way to work things out, something the Appleoosans can do besides tearing down their town and abandoning their fields,” Spike said after a day about as productive as the one his friends in Appleoosa had had.
It was much the same story in the bison camp as in the town. Spike, Pinkamena, and Rainbow Dash tried to convince the bison to seek another solution, but were turned away constantly. As they prepared for the next day’s battle, many of the bison didn’t want ponies in the camp at all (though Spike was welcomed for the belief that he would bring good fortune). Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena got the worst of the abuse, being forced out several times, and being let back into the camp by Little Strongheart each time, who agreed with their arguments even though she couldn’t act on them.
“My father is proud, and distrusting of ponies,” the young bison replied to Spike as they and the two ponies sat around a fire under the stars, “Tradition is everything to him, and he does not understand the danger it puts him in when he refuses to look at things any other way. He would rather our people die out, and all our traditions with us, than we should concede to the wishes of others.”
“But you don’t feel that way,” Rainbow Dash commented.
“My father thinks I am too much like ponies, because I have spent time studying you, watching you, learning from you. There is much for each of us to learn from each other, but that cannot happen if every disagreement comes to violence,” Little Strongheart said, “Our history is of the great Path, our circuit from one expanse of waves to another, filled in between with bounty and glory, and I can appreciate that, but I see also a history of meaningless conflict. Bison and ponies are very different. You stay in one place and tend the land, we travel to and fro, feeding off the bounty of nature. You set up kings and sheriffs to rule over you from stone keeps or great wooden houses, we are a family led by a chief who lives among his people in a dwelling just like those around it. Because we are different does not mean that we cannot both live in the same land. There are many ways we can coexist, I know there are.”
“Have you shared your ideas with others?” Pinkamena asked.
“My father does not want to hear them, and though he may be obstinate and blind to the dangerous path we run, he is still the chief, and we will follow his direction,” Little Strongheart sighed, “There is no other way. Blood will be spilled tomorrow, and one of our stories will come to an end. Will it be the story of the Appleoosans, or the story of the bison? I dread to consider the likely outcome.”
***
The night and following morning passed swiftly, and with no progress toward peace. Shortly before noon, the appointed hour that Chief Thunderhooves had demanded all ponies be gone from Appleoosa, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack left the town. Applejack was torn, wanting to help her family, but in the end, she was convinced that the Brave Companions had to stay out of the fight and bear whatever outcome came. The imposed neutrality was hard on all of them, and they felt sick to be abandoning a town to what could be its doom. They wouldn’t be returning to Ponieville just yet, however. From a nearby hill, they could look out on the town and watch events unfold. Twilight was relieved to see Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena, and Spike join them on the hill, though not so happy that they hadn’t been successful in changing the bison’s minds.
Shortly after they arrived, so too did the bison, armed and ready for battle. Assembled as a herd where the ponies atop Appleoosa’s palisade could surely see them, they looked quite frightening. Twilight Sparkle worried just how long the exposed wooden portions of the town’s wall would hold up against such determined and bulky warriors. Chief Thunderhooves looked to the sky, which was overcast from the morning’s snow, and gauged the position of the sun. With a snort, he apparently decided that is was close enough to noon that the Appleoosans’ time was up.
“Kurare![6]” he yelled, and the bison surged forward.
“Fire!” Sheriff Silver Star commanded from his post atop the palisade.
From behind Appleoosa’s walls, arrows flew into the sky, falling far short of the bison, but giving those atop the wall an opportunity to gauge range. The command was also passed back through the town to the catapult, which also let loose its load. Stones flew through the air, some of them striking bison as they charged, breaking bones and cracking skulls. While the Appleoosans were focused on the herd of bison charging the west gate, another group crept up from the south.
“Iturah hiregig![7]” their commander, Little Strongheart, ordered, and arrows sang from the bows of bison to strike the pony defenders atop the palisade looking in the wrong direction.
As the bison beneath Little Strongheart attacked the now mostly undefended southern gate, those attacking from the west began to fall to the Appleoosan arrows and one more catapult barrage before they were too close to the palisade. Their own archers returned fire over the walls while warriors led by Chief Thunderhooves assaulted the gate. The defenses were holding for now, but ponies within Appleoosa were darting around to deal with both threats simultaneously. The traders that the Brave Companions had traveled in with (and had stayed in Appleoosa to wait out the bison attacks) moved their wagons to the other side of town, where they hoped they’d be safe if the gates fell. The guards hired to protect them rushed to the southern gate upon hearing that the bison who’d led the attack on the caravan was leading the enemy forces there.
Chief Thunderhooves continued to pound on the gate, and the great log that had been used to bar it began to shake and crack, but still showed no sign of breaking any time soon. However, another part of the palisade that the ponies hadn’t had time to reinforce gave way, and several bison entered the town. Sheriff Silver Star spotted it immediately and called for defenders to join him as he descended the wall. Move ponies joined their sheriff as he rushed to the breach, too late to save the defenders unfortunate enough to have been nearby, but quick enough to keep the bison from getting deeper into town. Silver Star set about with his claymore, eviscerating bison and blocking swings of their swords. With a flourish, he cut the blade from the axe one of the bison was wielding and followed up by shoving his sword into the bison’s neck. The Appleoosans around him set up a cry as they drove the bison back toward the breach, shoving the massive corpses out of the way as they cut a path.
Rather than use brute force, Little Strongheart had ordered brush be piled against the southern gate and lit on fire. It took some time for the gate itself to catch, but the bison had plenty of cover in the form of an orchard and were better archers than their pony counterparts, so they could afford to wait. When she deemed that the gate was sufficiently weakened, she gave the order to charge, and the bison rushed from their hiding places and knocked the gates in. Immediately, they were met by crossbow bolts from the caravan guards, revenge for the members they’d lost two days earlier. Little Strongheart flipped out of the way, avoiding a bolt to her leg, and called for the other charging bison to get away from the gate.
She took a moment to come up with a plan before charging the palisade. The ponies had made a mistake in planting their orchard so close to the outskirts of the town. Still young, light, and limber, Little Strongheart was able to launch herself off the wall, off a nearby tree, and over the top of the palisade. Her sword cut through the neck of a startled pony as she landed on the narrow platform running around the inside. The young bison couldn’t stay still for a moment if she wanted to live, and launched herself at the nearest pony, swinging her sword through him while crossbow bolts sailed past.
Little Strongheart continued to leap, dodge, attack, and otherwise distract the ponies down below while the bison outside charged the gate. By the time the caravan guards realized what was happening, they had time only to get off a single, poorly-aimed volley at the oncoming bison before dropping their crossbows and drawing their swords. Appleoosans had been filtering in since word on the attack to the south had spread, and they now found themselves in a deadly melee with bison that seemed to pour through the gate endlessly.
***
“Sheriff Silver Star!” an out-of-breath mare called for his attention as he shoved a bison who’d managed to strike his helm into the path of two swords.
“Yes, what is et?” the sheriff asked after extricated himself from the fight, which had pushed the bison back through the breach and was now containing them while other ponies worked to haphazardly seal the hole in the palisade.
“The bison have overrun the defenders tae the south!” she reported, “We cannae contain them! We need yer help!”
Silver Star looked over at the nearby western gate, and the defenders gathered nervously behind it. The archers were getting low on arrows, but the shafts coming over the wall from the other side seemed endless. The log holding the gate closed was beginning to crack, and the bison would pour through any minute.
“Ah cannae,” the sheriff said with a shake of his head, “Ah cannae leave this lot wi’out a ladder.”
“Go, da! Ah’ll take over here,” Honey urged him, and he reluctantly nodded, sending her on her way to command the group at the gate before taking off toward the south himself.
***
“What’s going on, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash demanded to know as she hovered over the sorceress’s shoulder.
Unable to wait and watch from a distance, Twilight Sparkle had melted some snow into a small pool that she was using to scry the events going on in the town. Unfortunately, the pool was very small, as Twilight was still learning the skill of scrying, and she wasn’t able to control motion quite as well as she wanted. This resulted in lots of questions, something that the sorceress was resigned to.
“The bison have broken into the town both from the south and the west and are fighting toward the catapult,” Twilight reported, cursing under her breath as the sudden lapse in concentration caused the image to flip upside-down and skew off twenty leagues to the east.
“Oh no,” Applejack said fearfully, “Are they goin’ t’ kill th’ Appleoosans?” My family.
“No, the gates were never going to hold forever,” Twilight said as she tried to regain control of her scrying, “Many more bison have died in the assault, and they cannot keep going for long. It will be a messy melee in the center of town, but the ponies will likely come out victorious.”
***
As Twilight had predicted, it didn’t take long for both fights to merge into one (Appleoosa wasn’t exceptionally large, after all.) All around the catapult, bison and ponies were locked in combat. There was nowhere else to go, nowhere else to retreat, nothing else to do but die. Sheriff Silver Star found himself fighting Little Strongheart, and the two made a strangely matched duo. Silver Star flailed about with his great claymore, using it for both offense and defense, and relying on his helm and mail to protect him when the sword was not suited to provide all the protection. Little Strongheart’s weapon was much shorter, and she was not nearly as well armored, but she was far nimbler, dodging Silver Star’s swings with relative ease, though never well enough that she was able to break through his defense.
On the other side of the catapult, Chief Thunderhooves plowed through defenders, throwing them aside as if they were nothing, until he met his match in a similar situation as to the one Silver Star and his daughter were in. Honey had been trying to fight her way through to the bison chief ever since he’d crashed through the western gate, but other fights had kept her from him. No more. She launched herself at the mountain of muscle, relying on her speed to keep herself clear of his hooves and sword. His armor was substantial, and hers light, providing a direct contrast to their family members battling not far away.
Others steered clear of their clash, except for pony archers atop some of the nearby buildings, who rained down arrows on the bison chief when they weren’t trying to avoid the arrows of their counterparts on the ground. Honey ducked under one of Thunderhooves’s mighty swings and struck out with her sword at one of his forelegs, nicking it through a gap in his armor. His sword came back at her surprisingly quickly, and she almost managed to dodge it. The swing bent and twisted her mail along one side, restricting her mobility, but not gravely harming her.
She charged toward the bison as he swung his blade at her again, sick of this back and forth. The flat crashed against her back, but she managed to get close enough to open up a gash on Thunderhooves’s cheek. He struck out with a forehoof and threw her back with a powerful strike, and Honey rolled across the ground. A nearby pony with a pike charged blindly at Thunderhooves, and he knocked him aside, taking up the pike in his teeth himself.
Chief Thunderhooves and Honey locked eyes as he lowered the spear and charged to finish her off. The strike to her back had done more damage than she’d realized, and her hindlegs refused to respond, leaving her stranded where she was. She didn’t have much time, and reached out for the nearest weapon at hoof, a pike discarded by a fallen Appleoosan in the snow. Honey raised the weapon at the last moment, securing the shaft in the ground, and Thunderhooves impaled himself on it the same moment that his pike speared Honey through the throat.
The cries that went up from both of them as they died cut through the battlefield, and a hush fell. Every pony and bison ceased their fighting as the bison’s leader, and the ponies’ leader’s daughter died together. Silver Star and Little Strongheart stood frozen in place as they watched the person they cared about the most die before their eyes. Silver Star’s claymore slipped from his mouth, falling into the bloodstained snow as he stared at his dying daughter, and he didn’t notice until a moment later. His eyes snapped up with fear as he realized Little Strongheart was standing just paces away with a sword that she could've easily used to slit his throat before he could defend himself. He saw in her eyes that she was well aware of this fact, too. Instead, though, she did something nopony expected; she dropped her sword to the ground as well.
“Eikas mureyey![8]” Little Strongheart yelled, loud and clear so that everyone could hear.
“Lay down yer weapons!” Silver Star commanded, unknowingly mirroring Strongheart’s order.
Hesitantly, bison and pony alike dropped their swords, axes, spears, and bows. Sheriff Silver Star and Little Strongheart looked at each other, finally understanding each other, at least in some small way, and thinking that maybe that was enough to build a greater understanding.
***
The Treaty of Boulder Brook was signed three days later, after both sides had tended to their dead. Unlike the previous parley, this one was successful, much to the relief of Twilight Sparkle. She finally got the opportunity to facilitate negotiations that successfully established peace. Silver Star was much more reasonable this time around, and Strongheart was much more open to discussion than her father had been. In the end, the treaty satisfied the interests of the Appleoosans, the bison, and Celestia.
The treaty stipulated that Celestia would make Appleoosa and the surrounding lands a thanedom ruled by Silver Star. Little Strongheart—now Chief Strongheart—would also be receiving a new title: Warden of the South. Her herd would pledge loyalty to Celestia in exchange for the right to gather crops from any tended lands in her domain. The freshly minted thane and warden would balance bison and pony power in the south Equestry Valley. The Thanedom of Appleoosa could only expand into open bison territory with the permission of the Warden of the South. Likewise, the bison would receive a portion of all trading tolls collected by Appleoosa, the amount set by the thane. This would set up a way from each side to negotiate and settle disagreements in a way other than raiding or open warfare.
Twilight Sparkle was quite pleased with the treaty she had helped write up and was confident that it would last. Chief Thunderhooves had not been wary of making deals with ponies for no reason; bison had often made treaties with ponies and had seen them disregarded always for the ponies’ benefit. This one, however, had no restrictions other than that both thane and warden had to perform their duties without interfering with the duties of the other, and it was binding in perpetuity. Of, course, it wasn’t truly signed with no end condition, for that would be seen as an absurd and untrustworthy claim. It was signed with the next best thing, the same condition that ponies had been using for centuries on treaties and contracts that were intended to last forever. The treaty was binding, so long as Celestia lived, and not a single person, pony or bison, saw the possibility of any problems arising from such a condition.
The stars shone down brightly upon the stallion as he stumbled across the snow-covered countryside. He knew there was no way for them to have caught up with him, but he still looked over his shoulder every few minutes with terrified eyes. An owl hooted nearby, startling him sufficiently that he dove into a thornbush and had half covered himself before realizing the owl wasn’t out to get him. Painfully, he extricated himself from the bush, leaving behind bits of his clothes, which were no more than filthy rags by this point. Plenty of blood already stained them, so the scrapes and scratches he’d obtained would make matters no worse than they already were. In a panic, he struggled to regain his bearings, until he realized that he could determine the direction he’d come from by his hoofprints in the snow.
He set off along the path to the southwest, hobbling along as quickly as his broken body was able. The pain didn’t bother him anymore—he was numb to it now—it was fear and desperation that drove him on. At last he spotted his objective, determining its location by the shadow it made against the stars. The towers of the Mayoral Keep were the first to catch his attention, until he was close enough to the town that the palisade around it was visible. Stumbling along the path, he found the gate and banged his hooves upon it.
“Open up!” he wailed, striking the wood repeatedly.
Within Ponieville’s wall, the guard posted to the gate tried to ignore the incessant banging. It was a cold night, and he had no intention of leaving his fire to let in some lost traveler. They would get the hint soon enough and wait until morning. The sound, however, refused to cease, and the guard eventually considered that he could get in serious trouble if the banging and shouting woke up the townsponies in a nearby house. Cursing violently, the guard heaved himself up from the fire and trotted over to the gate.
“Gate’s closed ‘til morning,” he announced as he slid open the peephole and looked around for the pony making the racket.
“Please, I have to get in! I can’t stay out here!” the pitiable creature pleaded as he came into view.
“Too bad. I have my orders t’ keep the gate shut,” the guard said without a hint of pity, “Now knock off that noise or I’ll come out there an’ give you a wallopin’.”
“Wouldn’t you have to open the gate to do that?” the rag-wrapped stallion pointed out, and the guard slammed the peephole shut.
The stallion stranded outside knew that his chance of sneaking through if he kept making noise and the guard did come out was incredibly slim. More likely than not, the guard would do just what he said and beat him within an inch of death before leaving him outside for the cold to finish the job. He had to get into the town, but it would have to be some other way.
He followed Ponieville’s palisade, running his hoof along it, until he found a section newer than the rest. To his delight, there was a gap between the new and old sections. He hobbled off into a nearby stand of trees and retrieved some branches, jamming them into the gap until he had a makeshift ladder. It was a tough climb, especially with the state his body was in, but he eventually managed to pull himself over the top without impaling himself. He fell heavily to the ground on the other side and sat in the snow for a minute to rest and recharge before trotting through Ponieville’s silent streets.
He’d made it into Ponieville, but didn’t know where to go next. Who would take him in?Who could he trust? He considered going to the Mayoral Keep, but the guards there were likely to be just as rude to him as the one at the gate, and they might even throw him out of the town or put him in stocks as a vagrant. That wouldn’t do. He knew one pony who lived here but had no idea where the old stallion might be, if he was even still alive. There was only one place to go.
“’Ey, who’re you? What’re you doin’ out this time o’ night?” a patrolling guard demanded as she spotted the stallion hobbling down an abandoned street.
The stallion paid no mind to the guard and quickened his pace toward his objective. The guard trotted toward him through the snow as he began to bang on the church’s door with his hooves, harder than he had on the town gate. The noise eventually elicited a response from within, and the priestess rose to see what the disturbance was.
“Get away from there, or I’ll teach you t’ disturb the peace,” the guard said, quickening her pace and drawing a truncheon as she neared the stallion.
His back was against the door, so he could face the guard when it swung open. The stallion fell back into the church, landing at the hooves of the priestess.
“Sanctuary!” he called up to her, and the town guard halted, “Please, I need sanctuary!”
***
A different guard was posted at Ponieville’s gate the next day when a different sight approached. No vagrants were these eight ponies; their proud bearing spoke to that fact as much as their accoutrements. Professional soldiers were they, weapons at their sides or backs, slung across their barding. Their leader was even in full plate, the squire following him doubtless having been the one responsible for hauling it along during the journey. The livery they wore was red and black, the colors of King Hadish of Manehattan. The guard had an uneasy feeling as they boldly approached her.
“What business have you in Ponieville,” she asked as firmly as she could, blocking their passage into the town with her halberd and hoping somepony would back her up if things got hairy.
“I am Ser Coldrin of the Ranseur,” the group’s leader introduced himself, “My companions and I have been sent here on a quest personally by Hadish the Righteous, King of Manehattan, Prince of Brightwood, and Defender of the True Faith.”
If the guard had not been so terrified that these ponies would cut her down in an instant, she would’ve pointed out that ponies only called Hadish righteous in his own kingdom. Everywhere else, he was known as Hadish the Rash for his impulsive actions, which had proved both a blessing and a curse to the king, allowing him to strike swiftly and decisively in war but also causing terrifying tales of his fickleness and cruelty to spread. Many members of his own land called him another name as well, combining Hadish and Rash into King Radish or the Crowned Radish. Of course, they never did so in public, for upon learning of this defamation of his name, Hadish had ordered the tongue cut from the mouth of anypony caught partaking.
“Celestia rules these lands, not Hadish,” the guard replied, relieved to spot Rainbow Dash out of the corner of her eye watching the conversation, “You have no business here.”
“Cedric, the warrant,” Ser Coldrin ordered, and his squire retrieved a scroll from his saddlebags and gave it to the knight, who passed it on to the guard, “We stopped at Trotstagor on the way here and spoke with the commandant, who granted us passage to fulfill our quest. As you can see, we are hunting an escaped criminal, a dangerous pony.”
“Yes, I see,” the guard said, passing the scroll back after pretending to know how to read it. The squiggles looked official, and the stamp affixed to it looked real enough.
“We have reason to believe this dangerous criminal was headed for Ponieville, no doubt intent on doing some mischief to your … fine town,” Ser Coldrin said, “Have you any idea of where he might be hiding?”
“You’d have t’ talk t’ Mayor Mare about that. I haven’t ‘eard anything,” the guard replied, though of course that was a lie. Every guard and most of the townsponies had heard by now about the stranger who’d appeared in the wee hours of the morning and demanded sanctuary at Ponieville’s chapel. She felt like that was something she shouldn’t tell these soldiers from a land that had been nothing but hostile to the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, however. Let the wiser ponies handle it; Mayor Mare would know the right course of action.
“Right, of course,” Ser Coldrin said, flashing a diplomatic smile, “May we pass, then?”
The guard obliged, lifting her halberd and letting the Manehattan soldiers into Ponieville. They didn’t look to be up to any mischief, as they headed immediately in the direction of the Mayoral Keep, but still she was nervous. It didn’t help that there were no other guards around, and Rainbow Dash had disappeared without a trace.
***
“Mother Medolia, I need to have a word with you!” Mayor Mare called from outside Ponieville’s chapel not long after the Manehattan soldiers arrived.
Normally, one could walk directly into the chapel whenever they wanted to, to make their prayers to Faust or confess to the priestess their sins and ask for penance, but upon arriving at the doors, Mayor Mare had found them locked tight. The church’s attendant had responded to her initial calls to open the door by asking her to wait, followed by the appearance of his face in a nearby window, a widening of eyes when he saw the seven armed ponies assembled behind her, then an outright refusal to undo the locks. She’d ordered her guards to try to force the chapel’s other doors, but they didn’t try too hard. This was a church, after all, and they didn’t want to risk bringing down any supernatural judgement on their heads.
“Mayor Mare,” the priestess replied judgmentally with mock surprise, “I’m not accustomed to you coming here to speak to me, when it is usually the other way around.”
“Open the doors so we can talk,” the mayor ordered.
“We are talking now,” Medolia shot back, smiling behind the solid planks of wood, “Come, what confessions and appeals have you to bring before the Goddess?”
“That is not why I’ve come here,” Mayor Mare said testily, “Now, open these doors!”
“I’m afraid I cannot,” Medolia said with mock woe, “Your friends have no love for Faust, and I fear they would do harm to me or to those in my care if I were to let them in. They must go if you wish to enter.”
“Do you know who that stallion you’ve taken in is? He’s a criminal, a dangerous political rebel who seeks to overthrow royalty and nobility alike!” Mayor Mare fumed, forgetting that, though she acted like it, she was not a member of the noble class, “I will not have somepony like that in my town!”
“This chapel is not part of your town. It belongs to the Church of One,” the priestess said stubbornly, “You have no authority in this matter, so begone!”
“Listen here! I won’t have this insubordination!” Mayor Mare said angrily as she pressed herself against the door, “I’ll knock down this door and drag the criminal out if I have to!”
Of course, she would never do any such thing, not if she hoped to survive and maintain her power. Most of the ponies of Ponieville were pious followers of the Church of One, and such a blatant attack on the church would not go over well at all. She’d be lucky to escape with her head if she tried something like that, and there would be no escaping Celestia’s wrath (not for attacking the chapel, but for allowing the lands she’d been appointed to govern to fly out of her control.)
“I may not have official jurisdiction here, but remember whose household makes the largest donations to the chapel,” Mayor Mare tried another tactic. Money always worked when force did not.
“I’m sure you did not mean that as a threat against the church, but Faust has provided through you, and She will continue to provide without you if such a thing were to come to pass,” the priestess said smoothly, “Etei fereyan ditte koto oner ye’i’r Sietir lezar ievan’r gelor, nof Zika tieri creaseloin occoscommos femasfir oro gelorel fori mepiles Zika’r tahn.[1]”
Mayor Mare fumed. Why did she have to be stuck with a priestess who was pious and lived and breathed the Word of Faust. It would be so much easier for her if Mother Medolia were like some of the church officials that other leaders had to deal with, more concerned with coin or carnal pleasures than their congregations. Not for the first time, she cursed her poor fortune that such a paragon of virtue had found her way to Ponieville. There had to be some way to smoke her out of the chapel, some way to convince her to revoke the sanctuary she’d given to that dangerous stallion, but the mayor could think of nothing.
A stir in the crowd made the mayor turn to find out what was going on, since she wasn’t making any progress getting through the door anyway. She was not pleased to see that, moving through the small crowd that had formed around the chapel, were Twilight Sparkle and her friends. This sorceress had interfered with her plans before and was closely connected to Celestia. Which side she would join in this dispute was uncertain, but the mayor felt in her gut that it would not be her own. The Brave Companions had stood in defense of this very chapel before when another group from Manehattan had been here. The mayor scrambled for arguments to bring Twilight Sparkle over to her side.
“It’s a bloody witch,” one of the Manehattan soldiers said as he felt the amulet around his neck vibrate (though it was fairly obvious from her appearance.)
“That’s not just any witch,” Ser Coldrin pointed out to his followers, “That’s the Devil’s Daughter, personal minion of the Perfumed Corpse herself.”
“What is the meaning of this, Mayor Mare?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she approached the mayor, “Since when do you take orders from King Hadish the Rash? If your allegiances have shifted, I am sure you would have notified Celestia posthaste.”
“This is a matter of my local government,” Mayor Mare said stiffly, cursing the fact that the sorceress was turned against her from the start, “As for allegiances, you can be sure I am still firmly loyal to Celestia. As a matter of fact, what you see here is my execution of the duties she’s entrusted me with, namely ensuring the safety of her subjects.”
“I see no connection between protecting her subjects and allowing King Hadish’s thugs to ransack their place of worship,” Twilight said dryly after looking back at Ser Coldrin and his followers.
“The priestess is sheltering a criminal in there!” Mayor Mare pointed at the church, preparing to launch into a tirade.
“What business does the Dominions of Cant’r Laht have enforcing the laws of the Kingdom of Manehattan?” Twilight demanded before the mayor could go on, “If he has committed no crime in our lands, then what concern is it of ours to see him brought to Hadish’s justice? Furthermore, what right have Manehattan’s enforcers to cross our lands and demand his return?”
“He’s dangerous!” the mayor fumed, “He’s a political rebel, and intends to overthrow the nobility.”
“And you have proof of this? Other than the testimony of these fine gentlestallions from Manehattan?” Twilight asked sharply.
“The Commandant of Trotstagor issued them a warrant granting them passage within the Dominions until they found this dangerous pony,” Mayor Mare collected herself, “Ser Coldrin, show her the warrant.”
The knight motioned for his squire to retrieve it and took it upon himself to personally deliver it. He approached the Brave Companions and gave Twilight a sour look before passing the warrant to Pinkamena, the closest earth pony to him. The bard passed it to the frowning sorceress, who perused the document. Everything was in order, though Celestia might need to have a talk with the commandant about issuing things like this.
“It is a legitimate warrant … but that is not enough proof,” Twilight said, throwing the warrant back at the Manehattanites, “All this proves is that the commandant was convinced by your story, not the legitimacy of the story itself.”
“Will anything convince you to allow us to carry out our quest?” Ser Coldrin asked, looking like it physically pained him to address the sorceress directly.
“Yes, I would speak with the accused,” Twilight Sparkle announced, loudly enough that everypony could hear it.
“You believe that he—a dangerous and deranged criminal—would be more truthful than us?” Ser Coldrin laughed, though that laughter never reached his eyes.
“I do,” Twilight said without a hint of humor in her voice, “There is, or course, an alternative if you believe he would lead me astray. I could question you and your companions, with the aid of a truth spell.”
At the mention of a spell, the Manehattanites grew incredibly uneasy. Some reached for their weapons, others closed their eyes and ears, and some backed up a step, making guarding signs with their hooves that were certainly not taught by the Church of One.
“Mmm, perhaps not,” Twilight said with a slight smile, “Mother Medolia, would it satisfy you if the Brave Companions and I questioned the pony in your care and determined the validity of these accusations?”
“Yes, it would,” the priestess replied with hardly any delay. Good, she was listening in the whole time.
“Please, kindly back away,” Twilight Sparkle addressed the soldiers from Manehattan.
To ensure their cooperation, she cast a spell that made sparks dance threateningly along her horn. It was little more than a parlor trick, but it did the job of convincing them to back off from the church. The sorceress gave the mayor a look, and with a frown, she too left the front of the chapel and trotted away to join her guards. Locks were undone, and one of the doors to the chapel swung open, allowing only six ponies (and a dragon) to enter before it slammed shut.
“Where is he?” Fluttershy asked as Medolia relocked the doors.
“He’s staying in the chambers along the crypt. Come, I’ll lead the way,” the priestess answered as she left the chapel’s attendant to watch the crowd through a window, “Madam sorceress, I have not seen you in service or confession.”
“Not now,” the sorceress said sternly, and the priestess inclined her head with a slight smile. She could get to her one of these days.
The chambers beneath the chapel were cold and dry, and there were many blankets to dispel the former. The stallion they’d come to see was not wrapped up in any of them, dressed only in the simple shift the priestess had provided as a replacement for the rags he’d been wearing. He was an earth pony—which surprised Twilight—with a mottled green coat, and a green mane and tail that were just beginning to grow back after having been shorn in prison. He sat tilted to one side, to reduce the pain from the abuses he’d sustained. Even though the shift covered his body fairly completely, there were plenty of cuts, scars, and burns visible on his flesh.
“Who are you?” the stallion said as he looked up at the ponies that now filled his empty chamber.
“We’re th’ Brave Companions; maybe you’ve heard o’ us?” Applejack said, and got a response. “I’m Applejack, this is Pinkamena an’ Fluttershy, an’ over here we have Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity.”
“Spruce Halfbiter, charmed,” the stallion introduced himself, “I heard rumors, but I thought it was more like folk tales.”
“We’re real all right. You’re lucky you got here when you did. We just got back from Appleoosa yesterday, and who knows what Mayor Mare might’ve done had we not been here,” Rainbow Dash boasted, before catching the look Twilight was aiming in her direction, “I mean … why are those Manehattan cretins after you?”
“I escaped King Hadish’s dungeons,” Spruce said plainly.
“I believe her intent was to find out what you did to get thrown in those dungeons in the first place,” Rarity spoke up.
“Oh, right,” Spruce said, looking at his hooves, “It might not make much sense out here, but here it goes. A holy day turned into a pogrom against unicorns, and I found a family of them at my doorstep. Their house had been torched, but they’d escaped, and begged me to conceal them until the violence was past. Nopony would probably consider me friendly with unicorns, but I wasn’t outright hostile, like most. I am—was—a smith by trade, and apprenticed with a unicorn, so I know they’re not the evil monsters the priests try to tell us they are. My family—we let them stay in our house, hid them until the riots were over.”
“That wasn’t the end, though. In the morning, it looked like everything had passed, but who should show up at my door but Ser Dreyis, Duke of Bucklyn. They call him The Hornhunter—he keeps a necklace of the things around his neck. He’s been Hadish’s closest ally since he was a young prince, and might even be more zealous than the king himself. He knew—I don’t know how, but he knew that I was hiding unicorns in my home. His soldiers found them in an instant, slaughtered them, and dragged my family away to the dungeons as enemies of the king.”
“We were tortured, together at first, but they soon separated us to strip us of any hope. I hadn’t seen my wife and daughter for weeks, when the opportunity came. One of the guards was too drunk to shut me in my cell properly, and I escaped after he’d left, using what little strength I had left in my broken body. I searched for my family but couldn’t find them, and I have to assume they’re dead. I barely made it out of the dungeons without being caught, and I went on the run, trying to put as much distance between myself and Manehattan as possible.”
“Why Ponieville?” Twilight asked when it became apparent Spruce’s story was done, “It is under Celestia’s protection, yes, but it is nearly a two-week journey from Manehattan to here. Surely it would have been easier to go to Fillidelfiyaa or to have stowed away on a ship crossing the Shimmering Sea?”
“Fillidelfiyaa is not safe, not with Hadish’s son Robar residing there,” Spruce said, shutting his eyes and shaking his head, “I knew they would send somepony to hunt me, and I had to find somepony who would hide me, protect me. Yes, Ponieville was my choice because it is under Celestia’s protection, but I also thought I could find help here. I mentioned I apprenticed with a unicorn, yes? He was forced to leave Manehattan years ago and moved to Ponieville. I was hoping to find Gascoigne and prayed he would help me even if nopony else would.”
“Sorry, but Gascoigne has been dead for years,” Rarity apologized, “With Mayor Mare more concerned with your criminal history than protecting runaways from Manehattan, coming here was the best choice you could’ve made.”
“Criminal history? What?” Spruce said in surprise, “Surely the unicorn hatred hasn’t spread even to here!”
“The knight hunting you told her that you wanted to overthrow the nobility,” Pinkamena explained.
“Who cares? It’s not like you could actually pull it off. Besides, Mayor Mare isn’t nobility anyway,” Rainbow Dash said, before catching another look from Twilight, “That is to say, we believe your story.”
“What do we do now?” Fluttershy asked.
“I have th’ feelin’ that Hadish’s soldiers aren’t just goin’ t’ leave wi’out a fight,” Applejack said.
“Mayor Mare might never break down the chapel’s door, but they have no such compunctions. We have to get you out of here. You should head for the White Tail Woods,” Twilight formulated a plan on her hooves, “I will write you a letter to present to Duchess Periwinkle requesting asylum. She will be able to protect you, and Hadish’s troops would never emerge were they to enter the forest.”
“I’m in no fit shape to travel a long distance at speed. I won’t be able to outpace them,” Spruce bemoaned his misfortune, “They don’t know the country, but neither do I, and I won’t be able to lose them if they see me leave.”
“They do not have to see you leave. Maybe in the east, you burn anypony with a spark of magic in them, but here sorceresses are able to cast spells freely, and I can think of a few that would be quite useful to this situation,” Twilight Sparkle said with a wicked grin.
***
Mayor Mare didn’t take the news that Spruce would be staying where he was well, at least not before she learned his true crime. Even so, she half-considered turning him over to the Manehattanites anyway. Ser Coldrin wasn’t just any knight, he was a powerful member of King Hadish’s court, and connections to him could be beneficial. Besides, what would be the harm in throwing this pony to the wolves? In the end, she decided not to do so, however. Word of this would surely travel back to Celestia, who could strip away her title with a word. Any connections she had would be worthless without her status as mayor.
The Manehattan soldiers were surprisingly (and suspiciously) satisfied with the Brave Companions’ decision. Certainly, they made a fuss about their quest and the warrant from the Commandant of Trotstagor, but they didn’t try to force their way into the chapel. Instead, they headed to a tavern as the crowd dispersed, leaving one soldier behind to keep watch and make sure Spruce didn’t try to slip away. His sanctuary only protected him so long as he was within the stone walls of the church, after all. Mayor Mare also posted guards to protect the chapel from attack by the Manehattanites, but it didn’t take long before they were sitting down to roll dice with the soldier on watch.
It was late at night when the blaze broke out on the other side of Ponieville. What began as a fire in a grain storehouse quickly spread to the row of merchant shops around it. Ponies rushed to help put the fire out, and the bells of the Mayoral Keep rang out for the guard to help. Those around the Ponieville chapel wondered at what their move should be. A fire was an emergency that they were required to respond to, but they had also been ordered by the mayor to guard the chapel. The Manehattan soldier that had been keeping watch on the chapel had left hours before, though, professing that he had to leave before he lost any more money and couldn’t afford a bed for the night. In the end, it was the angry shouting of one of the guard corporals for them to get their tails in gear as he passed that convinced them to join in fighting the fire.
No sooner had they abandoned their posts than the Manehattanites emerged from the shadows. Knowing the guards could return from the fire at any minute, they hurriedly moved into position around an empty wagon parked in the street and began to push. The wagon slammed into the doors of the chapel, taking more damage than it gave. Repeatedly, the soldiers rolled the wagon against the doors until it was a splintered mess and the doors were bowing in. Ser Coldrin finished them off with a strike of his ranseur and a kick with his armor.
“Begone! This is a holy place! You have no place here!” the priestess ordered as she moved into the path of the seven armed ponies.
Ser Coldrin was through with being diplomatic and clubbed her across the head with the butt of his ranseur, knocking her to the stone floor. The chapel’s attendant charged from a vestibule, screaming, and was impaled on one of the soldiers’ swords. Ruthlessly, the soldiers searched the chapel, turning it upside-down. They broke down every door, threw every screen to the floor, and overturned every table and chest, but still there was no sign of their quarry. He had simply vanished.
Of course, Spruce hadn’t actually disappeared. He’d been gone since that afternoon, when Twilight Sparkle had teleported him outside of town. He was now long gone and outfitted with warm gear, a weapon, and a signed and sealed letter from Celestia’s personal protégé that would ensure his safe passage to Duchess Periwinkle’s court.
As Ser Coldrin and his followers prepared to make their escape from the ransacked chapel, they found that they had spent too long in their search. The fire was out, and the Ponieville guard blocked their exit. With a sigh, Ser Coldrin threw down his weapon, and the others followed suit. There was no escape, except through the wall of town guards. As poorly trained as they might be, it would still be a challenge, and then they’d have to deal with the town’s witch. The risk wasn’t worth it, and they’d rather be taken to the Mayoral Keep’s dungeons than die here. They’d be treated roughly, but the dungeons here were nothing compared to those beneath the Kings’ Redoubt, and Hadish would pay their ransom soon enough.
***
One Month Later
“Well, I’ll be. You actually found him,” the clerk at the entrance to the dungeons beneath the Kings’ Redoubt said, comparing the stallion before him to the sketch of him, “Where was he?”
“Wanderin’ through White Tail Wood,” the bounty hunter tied to Spruce said, “Got hisself turned around in a blizzard, I reckon, an’ couldn’t find his way out.”
“Was he any trouble?” the clerk asked.
“Not after we showed him th’ hair y’ gave us an’ told him what y’ said,” the second bounty hunter answered.
“Yes, of course. We’ll take him from here,” the clerk said as he motioned a dungeon attendant forward to take custody of the prisoner, and pulled down a thick ledger book from the shelf next to him, “Now, about your payment …”
Spruce was dragged down into the dungeons he was familiar with for all the wrong reasons. He’d escaped once already, and several attendants shackled him, a cuff around every limb. Once he was thoroughly secured, they hoisted him up by his forelegs until he could barely stand on his hindhooves. He tried to get their attention, but they would only strike him across the face before he could get his question out, and soon he was drooling blood.
“Well, well, well,” a voice he’d heard only once before, but he would remember forever spoke, and he looked up in shock to see Ser Dreyis entering the torture chamber dramatically, “The one that got away, returned.”
“I need to know. Prove to me you’ll honor your word. I have to see,” Spruce babbled, and Dreyis nodded to one of the attendants, who struck the prisoner in the ribs.
“You don’t get to demand anything,” Dreyis said with a grin, “But, because I’m feeling generous since you didn’t struggle, I’ll humor you. I assume you’re talking about your wife and daughter, and the promise that they’d be freed if you came willingly, yes?”
Spruce nodded painfully. It was what had kept him from trying to escape from the bounty hunters, the only thing as they’d been plenty sloppy, and he could’ve easily gotten away again.
“Well, it’s not my word at stake here, but that of our gracious monarch, and a king must always keep his promises, mustn’t he?” Dreyis said condescendingly, “Well, I assure you that he has, and I even brought your lovely family with me today to prove it to you that they will be freed.”
Ser Dreyis reached into his saddlebags and Spruce’s heart shattered. The Hornhunter placed the two skulls on the table with his torture instruments, one of a mare, the other of a young filly. Spruce screamed and tried to pull free of his restraints, but it was pointless. An attendant walloped him across the back and he fell slack, weeping.
“What? Displeased with our deal?” Dreyis asked mockingly, “They were dead before you ever left, of course, so the only way to free them would be to free their remains. The promise will be kept, and their bones will be freed to the river in the morning.”
Spruce was crushed, enraged, and terrified all at the same time. If he’d thought himself a broken stallion before, things were far worse now, and it wasn’t even over. He had the feeling that Ser Dreyis hadn’t strung him up here just to gloat and then execute him. This suspicion was confirmed as the sadistic stallion picked through his different torture implements, looking for something suitable.
Another pony entered the torture chamber, and Spruce’s heart, already fluttering in fear, skipped several beats at once. There wasn’t a single pony in the city who wouldn’t recognize the crimson-coated stallion with a jet-black mane and tail that had entered. A golden crown atop his head set with rubies glittered in the torchlight, seeming almost to be on fire. Flames of madness burned in the stallion’s eyes as he approached the immobile prisoner.
“I am delighted you chose to arrive today, though if only you’d come sooner,” King Hadish spoke without warning, a crazed grin on his face.
“Your Majesty,” Ser Dreyis snapped to attention, having been taken by surprise by his sovereign’s silent entrance.
“A pity, really, for I have a sssummit I really must get to,” Hadish continued to speak directly to Spruce, “Ser Dreyis here will take good care of you, and make sure you die nice and slowly. Nothing but the worst for scum who’s caused so much trouble for me. Do you have any idea the sum of coin I had to pay to ransom Ser Coldrin and the others? But, it wasn’t all bad. The knight of the ranseur told me how you spoke to the ‘Brave Companions’ while you were away. We’re going to know everything you know about them, and Ser Dreyis will make sure you speak only truth. It will be a slow, agonizing death for you, though not slow enough, I’m afraid, for me to return in time to watch your end. A pity, so let’s make this time we have last!”
Without warning, King Hadish grabbed a red-hot poker and jabbed it into Spruce’s side. The prisoner screamed at the excruciating pain while the king grinned and drank it all in. It was going to be a very long night for both of them.
The Ponieville druid circle was assembled in their customary clearing in a small wood outside the town. The group was seated in a circle, each of them upon a stone they had brushed the snow from with their simple robes. Attention was on Fluttershy as she relayed what she’d seen on her recent trip to the south Equestry Valley. When she finished, there was silence; things were just as they were elsewhere in Equestria. Ponies trampled the wilderness for their own purposes, with the blessings of monarchs, the only ones with the power to stop something like this.
“Your observations are appreciated, but nothing we couldn’t learn from the druid circles of those areas,” a mare with twigs sticking out of her mane said, “Your frequent absences are troubling. This is the fourth time this year that you’ve left the area for reasons unrelated to the land’s welfare. It makes some question your devotion to your responsibilities.”
“Silence, Gleswig, you speak out of turn,” the hierophant shot the mare down, “Of those of us here, only you doubt Fluttershy’s resolve. Is it not apparent to all of us that, rather than neglecting her duties, she only fulfilled them with more dedication? The beasts under her care have flourished, and if this change in Fluttershy’s behavior has brought this about, then I wholeheartedly welcome it.”
“Hierophant Creeping Moss,” Gleswig addressed the circle’s leader, “Do you truly think it is such a good idea for her to spend so much time with other ponies outside the circle? One of them is a sorceress, and not one friendly to our cause.”
“Twilight Sparkle is my friend,” Fluttershy spoke up in her defense, startling the circle, “She may not understand our ways, but that does not stop me from speaking to her about them.”
“See?” Creeping Moss laughed, “What you see as a barrier is a benefit. Having the ear of a sorceress is quite useful. She is also quite highly placed, the protégé of Celestia herself.”
“I doubt she truly listens,” Gleswig snorted, “Just like her mistress. The illustrious Matron of Sorceress has forbidden any druids to speak with her while she is on her procession through her lands, after all.”
“The procession,” Fluttershy said softly, the blood draining from her face, “Pardon me, but I really must be going now.”
Without another word, the druidess abandoned the circle and took off in the direction of Ponieville. After a few minutes, she remembered that she could fly, and the circle saw her in the distance as she rose over the treetops.
“There she goes again,” Gleswig sighed, and this time found she was not alone.
***
Nine days earlier, Celestia had departed Cant’r Laht with a veritable army of wagons and retainers. She’d headed north first and visited the Hill Kingdoms, where she’d met with the three surviving kings of the ten who’d originally pledged fealty to her in exchange for protection from the Kingdom of Manehattan. While she was there, she’d also acted upon the information received from Twilight Sparkle while still in her mountain city and given Trotstagor’s commandant a firm lecture on when it was appropriate to issue warrants that allowed soldiers of an unfriendly nation to march across her lands unimpeded. Through good fortune (and some planning by King Hadish’s officials) she also met with a delegation from Manehattan there and worked out the ransom terms for the ponies still kept in Ponieville’s dungeons.
Leaving the Hill Kingdoms, she’d struck out south, stopping in Ponieville before the march westward to the White Tail Woods. The procession was currently in Ponieville, its wagons filling the courtyard of the Mayoral Keep. If somepony attacked the town today, the citizens would find it difficult to retreat behind the walls that had been built just for that purpose. However, only an utterly insane pony would think it a good idea to attack while the most powerful living sorceress was here in person. The keep’s great hall was filled with a lively feast, for Celestia and her attendants to mingle with the local ponies of importance. At Celestia’s table were seats for the Brave Companions, but not all of them were filled yet.
Fluttershy was not the only Brave Companion late to the party. Knowing that Celestia and her companions would not arrive early in the morning, and that Mayor Mare would take up the first few hours of her visit, Rainbow Dash had decided to pursue a monster-hunting contract that morning. Unfortunately, it had taken longer to kill the fiend than she’d expected, and had left her covered in mud. That would be no way to appear before the sovereign of these lands—even if Hunters were subjects of no nation, it would be incredibly rude, and if Celestia didn’t berate her for it, then Twilight surely would—so she had to clean herself and polish her armor before making her way to the Mayoral Keep. She nearly made it into the keep before she was distracted.
“Whoa, that’s some fine craftsmareship on those swords,” she addressed Celestia’s royal guards, who made the mayoral guards standing near them look incredibly pitiful in comparison, “The smithies of Cant’r Laht must be incredible! Who does the work? On the swords, I mean; not that your armor isn’t great too, but plate isn’t really my style.”
“I don’t know. What are the castle smiths’ names?” one of the guards asked his partner, who shrugged.
“Fine, I’ll ask somepony else,” Rainbow Dash said, half-running, half-flying into the Mayoral Keep.
Fluttershy landed in the Mayoral Keep’s courtyard, navigating the maze of wagons and carriages. Celestia’s guards crossed their swords in front of the doorway as she tried to enter. Fluttershy was stunned into silence for a moment before motivating herself to speak up. I have to get in.
“Excuse me, I need to enter,” she said timidly.
“No druids allowed,” one of the guards said, lowering his sword, but his partner pointed his blade at the druidess.
“No, but I-” Fluttershy said.
“Begone, or we’ll use force to drive you off,” the guard warned.
“What is going on here?” the voice of Twilight Sparkle came from inside the keep, and the sorceress appeared through the doorway.
“Just a druidess trying to force her way in, no doubt to speak to Celestia about banning fishing and logging,” the guard said as he snapped to attention.
“This is Fluttershy,” Twilight said plainly, and the guard looked stricken.
“My profoundest apologies,” he said, bowing before Twilight and Fluttershy in turn.
“Come on Fluttershy, everypony else is here,” Twilight Sparkle said, leading her into the keep, “I was beginning to worry. What kept you?”
“The Ponieville druid circle was meeting, and I completely lost track of time,” Fluttershy apologized as they made their way through the halls and up the stairs to the great hall.
“Oh, maybe … if you could … go easy on some of the heavier druid stuff with Celestia,” Twilight said uncomfortably, feeling guilty about asking something like this of her friend, even if she had as little love for the topic as Celestia, “Not to discourage you, it is just that … well, Celestia is not very receptive to such things. It's just that I was really hoping she would approve of all my friends, and I am not sure what her reaction to druid petitions will be.”
“Of course, Twilight, I’ll just talk with her about my work caring for the creatures of the forest,” Fluttershy promised, having already intended on taking that exact course of action, “I never expected you to be so worried about such a thing. After all, Celestia has met us before.”
“Yes, but that was only briefly, at the celebration following Nightmare Moon’s defeat. She has heard the stories that have spread across Equestria about us, of course, and I have been sending her letters the past several months, but she has not yet had a chance to truly sit down and get to know you,” Twilight disclosed as they entered the great hall, “I know she trusts my judgement, but still, she has been my mentor for the past twelve years, and she is also the greatest living sorceress. I just want her to like you all.”
“I’m sure everything will be fine, Twilight,” Fluttershy assured her friend, “It’s not like this is a formal event like the Grand Galloping Gala, right? Just an informal visit.”
Twilight Sparkle was still worried. Sure, things weren’t as serious as a banquet or summit, but in her mind the only informal event with Celestia would be a personal meeting in Cant’r Laht Castle for a meal, as she had done many times under the great sorceress’s tutelage. A feast in the great hall of the Mayoral Keep with several Cant’r Laht and local nobles in attendance was not Twilight Sparkle’s idea of informal. It didn’t help that Cant’r Laht’s matron of sorceresses was seated in the place of honor at the head of the great hall. The large, high-backed chair was theoretically reserved for her when she was in attendance, but Twilight could swear she’d seen Mayor Mare using it on occasion.
Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy took their seats at the head table, and the sorceress observed the plight her friends were in with alarm. Rarity sat with an empty area in front of her, having waved off all attempts by servers to bring her food, for fear that it would spill on the dress she’d designed herself for the occasion. Applejack was also not eating, but for a far different reason. The farmer was usually not worried about performing in social situations, but she was seated across from such a regal and legendary figure that she was paralyzed with anxiety about making the wrong move. Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena were quite the opposite. The Hunter leaned back and forth in her chair as she tossed daggers in the air to demonstrate her skill, rousing the noblestallion across from her from his boredom when one of the blades landed between his plate and goblet. Pinkamena tore into her food with gusto, throwing all manners aside. Twilight was horrified, but Celestia watched with a slight grin as she ignored Mayor Mare’s explanation to her about how it had been her plan that had dispelled the recent situation with the Maneahattan soldiers.
“So pleased you were able to make it. Fluttershy, is it?” Celestia asked as she turned her attention from the ravenous bard to the druidess, and Mayor Mare gave up on speaking to the sorceress until she was through with the Brave Companions.
“Yes, your Grace,” Fluttershy said nervously, hoping that she’d chosen the correct form of address.
“I’m sure Twilight has told you I have little time for druids, but don’t think that I have anything against you,” Celestia said, “You must understand, I have been around for a very long time, and it’s tiresome to be repeatedly told that ponies must change their ways or we’ll bring about the end of our world. Intense heat, intense cold, drought, famine, floods, pestilence from the Sun, they have no shortage of ideas for how ponykind’s imposition upon nature will inevitably lead to our destruction, but it has been my experience that nature continues to live on much as it always has, sometimes struggling, sometimes flourishing, but generally ambivalent toward ponies and their role in the world.”
“Oh, I see,” Fluttershy said, looking down at her food.
“As I said before, though, I have nothing against the druids, especially since you do play a role in caring for the local ecosystem and the creatures within it,” Celestia went on, assuring the druidess that she was not the enemy many of her kind considered her to be, “I know that caring for lesser creatures is no easy task. I fill that role myself to a degree, even with my other duties and responsibilities.”
A squawk drew the alicorn’s attention upwards to the creature perched on her chair’s back, which Fluttershy had been staring at since it had arrived a few seconds earlier. It was a bird of some sort, or had been at one time. Feathers covered its body in patches, and the exposed skin looked sickly, flaking, and cracked. It almost looked like bird had been half-plucked and half-roasted by a gryphon before escaping. The bone structure was also off for a bird, and it looked to be having a hard time keeping its head up.
“Ah, Philomena, I was just talking about you,” Celestia addressed the pitiful creature, “Whenever possible, I try to tend to her myself.”
“Oh …” Fluttershy said, not knowing what else to say. What happened to that poor creature? Did Celestia do this to her? Should I say something? Can I say something? What if Celestia took her in after some terrible accident? It would be rude to accuse her of mistreating Philomena if she was only trying to help. Still, it’s obvious that she’s not caring for her as she should. Should I say something? Celestia is so busy, maybe she doesn’t mean to neglect Philomena, but she should know that she is. Yes, I have to say something.
Fluttershy was working up the courage and just beginning to open her mouth when one of Celestia’s officials—a fellow mage—approached her and urgently whispered in her ear. Several nobles (and Mayor Mare) strained to hear what was said over the noise of the feast. As close as Fluttershy was to the ancient sorceress, the only phrase she was able to discern was “our spies in Zebrikaania.”
“Right now?” Celestia asked in a hushed tone, “Can I not contact her after the feast?”
“She seemed quite insistent, and she wanted you to be the first to hear the news,” the sorcerer said seriously.
“Very well,” Celestia said with a sigh before turning back to the Brave Companions, “I am afraid we shall have to cut this meeting short. Important business calls for my attention, but I hope to speak with you all again before the summit.”
The nobles (and Mayor Mare) stood as Celestia left the table, and the Brave Companions followed their lead. Applejack finally got to eat, now that the pressure was off, but most of the other guests began to depart now that the guest of honor was absent. Twilight Sparkle heaved a sigh of relief that no disasters had occurred during this first semi-official meeting between Celestia and her friends. She would continue to stick around and be at her mentor’s side, but the other Brave Companions were leaving the feast. Fluttershy had vanished without a trace extraordinary quickly, probably anxious to be free of such a large crowd of ponies. Accustomed to avoiding her fellow ponies, the druidess could be extraordinarily stealthy, and nopony noticed her leaving with Philomena tucked under her robes.
***
She didn’t keep the bird cooped up forever, of course. Once they were outside of town and past the homes near the walls, the druidess let Philomena perch on her back. Perch was a bit of a loose term, though, as she didn’t seem to be very good at balancing, and Fluttershy had to use her wings to even her out more than once to keep her from falling off. Everypony was in Ponieville, hoping to catch a glimpse of Celestia, so Fluttershy didn’t encounter anypony else on the way to her home. Nopony knew that she’d just stolen the pet of the most powerful mare in Equestria, but that wasn’t what Fluttershy was concerned about.
With Celestia called away suddenly, the druidess’s mind had seen no other course of action. Philomena needed her help, and that was that. She would nurse the bird back to health and return her to Celestia when that was accomplished. Twilight had shared the path of the sorceress’s procession, and she would be passing Ponieville after her trek through the White Tail Woods before heading south to inspect Appleoosa, and then again on her way back to Cant’r Laht; Fluttershy could return her pet on either of those occasions. Celestia might even thank her, and if she didn’t, then that was too bad. The aged sorceress had barely spared Philomena a concerned glance, and no self-respecting druidess could allow neglect to go on while an animal was in such a sorry state. If Celestia wasn’t going to care for the bird, then it was her duty to do it for her.
Once she’d returned to her home, she set Philomena down near her fire to allow her to warm up after the cold trek. The bird proceeded by immediately walking into the fire and sitting down. Fluttershy was aghast, and she swiftly pulled her from the flames, nearly burning herself in the process. Philomena’s feathers were singed or had burned off completely, her legs were charred, and her exposed skin looked worse than ever. Clearly, she was going to require constant supervision, and the druidess wondered if she was in such a sorry state because she harmed herself like this often.
Keeping Philomena close, Fluttershy searched the few books she had for descriptions of the bird’s affliction and a remedy. However, nothing turned up, so she had to do things the hard way. Using her years of knowledge from tending to woodland creatures, she tried every remedy she could think of. No matter what she tried, though, Philomena continued to get alarmingly worse. Whatever she had, it was eating away at her rapidly, and there was nothing Fluttershy could do to stop or slow it. The bird developed a cough and began hacking up blood. Her feathers fell out or curled up like dead leaves. The skin beneath continued to crack and ooze pus. She eventually refused to eat or even drink anything that Fluttershy offered her in an attempt to make her better. The druidess tried to use her talents to convince the bird to do what she wanted, but the dying creature stubbornly refused.
She considered reaching out for help, from the other druids or from Twilight Sparkle, and that’s when it dawned on her that she may have made a mistake. Snatching away Philomena for her own good was something that had seemed reasonable, and the other druids would probably understand, but would Twilight? Fluttershy had the feeling that her sorceress friend would probably see this as nothing more than theft, as well as something that would give Celestia another reason to dislike druids (even if she claimed she didn’t). She had taken Philomena without asking, after all, but it had seemed right in the moment, and the bird truly did need help that Celestia couldn’t provide. Something told her that wouldn’t be enough of an explanation, though, for either Twilight or Celestia.
A knock sounded on her door, and she hid Philomena in a basket. She had no idea who her visitor could be, since ponies rarely made the trip out here to see the druidess, at least not since Trompe L’oeil had been in town. Before she could open the door, her guest let herself in.
“Oh good, you’re home, Fluttershy,” Applejack said as she trotted through the doorway, “I’m glad I checked here afore lookin’ through th’ woods for y’.”
“What do you need?” Fluttershy asked, puzzled. Applejack has never visited me before.
“Twi’ is tryin’ t’ round up th’ Brave Companions, an’ you’re th’ most important part,” Applejack said, motioning for the druidess to come with her.
“Me?” Fluttershy asked, glancing back at the basket and Philomena as she resisted leaving, “Why would I be the most important?”
“Celestia’s pet bird has gone missin’ an’ we were hopin’ you could use your skills wi’ animals t’ … locate … it …” Applejack trailed off as she noticed Philomena flopping around in her basket, “Is that what I think it is?”
“Celestia’s pet bird Philomena?” Fluttershy said sheepishly, “Yes?”
“What is it doin’ here?” Applejack exclaimed, “Th’ royal guard is turnin’ th’ town topsy-turvy lookin’ for that thing!”
Philomena finally succeeded in freeing herself from the basket and waddled straight toward the fire again. Fluttershy swooped in to stop her, only to be bitten on her foreleg, which Philomena then jumped over to reach the flames. The druidess pulled her from the fire a second time, batting at the flames and causing more feathers to drift off and skin to peel. Grimacing, she carefully put Philomena back into the basket.
“Fluttershy, what’re y’ doin?” Appeljack asked, though the question seemed more directed at the course of action she’d taken in stealing Celestia’s bird than at saving her from the fire.
“Just look at her, Applejack. She was in such a terrible state, I couldn’t just leave her,” Fluttershy said, staying near the basket this time in case Philomena tried another escape.
“She’s none o’ your business!” Applejack said shakenly, “Your job is t’ care for wild animals; carin’ for that one is Celestia’s responsibility.”
“Well, she hasn’t been doing a very good job then. Just look at her!” Fluttershy said with conviction that surprised even herself, “Celestia is obviously too busy and distracted to take care of her pet, so I stepped in.”
“No no no no no, this is not good,” Applejack said in distress, before really taking a look at Philomena, “Good heavens, she looks worse’n before!”
“Nothing’s working,” Fluttershy admitted, “But I’m sure if I keep at it, she’ll get better soon.”
“Did y’ consider maybe that somethin’ happened, an’ that bird’s recoverin’ from it, an’ Celestia knows what she’s doin’ an’ how t’ help, but she can’t since y’ took her away?” Applejack asked with a barely controlled voice.
“No, I didn’t consider that,” Fluttershy admitted, biting her lip as she thought about the possibility.
“O’ course not, y’ just wanted t’ help,” Applejack said with a sigh, “Okay, here’s what we do. We’ll bring th’ bird back t’ Celestia, but there’s no need for y’ t’ tell her that y’ took it in th’ first place.”
“Why not?” Fluttershy asked.
“Do y’ have any idea what Celestia might do if she were t’ learn y’ stole from her? Obviously she cares about that bird a lot too, if she’s ordered a search for it,” Applejack said, “Celestia is a great ruler, an’ a heap of a lot better’n most o’ th’ others, but she still has a reputation. I’m talkin’ about whole towns destroyed in anger.”
“Celestia wouldn’t do that to Ponieville,” Fluttershy said, “Would she?”
“Well, prob’ly not,” Applejack admitted, “But she could still punish y’ for stealing her pet. I hear th’ dungeons o’ Cant’r Laht are quite expansive.”
“I don’t know …” Fluttershy said uncertainly, “I don’t think that Celestia would do anything like that. As long as we bring back Philomena and explain …”
The druidess looked around frantically as she realized that, during her conversation with Applejack, Philomena had silently escaped her basket. The druidess and Applejack rushed around her home, looking for the bird, but she was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of her until they found a tunnel in the wall that hadn’t been there before. Somehow Philomena had managed to burrow her way outside.
“Oh no! She’s loose!” Fluttershy exclaimed.
“Phew, maybe somepony else will find her,” Applejack said with relief.
“Not if she’s dead!” Fluttershy said, whirling on the farmer, “She seems to get herself into all kinds of trouble, and with nopony to look out for her, she could get seriously hurt or killed before somepony finds her!”
“Oh, I see what y’ mean,” Applejack said, remembering how Philomena had hopped into the fire earlier, “You’re right, we’ve got t’ find her an’ bring her t’ Celestia afore somethin’ bad happens.”
***
Finding Philomena would have been a nigh impossible task, had the ground not been covered in snow. Though she was a bird, she’d lost too many feathers to be able to fly and left a clear trail for the two ponies to follow. It was surprising how fast she’d been able to move, though, as there was no sign of her no matter how fast Applejack and Fluttershy pursued her footprints. The druidess cringed whenever they came a across a fresh patch of feathers or peeling skin, and she was aghast when they found a particularly bad collection in a copse. It looked like Philomena was eager to part with life, as she’d scraped herself badly against a withered tree, leaving behind feathers, flesh, and not a small pool of pus and blood.
They continued to pursue the trail, that at least led toward Ponieville and not the Everfree Forest. Applejack began to hope that maybe somepony else would find Philomena first, but she was also worried about how much damage the poor bird was sustaining. She wasn’t unfeeling toward the bird, but she didn’t care about its welfare in the same way that Fluttershy did. Applejack was no druidess, and her primary concern was that they both keep their heads, or at least their freedom, both of which were in jeopardy if Celestia found out that they were responsible for the death of her pet.
“There!” the farmer shouted out as they neared town and she spotted Philomena.
The bird was floating upside-down in the icy river, bobbing under a bridge as Applejack spotted her. Fluttershy took off immediately, flying over the river and swooping low over its surface. The bridge didn’t pass over the water with much room to spare, and Fluttershy had to slow her pace or risk falling into the frigid water herself, and she carefully flapped on, watching Philomena float farther away.
“Don’t worry! I have her!” Applejack shouted to the druidess as she galloped across the bridge and waited for Philomena to appear on the other side.
When she did, bobbing toward the shore, Applejack snatched her out of the water. She was incredibly cold, and Applejack feared she was dead, but then the bird burst back to life with a hacking cough. Philomena gave Applejack a dirty look before pecking her until she released the perturbed creature. Giving a squawk of defiance, Philomena ran toward Ponieville’s palisade, somehow managed to scale it, and darted across the spikes that ran along the top.
“Philomena! Get down from there before you hurt yourself!” the druidess ordered, pursuing the bird after extricating herself from the bridge.
The bird somehow managed to avoid Fluttershy’s swoop in to grab her and took off through Ponieville’s streets, which were not covered in snow. She wouldn’t leave as clear a trail, but Ponieville wasn’t that big, and Fluttershy winged her way up into the sky to get a good view of things. If only she had a Hunter’s eyes like Rainbow Dash, she’d be able to spot the wayward bird easily, but that would’ve required her to complete her Hunter training. She flew a little lower, restricting her vision to only part of Ponieville but increasing her chances of catching something in that part.
There! Philomena was perched on the peak of a roof just off the town square, next to the buildings that had burned down two weeks ago. The square was currently full of ponies, all searching for the bird that was right above them. Following Fluttershy through the streets below, Applejack emerged and joined the crowd. The Brave Companions were all here, the mayor and her guards were here, and Celestia and her guards were here as well.
Fluttershy thought about what Applejack had said. Would Celestia really do something terrible to her just because she’d taken her pet without asking? There were plenty of rumors and stories about the ancient sorceress, and not all of them could be untrue. She wouldn’t harm one of the Brave Companions, the ponies she’d been sending on quests to aid her for the last eight months, though, would she? Fluttershy didn’t know, and swooping in to grab Philomena would make it impossible for her to avoid the sorceress’s attention. Once she had it, she wasn’t sure she could lie about taking the bird.
In the end, the decision was made for her when Philomena jumped off the roof and dove for the charred and splintered remains of the shops below. Fluttershy dove into action, swooping toward the bird to intercept her before she impaled herself. She wasn’t as fast as Rainbow Dash, but she would be fast enough to save this creature from the grisly death she seemed to desperately desire—she had to be. Of course, a druidess diving from the sky while yelling that she’d save a bird from falling drew the attention of everypony in the square, but she hardly noticed, so focused was she on attaining her goal.
That goal then literally burst into flames before her eyes. Before she could reach Philomena, the bird spontaneously combusted, the gaunt and sickly flesh burning away in a matter of seconds, followed by the disintegration of her bones. Watching something so inexplicable and horrible happen before her eyes threw off the druidess’s focus, and she crashed into a wall before falling into the ruins of the burned shops. Her cloak and robes protected her from the sharp and splintered posts that would’ve killed Philomena had she not burst into flames before hitting them, and she came to rest among the charred remains of the shop while Philomena’s ashes rained down around her.
“No no no no no! How could this happen!” the druidess exclaimed as she jumped to her hooves and began rooting through the ashes, trying to distinguish what had once been part of the building and what had been Philomena. It was a futile effort, but Fluttershy wasn’t thinking clearly. She’d seen some strange things in her lifetime, but for a bird to spontaneously combust was too bizarre for her to wrap her head around. Why had it had to happen right before she was about to be saved? It didn’t make any sense! Fluttershy tore through the ruined building looking for an explanation until she was covered in soot, but still nothing made sense.
“What is going on here?” Celestia demanded authoritatively, and Fluttershy stumbled out of the rubble. There was nothing left to do but to face the music and bear whatever the matron of sorceresses had in store.
“I’m terribly sorry, your Grace,” Fluttershy said with her head bowed, as much to show respect and humility as to keep the sorceress from seeing her tears, “I just wanted to help, to care for Philomena since she looked to be in such a wretched state, so … I took her. I didn’t ask, I just did it because I wanted to help. But—sniff—I didn’t help at all! Now she’s dead—sob—and it’s all my fault!”
When Fluttershy looked up, she saw the alicorn looking down sternly at her. Twilight Sparkle stepped forward and looked like she wanted to say something, but Celestia blocked her with her foreleg, and the sorceress stepped back. Without a word, Celestia stepped past Fluttershy and into the burned-down shop, looking around at the scattered ashes.
“Come now, Philomena, that really was a terrible trick to play on somepony with such a kind heart,” Celestia said sternly to the empty room, and Fluttershy turned around in puzzlement.
Specks and patches of ashes around the room and on Fluttershy’s robes began to glow slightly and drifted in an invisible wind into a pile in the center of the room. Somehow, Fluttershy knew that this pile was Philomena’s remains. Sparks danced over the mound, and the glow brightened as the pile shook and grew, then became still again and returned to normal ash. A rustling revealed that something alive was within the pile, and a small, red chick poked its head out before crawling from the ashes and shaking itself off.
“What? What happened?” Fluttershy asked in a daze, “Where did that bird come from? What about Philomena?”
“This is Philomena,” Celestia said as she picked the chick up off the ground and deposited it on her back.
“Did you … bring her back to life?” Fluttershy asked hesitantly, feeling it was a bit rude to ask if the Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht was breaking the fundamental rule of magic and practicing necromancy.
“No, she did that herself,” Celestia said, brushing off the offense, “Philomena is a phoenix. All phoenixes, as part of their life cycle, must from time to time die in fire and be reborn from their own ashes. I must admit that they do look rather pitiful when they are preparing to die, and I would not fault you for thinking that she needed help when you saw her. You must realize though, that there was nothing you could have done to help her on her way.”
“Yes, your Grace,” Fluttershy said, “I tried everything, you know, but I suppose this could’ve been avoided had I just asked you about her and not assumed the worst.”
“I see,” Celestia said, “You were afraid to call me out for mistreating Philomena?”
“I … yes,” Fluttershy said, taken aback by the sorceress’s bluntness.
“Not to fear. Yes, I am ruler of these lands, the most powerful living sorceress, the Protector of Ponieville, Queen of the Ivory City, Guardian of the Sun, and the titles go on and on and on and on,” Celestia said wearily, “But I am also the mentor of Twilight Sparkle, and the six of you with her are very special ponies. I am Twilight’s sovereign as well, but there is no need for such formality between the two of us, or with any of you Brave Companions, if that is what you choose to call yourselves. I want you all to be comfortable around me, and not to see me as some mythical figure you mustn’t dare be yourselves around. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes, your Grace. I mean, I’ll try … Celestia,” Fluttershy said.
“Good. It’s a hard transition, I understand,” Celestia said with a slight smile.
I’ve been around for so long—too long, really. I’ve been the central figure of Equestria, around which everything turns, whether some ponies like it or not, for a thousand years. What will they do without me? Will they know how to go on? I haven’t much time. I must get my affairs in order. The Dominions of Cant’r Laht must be strong and united, even without me, so I go on this procession, even if the cold only aggravates my condition. Equestria must be strong and stable, so I’ve called a summit, to which everypony who wars on each other will attend, and hopefully will not tear Cant’r Laht apart in the process. The summit must succeed. Equestria must go on without me.
And Twilight … there’s so little time to prepare you for what’s to come. It must be you who bears the heaviest burden, and I curse myself every day that I must force this upon you, before you have the time to become accustomed to the changes that will bombard you constantly from every direction. At least you will not be alone. You will have the company of these friends to support you, as I once had my sister. I hope that you do not fail as I did …
“Are you sure about this, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked doubtfully as she stared at her and her friends’ creation, “This doesn’t seem like it should work.”
Though the spring equinox was only half a month away, winter still gripped Equestria for the most part, and there was not much for the three young fillies to do. Cooped up inside during the cold months, they’d more than worn out their welcome at Sweetie’s parents’ and sister’s homes and at Apple Bloom’s house. It wasn’t so beastly cold out today, so they’d been sent out to wander the snow-covered fields of the Apple lands. It was on this journey that Scootaloo had spotted a limber, nearly branchless tree and gotten an idea for the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
After swiping some supplies from the Apple homestead, they’d fashioned the tree into a makeshift catapult, or at least what they imagined a catapult was like. The tree strained against the ropes holding it down, ready to release at any second. A crude basket was fastened to the trunk, and Apple Bloom was piling stones into it for the launch.
“Of course it’ll work,” Scootaloo said confidently, “We’ll launch these stones, an’ then we’ll get our cutie-marks!”
“Where are we even launching them?” Sweetie Belle asked as she looked out at the snow-covered landscape, “What if we hit something?”
“Then that would be awesome!” Scootaloo exclaimed, though Sweetie wasn’t so sure that the pony of whatever cottage they hit would feel the same way.
“There’s nothin’ in that direction,” Apple Bloom assured her friend after dropping another stone into the basket, “Jus’ some pasture an’ a pond.”
Sweetie Belle wasn’t so sure; she didn’t see any pond. The land sloped downhill, but she couldn’t see over a row of trees; she had to get higher. The tree catapult looked sturdy and secure enough, so she climbed up onto the trunk to get a better look. Indeed, Apple Bloom had told the truth, and a pond coated in ice glittered past the trees. Satisfied that their catapult would do no more harm than startling local wildlife, Sweetie Belle began to climb down in the direction of the basket.
“Apple Bloom, catch!” Scootaloo yelled as she tossed the axe for cutting the restraints to the filly.
“Are y’ crazy?” Apple Bloom asked with wide eyes as she jumped out of the way of the tumbling axe before it could hurt her.
The blade sailed past her and sliced through a portion of the ropes keeping the tree in place. Sweetie Belle gave a scream as the rest of the restraints snapped or pulled free, the tree returned to its vertical position, and she and the stones were hurled through the air. She sailed through the air, covering her eyes and praying her life wouldn’t end here, splattered across the ground. As the ground rose up to greet her, she spotted the icy surface of the pond again. She was plummeting toward the frozen water, but the stones beat her to it, shattering a hole that she fell into. The water was freezing, but it broke her fall without killing her, and she rapidly rose back up to the surface, gasping for breath before paddling to the edge of the water.
“Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cried out the moment their friend had gone flying and galloped after her.
By the time they reached the pond, Sweetie was clinging to the intact ice, trying to pull herself out of the freezing water, but being pulled down by her soaked cloak and dress. The other two fillies helped pull her out of the water and over to the shore, where she sat shivering under Apple Bloom’s slightly drier cloak.
“Well, I guess we aren’t getting our cutie-marks for being siege engineers,” Scootaloo said remorsefully.
“You think?” Sweetie Belle said, shooting the pegasus a dirty look.
She was mad at the moment because she’d almost died, but later she’d realize that she couldn’t fault Scootaloo too much. They all wanted their cutie-marks desperately and had tried far crazier and more dangerous things in the pursuit of them. For nearly six months now they’d been working together to get their cutie-marks with no success; how much longer could this go on?
“There’s got t’ be another way t’ go ‘bout this,” Apple Bloom thought out loud, “E’rypony we know has a cutie-mark. They had t’ have gotten ‘em some’ow.”
“You m-m-might be on t-t-t-to something A-a-apple B-bloom,” Sweetie Belle said, perking up, “Wh-wh-why d-d-don’t we ask them b-before t-t-trying all this s-s-stuff?”
“Yeah, that’s a great plan!” Scootaloo said, her excitement also returning, “Let’s start by asking Rainbow Dash! I’m sure she has a great story of how she got her cutie-mark!”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rolled their eyes at Scootaloo’s obsession with the Hunter, but they couldn’t deny her argument. Rainbow Dash was pretty impressive, and if anypony in Ponieville had a great story about how she’d gotten her cutie-mark, it would be her. The story would be good, but taking her advice on how to get a cutie-mark might not be the best idea, as Apple Bloom had learned from experience on the day she’d met her best friends.
“Sure, b-b-but Ponieville is p-p-pretty far,” Sweetie Belle shivered, “Could we m-m-maybe find some place t-to warm up f-f-first?”
***
Granny Smith snored in her rocking chair while the Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled around the fire in the Apples’ cottage. Scootaloo was anxious to find out her idol’s life story, but they wouldn’t be going anywhere until Sweetie Belle was thawed out and her clothes were fully dry. Somepony had thrown ingredients for soup into a pot while the fillies had been out, and they helped themselves to servings of the bubbling mixture while they waited.
“I see y’ found dinner; back so soon?” Applejack asked as she entered the cottage, returning from repairing fences with Big Mac, one of the few jobs they could do in the winter.
“Yeah, we accidentally catapulted Sweetie Belle into a pond,” Scootaloo admitted nonchalantly.
“What?” Applejack said in alarm, dropping the bowl she’d been getting for her own meal.
“I’m fine,” Sweetie Belle assured the concerned mare, waving at her from underneath the blankets she was wrapped up in, “And don’t worry, we’re taking a break from that dangerous stuff. We’re going to ask ponies how they got their cutie-marks before trying anything else.”
“Hey, Applejack!” Apple Bloom said, sudden realization dawning, “How’d y’ get your cutie-mark? I can’t believe y’ never told me!”
“Aw, I thought we were going to ask Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo said with disappointment.
“We still can,” Sweetie Belle assured her, “It’s not like she’s going anywhere. Besides Cant’r Laht in a week or so.”
“Yeah, an’ we can use all th’ help we can get,” Apple Bloom added.
“Okay, I guess,” Scootaloo said reluctantly, sitting down to hear the story.
“Well, I’m no great storyteller, but I’ll give it m’ best effort,” Applejack said after ladling out a bowl of soup for herself and taking a seat in front of the fillies, “I was a couple years younger’n you are now, Apple Bloom. It was shortly after y’ were born, after th’ plague swept through th’ area an’ … took ma and pa. I couldn’t stay here any longer, or at least that’s what I thought at th’ time, so I left the farm an' Ponieville. I wanted t’ get as far away as I could, but th’ farthest I was able t’ go was Manehattan, where our Aunt and Uncle Orange took me in an' cared for me.”
“I didn’t want t’ be ‘that filly from th’ middle o’ nowhere’ anymore. I wanted t’ be a Manehattanite, so I tried actin’ th’ part and learnin’ how t’ act among th’ gentry. Th’ Oranges helped me, but I still had some rough edges. I wanted nothin’ t’ do with Ponieville or our ways here; at least, that’s what I told myself. Then, one day, everythin’ changed …”
***
Year 988 of the 4th Age
Applejack was incredibly nervous as she approached the Court of Dragons with her aunt and uncle. The official seat of the King of Manehattan was the King’s Redoubt, but that keep was old, dour, and drafty. Manehattan’s current king far preferred to spend his time in the grand palace at the city’s heart, which was far less defensible but far more elaborate and suited for parties and feasts. King Wexel the Wide loved his feasts, and it was an honor to be invited to them. The Oranges were a prominent family, and they’d received that honor before. The king was quite fond of their conversation and company, and when they’d been invited to this feast to sit incredibly near their monarch, the permission they’d requested to bring their niece along was immediately accepted. Applejack had spent a week prepping, being drilled by her aunt on how to act properly in the presence of the king and the nobility. She was not going to foul this up.
Two banners fluttered over the entrance to the palace’s courtyard, both incredibly similar. At the center of each of them was a shield with a two-headed dragon, the symbol of House Vasa-Elutria, the royal family. Behind the shields were fields of black and red, the royal colors. Two banners; that meant the prince was in attendance today. There was no other explanation as to why the royal house would be flying two banners, though that fact in itself was irregular, since Hadish had broken with tradition to create a banner for himself while his father was still living. King Wexel’s banner was the traditional standard of his house, the shield given full focus, with bright fields of red and single black band behind. Prince Hadish’s was different, the shield a smaller portion of the banner, and the dragon breathing fire for the first time in a hundred years. Behind it, the banner was split between a much darker red and black, their intersection patterned to look like flames dancing up in the darkness. Fitting for the prince, who’d dedicated himself body and soul to the teachings of the True Faith like no other member of his house before him.
All was merry within the Court of Dragons, and Applejack began to relax a little. She had been to several social events with her aunt and uncle hosted by other wealthy ponies, and she hadn’t embarrassed herself too badly at those. She was prepared for this, or at least she thought she was until they had taken their seats. They were seated at the king’s table, Aunt and Uncle Orange directly across from the king, whose chair was enlarged to fit his ponderous form and nearly took up two places. Applejack’s seat was next to her relatives, within the king’s zone of conversation, and directly across from Prince Hadish, who was seated at his father’s side. The filly tried to keep her mouth shut, and only spoke when spoken to by the pony next to her, all the while observing her counterpart across the table.
Prince Hadish looked displeased and picked at his food while watching his father with disapproval as he consumed massive quantities of fare. The king and the prince were complete opposites. The elder was a merry and gracious ruler, who may have indulged of food and drink more than he ought but was generally viewed with love. The younger was severely austere and serious, and more feared than loved, though that fear came with some grudging respect. As many times as Hadish had burned down unicorn villages, tortured mages, and demolished churches, he’d also thoroughly trounced his enemies on the field of battle in defense of the kingdom.
“Congratulations on the birth of your son,” Aunt Orange said to Hadish, and the prince merely nodded and pretended to be interested in what he had to say.
“Ah, yes! Nothing against my lovely granddaughters, but now you finally have an heir and a spare!” Wexel said, far less restrained, and he cuffed his son on the shoulder.
“How old is your eldest, Robar, again?” Aunt Orange asked.
“This summer will be his twelfth,” the prince said, realizing he would be unable to avoid conversation with these ponies.
“Only a couple years older than you, Applejack,” her aunt pointed out.
“Perhaps we will have to get you together,” Wexel said before downing another flagon of wine.
“I would … much appreciate that, Your Majesty,” Applejack replied, drawing on the manners she’d learned.
“No,” Hadish said firmly, scrunching up his nose and dampening the mood.
“Forgive my son, he sometimes forgets his manners,” King Wexel said, trying to bring the mood back up, but Hadish was having none of it.
“Father, I have no need for courtesy with these kinds of ponies! You dishonor our land’s nobility and the pride of our house by inviting them here! You have made your court a court of beggars! What more can I say than I have already said! What more can I do than I have already done! You ignore my counsel, but I will not go down the same path as you! Ponies will not mock me openly in the street with a cruel title, and I will not laugh it off as harmless as you do! I will not stoop so low as to socialize with the gentry and call it high society, and I will not allow my children to do so either! I do not know if drink or foolishness has addled your mind, but this one,” the prince ranted, and pointed to Applejack, “Is clearly from the region around Ponieville! Her accent is a dead giveaway! Would you let a pauper from the lands of the Witch of the Mountain sit across from you at court and do nothing about it! Or has she spread the witch’s curse and bewitched you as well! I’ll have no more of this!”
Without giving his father and monarch a chance to respond, Hadish stormed off, leaving the feast hall silent. The festivities soon resumed, but more subdued than before. Applejack was shaken. She hadn’t done anything wrong, other than coming here from Ponieville. Will I ever truly fit in? Maybe coming here was a mistake, after all.
***
Applejack was questioning her choice to leave her home and come to Manehattan. Things were painful at home, but at least she’d felt like she belonged. Her family was also back by Ponieville; sure, Aunt and Uncle Orange were family too, but it wasn’t the same. She missed Big McIntosh and Granny Smith and baby Apple Bloom who had barely even started life. She missed the fields and the orchards she’d grown up in. She missed everything she’d left behind without a second thought, but to turn back now … if only there was a clear sign of what she should do.
While she was out walking through the Oranges’ vineyards, she hadn’t been praying for a sign, at least not out loud, but one came anyway. Out of the west, beyond the distant mountains that were no more than a smudge on the horizon, came a flash of light. A streak in all the colors of the rainbow shot over her from the flash, hanging in the air for just a moment as a path that led back to Ponieville. The young filly knew what she had to do.
***
Year 1000 of the 4th Age
“I packed m’ things without delay an’ made m’ way back t’ Ponieville,” Applejack concluded her story, “I was so happy t’ be back, an’ before I even went back t’ work on th’ farm, I got m’ cutie-mark: three apples, like th’ family I’d left behind.”
“Aw, come on, Applejack,” Apple Bloom said as her elder sister embraced her and she tried to pull away.
“That was a great story,” Sweetie Belle said.
“It was okay, I guess,” Scootaloo admitted, “Now that you’re all warmed up, let’s go. We’ve still got to find Rainbow Dash and hear her story!”
As Big Mac came in for his food, Applejack departed to get back to work, and Granny Smith continued to snooze in her rocking chair. Sweetie Belle pulled on her dry clothes and cloak, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders set off once more on their quest. Over the snowy hills they trotted, only stopping once for a snow fight, and made their way toward Ponieville. That was the most likely place to find the Hunter if she wasn’t off killing monsters somewhere. They were nearly halfway to the town when a familiar druidess emerged from the woods they were traversing.
“Oh, hello little ones,” Fluttershy said, “What are you doing out here?”
“We’re lookin’ for Rainbow Dash,” Apple Bloom said, “Have y’ seen her ‘round?”
“I don’t think she took on any jobs today. You could try in town,” Fluttershy said thoughtfully, before wondering what mischief these fillies might be planning to get into this time, “Why are you looking for Rainbow Dash?”
“To hear the awesome story of how she got her cutie-mark!” Scootaloo said enthusiastically.
“Oh, okay then,” Fluttershy said, relieved that they weren’t planning on messing around with her weapons, “That should be interesting to hear. Did you know that Rainbow Dash is the reason I got my cutie-mark?”
“No way!” Scootaloo said, “How’d it happen?”
“I thought you really wanted to hear from Rainbow Dash and nopony else?” Sweetie Belle said snarkily.
“This is about Rainbow Dash. We can wait a little longer,” Scootaloo waved her off, “Besides, we listened to Applejack’s story instead of leaving.”
“Well, it was several years ago, back when Rainbow Dash and I were both training to be Hunters in Cloudsdale,” Fluttershy began her story, “I was terrified of fighting and flying, not a good combination for a pegasus preparing to become a monster slayer …”
***
Year 988 of the 4th Age
Fluttershy trembled as she held her practice sword in her mouth, facing down the other trainee. The pegasus colt seemed to have no interest in approaching her, and the other members of the Order of the Sparrow around the circle were shouting for the fight to begin. With a whimper, Fluttershy cantered toward her opponent and prepared to strike his legs. Before she reached him, the colt spread his wings and jumped over her. With a twist of his body, he struck her sword with his own and sent it flying from her mouth. Fluttershy came to a halt, and he kicked her in the back with his hindlegs, dropping her to the ground. The crowd quieted down; it had been a predictable result.
“Pathetic,” Fluttershy’s opponent said as he circled the cowering filly, “Were you even trying to attack? If you can’t even strike another pony, how do you expect to fight vampires and werewolves?”
“Luther is right,” another colt called out to Fluttershy from the crowd, “You should just give up on being a Hunter.”
Fluttershy sobbed into the ground. Would that she could, but this hadn’t been her choice. She’d rather be anywhere else than the Order of the Sparrow, where she was constantly a failure, but she couldn’t leave.
“You oughta be landbound,” another voice called out, “Not like you can fly anyway. How do expect to fight monsters if you can’t even fly? Some pegasus.”
Of course, it was always these three. Out of all the Hunters-in-training here, none were more devoted to making her life a living hell than this trio of colts. Hubert, Duvas, and Luther were always mocking her, making her feel miserable, trouncing her in combat or agility. She just wanted it all to stop.
“Come on, get up so we can go at it again,” Luther said, prodding Fluttershy in the back, “Come on, before the instructors think we aren’t practicing and come over here!”
Fluttershy refused to get up, and Luther began walloping her with his practice sword. Still, she was too frightened to budge, even as his strikes left bruises through the training armor. Eventually, pain did win out, and she started inching toward her fallen sword while the other trainee continued to rain down blows. She had nearly reached her weapon when Luther kicked it away and proceeded to strike her more.
“Come on! Retrieve your weapon!” he taunted as he let up momentarily.
There was a commotion in the crowd, and a rainbow-maned pegasus appeared, forcing her way through.
“Leave her alone!” Rainbow Dash demanded as she strode toward Luther and Fluttershy.
“What are you gonna do about it?” Luther inquired, letting up on Fluttershy in order to speak, but quickly picked his sword back up when she drew her own.
“I wouldn’t try it if I were you,” Duvas warned Rainbow Dash, “You may think you’re a great warrior, but you’re nothing special. All you do is flail around; Luther’ll trounce you good!”
“I’d like to see him try,” Rainbow Dash said, lowering her sword. The problem with weapons you had to hold in your mouth was that you couldn’t trash talk your opponent and hold them at the same time.
“Ooh, the white knight rushes to the aid of the damsel in distress!” Hubert said mockingly.
“Shut up, Huey,” Rainbow Dash said, “I challenge you to a duel, Luther, until one of us yields.”
“Fine with me,” the colt replied cockily, “We can go whenever you want, but you might want to take a year or two to train. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.”
“I was thinking more like now!” Rainbow Dash said, charging him with her sword.
Dull-edged steel clashed as the two young pegasi danced around each other trying to get a blow in. In the time since she and Fluttershy had arrived at Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash had learned how to do more than just hover, and she took advantage of her wings as she moved around her opponent. Luther was also a talented flier, however, and soon the duel was going on in the air, climbing over the walls of Castle Brink. The other trainees rushed after them, and Fluttershy followed once the stampede of hooves had passed her. This fight was about her, after all, even if she didn’t want to watch. The duel continued out past the edge of Cloudsdale, and the other pegasi took off, but Fluttershy stayed on the ring of clouds around the castle.
The duel was getting farther and farther away, and Fluttershy was leaning out over the edge to see, when the cloud beneath her hooves pulled free. Panicked, she flapped her wings frantically, keeping herself up long enough to grab hold of the piece of broken cloud, only to slide off a second later. Fluttershy plummeted toward the ground, trying to flap her wings to slow down, reorient herself, anything from ending up a messy splatter. In the midst of her flailing around, she finally learned what the Order of the Sparrow’s instructors had tried to teach her and managed to at least slow her fall.
She still crashed into the treetops and fell to the ground in a daze. When she looked up, she was in a forest clearing, though she was not yet aware that the forest she was in was the Everfree. Cloudsdale was high above her, drifting only slightly on the air currents. The forest, though it had at first seemed silent, quickly came to life. Fluttershy remained completely still as birds returned to the perches they’d been disturbed from by the falling Hunter-in-training. Hares entered the clearing, hopping around. Wild creatures began to return to the area, unaware that the young pegasus was still there.
Fluttershy was drawn in by the vast number and variety of creatures. She’d grown up in the Hill Kingdoms, where there wasn’t much life other than the ponies who lived there. She’d traveled to Cloudsdale in the winter, when wildlife had also been scarce, and the floating cloud city was likewise devoid of life other than ponies. It was her first time seeing this, and she loved it. She rose slowly, so as not to disturb the creatures, but her efforts were in vain.
A resounding boom came from somewhere nearby, and a wave of multicolored light filled the sky. The local wildlife didn’t know what to make of this rainboom and fled in every direction.
“No, wait, come back!” Fluttershy pled with them, and surprisingly, many of them stopped and looked at the pegasus, “Wait, can you understand me?”
***
Year 1000 of the 4th Age
“I realized that I could communicate with the animals in a way nopony else could. That’s when I realized that my calling was to tend to the wild creatures, and I got my cutie-mark,” Fluttershy concluded her story.
“That’s it?” Scootaloo asked, before Sweetie Belle shot her a look, “I mean, did you find out what happened to Rainbow Dash?”
“Yes, she told me later, but that was also the day she got her cutie-mark, and I’m sure she’ll want to tell you the story herself,” Fluttershy said.
“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Apple Bloom said as the Cutie Mark Crusaders resumed their journey to Ponieville, Scootaloo leading the way, and the druidess waved at them as they left.
***
“Why are you so desperate to find Rainbow Dash anyway?” Rarity asked, fearing, like Fluttershy, that the young fillies were planning something involving swords and bombs.
Rainbow Dash hadn’t been in her usual practice spot when the Cutie Mark Crusaders reached Ponieville, so they’d had to search the town for her. Before they began scouring every shop, tavern, and alleyway, Sweetie Belle suggested that they ask her elder sister. Rainbow Dash had brought the blacksmith a sword to repair, and she had to come back for it sometime. Unfortunately, the Hunter had already picked up her sword today and hadn’t clued Rarity in on her plans for the rest of the day.
“We want to hear the story of how she got her cutie-mark,” Sweetie Belle said as the fillies prepared to leave.
“Well, that sounds interesting,” Rarity said with a smile. And a lot safer than the other ‘crusading’ you’ve been doing.
“Yeah, we’ve already heard Applejack’s and Fluttershy’s stories, too,” Sweetie Belle said, ignoring Scootaloo’s urging for them to get going.
“Oh, well, I suppose if you have the time, I could tell you my story as well,” Rarity said.
“Yes!” Sweetie Belle said gleefully, taking a seat in Rarity’s shop.
“Are you sure you have time for this?” Scootaloo asked as she reluctantly took a seat as well, “We wouldn’t want to keep you from any important work.”
“Nothing important on my plate other than Mayor Mare’s dress for the Grand Galloping Gala, and I’ve already finished it,” Rarity waved off Scootaloo’s concerns, “Now, let’s see. Speaking of Mayor Mare, it’s because of her that I got my cutie-mark in the first place. The mayor had helped our family in the past with getting Father’s shop set up, and our family was going to give her a gift to thank her. I too wanted to contribute, but was having difficulty …”
***
Year 988 of the 4th Age
Rarity stared discontentedly at the woodcut sitting on the table before her. It was nice, but Rarity was sure now that she was no artist, at least not with wood. Something like this would never be a good enough gift for Ponieville’s mayor, a pony appointed by Celestia herself. With a despairing sigh, Rarity tossed the woodcut into the fire. It felt like she would never figure out what to do.
“Problems, dear?” her mother asked as she rocked newborn Sweetie Belle.
“I’ll never make anything good enough for the mayor!” she said dramatically, her face pressed against the table.
“Oh, don’t despair, nopony is making you do this, and I’m sure she’ll appreciate anything you give her.”
Easy enough for you to say. Mother and Father had bought a regal gown for Mayor Mare, hiring the court tailor of a local count to do the work. Rarity had seen the gown, and it was stupendous, something befitting a pony as important as Ponieville’s mayor. Next to it, anything Rarity brought the town’s leader would look like rubbish.
The young unicorn got up from the table and trotted outside to clear her head. There had to be something she could give the mayor worthy of her approval. She was still young, so there wasn’t much she knew how to do other than help around the house and occasionally help her father with his cooping. Mayor Mare had plenty of servants to do the former, and she had no need of a pony who knew only how to help make barrels. There had to be something. Maybe a hat to go with her dress? No, that’s silly.
Rarity’s wanderings brought her through Ponieville and out into the countryside. She didn’t stray from the path, not trusting her safety in the fields and woods, where guards didn’t patrol for bandits that often. She did leave the path as she neared a large, shadowy area, however. Cloudsdale hovered above and, like many ponies, she didn’t feel safe beneath a floating city. She still kept an eye on Cloudsdale as she trotted along, not trusting it to stay in the air, and she tripped over a root she could’ve avoided had she been watching her step.
The filly picked herself and dusted herself off, grateful that nopony had seen her fall. A sudden flash and wave of multi-colored light overhead took her by surprise, and Rarity jumped backwards with an “eep,” tripping over another root. She fell back against a hillock that proved to be less sturdy than expected, and a wall of stacked stones and moss gave way. Rolling with the stones, Rarity tumbled into a hidden cave, coughing from the dust as she slid to a stop. She had no torch with her, but enough light was coming in through the cave’s entrance that she could see her surroundings. There wasn’t much to see, other than empty and decaying chests that may have once held hidden treasure before somepony looted them and closed the cave back up so the hiders wouldn’t be suspicious.
It was an interesting find, but Rarity was more concerned at the moment by something poking her in her rump. She got up and discovered that it was the edge of a box buried in dirt, revealed only by her fall. Curious, she dug the rest of the box out and carried it outside. It wasn’t a very large box and must’ve been buried and overlooked by whoever had stripped the cave of valuables. There was no lock, but it had been sealed for a long time, and Rarity had to pry it open. The lid flipped back, and she was shocked by what she found.
Within the box were a few small bars of silver and a smattering of precious stones, already cut and shaped. It would’ve been an exciting find for anypony, but Rarity was especially ecstatic, for she had a plan for her newfound treasure. She could see exactly what to do and how to make her dream a reality, and she hurried back home.
Once she’d returned to Ponieville, she sketched out a plan and designs before setting to work. Her father had a small workshop for shaping the hoops for barrels, and she used it to melt down and shape the silver bars. She meticulously worked at her goal until at last she had completed her plan. Rarity marveled at her creation, a stunning silver necklace set with precious gems, an accessory that would perfectly complement the dress her parents would be presenting the mayor. Surely, she’d be pleased with something so exquisite and beautiful. So enthralled was she with her creation, Rarity didn’t even realize that three diamonds had appeared on her flanks.
***
Year 1000 of the 4th Age
“Of course, Mayor Mare was delighted by my gift, but I still had much to learn,” Rarity said.
“Wow, Rarity, I can’t believe you never told me that before!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, delighted by everything about the sibling she idolized (though not to the extent that Scootaloo idolized Rainbow Dash.)
“Yeah, yeah, that’s great and all,” a not-nearly-as-impressed Scootaloo said, “But let’s not forget our goal, Crusaders. We need to find Rainbow Dash!”
After thanking Rarity for sharing her story, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle followed Scootaloo out of the shop. Even if their pegasus friend was inexplicably fixated on Rainbow Dash, she was right. Their goal was to ask the Hunter about her experience getting a cutie-mark, and so far they’d been sidetracked three times by other Brave Companions telling them their tales. Apple Bloom was beginning to think that that wasn’t such a bad thing, and that maybe they ought to ask Twilight Sparkle and Pinkamena their stories as well to get the whole set.
As it turned out, she didn’t even have to bring up the idea for it to be put into action. When searching for Rainbow Dash in the Green Dragon Tavern, they’d run into Twilight Sparkle. They’d asked for information on Rainbow Dash, been questioned about their motives, and the sorceress had offered to tell them how she’d gotten her cutie-mark. Scootaloo didn’t struggle this time, resigned to what seemed inevitable by this point, and sat down at the table across from Twilight.
“Having been born in Cant’r Laht, I naturally grew up seeing powerful sorceresses and sorcerers on a daily basis. Both my parents are mages, so it was only natural that I would desire to become one as well. I truly became devoted to that goal, however, after witnessing Celestia use her sorcery to raise the Sun at the summer solstice ceremony,” Twilight Sparkle narrated, “I wanted so badly to be a great sorceress like her and devoted all my time to the study and practice of the arcane. Then, one day, an opportunity beyond my wildest dreams appeared. Celestia was searching for a young aspiring sorceress to take on as her apprentice, and I had to apply. Having received some informal training from her previous apprentice, I was confident that I would be chosen. That is, until it was time to face the test all prospective apprentices had to go through …”
***
Year 988 of the 4th Age
Twilight Sparkle stood nervously in a near-empty room of Cant’r Laht Castle, shuffling her hooves while she waited for the exam to start. The Panel watched her judgmentally, two sorcerers and two sorceresses, none of them fans of her family. Night Light and Twilight Velvet Haltrotsun knew this and stared daggers at the Panel from the side of the room, daring the judges to take out their hatred of their family on their daughter. The young Twilight was unaware of the bad blood and was more concerned about her performance, tugging at the edges of the sorceress robes that had been specially tailored for this event. Where’s Celestia? I thought I was going to be demonstrating my magic for her?
At last, something happened. A castle servant wheeled in a cart upon which was perched a purple-spotted egg. Twilight’s parents watched skeptically, certain they’d heard something about phoenix eggs being part of the test, but held their tongues; no reason to upset the Panel unnecessarily, and they weren’t even supposed to know about the phoenix eggs. Twilight Sparkle approached the cart hesitantly, unsure of what she was supposed to do.
“Well, Miss Haltrotsun, are you going to hatch the egg or not?” one of the sorceresses asked derisively.
Twilight hadn’t studied any egg-hatching spells, or at least none of the ones she’d read about were meant for this kind of egg, whatever it was. Maybe if she combined a few different spells together . . . but she’d never tried anything like that before. She wasn’t even sure if she could pull something like that off; up till now, she’d only been able to cast the simplest spells. The task was likely impossible, and the aspiring sorceress began to despair.
She knew she had to take this chance, though. Becoming a great sorceress was her dream, and nothing would please her more than to study directly under Celestia, the greatest sorceress in existence. Scrunching up her nose, Twilight Sparkle prepared her spell. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. She strained and pushed and tried all kinds of things, quickly depleting her magical reserves on spells that never did more than brush against the egg, until she was exhausted.
“Is that all?” one of the sorcerers on the panel asked as Twilight collapsed in defeat, hiding a smile.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot hatch it,” Twilight said softly, crushed.
The Panel scribbled down notes on the parchment in front of them, and Twilight looked remorsefully out a nearby window. A bright flash in the distance was followed by an expanding wave of multicolored light. As it swept past Cant’r Laht, the filly felt something inside her ignite. Magical power like nothing she’d ever felt before flowed through her, and she redirected the sorcery in the direction of the egg. The shell glowed, and cracks formed along its surface until it broke open, releasing a slimy baby dragon who gasped his first breath of air. The Panel gasped in amazement and mortification. She did it! How?
The magic did not cease surging within Twilight the moment she completed her spell. It continued to grow, quickly spiraling out of control, and sparks arced over the foal’s body as she began to levitate, a brilliant light shining from her eyes. Sorcery left her in all directions, picking up the Panel, who tried to cast their own spells to put themselves back on the ground, only to find themselves trapped in a magic they couldn’t overcome. Leaves and vines began to sprout over her parents’ bodies, and they also found themselves unable to counter the sorcery. Fire, lightning, and ice flashed around the room, destroying walls and furniture. A blast of magic struck the newborn dragon, transforming him in an instant into a behemoth that nearly filled the room.
Like every mage in Cant’r Laht, Celestia sensed the great disturbance in magical energy nearby and rushed to the scene. She was thoroughly unprepared for the utter chaos that awaited her, but quickly tracked down the source, a small and terrified foal blossoming with magic. She made her way toward Twilight Sparkle through the storm of Power, able to deflect it with her impressive magical skills and cast a spell to calm her mind. As the ancient sorceress placed a hoof on the foal, the magical storm began to abate and everything reverted to the way it had been before, except that the dragon remained hatched, something Celestia was appalled to see.
“What … what happened?” Twilight Sparkle asked, rubbing her head before realizing that her sovereign was standing over her and bowing low.
“Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun,” Celestia said authoritatively.
“Yes?” the young filly asked, fearing a reprimand or worse for the destruction surrounding her.
“It appears that your talents have gone unnoticed thus far, but we cannot allow such raw magical power to remain wild and untrained,” Celestia said, and Twilight feared the punishment, “Therefore, I will be taking you on as my apprentice and training you personally.”
Twilight was shocked, her parents were thrilled, and the Panel was aghast.
“Your Grace, we have not yet gone through all the candidates,” one of the sorceresses on the Panel reminded Celestia with a nervous laugh.
“I have made my decision,” Celestia said with finality, whirling on the Panel with a scathing look, “Twilight Sparkle will be my next apprentice.”
***
Year 1000 of the 4th Age
“I later discovered that my cutie-mark had appeared during the test as proof of my destiny to become a sorceress and my talent with sorcery,” Twilight concluded her story for the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Scootaloo was eager, as always, to get moving again, and hustled her friends out of the tavern. At least this time she remembered to thank the sorceress for sharing her story. The three fillies had no other option to find Rainbow Dash than to scour Ponieville looking for her. Townsponies gave them all kinds of conflicting directions based on where they’d seen the Hunter last, and soon the Crusaders were going in circle. They were trotting through the market for the third time when a pink ball of energy suddenly crashed into them.
“Sorry about that,” Pinkamena apologized as she helped the foals up, “Hi, Apple Bloom. Hi, Scootaloo. Hi, Sweetie Belle. What are the three of you trying today?”
“We’re lookin’ for Rainbow Dash. Have y’ seen her?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Have you tried Sugar Cube Corner?” Pinkamena asked.
“Did you see Rainbow Dash there?” Sweetie Belle said.
“Well, no, but that’s where I’m headed so I can keep an eye out for you,” Pinkamena admitted, “Why are you looking for her anyway?”
“Alright, let’s hear it,” Scootaloo said.
“Hear what?” a bewildered Pinkamena wondered.
“The story of how you got your cutie-mark,” Scootaloo said, as if it were apparent to everypony, “We’ve already heard from all the Brave Companions except for you and Rainbow Dash, so let’s get your story out of the way and maybe we’ll finally find her.”
“Okey-day, sounds like a fantastic idea! I can tell you on the way to Sugar Cube Corner,” Pinkamena said as she began bounding along, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders followed (without the bounding), “It happened on a day like any other, on the rock farm where I grew up …”
***
Year 988 of the 4th Age
A bitter wind swept across the barren expanse surrounding the Pie family’s quarry outside of Holderton. It was a lonely, dreary life, and the Pies followed a very strict, austere lifestyle. It was cloudy overhead, as it usually was; somehow, the region around Holderton seemed to attract them. These clouds looked like they meant business, though. A storm was coming, and the Pies scrambled to finish their work before the rain began to pelt down. Pinkamena and her sisters were busily hauling wagons of stone to the storehouse, when the rain began to fall and their mother called for them to return to the cottage.
Pinkamena was lagging behind, but she couldn’t just leave her load out in the open during the storm, where the wagon was liable to tip over and be smashed apart—she’d already been reprimanded for that once—so she carried on to the storehouse. The rain was pelting down by the time she arrived at the storehouse, and by the time she secured the wagon inside, it was a torrent. She tried to make her way to the cottage, but a fierce wind had come with the rain, and she could barely move forward. The wind, water, and lightning in the air whipped her carefully combed mane into a tangled mess in no time, and Pinkamena began to despair that she’d never make it back home.
Just then, a streak of multicolored light shot through the sky, slicing a path through the clouds. For the briefest minute, Pinkamena looked up at the brilliant display that faded to give way to the clearest blue sky until the clouds closed back in. Pinkamena stood still in amazement as the rain continued to gush down on her. She’d never seen anything so fantastic, not in her life of grays and browns. The only things even approaching the brilliance of that ephemeral path of light were the pigments of some of the scarce plants and stones she’d seen before. She’d never known such joy, and was grasping for a way to express it, a way to share it with everypony. First, she would need to share it with her family, and she knew just how to do it.
Pinkamena returned to the storehouse with a spring in her step, and worked all through the storm, which lasted the night and into the next morning. As dawn came and the clouds ceased their deluge, the Pie family emerged from their cottage and set out in search of their missing family member. The storm had been a real tempest and they feared the worst, but held out hope that she’d retreated into a cave or some other place of safety and ridden things out.
“Mother, Father, Maud, Limestone, Marble!” she called out from the storehouse as she swung the door open, and her family turned with relief to see her silhouetted in the doorway, “Come quick!”
“Pinkamena Diane Pie, is everything all right? You aren’t hurt in any way?” her mother asked as the family entered the storehouse and grew quiet at the sight they were met with.
Using whatever she could find, Pinkamena had decorated the storehouse for a celebration. She’d made her own paints from soil and plants and moved stones to form seats and tables. Pinkamena had done so much in one night, it was more than impressive. The Pies were awestruck. and the joy that Pinkamena radiated was contagious.
“Everything’s great!” Pinkamena exclaimed in answer to her mother’s query, “I saw the most wonderful thing in the world last night, and I have to share it with you! I’ve got all kinds of ideas for fun games and songs and everything too! It’s going to be a blast!”
“Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to wait to get back to work until after a celebration,” her father admitted, “You’ve certainly outdone yourself, and celebrations are in order for your safety.”
***
Year 1000 of the 4th Age
“… and that’s how I threw my first celebration and got my cutie-mark for bringing joy to other ponies,” Pinkamena finished up just as they reached Sugar Cube Corner.
“Wait, then when did you become a bard?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Shortly thereafter. I use my songs to bring joy to other ponies, so it’s part of my cutie-mark-destiny-package too!” Pinkamena said with a smile.
“Then why did you become a baker?” Scootaloo asked.
“I just really like muffins,” Pinkamena admitted, baffling as always.
It looked like the time in which they’d get meaningful answers from Pinkamena had ended as she bounded through the doors of Sugar Cube Corner humming merrily to herself. The corner where Rainbow Dash usually did her practice wasn’t far from here, and Scootaloo tried to get a look at it before they headed into the bakery. She was out of luck; no sign of Rainbow Dash there. Expecting yet another distraction, the young pegasus followed Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom into Sugar Cube Corner.
“Rainbow Dash! At last!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she spotted her in the bakery among the other Brave Companions.
“I hear you want to know the story of how I got my cutie-mark,” Rainbow Dash said with a grin as she beckoned the fillies to her table.
“Would I ever!” Scootaloo said, jumping into the chair.
“Alright, I hear Fluttershy already told you the first part of the story, so I’ll skip ahead to after I left Cloudsdale,” Rainbow Dash said while Scootaloo bounced up and down in anticipation, “We were dashing around like crazy during our duel, and soon we were out of sight of both the city and the other Hunters-in-training who were following us …”
***
Year 988 of the 4th Age
Rainbow Dash and Luther darted through the sky, getting farther apart each time before slamming their swords together when they met. Their blows were becoming harder and harder, the momentum helping immensely, but the practice swords held up. They were able to strike each other a few times, but neither of them wanted to yield, so they kept at it.
When they neared some low-floating clouds, they took advantage of them to hide and ambush each other, and each received several wallops from the other. They would be battered and bruised by the time they returned to Cloudsdale, but they didn’t care. Fluttershy was Rainbow Dash’s best friend, a pony who’d shown kindness to her when her own family wouldn’t, and she wouldn’t let this punk abuse her. Luther was sick of Rainbow Dash’s cocky attitude, and he aimed to put an end to it once and for all by beating her so soundly that she’d never act so self-assured again. They were children, but children in the process of being trained to kill, and they showed no mercy to each other.
After a particularly brutal exchange between them high in the sky, Luther dove toward the ground, hoping to hide among the trees below and ambush Rainbow Dash where she wouldn’t have as much maneuverability. Seeing exactly what he was planning, the filly dove after him, pushing herself in order to catch up. Faster and faster they flew, until Luther realized he wasn’t going to be able to outrun her and spun around to face her. Rainbow Dash swung her practice sword at the other trainee, and he raised his weapon to block.
At the moment their blades struck, the impossible happened. A blinding flash erupted from the contact point, and Rainbow’s sword snapped the other in two. A deafening boom sounded as the dull practice sword continued to move, slicing through Luther’s body while multicolored lights danced across its edge. A wave of multicolored light exploded outwards in a wave from the sword strike, tearing Luther to bits, and Rainbow Dash was knocked unconscious by the explosion. After she fell, the wave continued to expand, five beams of light within it. Three of them were indistinguishable from the wave of light, vanishing before it dissipated, but two continued on, one northeast in the direction of Manehattan and one southwest in the direction of Holderton.
***
Year 1000 of the 4th Age
“When I came to, I had my cutie-mark, a lightning bolt representing my speed, precision, and lightning strikes on the battlefield,” Rainbow Dash finished.
“Amazing!” Scootaloo said, and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle agreed, “That was your first sonic rainboom, right?”
“That’s right,” Rainbow Dash said admitted.
“Remember the explosion and wave of light I told you about?” Fluttershy asked, “That was the sonic rainboom, and that’s how I got my cutie-mark because of Rainbow Dash. If she hadn’t scared away the animals, I might never have learned of my unnatural affinity with creatures and may have returned to Cloudsdale.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Pinkamena said excitedly, “You saw beams of light coming off the rainboom, right?”
“I caught a glimpse before I passed out, yeah,” Rainbow Dash said.
“What if one of them was the beam that shot through the storm and inspired me to do everything that led to me getting my cutie-mark!” Pinkamena said.
“Maybe th’ path I saw leadin’ back t’ Ponieville was from your rainboom too,” Applejack said with awe, “Y’ said Cloudsdale was nearby then. If I hadn’t gotten that sign, who knows what might’ve happened!”
“Now that I think about it, what I saw that day that startled me into a cave did look like your sonic rainboom,” Rarity said, “I’d have never found those jewels and may never have gotten my cutie-mark if it wasn’t for that.”
“There was a flash of light when I was being tested to become Celestia’s protégé too,” Twilight Sparkle said in a daze, “This is uncanny! How could it be possible that we were all linked? It is too much of a coincidence that we all got our cutie-marks because of the same event, and then just so happened to meet up years later and became the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. This is so bizarre. I am definitely writing Celestia a letter about this.”
***
My most faithful apprentice, Twilight Sparkle,
I am so pleased that you have shared this with me, as it all but confirms many of the suspicions I have had for years. Scholars have long suspected that the Conjunction was not a unique, one-time event. The theories they put forth postulate that one day our world will collide with another again in a Second Conjunction. I believe that this Second Conjunction has already occurred, and it occurred on the day that I chose you to be my protégé. Rather than a collision of worlds, it was more of a brushing past, and it is possible that this is not the first time that something like this has happened. The reason that this occurrence stands out as noticeable is because certain pieces were in just the right places for this brush-past to have an effect.
I theorize that the contact point between our world and another was the exact point in space where Rainbow Dash’s sword struck, releasing the energy of that world and causing it to propagate as a ‘sonic rainboom,’ as she has so dubbed it. Something from the other world entered ours on that day and is perhaps what has bound you and your friends to each other, such that it was inevitable that you would all one day meet. There is more to it than this, though. A new magic entered our world on that day, different from the sorcery we are accustomed to, and you have already begun to discover it for yourself. From your letters and my own inquiries and existing knowledge, I began to piece things together, and these stories you have now shared with me finalize things.
This new magic entered each one of you. Before the Second Conjunction, the records of the Grandmaster of the Sparrow list Rainbow Dash as an adequate fighter, but nothing special. It was only after the Second Conjunction that she had the speed, instinct, and brutal skill that makes her such a capable Hunter today. Likewise, Pinkamena’s visions and premonitions, of which you were so skeptical because they could not be measured as the magic you know, did not come about until after the Second Conjunction. The lands of the Apples were in danger of failing and being parceled out by Mayor Mare with only Applejack and her brother tending the fields until Applejack returned after the Second Conjunction. Now, the Apples tend land of such an expanse that no other family so small could tend and it continues to flourish wherever Applejack is involved. Fluttershy could not understand and communicate with animals until after the Second Conjunction. During my procession through the White Tail Woods, I was able to see a piece of the barding Rarity repaired and can confirm it was unknowingly enchanted by an unknown magic, a magic impossible before the Second Conjunction.
And you, my dear apprentice, have also been affected by this new magic. Before the Second Conjunction, you were disappointingly lacking in skill and magical potential, but now you are able to master spells in days that would take other ponies years to learn, and your magical potential continues to grow and regenerate far faster than normal. All of you are changed, all of you have supernatural abilities, though you have not realized it. I look forward to speaking with you about this soon when we meet in Cant’r Laht for the summit.
Signed,
Celestia
Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, Guardian of the Sun, and Protector of Ponieville
Tomorrow was the vernal equinox, the date that Celestia had set all those months ago for her historic summit. A tailor worked to make last-minute adjustments to her dress as the centuries-old sorceress stared down upon her city from the highest tower of her castle. Cant’r Laht was filled with visitors, called from all across Equestria at Celestia’s invitation. The alicorn had no delusions about why many of them had actually come. They wanted to examine the city of Cant’r Laht for themselves to find its weaknesses, and there were not a few court wizards who had come to probe the city’s magical defense, the very reason Celestia had purposefully lessened the spells around the city during the summit. They had come looking for some way to crush the city, but she hoped these martial ideas would not be the only things they took away. A new order in Equestria would need to be established here, or at least the foundations of it.
Casting a spell, Celestia enhanced her eyesight to get a closer look at the camps scattered throughout the city. It had been suggested that the camps be placed in a pattern that mirrored Equestria’s map, but Celestia had wisely shot that idea down and rearranged them. Every nation’s bitterest rivals were their neighbors, and placing sworn enemies next to each other was a recipe for disaster. She would not have war breaking out in Cant’r Laht before the summit could even start. There had been some clashes (drunken brawls mostly), but the Cant’r Laht Royal Guard was diligent in its duty to maintain the peace. Complaints would be aired at the summit tomorrow about accommodations, but that was expected.
On the western edge of the city were the blue-and-white tents of Balte-Maer, and Celestia spotted Duchess Seaspray departing with her retinue. Clockwise from them were the yellow-and-black tents of Stalliongrad and the green-and-blue camp of Fillidelfiyaa. Vanhuv’r came next, the blue-and-gray tents broken up by a sizable patch of green-and-brown, the faction from Tall Tale. Manehattan’s camp was next, soldiers still setting up the red-and-black tents as Hadish’s delegation continued to file into the city. Los Pegasus was on the far east, the banners of Queen Helianthus fluttering over the yellow-and-white tents. Outside the city gates was a second camp, that of the Griffon Free Companies, who had chosen to accept Celestia’s invitation and had caused quite a bit of discomfort to the other delegations as they passed them to enter Cant’r Laht.
The spell suddenly collapsed, and Celestia began to cough violently. Her tailor stepped back with concern, and Raven rushed forward to the aid of the matron of sorceresses. Celestia took the kerchief proffered by her page and coughed into it until the fit subsided. She was concerned, but not surprised, to see blood on the kerchief. You have to go easy on the spells. That was something she knew she could never do, however, not if she wanted to appear strong at the summit. Too much was hinging on this for the delegates to know she was calling a summit to attempt to put things in order before her death.
“I am fine,” Celestia assured an unconvinced Raven, putting on a smile.
“I will … make you some herbal tea,” her page said before trotting off, knowing exactly what fortifying agents the sorceress needed in her tea.
Celestia waved for the tailor to resume her work as she returned to staring out over Cant’r Laht. Merry noises drew her attention to the castle’s north tower, where Twilight Sparkle and her comrades were preparing themselves for the festivities ahead. Celestia smiled a true smile, remembering what it had once been like to live without so many burdens upon her. Politics were the purpose of this gathering of crowned heads, but the heavy stuff could wait until tomorrow. Tonight was to be a night of celebration. The Grand Galloping Gala would soon begin.
***
As the sun sank below the horizon, the Brave Companions departed Twilight Sparkle’s chambers in all their finery. They'd arrived in Cant’r Laht that morning and had spent the rest of the day preparing themselves for what was to come. Besides the Grand Galloping Gala that night, which they were all freshly bathed and perfumed for, they would probably also be expected to play some role in Celestia’s summit, which could stretch on for several days. While they were in Cant’r Laht, they would be staying in Twilight’s tower. The sorceress had written ahead, and castle servants had prepared the abandoned chambers to house five more ponies than they were currently set up for.
“I still can’t believe we’re back in Cant’r Laht!” Spike said excitedly as they descended the staircase around the tower, “Twilight and I can show you all around the castle and the city. It’ll be great.”
“That could probably wait, right Spike?” Rainbow Dash asked, not wanting to hurt the dragon’s feelings, “I think all of us have plans for the gala.”
“Oh, right, of course,” Spike said in disappointment, “But we’ll have some time together later, right?”
Maybe Twilight’s page didn’t have the same special bond with these ponies that the sorceress did herself, but in following them around for the past nine months, he didn’t feel like they were strangers. He knew each of them nearly as well as Twilight did and was looking forward to spending some time with them tonight, a preferable alternative to spending it taking down notes for Twilight. He hadn’t forgotten all their plans and aspirations for the gala, but hoped that they wouldn’t occupy the entire evening, especially when it would be back to business tomorrow.
“Do not worry, Spike, I am sure we will be able to make the time,” Twilight assured him, “The others are right, however; we do all have plans for this night.”
“I can’t wait to see all the plants and animals in the private gardens,” Fluttershy trembled with excitement and confirmed Twilight’s statement, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a druidess! And, with my ability to speak to the animals, I could really help them out, or befriend them so that I might be allowed back a second time!”
“I aim t’ find some wealthy merchants t’ buy m’ family’s crops, maybe from Balte-Maer, Vanhuv’r, or Stalliongrad,” Applejack chimed in, “Th’ family could really use a boost t’ help us keep our lands away from Mayor Mare.”
“It would be nice to meet a wealthy merchant, but my aim is set a little higher. With my status as a Brave Companion and this alluring gown, I’m sure to catch the eye of an eligible noblestallion,” Rarity daydreamed, then coughed as she realized everypony was looking at her skeptically, “Well, at least I can show off these dresses and can speak to Hoity Toity about working with him.”
“I’ve also got a meeting with an important pony,” Rainbow Dash bragged, “Thanks to my performance at the Gauntlet, Spitfire wants to speak to me! This could be my way into the Wonderbolts!”
The group paused at the bottom of the stairs as Pinkamena sat down on a stone bench and unslung her lute from her back. Twilight Sparkle was going to say something about her inserting songs at inappropriate times, but thought better of it. It’s the Grand Galloping Gala. Let her have this.
“Oh, the Grand Galloping Gala, the greatest of fêtes,” “It lies now before us. Who knows what we’ll meet?” “Each one of us has a path we will tread,” “To make this night special and the greatest night yet.” “For our dear Fluttershy, a druidess fair,” “Is a garden of fauna and flora so rare!” “For Applejack, tender of orchards and fields,” “Are ponies who’d gladly give coin for her yields!” “For Rarity at this gala a chance,” “To show off her skill, and perhaps find romance!” “For Rainbow Dash, Hunter of sinister beasts,” “Are the Wonderbolts, waiting to share in a feast!” “For me, Pinkamena, the joy and the fire,” “To partake of this gala, a bard’s true desire!” "For the great Twilight Sparkle, sorceress and friend,” “Is a night with her teacher, to share and to spend!” "So be joyous you ponies with horns, hooves, and feathers,” “For the Grand Galloping Gala will be the greatest night ever!”
Pinkamena took a bow at the end of her song, and the others couldn’t help but stomp their hooves in applause, even Twilight. She’d even gotten her intentions correct. Twilight Sparkle had spent the last nine months apart from Celestia except for their meeting on her royal procession and communication through her letters. She was looking forward to speaking with her mentor again, one-on-one as they had once done when she was living in Cant’r Laht.
“Well, I see no reason to delay any longer. Let us make our appearance,” Twilight Sparkle said, leading the way to the castle’s entrance.
The sorceress led them along the paths through the palace grounds that she still remembered by heart. Ponies were beginning to show up for the gala, mainly Cant’r Laht’s nobility trickling in from their homes, and the Brave Companions joined the queue. The castle’s doors were thrown open so that ponies could easily enter, but the entrance was far from unprotected. Royal guards stood in rows on either side of the line of attendees, and Twilight looked to see if she could catch a glimpse of her brother. He’s probably busy elsewhere; they wouldn’t post the captain of the guard to the entrance. As they advanced, each pony or group of ponies presented their tickets to pages who rushed back and forth from the line to a table piled high with sheets of parchment that were then rushed over to the court herald to announce the guests’ arrival.
“Presenting Twilight Sparkle of the House Haltrotsun, personal protégé of Celestia! Her page, Spike, son of Dragonlord Ingrirtireth of Tyrannus! Rarity, daughter of Magnus and Henrietta of Ponieville! Fluttershy, druidess of the Ponieville Druid Circle! Applejack of the McIntosh Apples! Rainbow Dash of the Order of the Falcon! Pinkamena Pie, daughter of Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz, of Ponieville!” the herald announced when it was their turn, “I give you: The Brave Companions!”
“Twilight, a pleasure to see you and your friends again,” Celestia greeted them, “Are you settling back into life in Cant’r Laht?”
“Not as of yet,” Twilight laughed merrily, “I expect it will take some time to readjust to life here after spending so long in Ponieville.”
“You will want to spend time with your companions, I expect, though I hope we will have some time together as well,” Celestia said with an appreciative nod, “Would you care to join me in greeting our honored guests? It will give us more time to talk.”
“You read my mind,” Twilight Sparkle said jokingly as she joined Celestia and waved for her friends to enjoy the festivities. It’s possible that she really did read my mind. I have mental barriers in place, but would they stop Celestia?
***
Rarity peeled off from the rest of the Brave Companions as she entered the castle’s south ballroom. Much of Cant’r Laht’s elite were in attendance and she casually eyed them, hoping to find in their midst a potential suitor. She knew how unlikely it was that a powerful noble would wed her, but she did have one title now as Bearer of the Element of Charity, so there was some hope. Despite not spotting anypony she fancied, she did notice the looks of approval aimed at her gown, and at the gowns of her friends scattered around the room. Even if her quest to find an eligible stallion failed, at least her business plan might not be a bust.
Then she spotted him. A unicorn with a coat of the purest white entered the ballroom, though not from the door everypony else had. His attire was silken and embroidered in exquisite patterns, and a plain silver circlet rested upon his brow. His appearance, his bearing, his means of entrance; it all pointed to a pony of great importance. Rarity wished that she’d asked Twilight for names, descriptions, and facts on the important ponies of Cant’r Laht during their three-day journey so that she could trot up to him immediately and address him by name. Instead, she’d have to ask somepony else.
“Who is he?” Rarity asked a nearby sorceress. She ceased picking out olives and sized Rarity up before answering.
“I see, from the greater dominions, are you? That is Rhaegis Blueblood, Prince of Cant’r Laht,” the sorceress said.
“A prince? Really?” Rarity asked. I thought Celestia was sole ruler of Cant’r Laht and had no children.
“The prince of the city,” the sorceress replied, stressing Blueblood’s importance, “And as of yet unwed, the most coveted bachelor in Cant’r Laht.”
“Is that so?” Rarity said as she wandered off in the direction of the prince, “Thank you.”
The sorceress returned to her olives as Rarity made her way across the ballroom. Come on Rarity, don’t foul this up! I know we told ourselves not to get our hopes up (and Twilight told us the same thing), but we have to do this! Sure, we’re aiming high, higher than we could’ve imagined, but just look at him! He’s the one, I can tell! Please, please, please, please don’t foul this up!
“Hello, Prince Blueblood, your lordship?” she caught the prince’s attention before he struck up conversation with anypony else, “I am Rarity of the Brave Companions, Bearer of the Element of Charity, and I was wondering if I might have the pleasure of accompanying you this evening?”
Rarity put on her most charming smile while ignoring the thousand voices in her head critiquing her introduction. The words had come pouring out, but at least she hadn’t misspoken anything. Prince Blueblood sized her up and liked what he saw.
“Yes, I think that would be most enjoyable for the both of us,” he said with a dashing smile.
***
“Presenting Seaspray of the House Whinnes, Duchess of Balte-Maer, Marchioness of Herren, Countess of the Coral Shore, and Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea! Bishop Pathus of the See of Baalt’r Maere! Marquis Shining Gleam of the House Rorsch, Admiral of the Balte-Maeri Ducal Navy!” the herald declared as the delegation from Balte-Maer approached Celestia and Twilight Sparkle.
“Welcome Your Grace, Your Excellency, Your Lordship,” Celestia said, nodding to each of the attendees in turn while Twilight gave the duchess a respectful bow, “Duchess Seaspray, I had not heard of you acquiring a new title.”
“Nonsense,” the duchess waved off the question in good form, “Why, Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea was bestowed upon my great-great-great-great-great-grandsire Duke Battleborn by Cardinal Rihktus long ago.”
Yes, but no ruler of Balte-Maer has ever claimed that title for a peaceful reason. If you’ve picked it up again, it’s to make a statement to Fillidelfiyaa and Manehattan. As I feared, another trade war is brewing.
“Of course, how silly of me to have forgotten,” Celestia said, flashing a smile, “Please, enjoy yourselves at the gala.” Though the summit is not until tomorrow, business begins tonight. Or, it should so long as the delegations don’t spend the entire night glaring at each other.
***
Twilight had left the Brave Companions at the castle entrance, and the rest of the group split up after entering the south ballroom. Rarity was talking to a fancy-looking stallion, Pinkamena had disappeared into the growing crowd, Rainbow Dash had sought out the drink table, and Applejack was perusing the food tables around the hall. Fluttershy, meanwhile, made her way purposefully through the ballroom and out onto the palace lawn. The druidess headed past the marble statues and fountains and straight to the hedge that marked the boundary with the private gardens.
The gate, normally locked and guarded, was wide open to allow the gala attendees to enjoy the beauty usually reserved for the castle’s inhabitants. The guard at the gate was posted only to keep any animals from escaping and disrupting the party, and she nodded respectfully to Fluttershy as she passed her and darted inside. It was like a whole different world on the other side of the hedge. Plants that normally sprouted thousands of leagues away and in vastly different climates grew here in all their grandeur. There was no glass to protect them from the winter that had barely released its grip on Equestria, but Fluttershy could taste magic in the air. That may have bothered other druids, who railed against any use of sorcery to force nature to do what it wouldn’t do naturally, but she thought it was worth it for all this beauty. Even out of her druidess robes and in the exquisite gown Rarity had made for her, Fluttershy had felt out of place at the gala, but she felt like she belonged here.
“A Zebrikaanian finch!” she exclaimed as she caught a glimpse of the creature winging through the trees.
It had disappeared as soon as she’d seen it, and the druidess galloped deeper into the gardens, trying to catch up.
***
“Pardon me,” a stallion in modest but refined attire said as he reached past Applejack to shuffle some food onto his plate, “This is quite the impressive spread. I wonder if any of it came through my trading houses in Balte-Maer.”
It was just as Applejack had suspected—the stallion was a merchant. Better yet, he was a merchant who traded in foodstuffs, exactly what she hoped to speak with him about. She hadn’t even had to seek him out; he’d come straight to her like a gift from the heavens. Applejack winged a silent prayer of thanks to Faust before speaking up.
“Allow me t’ introduce m’self,” Applejack started before slowing down her speech so that she could be sure to enunciate, “I am Applejack of the Brave Companions, Bearer of the Element of Honesty.”
“Vikker Dreisun of the Rising Sun Trading Company,” the stallion introduced himself in turn, before looking at Applejack with interest, “You know, I’ve heard many stories about you and your companions. Are they all true?”
“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but most of them prob-ably are,” Applejack replied, “I was actually hoping to speak to you about a business matter. I imagine you could use a steady supply of crops to Balte-Maer.”
“I would be interested,” Vikker said guardedly.
The Duchy of Balte-Maer was more forest than farmland, and much of the food went directly to the city of Balte-Maer through taxes. What didn’t was often sent across the Shimmering Sea to Neighples, but there usually wasn’t much left and Neighples was forced to feed itself by importing food from the Zebrikaanian Empire. The Equestry Valley had so far been able to send little food to Balte-Maer, but if a deal could be brokered to bring the fruits of that rich land into the city, then Vikker would be able to sell the Balte-Maeri food for a much higher price to Neighples.
“The Apple family land has much to offer,” Applejack said, “I’m sure we can work something out.”
“I’m listening,” Vikker said.
***
“Presenting Spitfire of Groniden, Captain of the Wonderbolts! Soarin of Glydshyrr, Lieutenant of the Wonderbolts! Oss the Unyielding, Grandmaster of the Order of the Sparrow! Winter Breeze the Dervish, Grandmaster of the Order of the Eagle!” the herald announced as the assembled Hunters approached Celestia together.
“Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala. I am so pleased you could make it before the summit,” Celestia greeted the pegasi.
“The pleasure is all ours,” Spitfire said, “I hear this will be quite the celebration.”
“The invitation was flattering, Your Grace, but I still doubt the wisdom of Hunters being involved in politics like this,” the elderly Oss objected, “For centuries, we’ve maintained our neutrality in the wars of Equestria, and I do not wish to see that broken now.”
“You worry too much, Oss,” the much-younger Winter Breeze berated him, “It’s worry like that which will cause us to fall behind and be excluded. Hunters are as much a force in this land as the kings and queens in attendance, and though we may not take part in their wars, our voices should be heard alongside them.”
“They will be at the summit, tomorrow,” Celestia promised and waved the Hunters on so that the line could continue moving, “For now, enjoy the gala.”
***
So far, there were few warriors in the ballroom apart from Rainbow Dash, and she felt alone. There was a Balte-Maeri admiral, but who knew how competent he was with a blade, and Rainbow had no desire to learn about ships tonight. She considered rejoining one of the ponies she’d come with, but they all seemed involved in their own plans, so she stayed where she was at the drink table, sampling wines and cordials instead of her customary ale. Eventually, she grew bored of that and made her way over to a food table stacked with pies, where she entertained herself (and mortified the servants) by tossing a knife into the pies, always managed to land it in the existing groove.
“You should’ve showed that talent off at The Gauntlet,” a voice next to the Hunter startled her.
“Spitfire!” Dash said in surprise, dropping the knife in her mouth.
Before it hit the ground, Rainbow Dash struck it with her foreleg and sent it spinning back up into the air. Struggling to regain control, she bounced it a few times before she couldn’t anymore without cutting herself and knocked it aside. The blade struck a watermelon with a wet thump, burying itself up to the handle and startling the stallion who’d been inspecting the fruit.
“Not bad,” Soarin whistled before grabbing a whole pie from the table, ignoring the objections of the servant in charge of serving out slices.
“My number two wasn’t able to attend The Gauntlet, and is understandably skeptical of my story of what happened there,” Spitfire said, gesturing to Soarin, “I think you ought to tell him yourself and help me convince him. What do you say?”
“I-um, yes, of course!” Dash said, tripping over her words.
I can’t believe it! I’m with the Wonderbolts! It’s a dream come true!
***
Pinkamena was practically bursting with excitement. The Grand Galloping Gala was the greatest of celebrations, a bard’s dream. Of course, a true Grand Galloping Gala hadn’t been held since Celestia and Luna had ruled Equestria together, over a thousand years earlier, so she had no idea what to expect. All she knew was that it had to be great. How could it not be? She was bounding through the crowd, soaking in the atmosphere, and was looking for a place to maybe sit down with her lute and strum some music to liven things up.
“Pinkamena Pie!” a fellow bard exclaimed, calling her over to his patch of wall, “I knew I’d find you here.”
“Yeah, sorry about abandoning you back then,” Pinkamena said with a twinge.
The troubadour with the feather in his cap had been one of the minstrels she’d recruited in her scheme to convince Twilight Sparkle to give her the ticket to the gala all those months ago. Like several of the bards, he hadn’t given up on getting an invitation from the sorceress, pushing her until it was considered an interference with her duties, and he was given lashes in the public square. Pinkamena hadn’t seen him since and had no idea where he’d run off to.
“Not to worry, I bear you no ill will,” the bard laughed, “I made it here after all, didn’t I?”
“I was wondering about that, Lilian,” Pinkamena said, puzzled, “How’d you end up with an invitation to the gala?”
“I tagged along with the Balte-Maeri delegation and they procured an invitation for me. Thankfully, that was before I wore out my stay in Duchess Seaspray’s camp,” Lilian said with a blush, “I think I’ll be heading off with a different delegation when the summit is over.”
“Well, it’s great to see you again,” Pinkamena said as she unstrung her lute from her back, “Shall we?”
“Nothing would please me more. Well, almost nothing,” Lilian said with a wink.
The minstrels sat down with their instruments and began to strum a few chords before they noticed the disapproving stares at them. Nearby, a court musician began to play a vielle. Apparently the music was already provided, and nopony here wanted to hear the medleys of Lilian and Pinkamena.
“Let’s … try someplace else,” Lilian said as he returned his lute to his back and trotted away, Pinkamena reluctantly following.
***
“Presenting Prince Braid III Stalanokov, Lord-Protector of Stalliongrad, Boyar of the Haeldmark, Crown-Protector of the Hordes, and Lord of the North! And his son, Grigor Stalanokov, Count of Frosthorn and Lord of Begen Rock! Halath Prokoyikov, Boyar of Prokoya and Count of Rainbow Falls! Rhikkit, son of Rhekket, Hetstalan of the Dun Horde!”
“Welcome Your Highness, Your Lordship, Your Grace, Your Reverence,” Celestia greeted her visitors from the north, who had been the first delegation to arrive, “I hope your stay in Cant’r Laht has been comfortable.”
Stalliongrad was a fortress city built to withstand any army or siege, and it had succeeded admirably at that task. It also meant that the Stalliongraders were keenly aware of a city’s defenses at all times, and many times in the past week Celestia’s royal guard had had to escort members of their camp back after finding them in places they shouldn’t have been. Even now, Halath was keenly observing Cant’r Laht Castle, no doubt considering how he would breach its walls. Rhikkit looked like he felt incredibly out of place without his horde behind him, but Celestia couldn’t very well let a whole host of warriors enter her castle during the gala.
“The accommodations were acceptable,” Prince Braid said in his usual pragmatic, unflashy manner, “I only hope this trip was worth it, and that you’ve assembled a reasonable congress and not a viper’s nest.”
“I’m sure you’ll find your answer tomorrow, and I want to assure you I’ve taken every possible precaution to make sure this summit goes smoothly,” Celestia said with a smile, “Please, enjoy the gala tonight.”
***
Rarity was strolling across the castle lawn with Blueblood, practically hovering with glee. A prince! I can’t believe my good fortune to have caught his eye! Other mares watched the two of them, some with jealousy, some with pity, but Rarity recognized neither. She was too busy planning out her future. She would have to move to Cant’r Laht, of course, which troubled her a little, but she couldn’t ask the prince of the city to move elsewhere. You’re getting ahead of yourself, Rarity. First, you should find out more about him. Can you just ask, though? Maybe I should just make small talk and get all the details about him from Twilight later.
“Oh, that’s magnificent,” said as they stopped in front of a flowering bush trimmed into the shape of a unicorn mare.
“She is my ancestor: Nightshade Blueblood, ruler of Cant’r Laht before Celestia came,” the prince said as he stared at the topiary, “I had the castle gardeners trim this bush in her form based on the portraits of her.”
“Well, you have excellent taste,” Rarity praised, “Those flowers are exquisite.”
“Aren’t they just,” Blueblood said wistfully before taking Rarity off guard by shouting at a nearby servant, “You there! Come over here this instant!”
The servant approached with a frightened look in her eyes.
“Y-yes, Your Grace?” she asked.
“Your Highness,” he corrected, though the servant was actually the correct one given the special status of his princehood.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Pick me a flower, and one for my lady as well,” the prince ordered brusquely, and the servant hurried to comply.
“Oh, thank you,” Rarity said to the servant as she secured the flower in her mane after doing the same for Blueblood.
“Think nothing of it,” Prince Blueblood replied to the thanks that hadn’t been directed at him, “The flowers are uneven now. Fix them.”
Rarity mouthed “I’m sorry” to the servant as she exasperatedly looked at the topiary and followed Blueblood as he trotted away.
***
The Cant’r Laht private gardens seemed more expansive than they were, mostly because the arrangement of the plants and trees turned them into a labyrinth. Fluttershy cantered through, following the song of the finch she’d seen earlier. She was puzzled why she hadn’t seen any other wildlife but shrugged it off; she had plenty of time to find them. She had to double back several times as she followed the bird, finding she couldn’t squeeze through places the small creature had, but at last she was closing in; it was right around this corner …
The druidess collided with another pony, and they both collapsed to the ground. She quickly got up, and the pony she’d run into returned to his hooves in surprisingly little time. The elderly stallion wielded a rake and mumbled something at her while shaking the implement.
“What? I can’t understand you,” Fluttershy said.
“Aye, what are y’ doin’ here? Tryin’ t’ steal somethin’, are ye?” he said after dropping the rake, then immediately picking it back up again.
“What? No!” Fluttershy exclaimed, “I’m at the Grand Galloping Gala and I wanted to see the gardens. What are you doing here?”
“Working,” the stallion said as he dropped the rake again.
“During the gala?”
“If everythin’ isn’t perfect, y’ know who’ll get blamed? Me! So I’m not takin’ any chances.”
“Um, okay then,” Fluttershy said, “Have you seen a Zebrikaanian finch around here?”
“Yeah, flapped on thataway,” the stallion said, gesturing behind him.
“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, and flew past him.
She spotted the finch again and excitedly turned into a clearing in the gardens. Here was where all the creatures had gone to! There was a bevy of creatures here, and Fluttershy didn’t know which one to look at first. Her sudden arrival startled them, and they all took off through the plants and trees where she couldn’t follow.
“No, don’t go!” Fluttershy pleaded, dropping to the ground glumly, “Oh …”
***
“Presenting Helianthus of the House Trotstámara, Queen of Los Pegasus, Grand Duchess of the Westerlands, Marquesa of the Red Mountains, and Sovereign of the South! Flax of the House Strigan, Marquesa of Montrein! Tranquiliodus of the Stone Sea, Senior Enchanter of the Applewood Tower!” the herald announced as the queen and her entourage approached Celestia.
“Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Ladyship, Your Sorcerership,” Cant’r Laht’s Matron of Sorceresses spoke, “Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala.”
“Indeed,” Helianthus replied, “An event to which we are bound by treaty to attend.”
“Might I remind you that it was not I that invaded another’s lands and was forced to pay reparations for such an offense,” Celestia said with a smile, “Or that the punishment could have been much worse than asking you to sit down at a table with Equestria’s other rulers?”
While Helianthus and Celestia traded veiled insults, Flax stared at the sorceress at the alicorn’s side. That’s Twilight Sparkle; she’s one of them. Under her command, the Los Pegasus army had been forced to withdraw from White Tail, but they hadn’t taken everypony back with them. Her spies had reported back which mages had been responsible for her defeat at the Battle of Martensford, and this purple unicorn was one of them. She would be keeping an eye out for them at the summit and the gala, as would the mage standing next to her. The defeat was as much Tranquiliodus’s fault as her own, though they’d both tried to pin the blame on each other. The result was that Queen Helianthus had kept both of them around as her advisors, but Flax didn’t trust the gelding.
“I’m sure the summit will go smashingly,” Helianthus said with a false smile and trotted off toward the ballroom, her advisors in tow.
***
Like with Rarity and Pinkamena, things weren’t going as Rainbow Dash had hoped. She was with the Wonderbolts, yes, but she wasn’t given the chance to talk with them much after their initial encounter. More Hunters were arriving at the gala now, mostly grandmasters and masters, and Spitfire and Soarin had to greet each of them and ask them about life in their orders. The Wonderbolts were an incredibly unorthodox Hunter order in that they only accepted six members, no more, no less, and only recruited the most talented Hunters from other orders. It made sense for them to seek out possible recruits by speaking to the grandmasters, but Rainbow Dash had hoped that she’d be one of their picks.
She tried to insert herself in the conversation but was continually rebuffed. Silently she fumed, but she couldn’t do anything about it. She may have been a Brave Companion, but she had no rank among Hunters and couldn’t just speak up to grandmasters. Rainbow Dash was able to talk some when the Wonderbolts greeted her own grandmaster, but she seemed to be the only one who didn’t want to have a prolonged conversation with the elite Hunters.
Rainbow sighed in frustration as she was forced to tag along with Spitfire and Soarin, in the proximity of her heroes but below their notice. This wasn’t what she’d dreamt the Grand Galloping Gala would be like.
***
Twilight Sparkle was having her own, very similar, problems. She’d been looking forward to speaking with Celestia, but all she’d done thus far was help her greet the gala’s attendees. It wasn’t all that mentally stimulating a task, either. She bowed and nodded to the appropriate ponies and only spoke to the few she knew from growing up in Cant’r Laht. Celestia made most of the conversation.
The thought occurred to Twilight that maybe Celestia wanted her here for another reason. Surely she wouldn’t ask her personal protégé, one of the most respected sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, to simply stand here smiling and bowing for no reason. The alicorn greeted each attendee with simple platitudes, but her mind was working silently, evaluating each pony’s intents and motivations. That must have been Twilight’s task too, so she began to more closely evaluate each pony that was announced by the herald, a task easier for her since she rarely had to speak and observe at the same time. She had to admit that it wasn’t a bad plan, and she and Celestia could compare their observations later, but it wasn’t what she’d hoped to do at the gala. If only she had a few minutes where she and Celestia could talk, but it looked like that wouldn’t be happening for a long time, judging by how long the line was that stretched out of the castle.
“Presenting Ghunthar zar’Ghrisna, Captain of the Griffon Free Companies and Talon of Clan zar’Ghrisna! Haelgha kel’Mhredain, Talon of Clan kel’Mhredain! Oghenghris tor’Hreimrhan, Talon of Clan tor’Hreimrhan!” the herald announced as three gryphons approached Celestia and her protégé.
“Greetings, noble Talons. Thank you for accepting my invitation to attend the summit,” Celestia said.
“You should thank her,” Ghunthar said, pointing a talon at Twilight Sparkle, who breathed a sigh of relief, “It was she who convinced me it would be beneficial to the Griffon Free Companies to attend.”
Truthfully, nopony had known what the Griffon Free Companies’ intentions had been until they arrived at Cant’r Laht and began setting up camp. Twilight’s audience with their captain had gone well, but the stories of what had happened in Ponieville during her absence had troubled her. There had been a very real chance that the confrontation with Gilda had derailed Celestia’s plans, but thankfully that proved to not be the case. More than likely, there were other reasons why the Griffon Free Companies had chosen to attend the summit (such as the chance to find out who was planning a war and needed mercenaries), but Twilight would take the credit for bringing them here.
“I certainly have many things to thank Twilight for,” Celestia said with a kind smile, “Now, please partake of the festivities. The Grand Galloping Gala is a chance to revel before the business of the morrow.”
***
Applejack trotted through the ballroom, searching for somepony to do business with. She’d had success with Vikker and would be signing a contract later in the week, but that was the only success she’d had. The next merchant she’d spoken to hadn’t been interested, and the one after that had outright laughed in her face after learning Applejack was untitled. She tried to explain that the Apples had a special charter from Celestia that gave them rights to their land, but she would hear no more. Without a title, the land was merely a place they lived and worked.
The farmer tried to speak to other merchants, but more of them arrived as the night wore on, and they began to gravitate toward each other. It was far more difficult to speak to a group than to get one alone, since it would require her to interrupt the business discussions already going on, and a word from any member of the group could shut down the whole process. Soon, Applejack found herself wandering aimlessly through the ballroom, trying and failing to find somepony on their own she could still do business with. It was hopeless; she didn’t want to settle for just one contract, but maybe that was all she was going to get out of this night, a mere fraction of her dream.
***
Pinkamena and Lilian trotted together across the palace lawn, hoping to find some place where they could perform their music and revel as they wished. So far, they’d had no luck. The important ponies who joined each other in the gardens outside the castle to talk wanted nothing to do with the pair of bards and their music. Many simply went elsewhere, but others asked them to stop in a tone that suggested it wasn’t really a request. They were getting disheartened until they found a fountain to set up in front of.
They began to strum their lutes and quickly caught on to the patterns each other were playing. Once they had the music going, they began to lend their voices. Pinkamena would’ve preferred to perform before the fancy audience in the ballroom, but this was nice too, and it was the first real enjoyment she’d gotten out of the night. All that ended as a sorceress tapped her on the shoulder.
“Excuse me, but what do you think you’re doing?” she demanded crossly.
Pinkamena looked around, trying to determine the reason for this, and spotted a mare with a harp on the other side of the fountain frowning in her direction. An audience was set up around her, and also looked very angry with the two bards who just wanted to sit down and do what they did best for a few minutes.
“Sorry to disturb you,” Pinkamena said with a heavy sigh, picking up her lute and trotting slowly away.
***
“Presenting Alhert of the House Caramon, King of Fillidelfiyaa, Lord of the Blue and White Mountains, and Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea! Hadrian of House Rimmel, Baron of Trotston! Bishop Hairus of the See of Lombidia!” the herald announced as the delegation from Fillidelfiyaa made their appearance.
Again with the “Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea” bit. Both Fillidelfiyaa and Balte-Maer are flexing their muscles and daring the other to back down. And they both brought bishops along, as if this were a synod and not a summit. At least I won’t have to deal with that with Manehattan.
“Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Lordship, Your Excellency,” Celestia said aloud, concealing her concerns.
While Celestia and the elderly king discussed the summit and gala, Twilight Sparkle felt her attention slipping. She wanted to make Celestia proud and be involved in the politics of Equestria, but still she couldn’t shake her disappointment at the night. She’d wanted time alone to speak with Celestia, to tell her of all her adventures in person, to discuss spells and theories, and to regain some of the closeness she’d had with the ancient sorceress when she was still a filly studying closely under her. It looked like that wouldn’t happen and she’d be stuck here greeting foreign dignitaries all night.
No! I won’t let that happen! I am master of my own fate, and I’ll make this night work for me even if I have to work at it! Unbeknownst to the sorceress, scattered around the castle, all the Brave Companions were making a similar pledge to themselves. Rarity, who was finding herself more and more put off by Prince Blueblood’s actions. Fluttershy, who failed yet again to catch up to the animals in the private gardens. Pinkamena, who was turned away by other gala attendees from celebrating in the way she wished. Applejack, who was rebuffed by yet another merchant that wanted nothing to do with somepony like her. Rainbow Dash, who couldn’t get a chance to speak to the Wonderbolts no matter what she tried. They all vowed that they would make this night work for them, no matter what they had to do to make that a reality.
***
In her desperation to meet the animals in the private gardens, Fluttershy had resorted to something she’d hoped never to do. Drawing on her knowledge of the behavior of wild creatures and the training she’d received in Cloudsdale, she’d built a trap. Even in this distressed state, she hadn’t strayed too far from her druidess self. The trap wouldn’t hurt the animals, but it would immobilize them long enough for her to explain herself to them. Once that was over, then everything would be all right again. She was confident in her ability to persuade them, but first she had to catch one of them.
Fluttershy set up a couple traps for good measure, then hid among the exotic trees and flowers of the gardens, listening intently for any nearby sound. She could hear the distant sound of the gala, but nothing else well enough to identify it. There! Something was coming towards her, headed straight for a trap. She heard the trap go off and immediately dashed toward it.
“Don’t worry! I just want to talk! I-” she tried to comfort whatever creature she’d caught, but stopped when she saw what was in her trap.
“Aye, what’s th’ meanin’ o’ this?” the servant she’d run into earlier demanded to know as he hung upside-down from the trap.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to catch you,” Fluttershy said disappointedly as she trotted over to let him down, then stopped when she spotted movement around the corner, “There they are!”
Leaving the servant where he was, she shot past him toward the animals. She was galloping quickly now and was closing in on them, even as they shot through the places she couldn’t squeeze through. Fluttershy could see them again, and she needed desperately to speak to them up close. She had to catch them! She was nearly on top of a pair of grey foxes when she was caught by one of her own traps.
“No! Come back!” she called as she hung upside-down from a tree and groaned as the foxes disappeared.
***
Rainbow Dash was also desperate enough to try anything to get the Wonderbolts to notice her, even if it wasn’t a particularly good idea. The only real conversation she’d had with Spitfire so far had been when the Wonderbolt captain had first noticed her throwing knives at a pie. If something like that was what it took to get her attention, then Dash would just have to do something like that again.
The servants at the pie table were watching her closely to make sure she didn’t try anything like that again, so she’d have to find someplace else to snatch up weapons. While bread wasn’t nearly as popular as pies, there were knives at that table as well, and Rainbow Dash snatched some while the nearby servants weren’t looking. Slicing bread by throwing knives wouldn’t be enough, and the Wonderbolts were too far away to notice anyway. She would have to do something more impressive.
Rainbow Dash carefully observed the pattern of the ponies in the ballroom, and once she was confident she had everything figured out, sent a knife spinning over the crowd. It landed in a bowl of fruit near Spitfire, slicing an apple in half, but she didn’t notice. Dash’s next knife landed in a bottle of champagne near Soarin, who was also too involved in his conversation to notice. Rainbow Dash continued hurling knives, through the crowd this time, but the Wonderbolts still failed to notice.
Frustration mounting, Rainbow Dash threw her second-to-last knife so that it would knock Spitfire’s cup from her mouth. The Wonderbolt left her position before it reached her, however, and the knife would strike the mare she’d been talking to if it continued on its course. To avert the catastrophe, Rainbow Dash threw her last knife on an interceptive course that knocked the first knife into the same bowl of fruit she’d targeted earlier. The second knife bounced away and shaved off part of the mane of Baron Hadrian, however.
“Sorry about that,” Rainbow Dash apologized before making her escape into the crowd. Spitfire still hadn’t noticed any of her antics, so she’d have to find something else to impress her.
***
“Presenting Hyelieff of the House Vattern, King of Vanhuv’r, Prince of the Fellmark, Holy Guardian of St. Epaphrus’s Monastery, Baron of Galloping Gorge, and Warden of the Agate Ocean! Cardinal Maritus of the Cathedral of St. Relayus! Flying Saddle of the House Greenwood, Duchess of Tall Tale!” the herald announced.
“Welcome, Your Majesty, Your Eminence, Your Grace,” Celestia said, “Please, enjoy the Grand Galloping Gala.”
“Duchess Flying Saddle,” Twilight Sparkle spoke up, seeing an opportunity to engage the guests and speak with Celestia about their time apart simultaneously, “Will your steward, Eirik, be attending the summit?”
“As a matter of fact, he will be,” the duchess replied in surprise, “Why do you ask?”
“I spoke to him at Mount Caradhrhorse, and he assured me that we would meet here again.”
“Oh? Oh, I see,” Flying Saddle said, “You’re the one who traded your portion of the nonexistent dragon hoard for the assurance that his majesty would attend.”
Twilight didn’t like the looks she got from King Hyelieff and the duchess. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
***
Come now, Rarity, he can’t be all bad. She tried to assure herself of this as Prince Blueblood demanded loudly and angrily of the servants to know why there were knives in the fruit bowl. Her infatuation with the stallion was quickly fading. He can’t be a complete brute. I know we weren’t going to ask him about anything for fear of sounding ignorant, but surely we can ask him something to help reveal his regal, princely nature.
“Prince Blueblood, that is a marvelous ensemble you’re wearing,” Rarity praised him, which drew his attention away from the terrified servants, “I expected nothing less from somepony of your sophistication and position. Might I inquire as to who the pony was that made it for you?”
“What did you say your family’s title was, again?” Blueblood asked distractedly.
“Oh, they don’t have a title,” Rarity said nervously.
“I see. Well, you’d never be able to afford my tailor,” Blueblood said disdainfully, crushing Rarity’s feelings underhoof, “Come, I need a drink.”
With a barely audible groan of frustration and annoyance, the mare followed him. He was still a prince after all. She’d just have to work harder.
***
Pinkamena returned alone to the ballroom, Lilian having given up on finding a place to play his lute and having taken off with a serving filly instead. She wasn’t going to be denied or brushed aside any longer. Pinkamena was going to sing her songs no matter what the ponies around her thought of her.
She took up a position and began to play her lute without delay. Some ponies objected, but she ignored them, strumming out her music. The ballroom was filling up now that the gala was well underway, and simply trotting to a different part of the room to get away wasn’t as much of an option anymore. The call for her to stop became greater, but she didn’t listen.
“Excuse me,” a pony with a vielle said as she poked Pinkamena with her bow, “I am supposed to be playing here. Could you kindly leave?”
“No,” Pinkamena said, and continued to strum her lute.
The mare with the vielle frowned, but there wasn’t much she could do to move Pinkamena besides breaking her lute, and the crazed look in the pink pony’s eyes told her that would only end badly. Instead, she began to play her own instrument in defiance of Pinkamena. The two songs playing simultaneously sounded awful, but Pinkamena stubbornly continued on, even though this wasn’t at all what she wanted. The audience began to call more loudly for her to leave, but she refused to move.
“There. Put an end to this!” a noblestallion from Los Pegasus demanded as he pointed one of Celestia’s royal guards in the direction of Pinkamena.
The bard knew when she was beat and cantered away as fast as she could. The guard pursued her outside, but she quickly lost him. As she hid behind a shrub, she vowed to get her revenge on the vielle-player, or at least get to have some fun at the Grand Galloping Gala. Either was good, really.
***
“Presenting Hadish of the House Vasa-Elutria, King of Manehattan, Prince of Brightwood, Defender of the True Faith, and Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea! And his son, Prince Robar of the House Vasa-Elutria, Duke of Fenney! Prelate Burnished Bronze of the Path of Fire!” the herald announced the last major delegation.
So, Hadish did bring a member of the clergy, but one from the True Faith, not the Church of One. He’s also apparently the Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea. Three ponies all claiming the same pointless title. This issue had better not take up the entire summit.
“Your Majesty, Your Grace, Venerated One. I am glad you could attend the summit,” Celestia greeted her most bitter enemies.
“What else was I supposed to do, witch?” Hadish replied venomously, “Let the rest of you divide my lands among yourselves? Just count yourself fortunate that your games coincide with my own interests! I will not be your puppet!”
“Of course,” Celestia said calmly, “Not that I could make you my puppet even had I the slightest inclination to do so, not with that chain around your neck.”
Hadish’s royal chain was elaborate, studded with fine jewels, but the base metal was not silver or gold, but dimeritium. That mysterious, magic-cancelling metal was the bane of mages everywhere, rendering their skill completely useless, and Celestia and Twilight Sparkle could feel it drawing in magic that would never return. Celestia, however, was bluffing. The only way the dimeritium would outright stop her from using her sorcery on Hadish’s mind would be to either place it on her or have it fashioned into a helm. The chain would only make it more difficult.
“Do enjoy the party,” Celestia said in a saccharine tone as the Manehattanites departed.
***
“Might I bend your ear for a moment?” Applejack desperately asked a merchant she’d finally been able to get alone, “I want t’ talk t’ you about a business deal involving th’ sale of the produce from my farm.”
“I don’t think we have anything to discuss,” the mare said as she trotted away, taking a freshly refilled plate of food with her.
“Please, I overheard you talkin’ to others about the trade of fruits an’ vegetables, an’ I have a lot t’ offer,” Applejack said as she followed the merchant.
“I didn’t get as far as I have today by signing contracts with ponies who cannot deliver on their end of the bargain,” the merchant said huffily as she set her plate down, “You look like an honorable and respectable pony to do business with, but the only reason you’re in attendance at this gala is because of your relatively new fame and fortunate acquaintances. You are no permanent landholder, and I won’t make a deal with you for the fruits of your land when it will soon be taken from you.”
“Who told you that?” Applejack asked, miffed that somepony would claim such an outrageous thing.
“She did,” the merchant said, pointing toward a mare Applejack instantly recognized, “I would give up on trying to convince anypony else to invest in your shaky venture. Her warning has been passed around.”
Mayor Mare! Ponieville’s mayor was constantly scheming to get the Apples’ land. None of her plots had succeeded, but the mare was still convinced that she would one day be victorious. Now, she was using her position and authority to convince others that she would soon control the Apples’ land and was interfering (intentionally or not) in Applejack’s attempts to prevent that outcome. She’s gone too far this time! She can’t get away with this!
***
Pinkamena snuck carefully back into the ballroom. The guard was still looking for her somewhere, but she was convinced she’d lost him. She made her way through the crowd until she was standing in the second row of the vielle-player’s audience. Unslinging her lute, she began to strum it with a look of determination and pushed through the last row.
“I challenge you to a musical duel!” she announced loudly.
“A what?” the pony with the vielle asked in confusion.
“There she is!” the guard who’d been hunting Pinkamena down called from across the ballroom, and other guards closed in.
Pinkamena rapidly put her lute away and galloped through the crowd again, knocking important ponies aside in her flight. Guards blocked the exits into the garden, so the bard zigzagged through the ballroom, staying one step ahead of those chasing her. In her mad dash, she passed Applejack and Mayor Mare, who were arguing and had gained an audience of their own. One of the guards pursuing Pinkamena shoved Mayor Mare out of the way and struck Applejack. Acting instinctively, Applejack pushed back, knocking the mayor against a table.
It was the very table that Rainbow Dash had been working on in preparation for her next bold move to impress the Wonderbolts. She’d weakened the legs, and they gave way perfectly, turning the table into a ramp and sending barrels of wine rolling off it. She wasn’t ready to swoop in and stop them yet, though. Panicked, she yanked a nearby flagpole out of its holder and flew over the crowd. Jabbing the pole in at just the right moment, she wedged it under the lead barrel and stopped the wine just before it flattened Rarity. Saved it!
Rarity rose from the floor in a rage. As soon as Prince Blueblood had spotted the barrels rolling toward them, he’d thrown Rarity aside to save himself. She had had enough of this stallion. Prince or not, it was time to give him a piece of her mind.
“Did you really just try to sacrifice me to save your own hide?” she demanded angrily as she advanced upon a pony unused to hearing others speak their mind to him.
“Don’t misinterpret what I’m about to say, but I am a prince and you are a mere commoner. Clearly my life is more important than yours.”
“What? What about some common decency? I was your companion for the evening!” Rarity yelled.
“I said don’t misinterpret what I said,” Blueblood sighed, pushing Rarity away and surveying the ballroom, “You’ve turned out to be more trouble than you’re worth. I’ll have to find a new companion.”
“Oh no! Nopony just throws Rarity away like that!” Rarity yelled at Blueblood and began to air all her complaints about his actions that she’d thus far kept silent about. Rainbow Dash looked to see if Spitfire had seen her heroic save, but in twisting to look behind her, lost her grip on the flagpole. She barely recovered and wedged the pole in harder to keep the barrels stationary. The Hunter was breathing a sigh of relief when the pole snapped, and she was launched unceremoniously through the air and hit the ballroom floor hard.
It was this scene that greeted Celestia and Twilight Sparkle as they entered Cant’r Laht Castle’s south ballroom. With the most important ponies all in attendance now, the two of them had headed off to enjoy the festivities, and Twilight was looking forward to finally getting a chance to speak to her mentor. Instead, they entered a ballroom where several royal guards were chasing down a slippery Pinkamena, Applejack and Mayor Mare were nearly coming to blows, Rarity was chewing out Blueblood who hurled back all sorts of obscenities of his own, and Rainbow Dash was lying in a daze on the floor while ponies jumped out of the way of wine barrels rolling across the ballroom.
“At least things cannot get any worse,” Twilight said under her breath, but she was very wrong.
Ponies continued to dodge the wine barrels, including one of the guards stationed at a door to the gardens, which he’d shut to keep Pinkamena from escaping through them. As he dove to the side, the barrels crashed through the door, tearing it off its hinges. After the barrels all made their way outside, frantic ponies rushed in through the doorway, covering their heads from the swarm of birds that flew in right above them. More animals followed in a veritable stampede into the ballroom.
“Why are you running? I just want to be your friend!” Fluttershy yelled as she chased the animals inside, having forced them out of the private gardens in her chase.
The ballroom had already been close to chaos, and the sudden appearance of the wild animals tipped it over the edge. Ponies ran around screaming, seeking shelter under the tables along the edge of the room. Tranquiliodus cast a shield around himself and Queen Helianthus. King Hadish yelled something about the treachery of witches. Hunters and gryphons worked to protect the more elderly and frail attendees, sheltering them with their bodies and reflexes.
“So sorry to be taking off like this, but I think we had better go before things get any worse,” Twilight Sparkle spoke rapidly to Celestia.
The sorceress quickly cast a spell she’d been working on but never tried before. The guards pursuing Pinkamena suddenly lost track of their quarry. Mayor Mare and Prince Blueblood were both shocked as the pony they were screaming at vanished. Celestia turned to see an empty space beside her. All six of the Brave Companions had just been teleported far away from the madness, leaving her to deal with the mess on her own.
***
Spike had left the Grand Galloping Gala long before the disaster. Unlike the others, he had no plans for the night other than to spend time with them, and that hadn’t worked out. As a dragon, he couldn’t exactly just walk up to a group of strangers and start talking to them, either. So, after partaking of some food, he’d left Cant’r Laht Castle and ventured out into the city’s streets. While all the elite feasted in the castle, the rest of the city had their own celebrations going on, and Spike found them far more enjoyable. Eventually he made his way to Joachim’s Castle, an out-of-the-way tavern he’d frequented before moving to Ponieville, sometimes (albeit rarely) accompanied by Twilight. This is where the Brave Companions found him.
As Spike had hoped for the entire evening, they were together at last, and each shared their tales of woe. None of them had gotten what they’d wanted out of the Grand Galloping Gala, and they were all disappointed. But, as the night wore on and the drinks flowed, they agreed that maybe the night had not turned out to be a complete failure after all. No, they hadn’t been successful in befriending rare animals, making many lucrative contracts, wooing the nobility, impressing their idols, reveling as they wished, or sharing their experiences with their mentor. Yes, they had probably ruined the gala because of their insistence on making the night perfect for themselves. It didn’t seem to matter so much, however, now that they were all together and able to enjoy each other’s company without the pressure of their missions. As had happened more times than he got credit for, Spike had been right all along.
The Brave Companions waved for another round of drinks and the tavern owner brought them out himself. They were the last patrons in his tavern, and famous ones, at that. Joachim nearly dropped the tray as he reached their table but recovered and set it down gently.
“Your Grace,” he said nervously, removing his cap and bowing in the direction of the tavern’s door.
Standing on the threshold was Celestia, her mane and tail dancing in the ethereal wind as always. Twilight Sparkle got a sinking feeling as the alicorn strode inside and approached their table. Maybe it didn’t matter much to them that the gala was ruined, but it was still an important event. It was also the precursor to Celestia’s summit, and a ruined gala could mean a ruined summit.
“Celestia, we are so, so sorry about what happened,” Twilight apologized for the group, and the others nodded, “We were all so caught up in our own visions for tonight that we let things get out of control.”
“No need to apologize,” Celestia said, shocking the assembled ponies, “I dare say that, if anything, I should be thanking you for that catastrophe.”
“Thanking us? Why?” Fluttershy asked.
“Oh, for several reasons, really,” Celestia said as she sat in the chair offered by Joachim, “I don’t know if you picked up on it, but the various delegations were incredibly hostile to each other and mostly kept to themselves, but now they’ve had a common—albeit incredibly unorthodox—experience. After the chaos you brought ended, they were no longer as stiff or unreceptive to speaking with each other. That catastrophe also brought different ponies from different places together in stopping it. I was worried that the different parties would merely stay in their entrenched positions tomorrow and the summit would get nowhere, but now I think there may be a chance of accomplishing something, because of you. Although your reputation as Equestria’s heroes may be a bit tarnished by this experience, it has opened the door to discussion between Equestria’s nations, the purpose of the summit.”
“Well, anytime you need us to ruin a party, just let us know,” Pinkamena said lightly, “Though I’d far prefer to celebrate a party than wreck it.”
“Noted,” Celestia said with a smirk, “I actually came here tonight to ask something of you—all of you. Twilight Sparkle has already been invited to the summit, but I want you all to attend.”
“All o’ us, at a meetin’ o’ th’ most important ponies in Equestria?” Applejack asked, stupefied.
“Indeed, for though you may not have individually put your best hooves forward this night, the leaders of Equestria did see you,” Celestia said solemnly, “They saw six ponies, all from very different walks of life, from different worlds. Tomorrow they must see the six of you united, just as Equestria must be if it is to survive.”
The castle servant paced nervously outside Prince Blueblood’s chambers. The summit would be starting soon, and the prince was to be in attendance, but nopony had seen him yet today. Most likely, he hadn’t remembered the importance of this day and had slept in as he usually did. Cant’r Laht Castle’s servants found it far easier to let him sleep than to wake him and risk his wrath, but this was no ordinary day. Celestia herself had ordered Prince Blueblood to be ready for the summit, and an order from the Matron of Sorceresses was absolute. Even if Blueblood berated the servant for waking him, he would have to answer to Celestia for it later.
Keeping this thought in mind (and staying tensed and ready to flee if the prince began throwing things), the servant opened the door. He trotted cautiously through the chambers, ready at any moment to be confronted by the irate stallion for not waking him sooner, but no attack came. Another servant had come earlier and silently left breakfast in case the prince decided he wanted food when he awoke, but the plate was untouched. The servant groaned; Blueblood was clearly still asleep and would need to be woken up and prepared for the summit, a task he was definitely not looking forward to undertaking.
“Your Gra-Your Highness!” the servant called as he advanced toward the master bedchamber, correcting himself to the incorrect form of address the prince preferred, “It is time for the summit!”
He opened the door to the bedchamber, then immediately gasped and fell backwards. Blueblood’s bedsheets were disheveled, but the prince was not in the bed. Rhaegis Blueblood, the last of the Blueblood line, was lying on the floor, the exquisite carpets covering the floor soaked with blood that had poured from his slit throat.
***
Cant’r Laht Castle’s great hall had not been used for the gala the night before because it had been prepared for the summit. The banners of Celestia had been replaced by those of the attendees for the most part, arranged to show at a glance where everypony in attendance hailed from. Nine great wooden tables formed a U in the center of the hall with three tables to each side. At each table sat the major players from each faction, with the minor players relegated to the rows of chairs behind each table and away from the action. Along one leg of the U sat the delegations from Stalliongrad, Vanhuv’r, and Los Pegasus, and along the other sat the ponies from Manehattan, Fillidelfiyaa, and Balte-Maer. Celestia’s throne in the great hall was empty, the sorceress choosing to sit at the table set aside for Cant’r Laht in the center of the U’s base, flanked on the left and the right by the Hunters and the Griffon Free Companies.
The Cant’r Laht delegation was composed of Celestia and a few notable mages and nobles. Everypony knew that the matron of sorceresses would be the one making the real decisions and speaking the most, though. Celestia turned to look at the Brave Companions assembled in the front row of the seats behind her (a fact that irked many of the ponies who’d been forced back a row due to Celestia’s invitation the night before.) Everypony seated at the tables had been announced as they’d arrived, just like the night before, but they were still waiting to begin until everypony was present. Celestia looked down her table at the one empty spot, the spot reserved for Prince Blueblood. He had very little power, but as prince of the city, he was owed this place.
They couldn’t afford to wait any longer—giving the delegations a chance to claim the meeting as a farce and storm out—so Celestia waved for a sorceress behind her to come forward and take Blueblood’s seat. Once she was seated, Celestia rose and trotted around the table and into the center of the U where everypony could see her clearly. She hoped her lead would encourage others to do the same when they wanted to speak, instead of remaining entrenched among like-minded ponies behind their tables, but she wouldn’t get her hopes up. Except for the delegation from Manehattan, everypony seemed impressed by the ancient sorceress’s poise as she moved fluidly across the castle floor, her ornate robes swirling gracefully around her (not without a little magical assistance), and Celestia smiled proudly.
“My dear queens and kings, prince and duchess, ladies and lords, thank you all for coming,” Celestia began her speech, “I know you all have doubts and concerns at my intentions for calling you all together, but I can assure you that my motivations are only for Equestria’s good. For too long have our nations squabbled like petulant foals, tearing up this land which is more blessed with fertility and abundance than any other land we have yet seen on Equus’s surface. No more should we engage in such futility. There are now seven kingdoms where there was once one, and I should know, for I ruled it as a queen.”
A host of grumbles went up from the assembled ponies, and the crowned faces crinkled into frowns. This was where Celestia would try to take their kingdoms from them and reinstitute her old monarchy, but they wouldn’t have it.
“I do not wish to rule it again,” Celestia said, and the room stilled, “Cant’r Laht is my duty, and I shall not abandon it, but never again will I take a crown upon my head to rule Equestria; this I vow in the presence of all of you, may whatever gods you take hold me accountable. I will even sign this vow and seal it if that is your wish. I do not want this specter of doubt and suspicion to rule over this summit. My intention is not to rule Equestria myself, but to work alongside all of you to heal the wounds Equestria has suffered over the past centuries, and to prepare it to survive long into the future. Keep this in mind as we speak today, that we may secure a peaceful and prosperous future for Equestria.”
Applause began to sound from the Cant’r Laht delegation, and soon it began to spread to other sections, and then the high tables. Her statement wouldn’t disperse all the suspicion, she knew, but it would help. This summit needed all the help it could get if it was to succeed, and Equestria desperately needed it to succeed, whether it knew it or not yet.
“Where is your sister? Where is Luna?” King Alhert asked as Celestia began to trot back toward her seat, and the sorceress stopped cold.
She was taken completely off guard by the question, stated so bluntly. Yes, Celestia had hoped that two high-backed chairs would form the core of the Cant’r Laht delegation, but it was not to be. It seemed that King Alhert was not the only one who wanted to know of the other alicorn’s whereabouts, as his question was followed by nods and sounds of agreement from other tables.
“I had hoped Luna would be here, but unfortunately, she was not feeling well enough to attend,” Celestia answered demurely.
“Can we expect the same promise from her not to place the crown of Equestria on her head?” Prince Braid stood and asked.
This is what I was afraid of. I wish that I had been able to convince her to attend, but Luna still does not feel ready for something like this, and I know better than to force her this time. If only things truly had been able to return to the way they’d been when we were young and naïve.
“I do not wish to speak for my sister, but from what I have seen, she has little desire to rule again, even within the Dominions of Cant’r Laht,” Celestia answered as honestly as she could, and returned to her seat.
Her answer only partially satisfied the assembled ponies, but most of them realized that it was the best they were going to get. King Hadish spoke with his red priest in hushed tones while his son listened in. At Cant’r Laht’s table, High Priestess Rubius looked at Celestia knowingly, but the sorceress refused to meet her gaze. A door leading off the great hall silently opened and shut, admitting Celestia’s page. Raven hurriedly trotted down the aisles between chairs and approached Celestia from behind, tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention.
“Prince Blueblood has been found murdered in his chambers,” she whispered into the sorceress’s ear, and Celestia lost her composure for only a second while suspicions and dark thoughts whirled through her head until she came up with a solution for the sensitive issue.
“Twilight Sparkle and the Brave Companions; have them look into it,” she whispered back to Raven, who nodded her understanding.
“I am satisfied with Celestia’s answer for now. I don’t think we can expect any more until we are able to meet Luna for ourselves,” Prince Braid announced after the talk among the delegations died down, “I have another question for Cant’r Laht’s matron of sorceresses, however, one involving the fees paid for the privilege of allowing a garrison of their troops in the Frozen North, my territory.”
The Brave Companions didn’t get to hear any more (including King Hyelliff’s claim that the Frozen North was his territory), for they had been led out of the great hall by Raven at that point. Celestia’s page didn’t speak to them again until they were past the guards wearing numerous colors waiting to rush in and help their sovereigns if something went wrong (and likely start killing each other in the process). Once they were in a fairly secluded place, she shared the news with them.
“Oh my; dead?” Rarity said with surprise, even though she had no fond memories of the stallion.
“Why does Celestia want us t’ look int’ it?” Applejack asked, sharing the question that was crossing all of their minds.
“I cannot say,” Raven replied, just as baffled, “As you saw, I did not have much time to talk with her. I suppose she thinks this is a sensitive and complicated matter, especially involving the context, and thinks that the six of you are best suited to handle it. That, or the ponies that would be better suited to it are more essential to the summit and you were optional, but probably the first option.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said, unamused, “Well, in any case, we should figure this out as fast as we can,so we can get back to the summit if Celestia needs us.”
“Agreed,” Twilight Sparkle said with a bob of her head, “We will need to examine the prince’s chambers, of course, and I also want to speak with any servants in his wing of the palace in the time between when he left the Grand Galloping Gala and when he was found.”
“Right away,” Raven said, trotting off to fetch the servants while the Brave Companions made their way to Blueblood’s chambers.
***
“You have no right to White Tail Wood, just as you have no right to the Westerlands,” King Hyelliff fierily accused Queen Helianthus.
“Both are the rightful lands not only of the Kingdom of Los Pegasus, but also of my family line,” Queen Helianthus persisted, “I swear to you that the house of Trotstámara will not rest until White Tail Wood is returned to our control!”
“If I may interject,” Duchess Seaspray cut in as she stood, “Neither are ancestral possessions of House Trotstámara or its branches, but nopony but King Hyelliff denounces your claim to the Westerlands. Why is that? It is because those lands were signed over by the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r through the coercion of force. White Tail Wood, on the other hoof, you have no claim to, and cannot even take through force of arms, as you demonstrated earlier this year.”
Queen Helianthus turned an angry shade of red, and Flax and Tranquiliodus tried to avoid her gaze. Everypony had heard of the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Martenford, but Helianthus wouldn’t let that deter her. She would have White Tail Wood one day, no matter what it took, but it looked like that wouldn’t come through this summit. It was worth a shot.
“Very well, then,” she said as she cooled down, “If nopony here acknowledges my legitimate claim to White Tail Wood, you can at least not deny my claim to the South Equestry Valley.”
“The South Equestry Valley belongs to the Crown of Balte-Maer!” Duchess Seaspray yelled, “Those lands have always belonged to us!”
“Lies!” Helianthus shot back, “The Crown of Los Pegasus has always ruled the South Equestry Valley!”
“You’re both wrong,” King Alhert cut in, “Both have controlled it in stages, but neither of you control it now.”
The elderly stallion had mostly wanted to spite Duchess Seaspray, his neighbor to the south and frequent enemy, but Queen Helianthus was being insufferable, and he relished the chance to get at her as well. It was worth it, even if it did give the Dominions of Cant’r Laht more power.
“Alhert is right,” Prince Braid spoke up, “The South Equestry Valley has been an abandoned mess for so long that nopony can truly lay claim to it.”
“Much like the Frozen North,” King Hyelliff mumbled under his breath, which Braid ignored.
“That is where you’re wrong,” Celestia replied to the Prince of Stalliongrad, “Just recently, several local lords of the South Equestry Valley have pledged themselves to my service. The growing town of Appleoosa will also be under my special protection, as well as the southern bison tribe.”
The great hall quickly grew chaotic as all the leaders began talking at once, some for but most against this move. This was an issue Celestia had no intention on compromising on, though. The South Equestry Valley was now firmly within the Dominions of Cant’r Laht and there was nothing anypony else could do about it. They could dispute and debate about it, but in the end, Celestia was the only pony who really had any claim to it, and they would have to acknowledge her rights to the land. Her hope was that this would end the dispute over the land that constantly put her at odds with Los Pegasus and Balte-Maer, but it wouldn’t be a settlement either of those neighbors were happy with.
***
“Who was Prince Blueblood anyway?” Fluttershy asked as the Brave Companions sat in the prince’s parlor, “Cant’r Laht has no real royalty except for Celestia, and she’s Matron of Sorceresses, so how is Blueblood related?”
Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack had already examined Blueblood’s body and his bedchamber, so there wasn’t much else to do until Raven arrived with the servants. There had been little sign of a struggle, but it was clear that the prince hadn’t slit his own throat. He had no reason to commit suicide, and the murder weapon was also missing. Blueblood wasn’t the only dead occupant of the chambers; his prize hound was also dead, found in another room with its throat slit the same way as its master’s. Twilight had not been fond of the beast during her time in Cant’r Laht Castle, but it was still a shame that it had to die like that.
“Cant’r Laht lies at a nexus of sorcery, so naturally it has been a city rich with sorceresses for a very long time,” Twilight Sparkle shifted into lecture mode in response to Fluttershy’s question, relishing the opportunity to show off both what she’d learned as a filly and what she’d discovered only recently through Golden Oak’s rare books, “Late in the reign of Celestia and Luna, the city came under the control of a group of sorceresses known as the Cabal, led by Nightshade Blueblood. After Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion and the Long Night came the False Winter. While Celestia was busy fighting the White Procession, Equestria fell apart, and Nightshade declared Cant’r Laht independent.”
“At the end of the False Winter, Celestia was exhausted, and sought refuge in Cant’r Laht, only to be turned away at the command of Nightshade Blueblood and her Cabal. Celestia descended upon the city and met their defiance with force. After nearly half of Cant’r Laht’s mages perished, Nightshade surrendered and Celestia was proclaimed Matron of Sorceresses. The Cabal was disbanded, and the Lodge of Sorceresses became the true seat of power in the city again. Nightshade Blueblood was kept around, and her line was allowed to stay in Cant’r Laht Castle and claim the title “Prince of the City” in perpetuity. Rhaegis Blueblood was the last of that line.”
Before Twilight could go into the deeper history of the Blueblood line and how pathetic Rhaegis was compared to his great-ancestor, Raven arrived with the castle servants. The Brave Companions rose from the prince’s plushy furniture to face the line of ponies.
“You’ll want to speak to this one,” Raven said, helpfully pointing to a tired-looking mare, “Tell them what you told me.”
“Madam sorceress,” the servant said hesitantly with a curtsey, “I was in the corridor outside the prince’s chambers last night, when I saw somepony hanging around his door. I told them they couldn’t be here, and they claimed they were lost, but they didn’t look lost. I escorted them back to the gala and didn’t see them again.”
“What else can you tell us about them?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“She was … about your age, m’lady. Purple coat, gray mane,” the servant said as she thought back, “She was dressed fancily, like a gala attendee, but not like nobility. She had a blue-and-white sash around her.”
“The colors of Balte-Maer,” Rainbow Dash commented.
“Nuh-uh, I know Duchess Seaspray, and she’d never do anything like this,” Pinkamena said with a shake of her head.
“How would you know Duchess Seaspray?” Rarity asked.
“I saved her from being assassinated once,” Pinkamena said completely seriously.
“In any case, it could be a trick,” Twilight Sparkle pointed out, “It is quite likely that another nation sent somepony who could blend in and had them wear the colors of their enemy in case they were caught.”
“So, what now, we find whoever it was at th’ summit?” Applejack asked.
“I do not want to disrupt the summit until we have a good idea of what happened. It is likely that this pony was not even the culprit, but perhaps a distraction for the true killer,” Twilight said contemplatively, “We may even be dealing with somepony who is not at the summit. I need a clearer picture of our mystery mare, and for that I will need your permission to look into your mind.”
“M-mine?” the servant being questioned stuttered.
“Yes, I want to see your memories, so that I can know exactly what our quarry looks like,” Twilight said, “I cannot do that unless you give me permission, however.” Truthfully, I probably could do it without her permission, but that would be incredibly painful for her and not something I’d relish doing, not with my friends here.
“O-of course, m’lady,” the servant said with a slight bow.
There was some preparation involved in the spell, and the Brave Companions split up the tasks of gathering materials and questioning the remaining servants. None of them had seen anything and were all allowed to go by the time Spike arrived with a hefty grimoire. He looked none too pleased as he laid it down on the table next to the basin of water that Applejack had fetched.
“I wish you wouldn’t use telepathy to contact me,” he bemoaned to Twilight, “You really need to get Celestia to teach you how to send letters. Also, keep your mental voice down.”
“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight Sparkle said, and the dragon grumbled and left to return to sleep as she flipped open the tome before her.
This was a spell she’d never attempted before, and she wanted to ensure that it went off without a hitch. The sorceress was relieved to see that it was similar in many ways to the scrying spells she’d been practicing lately. The castle servant sat nervously by as Twilight began the incantations and sigils flashed in the air, resisting the urge to touch the amulet tied around her forehead. Images began to appear in the basin of water as the spell reached completion, and the Brave Companions gathered around.
The view flickered and flashed unsteadily as Twilight stabilized the spell, homing in on the moment that the servant had met the mystery mare. Thankfully, she was holding that moment in her mind, and the sorceress was able to easily find it. The Brave Companions watched through her eyes as spotted the wandering pony and asked her to leave. There was no sound for anypony but Twilight, and she was the first to notice something was amiss.
“Her accent is not Balte-Maeri, but Fillidelfiyaan,” Twilight Sparkle pointed out, and the others gave her funny looks, “Also, I remember seeing her last night when she arrived at the gala. She was introduced as Kasse of Fillidelfiyaa. She must have kept the Balte-Maeri sash hidden on her person until later.”
“So, is that it then? We know who … killed Blueblood?” Fluttershy asked.
“Wait, wait, wait! Go back!” Rainbow Dash demanded, hovering over Twilight.
The spell wasn’t meant to be used this way, but Twilight Sparkle reversed time with great difficulty. Steam began to rise from the basin as it jerked backward to just after the servant had told Kasse to leave, and Rainbow Dash waved for the sorceress to stop. The memory resumed, and all six ponies watched intently, trying to catch whatever Rainbow had.
“There!” the Hunter exclaimed as the servant led Kasse down the hall, “Reflected in that silver vase, you can see another pony letting himself into Prince Blueblood’s chambers!”
Nopony else but Rainbow had noticed it, and none of them had a Hunter’s eyes to see what she saw. Twilight Sparkle painstakingly moved the memory backwards again and focused in on the vase, causing the water to bubble slightly. Sure enough, Rainbow Dash had been right. A stallion in fancy dress watched Kasse and the servant depart, and opened the door to Blueblood’s chambers before stepping inside. The water in the basin was beginning to boil and a sharp pain was forming between Twilight’s eyes, so she released the spell and lay back a bit to recuperate.
“I recognize him as well,” the sorceress said after a few moments, “Count Splintered Limb of Ravensgrad, a vassal of Prince Braid of Stalliongrad.”
“He is currently in attendance at the summit,” Raven offered, checking her list, “Shall I arrange to have him detained?”
“No need to cause problems with the summit, not until we know he is responsible anyway,” Twilight said, “Is Kasse at the summit as well?”
“Yes, she is seated with the Fillidelfiyaan delegation,” Raven said as she looked through her list.
“Excellent. I say we split up and investigate their tents while they are away,” Twilight said, “If that does not turn up any answers, then I suppose the time will have come to question them directly.”
***
“A Conclave of Mages is for the good of Equestria,” Rossin Villebard, the famed author of the Registry of Mages, proclaimed, “Just as Equestria is fractured, so too is the world of sorcery, and it should not be this way. We are all fellow sorcerers and sorceresses but are bound by separate rules and customs. If sorcery is to be practiced responsibly, what is and what is not appropriate must be clearly and consistently defined. Additionally, most monarchs and many nobles seek the aid of court wizards, but there is no guarantee that they are receiving fitting advice. A Conclave of Mages would ensure each pony needing guidance would receive it from a mage suited to their needs. There was a Conclave of Mages before, and there should be again!”
The idea was Celestia’s, part of her plan to unite Equestria by first uniting its magic-users, but not every idea should be seen as coming from her mouth. She had found an ally in Rossin after proposing the idea of a conclave to the Lodge of Sorceresses and he was just as zealous for it as her, perhaps even more so. He was pushing too hard, making broad and forceful proclamations and suggestions that Equestria’s other mages would never accept straightaway, but that was how he was.
“What you leave out is that that conclave was ruled by Celestia and Luna,” Tranquiliodus said dangerously as he stood, “If we were to accept this, it would be the equivalent of every mage in Equestria surrendering to Celestia and Cant’r Laht. This is where sorcerers are most heavily concentrated and where the seat of power would be. Surely you realize that but conveniently forgot to mention it. Well, I can tell you this, the Applewood Tower will never stand for this Conclave!”
“The same for the College of Eyes!” a sorceress from Balte-Maer said as she stood and was greeted by “hear-hears” from other mages in the great hall.
Celestia had known the Conclave was a long-shot, but to have it so quickly shot down was disappointing. She knew a way to get at least some of what she wanted, however, but it would require a long discussion. Catching her signal, Rossin took his seat and Celestia arose, prepared to address the other mages in the hall, each far less powerful and far younger than she.
***
Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkamena had chosen to investigate Kasse’s tent and made their way to the Fillidelfiyaan camp. The guards would never have let them in, so they’d concocted a plan along the way. While Pinkamena distracted the ponies at the camp’s entrance with her songs and tricks, Rainbow Dash carried Rarity over the pikes and deposited her among the green-and-blue tents. That was the thing about non-pegasi; they never thought to look up.
The Hunter and the unicorn crept through the camp, making their way toward Kasse’s tent. Somehow, Raven had had a map of the Fillidelfiyaan camp marked with the habitations and habits of every pony within it, which they felt it was better not to ask about. The camp was mostly deserted with the summit going on, and the soldiers not posted to the camp’s entrances were enjoying leave time, sleeping, drinking, or gambling in the camp or leaving it to search for distractions elsewhere in the city.
Kasse’s tent was nestled among that of other merchants, but Rainbow Dash had known instantly upon seeing her in the vision that she was no merchant, or at least hadn’t been one for long. Her body was toned and lithe in a way that didn’t fit a lifestyle of making coin by trading one good for another. She was prepared to fight at any moment. There was something off about the inside of her tent, too. Though it appeared to be decorated in the style a merchant would adopt, it was too thought-out, too intentionally done in order to cover up something else. Rainbow Dash was drawn to a stack of parchment tied up with ribbon sitting on the small folding desk, and she drew one sheet in particular from the pile.
“Yep, something’s going on here,” she said as she gave the sheet a sniff, “Invisible ink, I can smell it.”
“Oh my,” Rarity said from her own investigations into a chest stuffed with formal attire, “There’s a false bottom here.”
Further investigation revealed a sliding panel over the keyhole. If she was smart, Kasse would have the key on her body, which meant that Rainbow Dash and Rarity had no chance of getting to it without interrupting the summit. Luckily, Rarity had some skill with locks picked up from her time smithing, and knew how to pick one when somepony locked themselves out. Rainbow Dash kept watch while she worked on it, and soon the secret contents of the trunk were revealed. Hidden away were a sword, a light set of armor, and the compounds needed to make and reveal the invisible ink.
“Oh, that’s not good,” Rainbow Dash said as she spotted the symbol on the armor, “She’s a member of the Grotto, King Alhert’s highly trained team of spies and soldiers … and assassins. I fought alongside some once, on a contract to take down a trio of manticores, and they’re dangerous.”
“Do you think she …” Rarity trailed off.
“Maybe,” Rainbow Dash said, reaching past her for the invisible ink compounds, “Whatever she did, I think she made a report of it. This will tell us what happened.”
Carefully, Rainbow Dash mixed the appropriate compounds, following her nose and her Hunter training. After swabbing the note with it, words began to appear faintly.
For the eyes of King Alhert
Report: I was able to view only a quarter of the castle. Map from memory will follow. The castle servants were too prevalent to allow deeper forays to Celestia’s and Luna’s chambers. Their location is still unknown. Was forced to abandon mission after lingering too long outside the chambers of Prince Blueblood, contemplating risk of entering. Returned to gala after being seen by servant; made sure Duchess Seaspray’s colors were prominent before disposing of them. Servant did not seem overly perturbed, but if this is reported, hopefully the blame will fall on the duchess. Full report to be made en route to Fillidelfiyaa.
***
“Is that all you want?” King Hyelliff sarcastically asked Grandmaster Winter Breeze, “No taxes for any Hunters? Don’t be absurd!”
“We provide a vital service to Equestria,” the pegasus stood his ground.
“And you demand payment for it. Why shouldn’t that payment be taxed?” King Hyelliff asked.
“There is a simple solution to this,” Prince Braid said as he stood, “If you were to enter the service of local lords, they would provide you will all the equipment and coin you need for monster hunting-”
“Never!” Grandmaster Oss said as he leapt up from his seat, causing the chair to clatter backwards, “Hunters are unaligned! They always have beeen, and they always will be. Otherwise they would be called into the foolish wars of kings instead of serving to slay monsters, the task they were intended for!”
“There will soon be no need for you vile creations of witchcraft,” King Hadish said as he rose, “Strong earth pony knights can slay monsters as well, and I have seen to the creation of holy orders to undertake the task you have so far kept selfishly for yourselves and claimed is oh-so-hard. Your necessity is dwindling, but I will tolerate you for the moment.”
“Tolerate!” another grandmaster at the Hunters’ table said as she stood, “I have lost more Hunters in my order to riots and pogroms this past year than to monsters! You call that tolerance?”
“Your wicked, vile race is an affront to the natural order, winged demon,” Prelate Burnished Bronze said, his red robes rippling as he stood alongside his king, “Count yourself fortunate that King Hadish has exercised restraint instead of wiping you all away in cleansing flame.”
“What is this blaspheming heathen doing here?” Cardinal Maritus demanded as she stood from her place beside King Hyelliff and the various cardinals and bishops seated at the other tables voiced their disapproval.
The room quickly devolved into a shouting match between the red priest’s preaching on the evil of everything non-earth pony and the numerous clergymares of the Church of One trying to silence him. Celestia placed a hoof against her forehead in frustration. What had begun as a discussion about taxes on monster bounties had turned into a religious feud. It likely wouldn’t be the last time today that it happened, either.
***
The other half of the Brave Companions didn’t have to worry about sneaking around, since Twilight Sparkle teleported them directly into the camp. She, Fluttershy, and Applejack appeared within Count Splintered Limb’s spacious tent and began snooping around. There were no incriminating pieces of parchment lying around, but there was something present that would tell them what had happened the night before. Applejack was the one who found it, attached to the underside of the count’s mattress.
“How fortunate,” Twilight commented as she examined the crystal, “Looks like there is a mage in the camp who does not trust our dear Count Splintered Limb. This will have recorded everything said in this tent since it was placed here.”
It was a simple spell to unlock the crystal and access the audio, and Twilight moved past the previous day and to when the count had returned to the tent.
“I still can’t believe that something like that could happen, and that Celestia could just brush it off like she did,” the voice of Count Splintered Limb laughed from the crystal, the voice oddly distorted by magical compression.
“The Brave Companions; they don’t really live up to the rumors, do they?” a mare—probably his wife—replied.
“I wouldn’t be too hasty. They may still have some surprises. If it’s to be believed, they defeated Nightmare Moon and ended the long night at the beginning of the year,” Splintered Limb said.
“Supposedly with ‘Elements of Harmony’,” the countess laughed in disbelief, “Come now, tell me what you found out when you wandered off.”
“Well, I was unable to find Celestia’s chambers, but I did have the opportunity to observe those of Prince Blueblood,” the count said proudly.
“Do tell,” his wife said curiously.
“Well, somepony from Balte-Maer got caught snooping around, and while she was being led off, I snuck inside. Thankfully, the prince was already asleep, so I was able to see everything, though I had to be careful around his hound,” Splintered Limb narrated his adventure, “It’s as we suspected. Prince Blueblood is little more than a curiosity kept around by Celestia because of his family name. His chambers were fine by Cant’r Laht standards, but nothing befitting a true prince, even a lesser prince from Manehattan or Los Pegasus. Really, he’s a disappointment.”
The conversation shifted from Blueblood after that. If Count Splintered Limb had been telling his wife the truth, then he hadn’t been the one to kill Prince Blueblood. He was no murderer, just a curious lord sticking his muzzle where he probably shouldn’t have. Twilight erased the sound of she and her friends’ intrusion from the crystal before returning it to its place. As she teleported them out of there, she hoped that Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena, and Rarity had had better luck, otherwise they’d hit a dead end.
***
“There will be no alliances. We will not have you force this upon us,” King Hadish said firmly, and all the other monarchs nodded in agreement.
“I do not propose an alliance. It would be foolish to create something so binding and strong so soon, for it is guaranteed to fail,” Celestia defended her proposition, “I ask only that we all agree to a non-alignment pact. Equestria has powerful enemies who would like to gobble it up piece-by-piece. We cannot stand against our fellow Equestrians and help this happen if it comes to it. Besides Tyrannus, the Zebrikaanian Empire crouches practically upon our doorstep.”
“The Zebrikaanian Empire is in chaos,” King Alhert objected, “It is currently no more a threat to Equestria than Neighpoli or the pirate ‘kingdoms’ of the south.”
A major reason Celestia had called the summit nine months earlier had been to prepare Equestria against the threat of the Zebrikaanian Empire. However, things were now just as King Alhert said. A little over a month earlier, while Celestia had been in Ponieville on her procession through the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, the Padishah of the empire had died and civil war had broken out. The Zebrikaanian Empire currently had no official leader, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still dangerous to Equestria.
“It is not so fractured as you might think,” Celestia declared, “Ulm is making great progress toward claiming the throne.”
“Ulm is the former Padishah’s youngest son. He will never sit the throne,” Alhert said definitively.
“He has already crushed three of his brothers in the field, and the priests of Sunspear have also given him their blessing,” Celestia said, “It’s only a matter of time now before he pulls the empire back together.”
“And even if he does, he’ll be fighting internal revolts for years,” Duchess Seaspray spoke up, “We have nothing to fear from the Zebrikaanian Empire.”
Others in the hall nodded in agreement, trusting in the duchess’s authority on the matter. After all, the Duchy of Balte-Maer was closest to the empire and would likely be the first to fall if an invasion ever did come.
***
The Brave Companions sat in Blueblood’s chambers in silence, contemplating their next steps. From what they’d gathered, neither of their suspects had been the ones to kill the prince, leaving them with no clue where to look next for an answer. Kasse and Count Withered Limb may have been clean (relatively speaking), but there were currently hundreds of other strange ponies in the city, each with their own plans and motives. If these two had managed to sneak into the bowels of Cant’r Laht Castle, what were the chances that others had been able to do the same.
“It’s too bad we can’t just ask Blueblood what happened,” Rarity broke the silence, “Unless you could read his memories, too?”
“No, the spell requires a living subject,” Twilight said as she shook her head, and an idea came to her, “Although … that could be arranged.”
“Twi’, you’re not seriously thinkin’ about bringin’ Blueblood back t’ life, are y’?” Applejack asked fearfully.
“Of course not,” Twilight answered quickly, “His hound, however, would have seen the murderer as well.”
“I thought necromancy was forbidden,” Rarity said uneasily.
“Oh, it is, but the boundaries are a bit fuzzy,” the sorceress explained, “Ponies, gryphons, zebras and the like are absolutely off limits, but nopony would bat an eye at a sorceress using her magic to bring plants back to life. Resurrecting animals may be frowned upon, but it is up for debate.”
“You can’t seriously be considering this,” Rainbow Dash said with concern.
“I know it is drastic, but do any of you have any better ideas?” Twilight asked, honestly searching for another course of action but willing to stick with her plan if there was no other way forward.
“Well, no, but you should leave that poor dog alone. Back me up, Fluttershy,” Pinkamena said before realizing the druidess was nowhere to be found, “Fluttershy?”
“Fluttershy, where are you?” Rainbow Dash called out, rising from her seat along with the rest of the Brave Companions.
“I’m in here,” the druidess’s voice came quietly from Blueblood’s bedchamber, and the others hurried to join her, “You didn’t tell me the prince had a bird.”
Fluttershy was staring at the empty cage in a corner of the bedchamber. She hadn’t been one of the ponies to examine Blueblood’s body earlier, and none of the others had noticed the birdcage.
“I did not know that he did,” Twilight Sparkle admitted, “Strange that the murderer killed his hound but not his bird, unless they took it with them for some reason.”
“Or couldn’t find it,” Rainbow Dash offered, “It could still be around somewhere.”
The Brave Companions prepared to split up and search the prince’s chambers, but Fluttershy raised a hoof to stop them, having noticed something. She carefully made away across the room, refusing to look down as she flapped over the bloodstained patch of carpet. Landing near the fireplace, she shifted through the dead coals with her hoof for a minute.
“You can come on out, it’s safe now,” she whispered into the fireplace.
Some of the ashes began to glow and were magically drawn together. A few moments later, a tiny chick emerged from the pile, cheeping worriedly.
“A phoenix,” Applejack exclaimed breathlessly.
“Does your spell work on birds?” Rainbow Dash asked, and Twilight Sparkle nodded. A living witness!
The infant phoenix perched on Fluttershy’s back as they trotted back to the parlor. Preparations for the spell were mostly the same as before, except that the length of the cord holding the amulet around the phoenix’s head had to be drastically reduced. It cheeped happily as it sat in the chair, as if it knew what was coming.
Perhaps it did, for Twilight Sparkle was able to immediately home in on the moment of interest the night before. The view through the phoenix’s eyes was oddly distorted, as if looking through a dome of glass, but they soon grew used to it. The bird was in its cage, preening itself, while Prince Blueblood rose from his bed and began to dress himself. Blueblood had been dead for hours when he’d been found, so it was clearly the middle of the night. What did he think he was doing?
The phoenix’s attention suddenly turned to an uninteresting patch of wall moments before runes appeared on it. As the sound of scraping stone came from the wall, the phoenix squawked and flew through the open door of its cage, hiding in the inferno of the fireplace. The Brave Companions watched through dancing flames as the wall slid away and a figure trotted through the opening.
Twilight gasped as she recognized a fellow sorceress: Margot Bellinford, a prominent member of the 1st Council in the Lodge of Sorceresses. She was also currently seated at the table with Celestia at the summit. Rhaegis Blueblood didn’t seem at all alarmed by her sudden intrusion and continued to stare at himself in his mirror, adjusting his clothing and jewelry.
“You wanted to speak with me?” Twilight heard the sorceress’s voice ring out as she approached the prince.
“Yes, tell the others. It is time,” Blueblood replied, watching her in the mirror for a response.
“I urge you to reconsider this plan,” Margot said evenly, but Twilight could see a dangerous fire in her eyes, “Think about what will happen with these foreign kings and soldiers present.”
“I have,” Blueblood said arrogantly, “With them all present, they can immediately acknowledge the new order or lose their heads.”
“Far more likely that they will seize the opportunity to rape the city and burn every mage they can find at the stake,” Margot retorted.
“Need I remind you who is your leader? Who is Prince of the City and soon King of Cant’r Laht?” Blueblood exclaimed as he whirled on the sorceress, “I am Rhaegis Blueblood! The blood of Nightshade Blueblood flows in my veins! I command that you kill Celestia tonight, and my will shall be done! Do I make myself clear?”
Twilight Sparkle gasped, and the other Brave Companions looked at her with concern, unable to hear what she had. Kill Celestia? Was-is there a plot to assassinate Celestia? Blueblood was the leader? Who else is involved in this?
“As crystal,” Margot replied unemotionally, and Blueblood turned back around, shakily levitating a comb to even out his mane, “And what of Luna?”
“Detain her, with dimeritium to be safe, but do not harm her,” Blueblood said as he continued to comb his mane, “She may yet prove useful as a consort in order to establish my legitimacy if anypony still questions it.”
“As you wish,” Margot said venomously, but her tone was lost on the prince.
Rhaegis Blueblood’s magic was incredibly weak, and his comb fell from his grasp to the floor. As he reached down to pick it up, Margot produced a knife from within her robes. A look of horror crossed the prince’s face for only a moment as he straightened and saw his killer in the mirror. A clean slash sliced through his neck and blood sprayed, coating the mirror’s reflective surface. The Brave Companions gasped as Blueblood slumped to the ground. Margot looked around to make sure she hadn’t been seen, but overlooked the phoenix hiding in the fireplace. She trotted out of the bedchamber to take care of the prince’s hound, and the memory began to blur as the phoenix disintegrated itself in order to better hide.
“Blueblood was planning-” Twilight started to explain before the images in the basin suddenly shifted.
The spell jerked out of her control, time reversing as images and sounds flashed past. She prepared to terminate it, but the phoenix chick squawked loudly. Is it leading me somewhere? Or rather, somewhen? How intelligent is this creature?
Relaxing her efforts, Twilight let the memories slide past until they came to a halt at some indeterminate time in the past. The phoenix was in its cage and watched with interest as Prince Blueblood shut and locked his bedchamber’s door. Briskly, he trotted over to the same patch of wall Margot had emerged from in the other memory and stood before it.
“Seysa mer guro Ye’r tare’rel,[1]” he incanted, and the runes appeared on the stone before giving way to a passage beyond.
The memories unfocused and this time, Twilight released the spell. As before, she had a small headache and the basin steamed slightly, but it didn’t take her long to recover. The Brave Companions eagerly waited to hear what she had learned.
“Prince Blueblood was planning to assassinate Celestia,” Twilight pronounced, shocking everypony, “Apparently, he was leading a group of ponies, the sorceress you saw—Margot Bellinford—only one of them.”
“So, they might still be plannin’ t’ kill Celestia,” Applejack postulated.
“No, I do not think so,” Twilight said with a shake of her head, “At least, they do not plan to kill her during the summit. It was after Blueblood insisted that she be killed immediately that Margot killed him.”
“They could still be planning to kill her later, though,” Rarity pointed out, and Twilight acknowledged that she was right.
“We’ve got to stop them!” Rainbow Dash said passionately.
“First, we need to find out who is involved in this,” Twilight said, “If there is a plot against Celestia, we cannot allow any of the schemers to get away.”
“And how d’ y’ suggest we do that?” Applejack asked.
“That last memory the phoenix showed me revealed how we can enter that secret passage in the prince’s bedchamber. If we follow it, there is a chance we may find the hideout of these plotters, and if we are lucky, they will have left something behind we can use.”
“Well what’re we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash said as she launched herself into the air and flew in the direction of the bedchamber, “Let’s get going!”
***
“It’s settled then. The border between the Principality of Stalliongrad and the Kingdom of Manehattan will remain as it currently stands. Any attempts by either side to expand beyond this will be seen as an act of war,” Celestia proclaimed, speaking not her own decision but that of the members of the summit, “Now, onto the next item on the agenda. It is clear that not every foreseeable issue can be solved at this summit, nor would one expect them to. Therefore, I propose that this summit become an annual event where Equestria’s leaders can meet to make these decisions that would otherwise be decided haphazardly by emissaries or through bloodshed on the battlefield.”
“You wish to increase your sway on us, you old witch, is that it?” King Hadish spat out venomously, “Year after year, you would have us make a pilgrimage to your city of witchcraft to listen to you speak, as if we were vassals coming to pay homage to their lord!”
“The summit need not be in Cant’r Laht, though I think everypony can agree this is the most sensible place due to its central location,” Celestia said with grace, “As for the idea that I am acting as your superior, I’ve never heard anything so absurd. Yes, I called for this summit, but none of you were forced to attend, and have I not dealt with you as equals during our time together?”
Many of the seated ponies looked guiltily at their tables, knowing that she was right. The ancient sorceress had dealt fairly with them, even though she could have easily swatted them all aside with her sorcery like gnats. It would have been so much easier for her if she had, though. She couldn’t do something like that, though, or the summit would have no purpose and Equestria would have no stable future. I cannot build Equestria around myself as I once did, or it will only live as long as I do. I cannot force them to see my vision for the future, I know, but why must they all be so difficult?
***
The hidden passage in Blueblood’s bedchamber quickly gave way to a rapidly descending flight of stairs. It wove its way through the castle’s dungeons and vaults until coming to a level expanse beneath the city. Twilight had a good sense of direction, but all she could really say about their location was that they had gone deep into the platform that supported Cant’r Laht, even deeper than the city’s sewer system. She kept close track of every turn and branch they took, following the path of a well-worn groove in the floor and magical discharges from light spells on the ceiling.
These tunnels were old, likely constructed even before Celestia had taken over the city. Of course, the branch connected to the castle had been newer, since Cant’r Laht Castle hadn’t been built until after Celestia had immolated the houses of all the nobles in the area and forced them into other parts of the city. She wondered how Nightshade Blueblood had kept the passage secret from Celestia during the castle’s construction, and the thought crossed her mind that maybe her mentor did know about it, but didn’t consider it a problem.
Eventually their path took the Brave Companions to a large, cavernous room. Twilight Sparkle increased the strength of the light spell she’d anchored to the tip of her horn (a convenient place for unicorn wizards) and illuminated the chamber. Runes identical to the ones embroidered on Twilight’s stole were carved into the walls, and she wondered if this was where the Cabal had once met. She could sense sorcery all around her, soaked up by the surrounding stones.
“Twilight, over here,” Rainbow Dash called, her voice echoing through the chamber, and Twilight Sparkle trotted over to where the Hunter was hovering, “Check it out, these runes are newer.”
Sure enough, her Hunter eyes had not deceived her. Several squarish pillars stood around the room, holding up the ceiling. Some of them were blank, but others had runes scratched in neat rows on them. With a start, Twilight Sparkle realized they were lists of names, and recognized some of them from her history lessons as members of the Cabal, including her own ancestor, Umbral Dawn Haltrotsun.
The pillar that Rainbow Dash had fixated on began with an ominous title: The New Cabal. The first name listed was Bellatrix Blueblood, Rhaegis’s great-great-granddam. Has the plot been going on this long? Many names had been scratched out, and Twilight recognized many of them as sorcerers and sorceresses who were no longer living. The bottom of the list was mostly intact (except for Rhaegis Blueblood) and she recognized the names of every one of the ponies listed.
“I am going to need a quill and parchment,” the sorceress said as she stared at the damning list.
***
“As Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea, I don’t have to take this!” Duchess Seaspray said in response to King Alhert’s accusations of unfairness, “Neither need I explain my own actions in the port I was bestowed by the grace of Faust.”
“The tax on goods from Manehattan and Fillidelfiyaa are outrageous!” King Hadish said angrily, “You’re well aware that Balte-Maer is the last port of call before Los Pegasus unless a ship’s captain is brave enough to risk docking at Mount Eris or the Stormlands. This tax is a deliberate move to harm King Alhert and myself in trade, a tax that is suspiciously not collected from ships coming from Noya Varon, Banner, or Neighples. You claim the authority to regulate trade on the Shimmering Sea, but it is I that am its Rightful Maritime Ruler!”
“That’s rich coming from you, Hadish,” Seaspray said as she held up a hoof to stop Bishop Pathus from coming to her defense on her made-up title, “Isn’t it true that you have not only raised taxes on goods from Fillidelfiyaa and Balte-Maer coming through your city, but also placed blockades around Banner and Noya Varon in order to maintain your monopoly on trade with the Grittish Isles?”
“Necessary precautions to defend against King Alhert’s raiders!” Hadish shot back, “Fillidelfiyaa may as well be a pirate kingdom from the south for all the goods it has stolen!”
“I am only defending my ancient rights as Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea, a title you foals shouldn’t dare claim for yourselves!” Fillidelfiyaa’s aged king yelled, “What else is to be done when the two of you attack me from both sides, trying to squeeze Fillidelfyaa to death? I won’t stand for it!”
“All your ships will burn, cowed by the might of the ducal fleet if you keep this up!” Seaspray’s admiral cried out as he rose to stand next to his duchess.
Unlike the other issues on the table, Celestia knew that there would be no peaceful conclusion to this argument. Manehattan, Fillidelfiyaa, Balte-Maer—The Three Sisters, as ponies had taken to calling them—had come to the summit prepared to fight. Each had escalated the various trade disputes too far now to back down, and it had become a roiling mess that would soon erupt into a trade war. It wouldn’t be the first time—sixteen trade wars had already occurred between the Sisters—but Celestia still fumed as she sat by, powerless to stop it.
Celestia felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Raven standing behind her with an incredibly concerned expression. The Brave Companions had also returned and were taking the seats they’d vacated at the beginning of the summit. Giving Raven a nod of understanding, she took the scroll offered to her. Raven had sealed the scroll using a special seal that let Celestia know that it contained sensitive information not for prying eyes. She discreetly cast concealment spells on the scroll before breaking the seal and opening it.
Her eyes went wide as she read what Twilight Sparkle had written within. A New Cabal! Plans to assassinate me! The sorceress’s blood boiled while she maintained her outward composure. One of the possible leaders of the plot, the one who’d killed Blueblood, sat just a few paces away from her. Without turning, she knew that many of the others sat behind her. They seek to overthrow me—me!
Celestia tasted blood in her mouth, brought about by her unconscious casting of protective spells and burning anger, and she forced herself to calm down. This was no time to enact justice. If she began arresting sorceresses for treachery now, in front of all these leaders, it would only confirm their suspicions and make things worse for mages everywhere. The summit came first, retribution would come later. As the mages of the first Cabal could attest, the retribution of Celestia was great and terrible, and there were some things about the Matron of Sorceresses that hadn’t changed in the last thousand years.
***
As the summit had begun with a gala, so it ended with a banquet. The great hall had been transformed after the summit’s conclusion and was now filled with tables where Celestia’s honored guests supped for their last night before returning home. Celestia’s throne remained empty, and she took no special seat of honor for herself. It was she who had pulled off this summit, but she would not poison her own efforts now by appearing to place herself above the other leaders.
None of the large items of her agenda had been fulfilled fully, but she had expected that. This was the reason that she had wanted an annual summit, to continue the progress made here today, but Equestria’s leaders weren’t willing to make that kind of commitment. They had agreed to reconvene for a summit in one year’s time, however, and it was a start. She also had not gotten the Conclave of Mages she wanted. A Council of Mages would be formed instead, with one member from each Equestrian nation (excluding the Kingdom of Manehattan.) It was no body with any power, though, just a way for the leading mages of each country to communicate with each other. Celestia saw the Zebrikaanian Empire for the giant that it was, ready to crush Equestria with its huge hoof without warning, but nopony else saw things the same way. There would be no promises of non-alignment with the zebras, only a similar treaty against Tyrannus. Not that that treaty mattered much, since ponies were easily able to agree not to ally with the dragons, and Tyrannus would never stoop to allying with a pony nation.
The most troublesome matter currently at the forefront of Celestia’s mind was the strife between Manehattan, Fillidelfiyaa, and Balte-Maer. Despite her best efforts, war was coming. Her spies told her that ships were being reinforced and levies were being called up across all the Sisters. It was only a matter of time once the kings and duchess returned to their respective courts, and there was nothing she could do. No! There is something I can do! Perhaps it wasn’t too late, perhaps war could still be avoided, but Celestia couldn’t be the one to do it. All three cities would have to be approached at once, without favoritism, and she knew six ponies perfect for the task. Celestia watched the Brave Companions as they feasted at their table, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, and hoped that she wasn’t sending them to their deaths.
Chapter 1:27.1 – The First Sister 28th Day of the 10th Month, Year 1000 of the 4th Age
The walls of Fillidelfiyaa loomed, grey and foreboding, over the sorceress, the Hunter, and the dragon. Nearly a month earlier, the summit in Cant’r Laht had closed with the matter of trade rights on the Shimmering Sea unresolved. King Hadish, King Alhert, and Duchess Seaspray had returned to their respective homes prepared to go to war over the issue, and they wasted no time. Nearly immediately, levies were called up and troops began to assemble. In order to reach Fillidelfiyaa, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle had to pass the vast army camp outside the city, tents of a hundred colors housing peasants called into service from across the kingdom. Across the river were encamped the Griffon Free Companies, contracted by King Alhert to aid him in his war, since he would be fighting on two fronts on land.
Shortly after the summit, before the Brave Companions had left Cant’r Laht, Celestia had approached them with a proposition. Her summit had failed to achieve the peace she desired, but the aged sorceress would not give up so easily. She wished the Brave Companions to travel to the Three Sisters and attempt to convince the monarchs to solve their quarrels through diplomacy rather than bloodshed on the battlefield; the eastern coast of Equestria had drank more than enough blood since those three cities had became centers of trade. A request from the Matron of Sorceresses may as well have been an order, and they had agreed to this (rather dangerous) task.
After returning to Ponieville for a short time to put things in order, they’d set out on their quest. There was no easy way east from Ponieville except for looping around the White Mountains, so Pinkamena and Rarity had headed south, past the Everfree Forest and on to Balte-Maer, and the rest had headed north. After crossing through the Hill Kingdoms, their party had split again, Fluttershy and Applejack taking a northeastern heading and Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Rainbow Dash continuing east. The sorceress and Hunter could not go to Manehattan without risking being burned at the stake or worse, so they would be dealing with King Alhert.
His castle could be seen as they neared the city gates, high atop a bluff overlooking the Shimmering Sea. The Sea Keep was the ancient seat of all who’d ruled this city in the past and, though impressive, showed its age. Its architecture was archaic and its high stone walls, just like those of the city, were crumbling. Scaffoldings were erected across the expanse, ponies scurrying across them to make repairs, just in case the enemy reached the city.
City guards eyed the trio as they made their way through the gates, whispering to each other about what an unusual sight this was. Past the gates and guard towers, the stone gave way to timber construction. Wood was the name of the game in Fillidelfiyaan buildings, and had led to the city being rebuilt many times after fire had grown out of control and swept through it. This haphazard building and rebuilding had turned it into a sprawling city of ramshackle construction where streets wove and wound across several hills and islands of the river delta. On every bank of the several waterways that divided the city were docks populated with barges and ferries upriver and sailing ships downriver as the channels grew wider. The lifeblood of Fillidelfiyaa was trade across the Shimmering Sea, and the entire city was built to support it, even if it had been built with no conscious plan in mind.
As Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike walked down one of the few fairly straight, cobblestone roads through the city, a group of guards with barding in the royal green and blue trotted up to block their path. No weapons were drawn, so the trio halted and waited patiently for an explanation. A stallion in knightly raiment soon joined them, trotting through the semicircle of guards to approach Twilight Sparkle directly. Half the knight’s crest was that of House Caramon, Alhert’s family, but the other was unknown to the sorceress.
“Madam sorceress, it is a disadvantageous time that you choose to visit Fillidelfiyaa,” he addressed her, “What is it that brings you and your companions here?”
“We were sent by Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht,” Twilight said, using her mentor’s title as she wouldn’t within the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, and produced a scroll from her saddlebags, “We have come to speak to King Alhert, to serve as observers, and if necessary, to advise him on his plans for this war.”
“No doubt you come to attempt to sway the king’s mind,” the knight harrumphed, “To try to convince him to seek a ‘peaceful resolution’ as Celestia tried at her summit. You cannot have failed to notice our army assembling outside the city. This war will come, and nothing you can say will change the king’s decision.”
“Still, Celestia would have us here to speak to his majesty nonetheless,” Twilight replied.
“Out of the question,” the knight replied with a swipe of his foreleg, “Celestia has no power in the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa, and her wishes are of no concern to King Alhert. I speak for the king when I say that he does not wish to see you.”
“Oh, do you now?” a mare’s voice came from behind the semicircle of guards, and the knight turned with a start at its sound.
The guards made way, a couple of them grumbling, as the mare approached. Her robes of bright blue matched her mane, and her snow-white coat shone in the midday sun. Across her back was a staff with a precious gem set into a fitting at one end—a sorceress. Behind her, four ponies set down the palanquin she’d rode in on, sweating from what had apparently been a rushed journey.
“Ser Gavron, you presume to speak for your king now?” the sorceress asked cattily, “Or, perhaps because you share some small amount of his blood, you feel you can speak on behalf of the royal family?”
“Madam Penbrook,” Ser Gavron said in annoyance, “I did not expect to see you so low in the city.”
“Obviously,” Penbrook snorted, “Otherwise you would not be making such bold and untrue claims. Fortunately, Massif foresaw the approach of our guests and sent me to stop you from misleading them. King Alhert does not wish to see them? Nothing could be further from the truth. How do you think the king would react if he learns you tried to send these honorable dignitaries from Celestia away? He may be short on heirs, but I don’t think his fourth cousin would be spared entirely from punishment.”
“As you said, then. It is rather fortunate that you stopped me from making such an unfortunate mistake,” Gavron replied, “Please, see to it that our guests make it to the Sea Keep without issue.”
Ser Gavron trotted away huffily, but the guards stayed, some of them watching the knight depart. Apparently, they would be providing an armed escort.
“Apologies for the noble ser’s behavior,” Penbrook said as she motioned for Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike to follow her, “There is much contention in the royal court at the moment, and few wish to see additional ponies added to the situation, upsetting the balance of power.”
“But you don’t mind,” Rainbow Dash commented as they trotted past the palanquin, the bearers relieved that they wouldn’t be carrying the sorceress back up to the Sea Keep, “Why is that? Are you on the side of those who wish to prevent this war?”
“There are none who oppose the king’s war,” Penbrook snorted, “The primary squabble is over what terms to extract from Fillidelfiyaa’s opponents. Your arguments will run counter to all parties, but my master and I appreciate a diversity of opinions.”
“You do not believe we will be able to change King Alhert’s mind,” Twilight Sparkle observed.
“No, I do not,” her fellow sorceress admitted as she looked over her shoulder at her, “King Alhert wants this war, and there is nothing that could sway his mind short of regicide.”
***
The Sea Keep’s throne room was dark and dreary, the little light coming in through the high windows smothered by the smoke from braziers. With a war coming, the city of Fillidelfiyaa was filled with nobles and knights called from across the kingdom, and they had all congregated here, at the seat of power. Penbrook led the way, and the crowd parted to make a path to the throne.
Fillidelfiyaa’s throne was not a grand, elaborate seat like those of other kingdoms, but rough and wooden, like the city the pony seated in it ruled over. The throne’s occupant was Alhert of the House Caramon, King of Fillidelfiyaa, Lord of the Blue and White Mountains, and (supposed) Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea. Even swathed in his royal colors, a glittering crown upon his head, Alhert appeared decrepit, even more so than he had at the summit; Twilight suspected his court wizard had imbued him with spells to keep him from appearing weak in front of Equestria’s other monarchs.
Despite his bent posture and the creases and wrinkles on his face, his eyes stared out brightly and intelligently, with the vigor of a much younger stallion. This was the king who in his younger days had ventured into the Blue Mountains and defeated rebellious pegasi lords, storming their Roosts with an earth pony army and winning, the king who’d driven back King Wexel the Wide on multiple occasions and taken his lands, the king who’d sailed south and crushed pirate kingdoms, forcing them to pay him tribute and letting his ships bound for Los Pegasus pass unscathed. Now the king’s glory was much diminished, and he could do nothing in his old age but watch all he’d fought for and accumulated slip away.
“You’re missing a few Brave Companions,” the king observed as Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash approached the throne, “I suppose they’ve been sent to Manehattan and Balte-Maer in a sign of impartiality.” This war may have been unnecessary and foolish, but nopony could claim that King Alhert was a fool.
“Your Majesty, Celestia wishes to prevent this war, so naturally she sent a delegation to each of the monarchs involved,” Twilight replied, “Peace is only possible if all parties agree.”
“Pity; if you’re all in separate camps, I imagine that means you won’t be willing to help me in the conflict, since it would mean fighting against your companions,” Alhert said.
“Even if my Hunter vows didn’t prevent me from taking sides in this conflict, Celestia has sent us here only to negotiate peace,” Rainbow Dash said.
“There can be no peace without concessions from Manehattan and Balte-Maer!” one of the nobles objected, “Their port taxes and blockades strangle our kingdom’s trade!”
Twilight couldn’t fail to see King Alhert’s frown as the noble gave his reasons for opposing the ceasing of hostilities. There’s something else going on here besides taxes and trade, something King Alhert wants but his vassals aren’t firmly behind. This must be what Penbrook was talking about when she said there was a disagreement over the terms to extract from Manehattan and Balte-Maer.
“I will speak to these two on my own, without unasked-for council,” King Alhert announced, “Everypony else, get out.”
The nobles and courtiers filed out of the room, casting apprehensive glances at the sorceress and the Hunter, though mostly at the former. No doubt they feared she’d put a spell on the king. A few of them touched a pendant at their necks, but the decoration was a red stone, not the seven-pointed star or Faust’s cross of the Church of One. So, the True Faith has made its way here from Manehattan, then. Perhaps it would’ve been safer to send them as far away from Manehattan as possible, but what was done was done.
“I know you are respected ponies in your land, and maybe all they say about you and the long night at the beginning of the year is true, though I tend to doubt it,” King Alhert said once they were alone (apart from a large number of royal guards around the throne room), “But one thing you are not is high Fillidelfiyaan nobility, so I think it’s safe to speak plainly around you. No matter what you say, no matter how you plead, there must be war.”
“I do not want to place blame on you, for the other Sisters share in it, but would not this war have been avoided had you not instructed your fleet to begin raiding ships from Manehattan and Balte-Maer?” Twilight asked, choosing her words carefully, even if the king claimed he wanted plain speech.
“Of course it would have,” Alhert admitted boldly, “It has provoked King Hadish into a position where we must meet in battle to settle our disagreements, and given me a justifiable reason to do so. This is a war that I wish for, and that is why you cannot change my mind.”
“But why? Isn’t there another way to counteract his trade taxes?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Absolutely, but the taxes are secondary to my true goal. To accomplish that we must have a war; it is the only way I can force King Hadish to do what I want,” Alhert explained.
“And what is your true goal?” Rainbow asked, to which Alhert raised a questioning eyebrow at the Hunter’s boldness, “What? You said you wanted to speak plainly.”
“That I did. Are you familiar with Fillidelfiyaan succession law?” Alhert asked, and Rainbow Dash shook her head no, “On my death, my eldest living son is to receive my crown, but Faust saw fit to grant me only daughters, and only one lived to adulthood. So, in the absence of a son, the crown passes to my eldest living brother, but none of my siblings lived to adulthood. Then, the crown would go to a nephew, that by my brother first, sister second, but, again, no siblings. After that, the crown would pass to a brother of my father, but none of them are alive, and none have any living descendants. Since there’s still no heir in sight, the children of my father’s sisters are next in line, all dead, so her grandchildren through her sons come next.”
“That’s right, I have no sons, brothers, nephews, uncles, or first, second, or third cousins on my father’s side. Now, you might think that my fourth cousins will come next, but if that were the case then Ser Gavron would be my heir, and that is not the case,” Alhert said with a sigh, “No, after third cousins, succession passes to the husband of my eldest daughter. Do you know who my son-in-law is? Do you know who it is that I married my daughter Persimmonne to?”
“Prince Robar of Manehattan,” Twilight answered.
“Yes. I didn’t expect all my heirs to suddenly die out and leave me with the prospect of turning my throne over to Manehattan when I die,” Alhert said spitefully, “Robar is Hadish’s firstborn son, and will one day rule both Manehattan and Fillidelfiyaa. This is something I cannot allow! It sickens me to think that House Vasa-Elutria will replace my house, but if that must be so, then at least I cannot allow one of them to control both cities, both kingdoms. I must defeat Hadish and I must force him to disinherit Robar from the Crown of Manehattan. I’m resigned to the fact that he will rule Fillidelfiyaa, but he must not rule Manehattan as well.”
His fear was not merely the fear of an aged monarch desperate to keep his family from going extinct. The Kingdom of Manehattan under King Hadish had become increasingly powerful and despotic. If they were allowed to merge with Fillidelfiyaa, it wouldn’t be long before they conquered Balte-Maer as well, and then swept over the rest of Equestria. Celestia wanted a united Equestria, but something told Twilight that she wouldn’t want it to come about in this way, for the spread of Manehattan would bring with it the spread of the True Faith. Most sorceresses didn’t care much for religion, but when the alternative was being burned at the stake or crucified simply for being born with the ability to do magic, the Church of One was the safer choice.
King Alhert was right, though; Hadish would never agree to disinherit his firstborn son unless he were forced to in a peace settlement, and he’d have to be crushed pretty soundly to agree to something like that. It would be for the good of Equestria if he did, but Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash weren’t supposed to interfere in this war other than to prevent it. They couldn’t help Alhert to win his war, but they could pass on his demands to Fluttershy and Applejack, for all the good it would do. There was no way to convince the king to turn back now, short of regicide, just as Penbrook had said. Twilight had assumed she’d meant that Alhert’s death would prevent it, but now she saw that she’d meant the death of Prince Robar.
“Is there anything else you want to discuss before I let the sycophants back in?” Alhert asked, his tone making his unwillingness to compromise clear.
“The war with Balte-Maer?” Twilight asked, “What is your motivation for that?”
“That truly is a trade dispute, though my fleet has been hitting her ships as well so that my actions against Manehattan could not be declared an act of war,” Alhert admitted, “It’s unfortunate that Duchess Seaspray was drawn into Hadish’s and my fight, but it was only a matter of time with what she was extracting from our merchants sailing south. If she were to let up on her fees, I would make peace with her without joining battle.”
This was also useful information to know. Pinkamena and Rarity were likely already in Balte-Maer, and this could help them in their efforts to prevent Duchess Seaspray from going to war with Alhert. King Alhert would not be swayed in his war with Hadish, but they had to keep trying.
“Your Majesty, even if you do not intend to change your mind regarding this war, we would like to stay, to observe and advise, with your permission, of course,” Twilight proposed.
“So long as you keep your noses out of where they don’t belong, you are welcome to stay, though you will have to find your own lodgings tonight. I’m afraid my castle has no room for guests at the moment,” King Alhert said as he waved to the guards at the throne room’s door to let the nobles and courtiers back in, “If you manage to locate an inn, you’ll have no need to pay for more than one night. My armies depart tomorrow, so you’d best accept the fact that the Seventeenth Trade War will happen, no matter what sage advice you might have to give.”
***
King Alhert had been right; nothing Twilight Sparkle or Rainbow Dash had to say to him could change his mind about going to war. Not that they had much opportunity to speak with him once his court returned to the throne room. The rest of the day was consumed by bickering nobles arguing about their positions and what they could expect to see after the war was won. Nopony was interested in stopping the war, even though it meant a war for Fillidelfiyaa that would see fighting on land to the north and south as well as on the sea. Even with the aid of the Griffon Free Companies, it wouldn’t be an easy fight to win.
King Alhert’s focus was on the Kingdom of Manehattan and crushing Hadish, so that was where the larger army, led personally by the king, would be headed. A second army would be sent south, under the command of Baron Hadrian of Trotston, his most trusted general. Though the core of the army would be the baron’s own levy, the bulk of the southern forces would be made up of the Griffon Free Companies and the pegasus levies from the mountains. These airborne soldiers could’ve given the king a significant advantage against Hadish, who preferred to exile or torture pegasi and gryphons over conscripting them, but Alhert wouldn’t hear it. If he was going to beat Hadish, it had to be in a way that the King of Manehattan couldn’t claim victory had come about because of trickery from other races. The same reasoning necessitated that no mages could be present in the northern army; Massif and Penbrook would both be sent south.
After Alhert sent his courtiers away at the end of the day, Twilight and Rainbow Dash headed down into the city to the inn Spike had procured a room for them in while they’d been busy at court. It had cost them a high price to convince somepony else to give up their room, but the fact that it had even been possible was probably due to Spike’s status as a dragon more than anything else. Even if he was still a child, nopony wanted to mess with a creature that could breathe fire (and nopony needed to know that Spike’s skill with that was still developing). Fillidelfiyaa was filled with ponies here to see the armies off, and the inn’s tavern was crowded as the sorceress and Hunter made their way to their room.
Once in the small corner chamber, Twilight began dictating three messages to Spike, summing up what they’d learned at Alhert’s court today. One went to Celestia, one went to Pinkamena and Rarity, and one went to Fluttershy and Applejack. Part of the preparation time in Ponieville had been spent by Spike in learning how to send letters to recipients other than Celestia. The Brave Companions needed to stay in communication to fulfill their missions, but there was no way to effectively do that unless each group had somepony who could do magic. They’d have to make do with Twilight being able to send them messages without being able to reply. The sorceress was already brainstorming ways in the future to allow communication between them all, but so far had no solutions.
“There, that’s the last one,” Spike said as he sent off the letter to Applejack and Fluttershy, somewhere in the Kingdom of Manehattan, “That is the last one, right?”
“It is, Spike,” Twilight confirmed, “We have done all we can now.”
“Do you really think it’ll make a difference?” Rainbow Dash asked as she sharpened a knife, “King Hadish is just as stubborn as Alhert is, and even if he weren’t, I can’t see him disinheriting his heir.”
“I know,” Twilight sighed, “It seems hopeless, but Applejack and Fluttershy have to at least bring it up for us to say we have done all we could.”
“And hope they don’t have their heads taken off for it,” Rainbow harrumphed as she sheathed her knife, apparently deciding that it was sharp enough, “This war is going to happen, you realize? What else can we do here?”
“With Alhert’s mind made up, it seems all we can do is travel with his armies and try to keep the carnage from becoming too great,” Twilight said, wincing.
Celestia had sent them here to prevent a war, and here it looked like they were going to be swept up into it. They were to serve as advisors and observers and not directly interfere, but that would be difficult. If they became involved in battle, what could they do but interfere?
Twilight retrieved a basin of water and began to work her magic. She was really getting the hang of scrying and quite enjoyed being able to sweep her gaze across the land. She’d also made several improvements to existing spells she’d learned and was able to do them without as much strain now. Her goal tonight was to find where Fluttershy and Applejack were camped. They wouldn’t arrive in Manehattan until tomorrow, but they were close, probably on the island the city called home already, but Twilight didn’t go directly there. I was easier to move your magical gaze out from where you were than to home in on a location immediately, so she started over Fillidelfiyaa and followed the coastal roads north through countryside that would soon be host to armies. Scrying was more difficult at night, but villages and occasionally camps lit the way.
She paused as she nearly passed over a memorable camp. A large carriage had been drawn off next to the road near a copse. Around the campfire were several guards, some wearing the colors of Fillidelfiyaa, others the colors of Manehattan. Through discussion in King Alhert’s court, Twilight had learned that Prince Robar and Princess Persimmonne had left yesterday, departing for Manehattan before anypony in Fillidelfiyaa got the idea to kill the Manehattanite prince. This was their royal coach, staying ahead of the Fillidelfiyaan army as it whisked the royal couple away to safety.
Or, not quite safety. As she watched the camp in the water, Twilight observed bandits emerging stealthily from the nearby woods. One of the guards fell with an arrow through his neck before the others even knew what was happening. The rest of them drew their weapons as the brigands fell upon them, taking the camp by surprise.
“What’re you watching so intently?” Rainbow Dash asked from across the room and jumped up from her bed, using her wings to flip herself onto her hooves.
“Prince Robar and Princess Persimmonne’s camp is under attack by bandits,” Twilight Sparkle answered, and the Hunter trotted over to take a look.
“Those aren’t bandits; I know bandits,” Rainbow said as she watched the attack, “They’re way too organized and well-equipped; the guards should’ve beaten them back by now.”
“Manehattanite soldiers?” Twilight asked, trying to puzzle things out.
“More likely Fillidelfiyaans who don’t want their land to be merged with Manehattan if Alhert dies in battle. They must’ve known where the carriage was going and laid an ambush. That’s not a bandit attack—it's an assassination,” Rainbow Dash said as she trotted over to her swords and strapped them on, “How far away are they?”
“Too far to fly,” Twilight answered as she looked up and the image in the water basin grew momentarily blurry, “You are not planning on stopping them, are you?”
“Now that I know they’re in trouble, I can’t just sit back and let them get killed, can I?” Rainbow asked.
“We are not supposed to get involved in the war,” Twilight said, though she knew it was a weak argument.
“This isn’t part of the war; it’s murder, plain and simple, regicide even,” Rainbow Dash replied, “Could you bear to just watch as they’re killed and not do anything?”
“I … suppose not,” Twilight sighed, though it would make things so much easier if they were dead, “I can try to teleport you there, but it is a long way, longer than I have ever teleported anypony before, and I cannot guarantee accuracy.”
“Just get me close and I’ll take care of the rest,” Rainbow Dash said as she finished strapping on the last of her equipment.
With a flash of light, the inn vanished from Rainbow’s sight and was replaced by a darkened countryside. She was standing on nothing, and began to fall, but her wings flicked out on instinct and stopped her before she hit the ground. Despite Twilight’s concerns, the Hunter was close enough to hear the sounds of the fight, and flew off in the direction they were coming from.
She swooped out of the darkness, taking the attackers by surprise, her sword slicing through one’s lightly-armored torso. She spun away as the pony she’d saved watched in surprise and cracked the pommel of her sword so hard against the back of another attacker’s head that it fractured his skull. As that pony dropped, she flared her wings and jumped over the fight, swinging her sword to knock another’s blade aside before she landed. Propelling herself forward, she impaled the attacker with her sword and immediately drew back, striking out with her hindhooves at another brigand who’d knocked her opponent aside. As she recovered from the strike, she charged Rainbow Dash with her sword. The Hunter ducked down and let the blade sail over her before jamming her own weapon up through the attacker’s ribs.
These assassins were skilled and had managed to kill several of the guards, but they were no match for a trained Hunter. Her purpose was to fight and kill monsters, but her training had prepared her for combat with ponies as well. All too often, ponies were just another kind of monster, something she’d seen plenty of in her line of work. The older Hunters tended to reminisce about the old days when things were simpler, when monsters were monsters and ponies were ponies, but Rainbow Dash doubted if it had ever been that way. A simple glance at history showed that ponies had always been just as capable of monstrous acts as they were today.
“Who-who are you?” one of the guards asked as they approached cautiously while Rainbow Dash cleaned her blade.
“Just a Hunter who saw you were in trouble,” Rainbow replied, “No need to repay me. That’s precious cargo you’re escorting, and I’m sure King Alhert will show plenty of gratitude for my saving it.”
A few of the guards looked back at the royal carriage, understanding full well as Robar and Persimmonne descended now that the fight was over exactly what she’d meant by precious cargo.
“Who are you?” the same guard asked as Twilight Sparkle suddenly materialized in front of Rainbow Dash.
“Twilight? What are you doing here?” Rainbow asked in confusion, “The battle’s over.”
“No, it is not,” Twilight said frantically, “There is more to this. The assassins wanted to disguise this as a bandit attack, but they had another plan in case it went awry.”
Before the sorceress could explain any more, an unnatural groan came from the darkness, accompanied by heavy hoofsteps. A giant faceless stone pony emerged from the gloom, a golem nearly the size of the royal carriage. Rainbow Dash drew her other sword as the golem charged toward the camp. A circle of flame suddenly shot up around the royal carriage, and the prince and princess jumped back inside to avoid the fire. Twilight Sparkle spun, building spells in her mind as she faced the new attacker. Beyond the flames, ethereal as her cloak flapped in the moonlight, stood Penbrook, her staff crouched in her foreleg.
“Why are you interfering?” the Fillidelfiyaan sorceress demanded.
“Mrinessen’r caen![1]” Twilight replied, an icy blast of air suddenly smothering the magical fire around the royal carriage and scattering snowflakes across the ground.
Penbrook swung her staff around before striking the ground with end. The gem glowed briefly and the soil around the royal carriage began to drag the vehicle under.
“Leya![2]” Twilight Sparkle yelled, lifting the carriage free of the grasping soil, though it was a strain to lift something so large.
While she was struggling to levitate the carriage, Penbrook cast another spell, and spears of earth shot toward the Cant’r Laht sorceress.
“Falan otha ye![3]” Twilight incanted, a shield springing up around her and stopping the spears, but she had to drop the royal carriage to do so.
She managed to throw the carriage away a bit, and only one wheel was dragged into the grasping earth. As the spears of earth continued to pound at her shield, Twilight scratched runes into the dirt in front of her.
“Ye seni cavan’r seyat![4]” she yelled when it was complete, and a hundred magical arrows shot toward Penbrook, who conjured her own shield to absorb them, “Eren’r torrisal![5]”
Spears of earth sprang up around Penbrook but didn’t attack her. Instead, they formed a dome over her, shield and all, encasing her in a prison of soil. While the other sorceress was trapped, Twilight Sparkle took the opportunity to cast protective spells over the royal carriage.
“Why are you protecting them?” Penbrook demanded as she broke free from her prison quicker than Twilight had expected, “What do you have to gain? Surely you don’t want a united Fillidelfiyaa and Manehattan under the rule of Hadish’s son!”
“No, but this is not the right way to go about it!” Twilight shouted back as more earthen spears broke against her shield, “Killing them in cold blood through treachery will cause more harm than good!”
“Obviously your teacher has not passed on everything to you!” Penbrook yelled as she dodged the flying branches Twilight had drawn from the nearby trees, “Celestia’s hooves are bathed in the blood of thousands, if not millions, yet she sheds no tears over them! They were a necessary loss, just like the mages she had executed in the Cant’r Laht Commons mere weeks ago after you provided her with their names! I learned from my master long ago that what matters is the end result; the means are inconsequential!”
Do I really disagree with her? Everypony knows the rumors about Celestia, but nopony says anything. Sometimes hard decisions are called for, but no, this isn’t one of those times. The mages of the New Cabal were traitors who intended to kill Celestia and seize power for themselves. Penbrook is a traitor, and maybe she’s right about ends justifying means; the death of Robar and Persimmonne would definitely serve a noble end, but it is not justified by these means. If they die, then Gavron would be the next king, and his rule would be contested. He might never truly rule, instead being controlled by nobles and the likes of Penbrook. That is why she cannot be allowed to succeed; because other motives drive her to this, and because the means sometimes do matter just as much as the ends.
“Judd Caradain’r ossi, soretta eri reacetei![6]” Twilight Sparkle incanted, testing out a new spell she’d come up with since learning of the otherworldly powers she and her friends possessed.
Intense cold was drawn to Penbrook’s staff, coating it in ice in seconds. The sorceress’s robes protected her from it, but she still felt it through the cloth, and knew Twilight was attacking her weapon. Penbrook spun the staff around before striking the ground with it to cast her spell. As Twilight had hoped, the staff was hollow, and the intense cold had made it so brittle that it snapped upon impacting the ground. Penbrook pitched forward as the staff unexpectedly broke, the magic emanating from it stunning her momentarily.
“Mrinessen’r torrisal![7]” Twilight Sparkle yelled before she could recover, encasing Penbrook in ice.
“Look out!” Rainbow Dash yelled in warning, and Twilight teleported out of the way as the golem crashed into the ground where she’d been standing.
It had taken substantial damage from Rainbow’s attacks while Twilight had been dealing with her fellow sorceress, but it was unable to feel pain like an actual pony and rose effortlessly back to its hooves. The Hunter threw a bomb at one of its forelegs, trapping it in place momentarily. She swooped in at the golem’s head, kicking its mouth open, the jaw already weakened by earlier attacks. A small scrap of parchment was revealed in the back of its mouth, and Rainbow Dash struck at it with her sword. As it was cut apart, the golem ceased its motion and turned to dust a second later.
“Is that the last of them now?” Rainbow Dash asked as she drifted down to land next to Twilight.
“It certainly should be,” the sorceress replied as the guards began to tentatively approach, and she reached out with her magic to confirm that no other surprises were waiting around.
“Now what?” the Hunter asked, speaking the question on Twilight’s mind as well, and she looked over at the nearby frozen sorceress, who apparently had no way to break free of her prison other than waiting for it to melt.
***
“Take her away,” King Alhert ordered angrily, and the royal guards marched Penbrook off to the Sea Keep’s dungeons, “Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, you have my profound gratitude for bringing this traitor to me.”
Though it wasn’t easy, they’d managed to bring Penbrook back to Fillidelfiyaa. She had focused all her skill on learning to cast spells with the use of her staff, and without her magical implement, she wasn’t able to do much. Just to be safe, she was gagged before Twilight teleported her back to the city to join Rainbow Dash, who she’d sent ahead. By the time Twilight herself returned to Fillidelfiyaa, she was exhausted, and her magical reserves were nearly empty. Unfortunately, the night wasn’t over yet.
The sight of the sorceress and the Hunter bringing a restrained Penbrook to the Sea Keep caused quite a stir. Fortunately, the guards didn’t act on their assumptions of the worst and attack immediately, and Twilight was able to give them the letter Robar had penned explaining what had happened. The prince had inherited his father’s paranoia and distrust of sorceresses, and the events of that night hadn’t done anything to help it, but at least he’d recognized that Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash had saved the lives of him and his wife, so he was civil to them.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Twilight replied to Alhert’s congratulations, “She surely did not act alone in this plot.”
“Of course not, but the other perpetrators will be brought to justice as well. I assure you, she will tell all,” Alhert said while looking around at the nobles surrounding him.
No doubt, some of them had been involved in the assassination attempt and would be looking for a way out. A few of the more foolish ones might try to assassinate Alhert on the march north or try to “accidentally” kill him in the heat of battle, but he’d survived this long, and that was no accident. The wise ones would sacrifice themselves in the battle or win a heroic victory so that Alhert would not punish them as severely. Twilight looked to Massif, Penbrook’s mentor, who’d shown his student no mercy or compassion during Alhert’s questioning. The bearded stallion was surely in on it—Penbrook hadn’t had the skill to create that golem—and Twilight wondered what his response would be if and when he was found out.
She was also worried that this wouldn’t be the last attempt on Robar’s and Persimmonne’s lives. It was a troubling worry, especially since it wasn’t something she really should’ve cared about. Hardly anypony in Equestria would agree that it would be a good thing for the Kingdoms of Manehattan and Fillidelfiyaa to be united under Hadish’s dynasty. She’d had the opportunity to prevent that outcome but had instead (at Rainbow’s insistence) saved the lives of the two ponies who’d ensure it. She still wasn’t entirely certain that she’d made the right decision, and feared she’d live to regret it.
Chapter 1:27.2 – The Second Sister 28th Day of the 10th Month, Year 1000 of the 4th Age
Around the same time that Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were approaching the gates of Fillidelfiyaa, many leagues to the south Pinkamena and Rarity were nearing those of Balte-Maer. Like at Fillidelfiyaa, vast camps of ponies called to the capital from across the duchy were assembled around the city, though it was not so large an army as the one King Alhert had assembled. After all, they would only be fighting one enemy by land, unless they were truly fortunate and able to push all the way through the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa to Manehattan. If that were possible, then Fillidelfiyaa’s army would be nonexistent by that point.
The streets of the port city were packed with wagons and soldiers, the former occasionally forced against buildings to let the latter pass, earning the ire of those buildings’ residents. Balte-Maer was preparing for war, and that meant moving supplies to three places: the city’s storehouses in case of a siege, the supply trains of the army preparing to head north, and the ships of the ducal navy docked in the harbor. It made navigation through the city a bit difficult.
“Come on! This way!” Pinkamena called excitedly as she bounded between two wagons and darted into an alleyway.
“Pinkamena, do you know where you’re going?” Rarity asked with alarm as she tried to do the same, begging the pardon of a team of ponies pulling the wagon she had to cut in front of in order to keep up with her companion.
“Of course I do, silly, I’ve been here once before, back when I was still a filly!” Pinkamena said, which didn’t inspire much confidence in her navigational skills.
Rarity hadn't chosen to be paired up with the hyperactive bard, but Twilight and Rainbow Dash were already headed to Fillidelfiyaa, and a unicorn like herself couldn’t show her head in Manehattan without the danger of it being lopped off. It’s not that the smith/clothier had anything against Pinkamena, but the two of them didn’t exactly have much in common. Then again, neither did she and Fluttershy and the two of them had become close over the past few months, so maybe this journey would lead to something similar between her and Pinkamena.
Pinkamena had insisted on being one of the Brave Companions to go to Balte-Maer. She claimed she knew Duchess Seaspray personally, having saved her from an assassination attempt. Most of the Brave Companions doubted that tale, but Pinkamena wasn’t in the habit of lying, so maybe there was some truth in the surely exaggerated claim. In any case, her request was granted, and she’d been sent to the city of the duchess to plead with her to end this war before it started.
“Pinkamena, wait up!” Rarity called as she tried to duck under some peasant’s laundry the same way her companion had, but caught it with her horn and had to replace it before moving on.
“Come on, Rarity, it’s not much farther!” Pinkamena said as she bounced up and down.
“That’s what you’ve been saying since we entered Balte-Maer!” Rarity said in exasperation, but continued to follow her.
Exiting the alley, the bard ducked under a carriage and past a group of Balte-Maeri guards who shouted after her. Rarity tried to follow, but the carriage jerked forward, and she pulled up just short of getting crushed under the wheels. Having lost sight of Pinkamena, she hurried to catch up and pressed through the crowd of ponies closely following the carriage, mindful of the attempts to open her saddlebags and casting stern looks about. The Balte-Maeri guards had considered it too much of a hassle to chase the pink ball of energy down the alley and only glanced at Rarity as she waited for them to pass before ducking behind them to cross before the next wagon blocked the alley. Balte-Maer’s main thoroughfares were immensely backed up, so the only way to move with any urgency was how they were right now, cutting through the minor streets that nopony but those who lived there knew, even if it meant crossing the bustling major streets now and then.
Pinkamena waved at Rarity from where the alley took a bend and waited for her to catch up before pressing on. She was going to have to demand a rest soon; the smith was by no means feeble, but she didn’t have the limitless energy of her companion. Dogs barked and cats hissed at their passage as they followed the twists and turns of the alleys. Rarity was baffled at how Pinkamena seemed to know exactly where they were, even though the close buildings around them obscured most of the city’s major landmarks. It was as if the bard had some kind of internal compass guiding her toward her goal. That, or she was completely lost and had no idea.
Pinkamena paused for a moment as they reached the end of the alley, a street packed with wagons and portable merchant stalls. There was no movement here, but neither were there any ponies apart from a few foals playing in the distance. The street wasn’t wide, and it looked like all the vehicles here had been crammed in to get them off the other streets and out of the way of the ponies who were actually moving (albeit at an incredibly slow pace).
There were no buildings across the street, only a high stone wall. Pinkamena scaled one of the merchant stalls and peered over the wall from atop its roof. Tensing her hindlegs, she jumped and caught the edge of the wall with her forehooves before hoisting herself over.
“Pinkamena?” Rarity called when nothing happened for a few seconds after she landed on the other side of the wall.
“Come on over, Rarity!” Pinkamena called back, and Rarity reluctantly scaled the merchant stall and jumped over herself.
Rarity had lost all sense of where they were in the city the moment they’d first left the main street, but when she landed on the other side of the wall, she knew immediately where they were. The land sloped gently upward from the wall, covered in well-tended trees, bushes, flowers, and lawns. At the top of the hill was a palace whose exterior was adorned with blue tiles: The Sapphire Palace. Rarity looked anxiously back at the wall she had no way to scale. They were trespassing in Duchess Seaspray’s private gardens during a time when Balte-Maer was preparing for war, and her guards would be on the lookout for assassins.
“Pinkamena,” Rarity whispered frantically as she crept behind a hedge and looked around for the bard, “Where are you?”
“Right here,” Pinkamena said from behind her, nearly causing the unicorn to jump out of her skin.
“What were you thinking?” she demanded, “We won’t be able to convince Duchess Seaspray to stop the war if we’re killed before we get to her.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Pinkamena said without a care in the world, “I know the duchess, and I’m sure she’ll be pleased to see me. We won’t have any trouble.”
“Stop right there!” a guard wearing the ducal colors demanded as she trotted up, two more guards with crossbows flanking her, “Make a move and you’re dead!”
“Of course, I’ve been wrong before,” Pinkamena said sheepishly, and Rarity groaned.
***
“Your Grace, the trespassers,” the guard sergeant announced as she marched Rarity and Pinkamena into the throne room.
It was just as Pinkamena remembered it, except that Duchess Seaspray was the only pony seated this time and far fewer ponies were in the room. The duchess was preparing to leave, and her court was now a place for last minute check-ins with her ship captains, the marshal who would lead her army, her bailiff, and her husband, who would rule in her stead while she was away. Seaspray was a busy mare at the moment, anxious to depart, and was not overly thrilled to hear from her guard captain that one of his sergeants had captured trespassers in the ducal gardens. This was a matter for them to deal with, not her, or so she had thought until she received the scroll the trespassers had been carrying.
Rarity had managed to convince the sergeant to let her take the missive from Celestia from her saddlebags without filling her and Pinkamena with crossbow bolts. The sergeant knew how to read only a few words, but the seal on the scroll was unmistakable, featuring Celestia herself. The guards had relieved Pinkamena and Rarity of their possessions and didn’t let them out of their sight, but they didn’t treat them roughly or throw them in a dungeon, for fear of the ire of the Matron of Sorceresses, even if she was all the way in Cant’r Laht.
“It really is you,” Duchess Seaspray said as she eyed Pinkamena, “I didn’t get a good chance to see you during the gala or the summit, so I didn’t know if you were really the same filly I met all those years ago.”
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Pinkamena said, bounding forward only to have her progress stopped by a lowered spear from a ducal guard, “I remember you, too, Your Grace. When they thought you were the one who ordered the assassination of Prince Blueblood, I told them you’d never do anything like that.”
“Ahem, yes,” the duchess said with a cough, and the duke raised an eyebrow, “Please, these ponies are not here to harm me. There is no need for such a stringent guard around them, and return their possessions.”
The guards backed off, and the sergeant motioned for those who had Pinkamena’s and Rarity’s saddlebags slung across their backs to return them.
“Your Grace, we have come to-” Rarity said once her belongings were on her back again.
“I know why you’ve come,” Duchess Seaspray interrupted her, gesturing to the unrolled scroll at her side, “Celestia wishes for you to convince me to cease this war, to make peace with Alhert and Hadish before it begins. Well, the gratitude I owe your companion for saving my life compels me to hear you out, but no more.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Rarity said, knowing she had to go on even if the duchess thought she already had her mind made up, “As Celestia tried to convince you and your neighbors to the north at the summit, this war is unnecessary. Surely you can negotiate a peace with Alhert and Hadish, in which their goods are not so strictly taxed and you receive a sizable tribute from them. Why will you not sit down at the negotiating table to talk this through instead of speaking with your army or your fleet? You must know that hundreds or more will die if you do this, so why do it?”
“You make it seem as if King Alhert and King Hadish were reasonable ponies,” Seaspray scoffed, “Alhert has become feeble-minded in his old age, obsessed with establishing his legacy before he dies and his crown passes from his house to another. He lashes out in all directions with his fleet, desperate to defend himself from a threat he is only creating by his actions. Need I tell you of Hadish’s madness? He worships fire and burns alive all he deems unworthy of life. I would think a unicorn like yourself would appreciate the danger of making any sort of deal with such a tyrannical and unhinged pony.”
Seaspray wasn’t exactly wrong, but neither had she given the other monarchs a chance to work out a peace that wasn’t incredibly biased in her favor. Balte-Maer was the last stop for Equestrian ships before Los Pegasus, and no ship had yet been built that could carry enough supplies to go all the way from Manehattan or Fillidelfiyaa to Los Pegasus without limiting the cargo to the point where the trip was no longer profitable. Gradually, Duchess Seaspray had been increasing the pressure on non-Balte-Maeri ships for years until they no longer were able to turn a profit in any case and would be better off dumping their goods here on the cheap, only for Balte-Maeri ships to scoop them up, transport them to Los Pegasus, and pocket a sizable profit. She had control of the situation, and the rulers of the other Sisters weren’t going to stand by and let it go on. Either she’d need to treat trade on the Shimmering Sea more fairly, or she would have to go to war to protect her right to gouge her competition. She’d chosen the latter option.
“You have to try to deal with them!” Pinkamena said, and despite her appreciation of the bard’s actions in her youth, Seaspray took offense to anypony telling her, the duchess, what she had to do, “So many ponies will die if you don’t! There has to be something that will change your mind!”
“No, there isn’t,” the duchess said firmly, “Even if I was inclined to do such a thing, it is too late to turn back now. The army and fleet are ready and prepared to fight for Balte-Maer. I will not order them to stand down. This war is in Balte-Maer’s best interest, so why should I do something so mad?”
It just so happened that the war was in the duchess’s best interest as well, who had a full or partial share in all of the city’s shipping companies. They were more profitable than ever since she’d begun her policies of favoring Balte-Maeri shipping over that from Fillidelfiyaa and Manehattan, and she wouldn’t give that up. The ducal treasury took in more money from the crown’s shares than any other source of revenue, which was why ducal taxes in the Duchy of Balte-Maer were so low. So, really, it was in Balte-Maer’s interest, in a roundabout way.
“Okay then, you leave me no choice,” Pinkamena said with a dramatic sigh, and drew the naval telescope she carried around sometimes from her saddlebags, “You told me that if I had need of anything, to present this to you and you would help me. I need you to stop this war.”
“You take my indulgence of you too far,” Duchess Seaspray said as she paled, “Keep the telescope, and I will help you some other time in whatever you ask, but not in this. These are matters for crowned heads, and you will not interfere in them by using a promise I made to you years ago for your service.”
“But, I-” Pinkamena protested.
“Guards, escort them out of the palace,” Seaspray ordered, “And if they try to break in again, you have my permission to shoot them this time.”
***
“Well, that could have gone better,” Rarity said with a sigh as they trotted in failure through the streets of Balte-Maer.
“I really thought the telescope would work if nothing else did,” Pinkamena bemoaned, kicking a rock dejectedly and watching it skip under a wagon.
“I must admit, I’m still surprised that you actually did save the duchess from an assassination attempt,” Rarity said.
“I’ll have to tell you the story sometime, it’s a …” Pinkamena trailed off as she heard singing in the distance, and her ears pricked up, “This way!”
“Pinkamena, where are you going?” Rarity called after her as she darted off through the slow-moving traffic, then groaned, “Not again.”
The streets were beginning to unclog, but they were still backed up, and would be until the abandoned warehouse near the docks somepony had decided to torch burned to ashes and opened another thoroughfare. As Pinkamena darted between ponies, local traffic came to a standstill. Rarity was forced to clamber over a wagon, getting yelled at by the driver, in order to cross. Pushing through a group of fisherponies, she followed the bard into a narrow alley. She managed to keep the pink pony in sight as she galloped along, nearly knocking over a basket as she did. The alley ended in a dead end, but Pinkamena jumped onto some crates piled up at the end and onto the roofs. Rarity followed and didn’t have to go far before dropping down into a courtyard with an amphitheater at one end.
An assortment of ponies had assembled here, many with their belongings, taking some time away from the busyness of the main roads. Colorful wagons were assembled around the amphitheater, and ponies in equally colorful garb were arrayed on its stage. Most of them weren’t doing anything at the moment apart from listening to the central figure, who strummed a lute and sang along with its music, her melodious tones carrying out across the courtyard.
“… so, fly now my dearest, where ne’er I’ll go,” “Alight ‘pon th’ clouds and the peaks capped wi’ snow.” “For while you were with me, my heart soared wi’ your wings,” “But you remained bound …” “Here with me on th’ ground …” “Ne’er to climb to the heights you adore.” “Be not saddened love …” “I’ll hold you here … no more.’”
“And th’ poor maiden wept as his life slipped away,” “She bent down beside him, and he could still hear her say,” “‘Not a moment together, have I spent in regret.” “Ne’er have I counted my freedom lost yet.” “For while with you …” “My heart has soared too …” “And I had no need for the sky …’”
As the mare brought her song to an end and bowed her head, the crowd applauded the performance, some of them moved to tears, for the start of the song must surely have been as beautifully sung as the end, but Rarity and Pinkamena hadn’t witnessed it. As other performers trotted through the crowd with buckets in their mouths, some of the ponies threw coins in. Pinkamena, constantly on the move, pushed her way through the crowd and up to the stage.
“Melodia!” she exclaimed, catching the singer’s attention.
“We’ll be right back after a short break,” Melodia announced before trotting off the stage.
Pinkamena followed her to the side, and Rarity looped around the crowd to meet them next to the amphitheater.
“Imagine that. I never expected to see you here again,” Melodia was saying to Pinkamena when Rarity reached them, “Are you here to rejoin the Renegades’ Troupe and sing ballads, or are you too busy being part of ballads?”
“I can assure you, I’m not the one spreading them around,” Pinkamena replied, “I guess ponies just want to hear the exploits of the Brave Companions.”
“Speaking of which, it looks like you didn’t come alone,” Melodia said as she spied Rarity, “You must be … Rarity.”
“You recognize me?” Rarity asked. By now, most ponies in Equestria had heard tales of the Brave Companions, but few actually recognized them when they met them.
“Yes, if minstrels are to write songs about the six of you, we must know what you look like,” Melodia said, “You’ll find that fame may spread across all of Equestria, but the only ponies who will ever recognize you will be monarchs and minstrels, the former because they can pay to find out your appearance, the latter because it’s valuable for their craft.”
“I never thought about that before,” Rarity said thoughtfully, “So, what brings a troupe of performers to Balte-Maer on the eve of war?”
“Where else would we be but in the midst of things, capturing the moment? Also, with so many ponies passing through, we can turn a tidy profit, and plenty of visiting nobles long for entertainment and have hired us for the evenings at no small cost to them,” Melodia said, and turned to Pinkamena, “We were hoping Duchess Seaspray would summon us to the palace again, as she did when you were here with us, but it seems the duchess has her mind on other matters than entertainment at the moment. Her guards even turned us away when we went to inquire whether she would want a private show.”
“We didn’t have much luck with the duchess either,” Pinkamena admitted, “I think we can still get through to her, though.”
“You spoke to Duchess Seaspray?” one of the other performers in the Renegades’ Troupe asked, “What about?”
“Oh, we’re on a quest from Celestia to convince her to call off her war and settle her issues with Hadish and Alhert peacefully,” Pinkamena exposited rapidly.
“That’s fascinating,” Melodia said, “And you think she may actually do so?”
“Not likely,” Rarity snorted, “She’s expelled us from the palace on pain of death if we return.”
“Come on, Rarity, we can’t let something like that get in the way of fulfilling our quest,” Pinkamena said, and Rarity looked back at her in alarm.
“You could always accompany her on her way to war, I suppose,” Melodia suggested.
Rarity took this into consideration. It really would be a shame to return to Ponieville without fulfilling their quest, but she really didn’t know if she wanted to follow the army into battle. She had already done that once, though she’d spent most of that episode fixing up the army’s barding. This was also something they hadn’t planned for; they were supposed to convince Duchess Seaspray to call off her war before the army ever left Balte-Maer, but there wasn’t much time for that.
“You mean we ought to follow the army north?” Rarity asked, “It seems a bit dangerous, and what’s to stop Seaspray from turning us away then?”
The duchess won’t be leaving with the army,” Melodia said with a shake of her head, “The pride of Balte-Maer is the ducal navy, and that’s where she’ll be.”
“Perfect!” Pinkamena exclaimed.
“Yes, perfect,” Rarity said sarcastically, “Even if we can somehow make it onto her ship, as soon as we’re discovered, she’ll throw us overboard or maroon us somewhere.”
“Two of the Brave Companions?” Melodia said, “She wouldn’t dare. Not only would that earn her the ire of many ponies who see you as heroes, but she’d also have to deal with Celestia. Equestria’s monarchs may talk big, but they would never risk something that would guarantee her wrath.”
“But how are we even supposed to get on her ship? I can’t imagine her guards will let us just trot aboard,” Rarity protested.
“Just leave that to us,” Melodia said, concocting a plan, “We have some connections at the docks that may be of use.”
***
Late in the afternoon, the ducal navy set sail, the last ships joining those already in the harbor. They departed with much fanfare, especially as the duchess’s flagship left the docks. Seaspray was upon the waves, ready to affirm her position as Rightful Maritime Ruler of the Shimmering Sea. The traffic in Balte-Maer returned almost to normal once the fleet had left, the remaining business due to final transports of supplies to the army encamped outside the city’s walls. They would depart first thing the following morning to meet King Alhert’s southern army, but this force was barely considered when ponies thought of the war. Balte-Maer’s life was the sea, and the ducal fleet was their pride.
Aboard one of the ships in that proud navy were some extra “supplies” that had been added at the last minute. The Renegades’ Troupe’s connections at the docks hadn’t been all-powerful, so Rarity and Pinkamena hadn’t been able to just trot aboard Duchess Seaspray’s flagship, but they were in the fleet nonetheless. Two barrels had been added to the hold of a sizable caravel, each of which held a pony within. It was terribly cramped inside the barrels, but Pinkamena and Rarity couldn’t risk opening them until they were sure they were far enough away from Balte-Maer that the duchess couldn’t simply send a fast ship back to the city to drop them off before rejoining the fleet.
Darkness had fallen by the time Rarity pried open her barrel and extricated herself. After finding a hiding place among the supplies, she returned to Pinkamena and helped her to escape. They crept silently to their hiding place, careful not to disturb sleeping soldiers, and waited. Rarity still couldn’t believe that the plan had worked. Of course, there was no guarantee that it would work fully. Sure, they were in the ducal navy now, but who could say if they’d be able to get to Duchess Seaspray now or not, and what she’d say when they were inevitably found out.
“Jus’ like ah said, barrel’s empty an’ completely dry,” a voice came from elsewhere in the hold, the source around where Pinkamena’s and Rarity’s barrels had been.
I expected we’d be found out, but not so soon. We may not even be far enough away. What do we do if they drop us off in a coastal village instead of letting us stay aboard?
“And just what were you doing rooting though the supplies instead of sleeping?” another voice demanded, one speaking with authority.
“I jus’ wanted t’ see what kind o’ armament we’d have for th’ fight,” the first voice said unconvincingly.
“So, naturally, you decided to check the food supplies first,” the second said sarcastically, “Well, if you’re so concerned about the state of our weapons, you can be in charge of equipment duty tomorrow, and since you’re up already, may as well take a guard shift tonight as well.”
The other voice grumbled but began to move away, and Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. She nearly shouted in surprise when a flash of green light and flame suddenly appeared in front of her face. In an instant, all was dark again, but her night vision was ruined. It barely returned enough for her to spot the scroll that had fallen from the burst of flame to the deck, a message from Twilight.
“What was that?” the senior guard exclaimed, and Rarity groaned. They would surely be caught now, done in by Twilight’s letter.
***
“What is the meaning of this?” Duchess Seaspray demanded, irate at being awakened at such a late hour.
After Rarity and Pinkamena had been discovered, there was some debate as to what to do with the stowaways. Like in the Sapphire Palace’s gardens, Celestia’s scroll had been enough to convince the ponies who’d discovered them not to throw them overboard or otherwise harm them, but the guards had no idea what to do with them instead. They brought the two mares up onto the top deck of the ship, surprising the others on watch, who also had no idea what to do about them. After much debate, they decided to wake the captain of the ship’s soldiers up, who also didn’t know what to do. After more deliberation and stalling, they woke the ship’s captain, who could at least read passably and inspected the letter from Celestia stating their mission to meet with Duchess Seaspray and provide her counsel.
The captain, however, also delayed in making a decision. He signaled the nearby ships, running a message to the duchess’s flagship and communicating back and forth until he was able to move up and come alongside. Once the ships were tied together, Rarity and Pinkamena were sent over, delayed again as the captain of the flagship debated waking up the duchess. Several hours had passed between their discovery and when they were finally marched into Duchess Seaspray’s quarters.
“You again! I thought I said I didn’t want to see you!” the duchess said angrily, and the ship’s captain looked incredibly nervous.
“Actually, you said we weren’t allowed back in the palace. You didn’t say anything about the fleet,” Pinkamena pointed out as Rarity tried in vain to wave her off.
“Your Grace, you know who we are,” Rarity added, trying to defuse the situation before the duchess became even more livid, “We aren’t accustomed to giving up so easily. You didn’t give us much of a chance to convince you that this war is a mistake. Don’t you think we deserve to speak with you again, though perhaps in other circumstances?”
“I think you’ve interrupted me enough and wasted too much of my time,” Duchess Seaspray said as the table in front of her creaked from the force of her forehooves pressing upon in, “We have a schedule to keep, so I can’t spare the time to drop you off somewhere, at least not anywhere on this continent. It appears I’m stuck with you for the time being, but if you think I will allow you on my flagship for a second longer than necessary, wasting even more of my time, then you’re sadly mistaken. We’ll find some place for you in the fleet where you’ll be out of the way and I won’t have to hear about making peace with Alhert and Hadish before I’ve achieved my victory. Do I make myself clear?”
A battle horn sounded distantly as Duchess Seaspray waited for a response. The ship’s captain rushed out as another horn sounded, closer this time. The duchess waited with a concerned look, trying to see what was going on outside of her cabin, seeming to have forgotten her anger at Rarity and Pinkamena momentarily. Horns sounded all around, including from the deck of the flagship itself, and the ship’s captain rushed back into the cabin.
“Your Grace, we’re under attack!” she said breathlessly.
“Under attack? By whom?” the duchess demanded, “Is it Alhert’s raiders?”
“No, Your Grace, it’s pirates! Gryphon marauders!” the captain reported, “They’ve begun attacking some of our outlying cogs!”
“My, but they’ve grown bold,” Seaspray said as she hurried toward the cabin door, her guard struggling to keep up with the events unfolding and keep her under their protection, “We haven’t even left Horseshoe Bay yet!”
“They likely entered the bay to raid and stumbled upon our outer ships, thinking them defenseless transports, unaware of the fleet’s presence,” the captain explained as she accompanied her out onto the deck.
Not knowing what else to do, Rarity and Pinkamena left the abandoned cabin as well. Not that the deck of a ship during a battle was a safe place to be, but they'd been instructed to stay near Duchess Seaspray, and this was where she was. An attendant tried to fit barding on her as she surveyed the situation.
Braziers on most of the fleet’s ships were now lit, providing illumination to the pre-dawn darkness. Soon the sun would rise over the sea to the east, but for now the only way they’d be able to see their attackers was to light fires on the incredibly flammable ships. Shapes flitted about in the distance, gryphons visible only by their silhouettes. Two unfamiliar ships were in sight, one of them weaving among the fleet’s ships, realizing now what kind of trouble it was in.
“Where is Admiral Shining Gleam?” Duchess Seaspray asked as she looked around.
“He is aboard The Pride of Cinnarón still, Your Grace, and is likely in charge of the encirclement of one of the enemy vessels,” the captain said as she pointed out over the waves at the pirate ship being corralled by ducal ships.
“Captain, I need you navigating this ship,” the duchess ordered, taking charge of the situation, “Detach Dread Hoof immediately so we can maneuver. Muster all available archers and prepare the ballista.”
“Yes, Your Grace!” the captain replied and hurried off to comply with her lady’s orders.
The ship that Rarity and Pinkamena had stowed away on was cast off, allowing it and the duchess’s flagship to maneuver freely. Rarity and Pinkamena themselves stayed on the duchess’s vessel and tried to stay out of the way as archers climbed up from the ship’s hold, still drowsy from sleep. In the distance, Admiral Shining Gleam continued to orchestrate the encirclement of the pirate ship that had foolishly wandered into the Balte-Maeri fleet. Gryphons flew from its deck to attack the exposed ponies on the vessels closing in on them. The admiral had also called up his archers, and arrows took out many of the attacking gryphons before they made it to the decks and began striking about with their blades.
As the second pirate vessel drew nearer, gryphons launched themselves from its deck to attack the fleet. Arrows whistled past them as they ascended beyond the light coming from the Balte-Maeri ships and into the gloom above, before swooping down on unsuspecting ships. Several of the gryphons managed to make it to the deck of the duchess’s flagship without becoming pincushions and drew their swords. The duchess’s guards rushed to her defense, striking out at the gryphons with fauchards.
Blades rang against each other as pirates and soldiers clashed, Duchess Seaspray yelling out orders and encouragement all the while. Rarity and Pinkamena weren’t fighters and tried to stay out of the battle, but it wasn’t entirely possible to avoid it when the deck was covered with gryphons and ponies trying to kill each other. A gryphon was thrown by a ducal guard’s fauchard but used her wings to right herself in the air and landed next to the two Brave Companions. She raised her sword for a strike, but Rarity kicked the blade from her claw with her forelegs, strong from her work at her forge. The gryphon still had her claws, but before she could strike, an archer shoved a pike into her back between her wings.
The pirate ship in the midst of the fleet was surrounded now, ships alongside it attaching themselves so that the ponies could charge onboard. While still fending off attacks from the air, the ponies under Admiral Shining Gleam’s command boarded the pirate ship and put its crew to the sword. Soon it was under their control, and the ships could focus their full attention on the gryphons overhead that now had no ship to return to.
The gryphons hadn’t yet realized that the Duchess of Balte-Maer herself was present and weren’t paying any special attention to her flagship other than what it warranted as being one of the largest vessels in the fleet. The crew was able to maneuver themselves into the position Seaspray had demanded fairly quickly, the bow pointed toward the second pirate ship. In addition to its size, the duchess’s flagship was unique for another reason: it had a weapon on its deck – a ballista that was now pointed at the enemy ship.
“Fire!” Duchess Seaspray commanded, and the weapon’s crew did not mistake her intentions.
The ballista fired, the ship rocking as it did, and its projectile shot out over the waves. The giant spear sailed over other ships of the ducal fleet before striking its target. It smashed through the pirate ship’s hull at the waterline, and the sea began to pour in. The pirate ship rapidly began to sink as it took on water, listing to one side, and the gryphons abandoned it.
A horn sounded from across the waves, and not a Balte-Maeri horn. A third pirate ship made itself known, and many of the gryphons broke away from the fighting across the fleet. For them, the battle had been lost before it’d begun, outnumbered so heavily, but with the loss of two of their ships, the only hope of survival was in escape. Arrows chased after them as they flew toward the last member of their tiny fleet.
On a nearby ship, Pinkamena spotted a mare in flowing aquamarine robes step out onto the deck and face toward the last pirate ship. She dropped a book to the deck in front of her and began to chant in the Language of the Horns, her voice ringing out with supernatural power across the waves. The stars above the pirate ship disappeared as storm clouds congealed out of thin air, lightning crackling among them. The sea grew choppy, radiating out from the pirate ship, which barely managed to stay afloat as it was buffeted by waves and wind. As it tried desperately to put distance between itself and the ducal fleet, lighting reached down from the clouds and struck a mast, crippling it. The storm abated as the ship limped away. Her work done, the sorceress picked up her book and teleported over to the duchess’s flagship.
“Sétine,” the duchess addressed her as she appeared directly in front of her, “What took you so long, and why is that pirate ship still floating?”
“I had to prepare myself, and as for your second question, it was the most logical course of action,” the sorceress replied coolly, “They now know that the bulk of our fleet is not in Balte-Maer, and if left with a capable ship, would surely raid up and down the coast while it was unprotected. If their vessel were sunk, then they would either launch a desperate suicide attack on us or fly to the nearest land—Balte-Maeri land—and disappear into the forests as bandits. Now, with a crippled vessel, they will stay out of our way, and once we’ve passed, will return back the way they came to repair their ship. It is not damaged so much that they will abandon it and become bandits, nor is it capable enough that they would risk raiding. I exerted the exact amount of force required for the situation.”
“Yes, I see what you mean,” Seaspray admitted.
“What are these two doing here?” Sétine asked dispassionately as she turned to look at Rarity and Pinkamena, “I had been told they were barred from your presence.”
“So they had been, but they insisted on coming along anyway,” Seaspray said as she too turned her gaze on the Brave Companions, “Maybe this will convince you to stop trying to talk me into peace. You saw for yourself how bold the pirates of the south are becoming. Have you any idea how difficult it is to police the route from Balte-Maer to Los Pegasus? That work is done by Balte-Maeri ships, so why should Fillidelfiyaa and Manehattan profit off our work? The fees you find so unreasonable are compensation for keeping the southern course free of pirates, to which neither of my enemies contribute a thaler.”
“I see now where you’re coming from,” Rarity said.
“Do you now?” Seaspray said spitefully, before she realized that Rarity had been sincere, “Hmm, perhaps you do indeed. Maybe it was unwise of me to dismiss your efforts at peace as necessarily opposed to my interests. We may have something to discuss after all.”
“We’re still here to convince you to negotiate with Hadish and Alhert,” Pinkamena pointed out.
“That is your quest from Celestia, isn’t it?” Seaspray sighed resignedly, “Very well, we can talk about peace, but I assure you that my answer will be just the same as it was back in Balte-Maer. We’ve set sail, the army will soon depart, there’s no turning back now. We are at war already, and I intend to see myself as the victor of this Seventeenth Trade War.”
Chapter 1:27.3 – The Third Sister 29th Day of the 10th Month, Year 1000 of the 4th Age
Fluttershy looked about fearfully as she and Applejack entered Manehattan. The True Faith didn’t tend to go after pegasi unless there were no unicorns nearby to target, but it was still a risk, and she had hidden her wings beneath her druidess robes. This, however, could prove to be a poor decision if somepony recognized her as a pegasus anyway and she was unable to fly away. Ideally, the Brave Companions’ two earth pony members would’ve gone to Manehattan, but Pinkamena had insisted on going to Balte-Maer, so Fluttershy was the next safest choice.
Druids and the red priests had more in common than many cared to admit. Both had a reverence toward nature and natural forces, bordering on worship for the druids and displayed as outright worship for the True Faith. Druidism was more of a philosophy and was usually compatible with other forms of worship, including the True Faith, even if they didn’t call for the extermination of magic, monsters, unicorns, and all things non-earth pony.
The normally timid pony was out of her comfort zone here, in a city of red brick so far from home. Applejack was also uncomfortable here, but for a different reason. She was no pegasus, but she was a pious member of the Church of One, and the sight of so many red priests in one place sickened her. They seemed to be on every street corner, shouting about the evil of unicorns, the treachery of sorceresses, and Hadish’s holy cause in fighting Alhert and Seaspray, both of whom had fallen under the control of mages. She had been to Manehattan before, but things hadn’t been like this when she’d lived here twelve years ago.
Things have changed; there’s a different king on the throne now. She remembered her meeting with Hadish when he was still a prince. He hadn’t been particularly kind to her then, sure that she was an agent of Celestia. Would he remember her, and what would he think now that she truly was an agent of Celestia? King Hadish was an unknown, but all the rulers of the Three Sisters had to be spoken to in order to prevent the Seventeenth Trade War from ever beginning. King Alhert and Duchess Seaspray might turn the others away, but they would never harm them. Manehattan’s ruler, on the other hoof, had made it clear that Celestia was his enemy, and his actions were less predictable. His common title was “the Rash” after all. It was entirely possible he’d imprison or execute them, completely without fear of the wrath Celestia would rain down in reply.
Applejack and Fluttershy were within the main city now, across the long stone bridge that connected the outlying bits of Manehattan to the island it had started on. The island was in the middle of a river which flowed down from the center of the much larger Manehattan Isle off the coast of the Equestrian mainland. High red walls surrounded the city of Manehattan on the island, with smaller walls surrounding the areas on the banks connected to the main city by bridges. Atop a hill on the northern tip of the island stood the Kings’ Redoubt, the ancient seat of Manehattan’s kings. That was their destination. The last time Applejack had met Hadish, it had been in the opulent Court of Dragons, but that palace had been demolished after King Wexel’s death. The new king wanted nothing to do with the trivialities of his father’s reign, and this was just one of the ways in which it was displayed.
The two ponies barely made it up the hill to the King’s Redoubt when they were surrounded by guards in Hadish’s colors. Applejack had expected as much and had the letter from Celestia ready. It didn’t prevent them from being captured, having their saddlebags taken from them, and being thrown in prison, but it did prevent them from being sent to the really bad part of the dungeons or being tortured. Eventually, a guard came for them and brought them out of the dungeons and up to the castle.
King Hadish was always paranoid, and the imminent war only made matters worse. Before they could be taken before him, Applejack and Fluttershy were bound in dimeritium shackles to prevent them from using any witchcraft on the king. In this way, they were brought to the throne room of the Kings’ Redoubt and King Hadish’s court.
The king was seated upon his throne in the red-tinted hall. Though it was still early in the day, the windows were shuttered, and the only light came from great braziers around the columns holding up the ceiling, their flickering flame causing the figures to seem to writhe. For Applejack, it almost seemed as if she had stepped into the Abyss and was approaching Ruthus himself. Hadish was surrounded by his kingdom’s nobility, and he waved them silent as his prisoners approached.
“So, the Perfumed Corpse has sent her ‘Brave Companions’ to kill or bewitch me then, has she?” the king asked as they stopped in front of him.
“Not at all, Your Majesty,” Applejack replied, thinking back to what her Aunt and Uncle Orange had taught her, “If you read th’ letter we were carryin’, it explains-”
“Aha! So, it was to bewitch me that you have come!” Hadish interrupted here, “You sought to use that letter to cast a spell upon me, but I am not so foolish, nor are those in my service! As soon as they saw Celestia’s mark, they tossed it into the fire, destroying her plot!”
So, maybe the letter hadn’t saved them after all. There was still a good possibility that Hadish would send them back to the dungeons to be tortured after this.
“All it said was that she hoped y’ would allow us t’ meet with y’ an’ try t’ convince y’ t’ stop th’ war,” Applejack explained.
“Even if there were not some foul witchcraft hidden within her words on the page, what interest would I have in stopping this war?” Hadish asked, “Why should I parley with my enemies before first blood is even drawn?”
“Celestia believes there’s a p-peaceful solution that will b-benefit all,” Fluttershy spoke up, not wanting to, but not wanting Applejack to have to hold up the entire conversation on her own, “Consider it before you lose hundreds or thousands in conflict.”
“Is this the best argument you have?” Hadish scoffed, “They will die as part of a necessary sacrifice to put my enemies in their places. I will crush Alhert on the field and Seaspray at sea, and Manehattan will take its rightful place on the Shimmering Sea.”
“Alhert is willin’ t’ deal with y’ if only y’ will disinherit your son Robar,” Applejack said.
She didn’t honestly expect Hadish would accept such a suggestion, but she had to present it. Twilight had made that perfectly clear in her letter the night before. If anything, it would make finding a peaceful solution even harder, but that didn’t bother these kings. They wanted this war, King Alhert so that he could ensure his kingdom and Hadish’s were never merged. King Hadish’s intentions were unclear, but given his interests, he’d probably want either land, tribute, or something involving the True Faith.
“Of course he is willing to deal on those terms,” Hadish laughed, “But he knows there must be a war because there is no other way I would agree to something like that but with a sword to my throat, and maybe not even then. King Alhert will never get what he wants from me, and that is final! Is that all?”
“Could we continue to stay with you to advise and observe?” Fluttershy asked, following Celestia’s instructions.
“Absolutely not,” Hadish said with a sneer, “I have a war to win, and I can’t be concerned with servants of the Shadow Empress near me plotting to assassinate or ensorcel me. Take them away.”
“Back to the dungeons, Your Majesty?” the guard that had escorted them here asked, and Hadish looked thoughtful for a few seconds.
“No, they know what would happen if they were to try to come for me again or look where they don’t belong,” the king pronounced, “Return their belongings and set them loose to scurry back to their mistress.”
***
They had failed in their quest, but it wasn’t exactly unexpected. King Hadish the Rash liked war, and he was good at it. When he was barely a stallion, his prowess on the battlefield was already known, and had convinced the pegasi of the Hill Kingdoms to kneel to Celestia rather than risk an invasion led by this Manehattanite prince. Nineteen years ago, he had turned back the barbarian hordes under Stalliongrad’s Prince Bann the Terrible. He had put down rebellions and cemented his hold on every corner of his dominion. He was so feared that King Alhert of Fillidelfiyaa had agreed to marry his daughter to Hadish’s son, and had inadvertently made it so that the crown of Fillidelfiyaa would pass to Hadish’s line on his death. Of course Hadish wouldn’t be open to negotiating for peace, especially when the messengers came from Celestia, whom he despised with all his being. But, at least Applejack and Fluttershy were alive and unharmed, which was the best realistic outcome they could’ve hoped for.
Hadish’s army would be leaving soon, and the roads out of the city were packed, but that wasn’t the only reason Applejack and Fluttershy didn’t leave immediately after they were expelled from the King’s Redoubt. There was one place Applejack had to visit while they were in Manehattan: St. Cassius’s Basilica. Despite Hadish’s purges, the massive and ancient church still stood, towering over all surrounding buildings except for the nearby Temple of the Divine Cleansing Flame. Manehattan was the first place in Equestria that the unicorn crusaders had set hoof after crossing the Shimmering Sea. The city’s name had once been Maene’r Tahn—Maene’s Will—for it had been the call of Archbishop Cassius in the holy city of Maene that had brought them here. Where the crusaders had first met to pray to Faust upon their arrival on this new continent had arisen a church that eventually grew into this basilica, the only one in Equestria. It dwarfed even the great Cant’r Laht Cathedral, though nowadays it was mostly empty.
St. Cassius’s Basilica was a magnificent, but also depressing, sight. With fewer and fewer congregants every year daring to attend, they couldn’t afford to maintain such a tremendous structure, and it was beginning to fall into disrepair. Brick walls had been constructed around the entire complex to keep out ne’er-do-wells, but they couldn’t stop everything, and many of the ornate stained-glass windows had been damaged by thrown rocks. Anywhere that was vulnerable or had been hit already had also been bricked up, marring the beauty of the basilica’s exterior. It would not remain much longer before either some incredibly tragic fate befell it, or it had to be abandoned.
As Applejack and Fluttershy approached the basilica, it was abundantly clear that all was not well. A brawl was taking place at the basilica’s street entrance, within the protective wall. On one side were normal townsponies wielding whatever tools they thought would make good weapons, and on the other were the basilica guard with their pointed helms, flowing capes, and clubs. The basilica guard were well outnumbered and were taking a beating, but they carried on their task of defending the basilica and knocked their attackers senseless or sent them running. Fluttershy and Applejack were close enough to observe as the guards began dragging the unconscious townsponies away from the basilica and a trio of city guards galloped up.
“Stop right there! You’re assaulting innocent Faithful ponies again!” the lead guard accused, no question in his voice.
“We defended ourselves and our home, as is our right,” a basilica guard with a broken plume atop his helm replied stoically, “As you can see, we have stood our ground only and did not pursue those who fled. The only fallen are within our wall.”
“Sure you did,” the city guard sneered, “You’ve beaten them all soundly is what you did. You’ll pay for this.”
“The usual fee, I assume,” the basilica guard replied, “As you can see, we killed nopony, only rendered them unconscious.”
“You can act serene if you wish, Diligence, but remember that you won’t always be here,” the city guard said spitefully before departing and ordering his subordinates to check all the unconscious ponies.
It didn’t seem like a good time to approach, so Applejack and Fluttershy waited until the last of the attackers were removed to the street and had been carried or led away by the city guards before approaching the basilica. The basilica guards snapped to attention as they approached and drew their clubs, forming a line. The pony the city guard had called Diligence approached them, his weapon still hanging at his side.
“What business have ye here?” he demanded to know.
“We just want t’ enter th’ basilica,” Applejack answered, “We’ve come a long way, all th’ way from Ponieville.”
“Pilgrims? My apologies,” the basilica guard said, and motioned for the others to stand down, “I am Captain Diligence of the Guard of the Basilica of Saint Cassius. Apologies again, but it is rare we receive believers and not troublemakers of the Red Faith.”
“They attack y’ often?” Applejack asked.
“On nearly a daily basis,” Diligence replied wearily, “The red priests have stirred the ponies of this city up against us, but we must continue to stand our ground and defend the Basilica of Saint Cassius until either the threat is no more, judgement day comes, or we are all deceased. I fear it will be the latter.”
“Oh my, you’re hurt,” Fluttershy said as she saw the blood dripping from one of basilica guards, and trotted over, reaching into her saddlebags for healing herbs.
“I’ll survive,” the guard said painfully as she struggled to stay on her hooves, but she didn’t stop Fluttershy from administering to her, “Pitchforks are just as dangerous as the tales say, especially when all we have are these clubs.”
“King Hadish has forbidden us from using weapons to defend ourselves other than these clubs,” Diligence sighed, “Any day now, I’m sure he’ll forbid those as well, so it’s fortunate that we’re practicing unarmed combat.”
“He’s tryin’ t’ wear y’ down an’ get y’ killed without gettin’ directly involved,” Applejack said, and Diligence nodded, “Is that what that guard meant when he said y’ wouldn’t always be here?”
“Unfortunately, that’s a far more immediate concern,” the guard captain said, “We have been conscripted into Hadish’s army and are to depart for the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa at a moment’s notice. While we are gone, the Basilica of Saint Cassius will be undefended, and I fear for the safety of those inside.”
“Have you driven the heathens back?” an elderly mare asked as she trotted out of the basilica.
She walked slowly and carefully down the steps, her elaborate crosier knocking on the stones with each step. Atop her head was a mitre embroidered with a horn and wings and a scarf was draped over her robes, words in the Language of the Horns upon it. There were only two kinds of ponies who wore scarfs like that: priestesses and sorceresses, and she was no sorceress.
“Your Eminence!” Captain Diligence said as he turned and knelt, and the rest of the basilica guard followed suit, “Yes, the trouble has passed for the moment.”
“Dutiful as always, captain. You were wise to choose the name you did. Still, I pray every day that this great burden would not lay upon you forever,” the clergymare said, before turning her attention to the strangers in the midst of the guards, “What’s this? Who do we have here?”
“Pilgrims from Ponieville, Your Eminence,” Captain Diligence answered.
“From Ponieville, you say. An orange mare in a farmer’s garb and a yellow pegasus wearing a druidess’s robes,” the clergymare said, her eyes widening, “Could you be who I think you are? The Brave Companions? Applejack and Fluttershy?”
“Yes, Your Eminence,” Applejack answered, following the lead of Captain Diligence, “I’m honored that y’ know us, an’ embarrassed that I don’t know y’.”
“Nothing to be ashamed of; I have heard much about you, but I doubt you would have heard about me,” the mare replied, “I am Cardinal Iessius, shepherdess to a rapidly dwindling flock. Surely you didn’t come all this way just to see the empty Basilica of Saint Cassius, though?”
“We came t’ convince Hadish t’ call off th’ war,” Applejack said, “As expected, it didn’t go well.”
“The mad king will never halt his reign of terror. He will not be content until he has spread his rule and his Red Faith across all of Equestria. We remain here, in the center of this storm. Alas that we live in such dark times, but we must keep faith,” Cardinal Iessius said somberly, “But, it is unwise for us to linger here, lest other violent-minded ponies arrive. Please, come inside, and we can talk more.”
***
Before they spoke to Iessius, Applejack spent plenty of time marveling at the basilica. Here was a structure that displayed the majesty of the great goddess worshipped by the Church of One. Its beauty was unmatched by anything in Equestria, and yet it had once been outmatched by other basilicas of the Eastern Continent, which were now no more, lost either in the Time of Chaos or destroyed at the order of the Zebrikaanian Padishahs. Arches, artworks, and relics: Applejack marveled at all of them.
Just as the cardinal had said, however, the basilica was empty. Very few ponies were here other than the basilica’s attendants, and they were far fewer than one would have expected for such an important site for the Church of One. A few congregants were around, but it looked like they too lived here now, no longer safe on the streets of a city that now shunned their religion violently. The glory of the basilica was tainted by the gloom that hung over everything, as if even the pillars and statues of saints knew that these were the last days for this church.
Cardinal Iessius knew that things were dire, and that she would inevitably have to abandon the church she’d called her home for years. She refused to do so, however, clinging to hope that the Church of One could reclaim the Kingdom of Manehattan, or at least remain without being wiped out completely by the True Faith. She was constantly writing letters to High Priestess Rubius in Cant’r Laht, who was sympathetic to her plight and sent all the aid she could, but it wasn’t enough. Many of the other cardinals were more concerned with their own interests and dismissive of Rubius, who they’d hoped would be a figurehead, and so she was constantly caught up in struggles with the rest of the Church and could not turn the attention to Manehattan that it needed. Rubius was young and pious, just like her ancient predecessor, but she was no Cassius; there would be no crusade to retake the Kingdom of Manehattan for the Church of One.
Once Applejack had finished her open-mouthed admiration of the basilica (mostly), Iessius led them to a bench in a transept to speak with them. The simple farmer from Ponieville never imagined she’d have the opportunity to speak to somepony so high in the Church of One face-to-face, but she’d never imagined that she’d become friends with five other very different ponies, venture into the Everfree Forest to obtain ancient artifacts, and save the world from eternal night. The Brave Companions carried more weight in Equestria than several of them had yet grasped. The story of how they had protected Ponieville’s chapel from a red priest and from Hadish’s stooges had reached Cardinal Iessius, and so she spoke plainly to them about the situation St. Cassius’s Basilica was facing. Perhaps they had been sent here for a purpose even they did not realize, and could be her messengers.
“So, what will y’ do when they’re away?” Applejack asked as the cardinal finished talking about how Hadish would soon be stealing away the basilica guard for his army.
“We will barricade the doors, hide ourselves away within the basilica, and pray,” Cardinal Iessius sighed, “It is all we can do against such enemies. Fortunately, their preferred tool for destruction is fire, and stone does not burn. It will be a mob that attacks us, urged on by their blasphemous priests, since their armed forces will be with Hadish as well. However, as our own guard know all too well, poorly armed townsponies can do just as much damaged as trained soldiers when they’re determined.”
“I’m surprised that they’re willing to fight with the basilica guard at their side,” Fluttershy commented, one of the few things she’d said since they’d sat down with the cardinal, her attention more focused—or so it seemed—on the creatures sculpted around a nearby pillar than on the conversation, “They must hate you just as much as you do them, yet they find it acceptable to have you fight along with them. Odd.”
“Fluttershy, that’s it!” Applejack exclaimed, an idea springing to mind.
“W-what’s it?” Fluttershy asked uncertainly.
“Y’ might be right about th’ Red Faith wantin’ nothin’ t’ do wi’ fightin’ alongside th’ basilica guard,” Applejack explained, “Surely somepony came up wi’ this plan t’ kill them off in th’ fightin’ or leave th’ basilica defenseless, but who was it, an’ was th’ Red Faith consulted? If this was all Hadish’s idea an’ they want nothin’ t’ do wi’ it, he’d have t’ bow t’ their wishes if he truly is as devoted t’ them as he claims.”
“The time is long gone when the cardinal of this basilica would be invited to the king’s court, but I have other means of garnering information,” Cardinal Iessius offered, “If this was not Hadish’s plan alone, then it must have come from Burnished Bronze, a high-ranking priest in the Red Faith who serves as his advisor.”
“How does that help us?” Fluttershy asked quizzically.
“Maybe not everypony in th’ Red Faith supports this plan,” Applejack said, “In which case, y’ might be able t’ convince them t’ oppose it an’ force Hadish t’ change his mind.”
“M-me?” Fluttershy asked, “Why would I be the one to convince them?”
“You are a druidess,” Iessius said, catching on to Applejack’s plan, “So far as the red priests are concerned, you are already halfway to joining them. It is possible that they would allow you on the Fiery Isle to speak to them.”
“I’m also a pegasus,” Fluttershy protested, “What about you, Applejack? You’re an earth pony.”
“I would never be able t’ convince them that I was one o’ them,” Applejack dismissed that idea, “Besides, Apple Bloom told me how y’ convinced a cockatrice t’ go away instead o’ eatin’ y’, so this should be no problem.”
“That was an animal, not ponies who burn other ponies alive,” Fluttershy said fearfully, “I didn’t come to Manehattan to go to the Fiery Isle. This is not my fight.”
“If we don’t do this, then everypony here is almost guaranteed t’ die,” Applejack said, and Cardinal Iessius voiced no objections to her statement, “I know we came here t’ prevent th’ war, but if we can’t do that, then at least maybe we can save some lives.”
“O-okay, then,” Fluttershy said after a moment’s thought, “You’re right, Applejack. We can’t give up on doing any good just because we failed at our quest.”
“You will do it, then?” Cardinal Iessius asked apprehensively.
“I will,” Fluttershy said, though she was still frightened of the dangers ahead.
***
The tiny rowboat bobbed up and down in Manehattan’s harbor as it slowly advanced toward Fiery Isle. The bare rock jutted out of the water ahead, upon it Temple Tower rising to the heavens. Temple Tower had been one of Manehattan’s most recognizable sights for centuries, made even more so once King Hadish had added it to the Kingdom of Manehattan’s official banner, uniting his kingdom and the True Faith inseparably. The tower’s base was pyramidal, a blocky and imposing wall of cold stone. From its flat roof rose a high, cylindrical tower, at the top of which billowed an enormous fire, smoke and sparks trailing off into the wind. Here was the heart of the True Faith, where it had all begun, and where Fluttershy would have to go to fulfill the plan.
Though the druidess tended to stay landbound, she could have easily flown across the channel separating the city of Manehattan from the Fiery Isle. However, it probably wasn’t a good idea to make one’s entrance to the most holy site of a religion that preached earth pony superiority by doing something like that, so she had stopped at the docks across from the isle instead. There were boats dedicated to transporting ponies to and from the Fiery Isle, and she’d employed the service of one to take her across. The nearby red priests seemed excited at her presence as she climbed into the rowboat, and she noticed a pigeon overtake the boat as they crossed the channel, a message tied to its leg.
“Mistress Fluttershy, welcome to Fiery Isle,” a red priest greeted her as she stepped out of the rowboat, “We’ve been expecting you.”
“I’m … expected?” the druidess asked, completely taken off guard.
“Yes, when we received word that you were in the city, we had hoped that you would find your way here,” the priest replied, and motioned for her to follow him, “Prelate Summer Sails wishes to speak with you.”
The priest led her toward Temple Tower, past many other priests, dedicants, and initiates, who watched the pegasus with curiosity or distrust. The island seemed even more barren now that she was on it; nothing grew upon the stony ground other than a few scraggly shrubs trying to creep out from under boulders. Food was brought here from elsewhere, along with the timber that was heaped in great piles near Temple Tower. Several initiates were hard at work breaking the wood into smaller pieces, which they would then carry up the tower’s stairs to feed the fire at its top. The All-Consuming Flame had burned for a thousand years and would not go out on their watch.
“Am I allowed inside?” Fluttershy asked as her guide stepped through one of the doors into Temple Tower, fearing a trap.
“Of course. Ordinarily you would be correct to be hesitant, for only those who have devoted themselves completely to the True Faith are allowed to enter, but Prelate Summer Sails has requested your presence, so an exception will be made,” the red priest explained, “Come, he is waiting to meet you.”
The priest led Fluttershy up through Temple Tower, the ponies they passed watching with the same mixture of curiosity and distrust as down below. When they emerged onto the roof of the tower’s base, there were other ponies around, all of them facing toward the tower and looking up at the flame, except for one. One red priest stood alone on the edge of the roof, staring to the west and swaying slightly as the breeze whistled past.
“Prelate Summer Sails of the Path of Air, may I introduce Fluttershy, druidess of the Ponieville Druid Circle,” Fluttershy’s guide proclaimed as they came to a halt behind the lone stallion.
The prelate turned to face the druidess and motioned for the other priest to leave. His red robes were the same as every other priest on the Fiery Isle, and there was nothing to distinguish him as an important pony in the True Faith other than the amulet around his neck. Hanging from the string was a small circle of iron with crossbars dividing it evenly into four parts. Where the top of the vertical crossbar met the rim was set a white jewel.
“I am glad you found your way here,” Summer Sails said with a sly smile, “We have much to discuss.”
***
“The fire is but one aspect of the natural forces around us. It is the most wild, most energetic, and most visible, but it is far from the only one,” the prelate explained later, “The air is another of the great natural forces, and I marvel at it every day. Gusts, winds, tempests, breezes, hurricanes, drafts, tornadoes, and squalls; I revel in them all! What I would give to soar upon the currents above as you do.”
“You do?” Fluttershy asked, “But I am a pegasus. I thought the True Faith only accepted earth ponies.”
“We can sympathize with you,” Summer Sails said, “Like us, you too were victims of the evil of the unicorns. They made us their slaves, twisted our minds, and you—you they massacred in the millions in order to take Equestria from you. They will be burned away like the sickness they are upon this land, and all will know the Truth.”
“Is that why you are involved in Hadish’s wars?” Fluttershy asked, looking for a way to fulfill her quest without arousing suspicion.
She couldn’t just come out and say that the Church of One and the True Faith would be fighting together on the battlefield; that would be too suspicious. Somehow, she had to work a mention of it into the conversation, but she wasn’t sure how, not when Summer Sails spent so much time going on about the merits of the True Faith, the evil of magic and unicorns, and how druids were so close to the Truth but had not yet fully grasped it. She also didn’t know if the prelate already knew about the conscription of the basilica guard, or if he was opposed to it. She had no idea what she would do if it turned out that he had been in favor of this plan from the start.
“Finally, we have a king who truly embraces our faith,” Prelate Summer Sails said proudly, “Once he is victorious in this war, our priests will be able to move freely in the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa, set up temples, and spread the Truth more rapidly.”
That sounded like something that would be useful to share with Twilight, like Alhert’s plan to force Robar’s disinheritance. Unfortunately, the communication with the sorceress was one-way only, and Applejack and Fluttershy could only receive messages. Summer Sails was getting closer to where Fluttershy wanted, but he wasn’t there just yet. As he looked over the edge of Temple Tower, Fluttershy followed his gaze, which ended upon an area where it looked like tents had been pitched recently.
“The Five Hundred Faithful are already with Hadish’s army and will be among the soldiers to draw first blood in the battles with Alhert’s motley force, extending our reach by the sword as well as by speech,” Summer Sails boasted as he looked at the old camp. That’s it!
“I’m sure they will outmatch those from the Church of One on the battlefield,” Fluttershy commented, and was rewarded with the prelate’s stunned response.
“What? What do you mean by this?” Summer Sails asked.
“King Hadish will be bringing along the guards of Saint Cassius’s Basilica to fight alongside you,” Fluttershy said, “Didn’t you know?” I have him!
“I did not,” Summer Sails said, paling, “This is unacceptable. I-I must speak to the Hierarch about this immediately. Please, excuse me.”
***
“Your Majesty, this one has informed me that you will be bringing along the guard from that accursed unicorn basilica on your glorious conquest,” Prelate Summer Sails addressed King Hadish, “Is this true?”
After learning that piece of information from Fluttershy, the prelate had rushed to the True Faith’s hierarch, leaving her on the roof of Temple Tower. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do next, so she stayed where she was. It only occurred to the druidess that perhaps the hierarch was in on the plot to kill off the last believers in the Church of One when Prelate Summer Sails returned. Fortunately for her, that wasn’t the case, and the prelate requested that she accompany him to speak with King Hadish. Despite her protests that she was forbidden from disturbing the king on pain of death, he insisted. Wary of trusting in the protection of the True Faith, she followed him anyway.
With several other red priests, they rowed across the waves to the city of Manehattan. From there, the group proceeded through the city to the outskirts, where the king’s army was packing up their camp and preparing to move out. Fluttershy stuck out of the group, she in her rough, drab druidess robes, and the rest in their fine red garb, and many of the ponies they passed looked their way curiously. Somewhere along the way, Applejack managed to join the group, which caused a bit of protest once the red priests realized she was among them until Fluttershy explained that they were together, and a stern word from the prelate silenced the others.
The army was nearly ready to leave by the time they arrived, and they only found the king with much difficulty. For anypony else, Hadish would’ve dismissed them until his return weeks or months from now, but he was a true believer in the True Faith, and upon hearing that a prelate wanted to speak to him, postponed the departure until after the meeting. He had set up a makeshift court in the open field with a chair to serve as his throne, and his advisors gathered around. One of those advisors was Burnished Bronze, Prelate of the Path of Fire, and he stood next to the king. His attire was much the same as Summer Sails’, except that his amulet had a red jewel where the horizontal crossbar met the rim instead. He looked anxious when Summer Sail brought up the basilica guard.
“It is, and what of it?” King Hadish asked.
“Your Majesty,” Summer Sail said, showing all the proper respect, “I must object.”
“Why should you object to the deaths of enemies of the True Faith?” the king asked, looking to Burnished Bronze to see if something was amiss in his reasoning, but receiving no positive or negative confirmation. The Prelate of the Path of Fire was holding his cards close to his chest at the moment.
“I do not object to their deaths, but I do object to their deaths on the battlefield, fighting alongside the Five Hundred Faithful and others of great Faith in your army, yourself not the least among them,” Summer Sail explained, “For these heathens to shed their blood in the same great struggle toward our holy cause is a disgrace and an insult. Hierarch Heliotrope concurs that it would be a grave mistake to allow them to accompany you in this war.”
“It was you who first presented this idea to me, Burnished Bronze,” Hadish said, turning to his advisor, “What say you?”
“I must have erred in my judgement, overcome with the burning fervor to wipe away these heathens and devils in your own city,” Burnished Bronze replied, trapped now but trying to save himself, “What the Hierarch says is true. It is quite fortunate that my fellow prelate has brought this to our attention before we have departed. The blood of these nonbelievers would stain the great cause of this war.”
“Very well,” King Hadish said, satisfied with the answer but looking none too pleased by it, “The guard of the basilica will be dismissed from my service for the time being. I would not have them taint my victory.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Summer Sail said, and he and his entourage began to depart.
“Not so fast. You two will stay and accompany me,” Hadish said, gesturing to Applejack and Fluttershy as they turned back around.
“Us, Your Majesty?” Applejack asked, “I thought y’ didn’t want us around because we were Celestia’s spies or somethin’.”
“I’ve changed my mind,” King Hadish the Rash said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to completely reverse course like this, “Better to keep you near me so that you cannot stir up trouble in my realms, and you can also bring word of my victory to the Old Witch as a warning not to trifle with me.”
“Very well,” Applejack said, wondering if he’d change his mind again after they’d departed.
“Let’s move!” Hadish ordered all the ponies standing around him, “King Alhert has too little time left to wait around for us to attack! He’ll move on us first, and we must prepare an appropriate greeting for when we meet!”
Chapter 1:27.4 – The Three Sisters 31st Day of the 10th Month, Year 1000 of the 4th Age
Sunrise came late to the city of Noya Varon, the mountains to its east blocking the city from the sun’s glow, even as the sky brightened above them. On this spring morning, the residents of Noya Varon did not turn their gaze east, however, but to the west. An armada of ships was visible in the distance, just outside the cove that hosted Noya Varon’s magnificent harbor. If one had a telescope, they could see that this armada was flying the colors of Manehattan, a city across the Shimmering Sea and one of the Three Sisters, who were preparing to go to war with each other, one of the reasons being this blockade.
Once, during the height of the unicorns’ power, trading cities had existed all along the western coast of what was now known as the Eastern Continent. A vast, unending string of prosperous cities had existed to transport goods and raw materials across the Shimmering Sea to and from Equestria. It had been known as the crown of the Holy Maenean Empire, and each of the cities had been a jewel in that crown. Now, there were only three cities—Banner, Noya Varon, and Neighples—and ponies had long known them as the Three Jewels. These Three Sisters were merely a copy of this idea, and their conflict now looked to come here.
The city of Noya Varon cared naught for the squabbles of the kingdoms across the sea, so long as they could trade. The blockade was irksome, for it cut off trade with all but King Hadish’s merchants from Equestria, but they had no means to remove the Manehattanite ships themselves. Noya Varon’s navy was a merchant navy, built for trade instead of violence, but they had employed privateers in the past. This conflict seemed not to warrant it, however, and the city’s consuls agreed that, with patience, they would see things in Equestria rearrange themselves and trade return to normal. Why waste precious ducats on mercenaries to take out Manehattan’s armada when Filldelfiyaa or Balte-Maer were likely to do it for free? Thus, when the lookout atop the Great Lighthouse spotted a fleet of ships stealthily making their way up the coast from the south, no alarms were raised.
Fillidelfiyaa’s fleet was not, as many suggested, composed of hired pirates, but they had trained themselves to act like raiders. For months now, they had struck Manehattan and Balte-Maer’s merchant ships on the Shimmering Sea, extracting tribute and goods from them in order to pressure the other two nations into a conflict. At last, real war had come, but they would now be put to the test. Would the tactics they’d used against merchant vessels (who had minimal armed protection if they’d been given any at all) work against Manehattan’s well-trained armada? They were prepared to find out as they sailed through the fog floating out of Noya Varon’s harbor.
Archers and soldiers piled onto the decks and torches were doused as they rounded the outcropping of rock upon which stood the Great Lighthouse, and the enemy fleet came in sight. A priest of the Church of One spoke a blessing over the warriors, calling them to slaughter the heathens on the boats that they drew ever closer to. Those aboard the Manehattanite ships would be believers in the True Faith one and all, and they would see what the fire they worshipped could really do. With a few pegasi, the Fillidelfiyaan fleet would’ve had the opportunity to crush their foes without ever risking their own vessels, but that wouldn’t do. King Alhert had been very clear that only earth ponies were to be involved in this so that King Hadish couldn’t claim foul play, so they would be doing it the hard way.
So far, the fleet was undetected, but that wouldn’t last for long. The Manehattanites were rousing themselves for the day ahead, to eat a poor breakfast and complain about the lack of shore leave in the past week. A few ponies had been brave or foolish enough to take a rowboat over to Noya Varon for the night and were late in returning, paddling desperately to get back before their commander arose and realized they’d shirked their duty. In the fog, the rowboat nearly bounced against one of the Fillidelfiyaan ships, and it took the soldiers a few moments to realize that this vessel ought not to be here. Before they could call out a warning to their comrades, they were filled with Fillidelfiyaan arrows.
“Oi, whassat?” somepony called from a nearby Manehattanite ship, having heard the sounds of arrows striking flesh and wood and the death groans of the soldiers.
“Archers, draw!” commanders across the Fillidelfiyaan ships commanded now that their cover was nearly blown, and confusion broke out on the Manehattanite vessels as they tried to determine where the voices were coming from in the fog, “Fire!”
***
10th Day of the 11th Month
Applejack and Fluttershy looked out over the land that would soon become a battlefield. These had not long ago been fields, tended to by peasant farmers much like Applejack, except that all their labor was done in service to the lord of the nearby castle. That castle was now shattered, and the fields already trampled. King Alhert’s army had arrived here six days ago; after cutting his way through the southern territory of the Kingdom of Manehattan, he left behind smaller forces to siege other fortresses that had stood in his way. He had stopped here, though, unwilling to leave this castle or diminish his army any more than he already had. With no access to reliable messengers (Twilight had wisely stopped sending them letters after they’d joined up with King Hadish’s forces), the two Brave Companions had no way of knowing how the rest of the war was going, but Alhert was doing well here. Reports that had reached the Manehattanite army on its march described in detail the forces that Alhert had left to siege, and many of them had rejoined the main army, having apparently completed their objective and left behind a small garrison.
Alhert had only recently succeeded here, where the battle would soon take place. The garrison knew that Hadish was coming, and if Alhert had stopped his army here, then it meant he was expecting him. Starving them out wouldn’t work, so King Alhert had used a more expedient method of forcing the castle’s surrender. Sappers and siege engineers had worked around the clock until the combined bombardment and collapse of walls had convinced the ponies within that Hadish wouldn’t arrive in time. They’d surrendered, but the castle was no longer defensible by the time they did. It could be used as a last resort to retreat to if the battle went poorly, but not much else.
The two armies had drawn up lines, Hadish’s to the northwest, Alhert’s to the southeast. King Hadish stood in the center of the line, surrounded by his royal forces, flanked on the right by the levies of the Duke of Bucklyn, The Hornhunter. Past them were the Five Hundred Faithful, the knights of the True Faith, securing the army’s right flank. To the left of Hadish were the assorted forces of his kingdom’s nobility, anchored on the far left by those of the Count of Hollow Shades. Applejack and Fluttershy stood on a hillock past the left flank, careful to stay well away from the armies until the fighting was over.
No movement was made as the armies sized each other up, each waiting for orders from their kings to engage. It was a test of patience between King Hadish, known as the Rash, and King Alhert, a monarch who was desperate for victory and had few years left to obtain it. The wind was in Hadish’s favor, and he ordered his army to advance first, his soldiers safe when Alhert predictably ordered an arrow barrage that fell short. The Manehattanite archers fired back, their projectiles banging against shields or sinking into ponies’ flesh while they remained out of range of retribution.
“Advance!” King Alhert ordered, and the call went up across his army.
Knights sortied forward to charge the enemy lines and provide distraction for the archers to move in range. Fearful peasants trotted forward over the ground their own hooves had trampled days before, pikes swaying as they walked. They had never asked for this war, nor would they gain anything from it, but they would do their duty to their king, for the alternative to this possible end was certain death and disgrace for their families. Arrows rained down around them, and many had to repeat to themselves what they’d been told by their commanders as they marched obediently onward toward the enemy army that was now rushing forward in places to meet them. Forward, break, stones, forward, break, stand, for our king and for our land.
***
31st Day of the 10th Month
From atop the highest tower of Noya Varon, one of the city’s consuls watched the battle on the waves through the powerful telescope mounted there. The fog was fading away, making it clearer what was happening out there. In numbers, the two fleets were nearly evenly matched, but Manehattan’s vessels were larger. The Fillidelfiyaan ships made up for this with speed and maneuverability, cutting around their opponents and denying them the positions they desired. That wasn’t to say that everything was going well for the Fillidelfiyaan fleet, but it was going as well as could be expected. There were casualties on both sides from arrows, but the Manehattanites were taking the worst of it.
Convinced that they’d softened up their enemies enough, the Fillidelfiyaan captains began ordering their ships to come alongside the Manehattanite vessels. Grappling hooks were thrown between ships, and though some were thrown back or had their lines cut, the Fillidelfiyaan ships were still able to come alongside. Arrows flew back and forth for a few seconds each time as the Manehattanite ships were boarded, soldiers charging onto the decks and swinging their swords around. Soon, the sounds of shouting and firing arrows became the sounds of shouting and clanging swords.
Not all of Manehattan’s ships were boarded, however. Some of the Fillidelfiyaan raiders continued to harass their opponents, sailing alongside at high speed while pelting them with arrows. There were also ponies with slings onboard the Fillidelfiyaan ships, trained to hurl pots filled with flammable oil onto the decks of the enemy vessels. Once they’d been thoroughly pelted with the oil, the archers switched to flaming arrows and set the ships ablaze. Ponies jumped, burning alive, from the infernos into the sea, only to be riddled with arrows as the seawater doused the flames.
On one of the Manehattanite vessels, the crew was successfully repulsing their boarders. The captain called out encouragement to his crew in between instances of taking matters into his own hooves to cut through the Fillidelfiyaans with his sword. Shouts came from the Fillidelfiyaan ship, and the boarders quickly retreated, causing the Manehattanites to send up a cry of victory. The captain was preparing to order a boarding of their foe while their vessels were still side-by-side when a clay pot struck him, thrown from the enemy ship, covering him in oil. Somepony on his ship yelled a warning an instant before a flaming Manehattanite ship slammed into his own vessel, the fire rapidly spreading as sparks found the oil from the pots the Fillidelfiyaans were still throwing. The Fillidelfiyaan ship cut itself free as their enemies tried to escape the fire by jumping to their deck and their captain fell screaming into the waves.
Atop the highest tower of Noya Varon, the consul took his eye away from the telescope. He had seen enough; the Fillidelfiyaans would win the day, and it was unlikely that even as single ship from Manehattan’s armada would escape. Those they didn’t burn, the Fillidelfiyaans would likely take for their own. The consul hurried down the tower’s stairs, tossing a coin to the telescope’s caretaker before he did.
“Summon Consul Treibryn and the council,” he ordered his attendant when he reached the base of the tower, “We should be ready at the docks to greet these Fillidelfiyaans when they arrive.”
***
5th Day of the 11th Month
Ponies rushed around the Balte-Maeri camp, gathering their weapons and preparing for battle. Two days ago, they’d settled in for a siege around one of the Fillidelfiyaan castles blocking their advance, but King Alhert’s southern army had moved more quickly than they’d anticipated, and they now had to abandon their progress in order to draw up battle lines behind the defensive works they’d constructed. Even with the Griffon Free Companies, the Balte-Maeri forces outnumbered their Fillidelfiyaan counterparts, so they were not concerned. If the battle went in their favor, the castle’s garrison might even surrender prematurely, allowing them to march farther into King Alhert’s lands unopposed.
There was also chaos among the Fillidelfiyaan army as its motley components tried to pull themselves together. King Alhert had taken the best of his forces north to battle with King Hadish, leaving Baron Hadrian of Trotston with what was left over. He was confident that he was up for the task, however; King Alhert trusted him for a reason.
“From our reconnaissance, we’ve gathered that they’ve positioned their pegasus forces here and here,” Hadrian announced, pointing to a rough sketch laid out atop a flat boulder, “The White Mountain pegasi will take those on the left, and the Blue Mountain pegasi will take those on the right. Keep them tied up, ground them if you can. I don’t want a sudden aerial attack fouling up the movements of the rest of the army.”
“And what are we to do while the pegasi are flitting about? Slog along in the mud?” Ghunthar zar’Ghrisna asked as he sharpened an axe.
“No, I need your gryphons here, harrying Seaspray’s heavy troops on their left flank,” Hadrian said.
“Heavy troops,” another gryphon commander snorted, “Why not just feed us into a meat grinder?”
“With the pegasi tied up, you’ll have the aerial advantage, and a better chance than our pegasi or ground troops,” Hadrian elaborated, “Drive them away from the main army, toward the castle where you’ll have the assistance of friendly archers.”
“He’s right, Yanghris,” Ghunthar berated the other gryphon, “We’re better suited for cutting through heavy troops than anypony else, and it’s not like we haven’t done it before.”
“What is to be my role in this battle?” Massif inquired, leaning on his staff, “There is another mage among the Balte-Maeri forces, so I would recommend either restraint or total annihilation of the enemy.”
“Restraint,” Hadrian said firmly, “I’ll want your aid, but nothing too elaborate, “Their defensive barriers could prove troublesome if they aren’t swallowed up by the ground. Likewise, I wouldn’t complain if the soil on their right flank gave way and made it hard to maneuver or if stones rose from the earth to foul up their retreat.”
“I understand,” Massif said, inclining his head slightly and his long beard touched the ground.
“Where should we go during the battle?” Twilight Sparkle asked, still surprised (though not displeased) that she and Rainbow Dash had been invited to attend this strategy meeting.
“King Alhert wants you to observe, so find a hill with a good view until the gryphons have driven back the heavy troops and cleared a path to the castle. Once that route is clear, make your way there and you can observe from the battlements,” Hadrian said, before folding up the map of the battlefield, “You all have your marching orders. Return to your commands and await the order to attack. We must strike swiftly while the Balte-Maeri are still disoriented.”
The commanders all departed the improvised meeting site to return to their parts of the ragtag army and get them into position for the battle. While Rainbow Dash took off into the air to scout out a vantage point, Twilight Sparkle followed Massif. On the whole seven-day march here, she hadn’t had a chance to confront him about his role in the events back in Fillidelfiyaa, but she wouldn’t wait any longer.
“Massif,” the sorceress got his attention, and he stopped, “What do you plan to do once the battle is over? Will you disappear into the wilderness? Perhaps you will flee to Duchess Seaspray’s court if she will have you.”
“I haven’t the slightest clue what it is you are going on about,” the sorcerer feigned innocence as he turned back toward Twilight.
“You cannot return to Fillidelfiyaa now,” Twilight said.
“I see no reason why not,” Massif replied, “Unless you know something I do not.”
“There is no way that Penbrook created the golem that attacked Persimmone and Robar’s carriage on her own. That was your doing,” Twilight accused him, “Do you think that King Alhert will welcome you back when he learns that you were behind the plot to assassinate his daughter?”
“Certainly not, but he will never find out,” Massif said boldly, “Your testimony is worthless and nopony else knows my role in those events.”
“Is Penbrook so loyal an apprentice that she would be willing to endure torture without speaking a word about your involvement?” Twilight asked.
“Penbrook will say nothing because Penbrook knows nothing,” Massif sneered, “Apparently Celestia hasn't taught you about memory alteration. She believes that the plot was all her idea, orchestrated by her, and completed without any input from me.”
The sorcerer and sorceress stared each other down, saying nothing. This kind of deception was exactly why many ponies hated mages even when they didn’t have the True Faith spouting lies about them. If it isn’t discovered, though, could it hurt anything any more than Penbrook’s failed scheme already has? No, things like this are almost always discovered, even when the mage behind it is very cunning. Horns blew in the distance as the segments of the Fillidelfiyaan army moved from their marching positions into their battle lines.
“Come on, Twilight, let’s get out of here. I found a good spot for us,” Rainbow Dash said as she swooped down and landed next to the sorceress.
“We all have our positions in this vast web of Equestrian politics,” Massif said as he trotted away, “Do not forget that yours is in Cant’r Laht, not here.”
***
6th Day of the 11th Month
The Fillidelfiyaan fleet reveled in their second victory in less than a week, but they knew that the war was far from over. After crushing Manehattan’s blockade outside of Noya Varon, they’d sold the ponies they’d captured as hostages to the Noya Varonese, who would hold them until a Manehattanite ship came to pay their ransom. Battles had occurred outside of Noya Varon’s harbor for centuries, and this was common practice; Hadish would object only for a short time. The ships they’d captured were left in Noya Varon for safekeeping—the Noya Varonese had no interest in buying vessels of war—and a Fillidelfiyaan delegation would come to reclaim them one day.
After a very short shore leave, the Fillidelfiyaan navy departed Noya Varon and followed the coast north to the city of Banner. Two days ago, they’d arrived and clashed with the Manehattanite blockade here as well. Once again, they’d been victorious, sinking half the armada and capturing the rest. They had taken heavier losses this time, though, even losing two ships to fire when strong winds had propelled flaming Manehattanite vessels into them. Their supplies of oil were also beginning to dwindle, and the Bannerites had none to trade. At least one more fight awaited them before they could return home victoriously; Manehattan’s navy was demolished, but Balte-Maer’s armada was still out there somewhere.
Two days after the battle at Noya Varon, Duchess Seaspray’s fleet docked at Neighples to resupply. By the time they arrived at Noya Varon themselves, the Fillidelfiyaans were locked in battle outside of Banner. The Fillidelfiyaan commodore could easily have continued to stay one step ahead of the Balte-Maeri, but that wasn’t his mission. He needed to sink or cripple their fleet to win his victory, and that meant standing to fight.
“There they are!” Pinkamena called from the deck of Cinnamon Seahorse, the vessel on which Sétine was stationed, as the Fillidelfiyaan ships came into sight in the distance.
The two Brave Companions had had several opportunities to speak to Duchess Seaspray during their voyage, but her mind remained made up. Once the war had begun on land, it was already too late to back down, and that had been days ago. She was determined to win a victory with her armada, especially after receiving news from Sétine about the outcome of the battle in Equestria yesterday. King Alhert’s navy may have demolished King Hadish’s ships, but they had yet to face the Balte-Maeri Ducal Navy, the pride of her duchy.
“Pinkamena, should we really be up here when there is a battle about to commence?” Rarity asked, her tone making it abundantly clear what she thought the answer should be.
“Your compatriot is correct to be concerned,” Sétine said unemotionally to Pinkamena, “I will shield us, but my primary concern is the outcome of the battle and my own safety, not yours. You will be much safer below decks, and although your chances of drowning will increase, you are less likely to be struck by arrows or spells if the enemy also has a mage.”
“Y’know, you remind me a lot of my sister Maud. You two should meet sometime,” Pinkamena said, completely ignoring everything the sorceress had said.
“Pinkamena,” Rarity said pleadingly from the hatch in the deck, having already started to descend the ladder.
“Okay, fine,” the bard said with resignation.
“If you do wish to stay and observe, at the risk of your own safety, your best chance of survival lies at the stern of the ship,” Sétine said as Pinkamena passed her, “I will be shielding the helmsmare and rudder, so there is less of a chance of death, so long as you are not thrown overboard.”
“Thanks!” Pinkamena said merrily, hopping toward the ship’s stern while Rarity descended the rest of the way into the ship’s hold for safety.
The Fillidelfiyaan crafts weaved and darted around in preparation for contact as the Balte-Maeri ships cut through the waves toward them. They wouldn’t have so easy a time as they had with the Manehattanite blockades. The Balte-Maeri vessels were of varying sizes, but even the largest of them were built to be fast (though not quite as fast as the Fillidelfiyaan ships). They knew how to work together, to create formations and keep the enemy unsure of what they’d do next.
Arrows began to fly as the two fleets approached each other and the battle began. Fillidelfiyaan ships cut between the Balte-Maeri vessels, pelting them with arrows as they passed. They quickly had to abandon this tact, however, as the Balte-Maeri ships began moving to surround and board them. The Fillidelfiyaans were outnumbered three to two here, so their typical tactics wouldn’t work. The advancing ships withdrew, but the disentanglement didn’t last long. Soon the fleets were intermixed, and the battle truly commenced as ships wove around and between each other, the entire area of the sea soon becoming a tangled and chaotic mess. Arrows and pots of oil filled the air, along with grappling hooks and the occasional bolt fired from Seaspray’s ballista. This was a battle that only one fleet would sail away from, and both were determined that they would be the victors.
***
10th Day of the 11th Month
Forward. The Fillidelfiyaan army rushed forward to meet the Manehattanite forces on the field of battle. Peasant levies struck out with their pikes at their counterparts from the north. After the initial thrust, those that had other crude weapons (provided themselves) drew them and tried to avoid impaling themselves on their opponents’ pikes. The peasant levies from Manehattan did the same, and swords and hatchets cut through pony flesh across the field.
Knights sought out poorly armored opponents, seeking to impale them with their lances and crush them with their armored bodies without impaling themselves on the dangerous pikes. Once they were past the initial line, they drew their swords and hacked apart their enemies, then disengaged before they were swarmed. Some of them didn’t disengage quickly enough and were dragged down by peasants or professional soldiers. In armor, one could feel invincible, but it didn’t grant any kind of magical protection against being overwhelmed and having your head caved in with a rock or having a pike shoved through the eye slit.
Those knights that did meet fellow armored opponents were quickly locked in battles of swordsmareship. Inevitably, though, these fights would devolve from that high art into grappling in the mud if it didn’t end quickly. Then, there was also the constant threat of arrows raining down while they were fighting. Once again, armored knights were imposing figures, but far from invincible, and could just as easily fall to a lucky arrow as to the sword of a similarly trained opponent.
Break. As the Manehattanite soldiers began to push the Fillidelfiyaans back, across the line ponies broke and retreated back the way they’d come. Knights wheeled as they saw their army give way and began to regroup behind the main line. In many places, the break was all too real as the Manehattanites pounded away and drove the Fillidelfiyaans on, but in others, they were only following the orders they’d had drummed into them during the siege. Their retreat was not without purpose.
Stones. The catapults and trebuchets that King Alhert’s siege engineers had built for the siege threw their projectiles over the Fillidelfiyaan lines and into the advancing enemy army. Duke Dreyis of Bucklyn drove his forces on mercilessly, screaming for them to advance as stones rained around them, crushing many. The Five Hundred Faithful, now slightly reduced in number, were bombarded with flaming tree trunks. Those that weren’t crushed were lit on fire and tried galloping into the enemy lines to sow chaos only to be cut down by the Fillidelfiyaan archers, who were holding their ground. Only because of the fear of Hadish’s retribution did Manehattan’s archers stand their ground as stones tumbled through their ranks. They had an excuse to break as the Fillidelfiyaans moved out of range of their arrows, and they plunged forward with the rest of Manehattan’s army, desperate to get too close for the siege engines to strike them.
Forward. Horns sounded across the Fillidelfiyaan line, and the soldiers turned, the professionals first and the peasant levies largely corralled into it by the lines behind them. Taking the Manehattanites off guard, they charged the advancing line. King Alhert had had nearly a week to plan for this confrontation, and he’d put that time to good use. Fresh pikes were lying on the ground, and the Fillidelfiyaans took them up as they met the enemy, impaling many. Leveraging the pikes with ponies stuck upon them, they pushed forward and disorganized Hadish’s front lines.
Knights wheeled and charged in from the flanks, lancing or striking many before they had to disengage, forming wedges to cut through the enemy forces. The peasants dropped their pikes and charged forward, those who hadn’t dropped their other weapons once again using them, and those who had or hadn’t had another weapon to start with striking with the heavy spiked horseshoes the army had issued them.
It looked to be a massacre at first for the Manehattanites. Their momentum was lost, but they did manage to slowly regain it. They had a morale advantage the Fillidelfiyaans didn’t have access to. While King Alhert was present, he wasn’t fighting on the front lines like King Hadish was. The banner of House Vasa-Elutria waved above the battlefield, letting the Manehattanites know where their king was, and that he was driving forward.
Break. The Fillidelfiyaans gave way to the Manehattanite onslaught before the fighting devolved into a full-fledged melee, once again partially planned and partially not. In disordered fashion, the Fillidelfiyaan line retreated up the hill, Hadish’s troops pursuing them and harrowing them with arrows. The Fillidelfiyaan archers had fallen back by now, and some of their arrows fell short during the retreat, striking their fellow countryponies. It looked to Manehattan’s army that they would carry the day after all.
Stand. As the Fillidelfiyaans reached the top of the hill, they rushed through the gaps in the defenses they’d spent the last week constructing, pushing and straining to make it to relative safety behind the barricades. Fresh pikes awaited them here, as well as stones to throw, and most importantly, a long wall of sharpened stakes protruding from the ground toward their enemies. Some of the last to retreat pulled portable frames into position to block the gaps. Here was where they would make their stand. No more retreats would be tolerated.
As the Manehattanite soldiers rushed to overwhelm their foes, they impaled themselves on the defenses or were fended off by pikes and thrown stones. The Fillidelfiyaan archers also rained down arrows on the attackers, forcing many to hunker down under shields for protection. The siege engines’ positions were adjusted, and soon they were firing on Manehattan’s army again. Hadish’s soldiers could stay where they were and be slaughtered, retreat and attempt this battle another day, or they could continue to drive on and break through the Fillidelfiyaan line. Anypony who knew King Hadish knew what his choice would be, but that didn’t stop some of the peasants from attempting to flee anyway.
From behind their defensive lines, the Fillidelfiyaans were able to hold their foes back, killing far more than they were losing. The Manehattanites continued to push forward, however, littering the ground with their bodies until they were climbing over each other to get to their enemies. Manehattan’s archers struggled to hold their positions on the hill as blood saturated the soil and it turned into a mire. Still, King Hadish’s banner flew, and his fervor was in his army, driven them onward like an unstoppable wave that would wash over the defenses no matter how long it took.
***
6th Day of the 11th Month
Pinkamena clung to the Cinnamon Seahorse’s railing as a flaming ship sailed past, the flames licking out hungrily toward them, but they were rebuffed by Sétine’s protective spells. Rarity had decided to join the bard, coming up from the hold after discovering that she was more scared of being dragged down to drown unexpectedly than being hit by a stray arrow where she could see what was going on around her. Not that she could make much sense of it, for the battle was incredibly chaotic, though it did not seem to be going well for the ducal armada.
Things had initially looked good for the Balte-Maeri: three Fillidelfiyaan ships had been boarded, and Seaspray’s ballista had crippled one and sunk another. The ships they’d boarded, however, had turned out to be traps. They’d been lightly crewed, and those that had remained behind had lit the oil stores before fighting to board the Balte-Maeri ships and failing. When they caught fire, the duchess’s vessels weren’t able to shove off in time, and the flames quickly spread. More ships were aflame, as well, for the Fillidelfiyaans seemed to be going all-out with this method. They would sail quickly by, launching all the pots of oil they could, before swinging back around and pelting the ship with flaming arrows. The ducal navy was losing too many ships very quickly to this tactic.
One of the Fillidelfiyaan ships wove through the fleet on a heading that would take it past the Cinnamon Seahorse. The Fillidelfiyaans readied their slings and pots of oil and tossed them as they passed. Arrows from another ship struck the duck and mast as Sétine redirected her magic. Lightning bolts darted from a glowing aura that surrounded her, striking the pots while they were still in the air and over the enemy vessel. Oil rained down onto the Fillidelfiyaan ship, and they hurried to swing clear of the ship holding the sorceress. Before they could escape, a great lightning bolt descended from the heavens and struck the ship’s mast with such force that it shattered. It also ignited the oil, and soon the Fillidelfiyaan ship was ablaze. An errant breeze propelled it into another Fillidelfiyaan ship before they could get out of the way, and both went up in flames.
Sétine returned her attention to protecting the Cinnamon Seahorse and the ponies upon it, but she held some of the magic back. She would need it as she began to cast spells that would make the sour weather even worse. Since the battle had begun, the sky had grown gray with clouds, due to her efforts. At a moment’s notice, she could bring a squall up that would sink every ship around, but two obstacles stood in the way of that. The spell wasn’t yet complete, the storm still building, and the fleets were so intermingled that there’d be no way to sink only the Fillidelfiyaan ships without great precision that would require an even more complete spell. She had no more hesitancy in using her magic against the enemy fleet, not after she’d established that the Fillidelfiyaans had no mage of their own.
Balte-Maeri horns blared out from the deck of The Pride of Cinnarón, Admiral Shining Gleam’s ship. Soon the call was taken up across the fleet in acknowledgement. It was the signal to disengage and retreat. It wasn’t a rout, though; that would’ve been a different signal. They needed to break the fleets free and regroup, and Shining Gleam evidently had a plan for what to do next. That suited Sétine just fine, for separating the fleets would make her job far easier.
***
10th Day of the 11th Month
Fluttershy used her mane to hide her eyes from the carnage going on not nearly far enough away, while Applejack watched with sympathy for all the peasants dying for Hadish’s cause. Manehattan’s army continued to drive forward, in places overcoming the Fillidelfiyaan defenses, but it had been done at great cost. Whole villages would be abandoned after this, families would be unable to provide for themselves, and the king would demand even higher taxes to make up for his own losses from ponies who’d lost so much themselves. It was the same everywhere, and always would be, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.
While King Hadish and his personal soldiers overran the barricades in the center, the wings of his army also began to drive the Fillidelfiyaans back. The levies from Hollow Shades had broken through the Fillidelfiyaan right flank and were cutting their way through to the archers. The Count of Hollow Shades was among them, a bloodstained bandage wrapped over the eye he’d lost in the fighting. As the Hollow Shades troops cut about like madponies, the archers broke and fled, followed by other defenders as they found enemies on two sides. As they ran before enemies were on three sides, the right flank of Alhert’s army crumbled and the line began to roll up.
On Alhert’s left flank, the Five Hundred Faithful (now under three hundred in number) had also overcome the barriers before them and were engaged in a bloody melee with a mixture of Fillidelfiyaan professional soldiers and peasant levies. The Fillidelfiyaans still held their ground until a line of knights charged in through the mess, swinging about with swords and driving a wedge through the forces before breaking through on the other side. As the knights slaughtered the archers, they fled, as did most of the left flank, and the Fillidelfiyaan army’s defenses on that side crumbled as well.
In the center, Hadish strode forward, his already red-painted armor now shiny with blood. Some of it was his own, from when a pike had pierced under his foreleg, and he was also missing a pauldron, but he had given far better than he’d gotten. His sword cleaved through his enemies, leaving a bloody trail in its wake as he chopped a sergeant’s head clean off. Knights and professional soldiers surrounded their king, setting into the surrounding enemies as if they were firewood to be chopped into kindling. Ser Coldrin of the Ranseur fought at his side, his blade slicing through pikes and flesh alike, keeping enemies from overwhelming the king. Though many saw an opportunity to be a hero when Hadish was in sight, they always met their end. The wiser among them saw only a monster, covered in bloody plate, steam huffing from his nostrils as if he were a dragon like the beast upon his banner, and they fled when he approached.
“Your Majesty, we must retreat!” a marquis under Alhert’s command yelled at his monarch as he returned from the front lines, covered in blood and missing his helmet, “Our flanks are collapsing and King Hadish is driving in through our center! If we don’t retreat now, the whole army will be lost!”
Alhert could see full well what was going on from his perch in a wagon. He was wearing plate armor, even if he was far too frail to fight in it anymore. If this battle had been twenty years ago … then I’d have been able to face Hadish stallion-to-stallion. Now, all is lost. My army is lost. My war is lost. My kingdom is lost.
“Your Majesty!” the marquis yelled frantically, trying to evoke a response from his king.
“Order the retreat,” Alhert said with great sadness as he sat back in the wagon, “Pull everypony back.”
***
6th Day of the 11th Month
The citizens of Banner shut and barred their doors as a storm raged over their bay. The captains of ships docked in the city’s harbor tried desperately to secure their vessels as the waves buffeted them and they scraped against Banner’s long stone piers. From his castle atop the many-tiered city, Banner’s king watched the battle apprehensively. After the Fillidelfiyaan fleet had sunk Manehattan’s blockade two days earlier, he’d been wise enough to sign no agreements with them, for they were not the total victors yet. If this battle in the bay played out in their favor, however, he’d need to make an agreement with the Fillidelfiyaans, and this time they’d be coming from a position of greater strength than before. If they lost, the Balte-Maeri might demand a treaty, though they were far enough away that trade with them was infrequent enough. The best solution from the king’s perspective would be for the fleets to simply destroy each other, but the chances of that were miniscule.
The Balte-Maeri Ducal Navy had freed itself from the entanglement, though they’d paid dearly for it, losing seven ships, among them some of the fastest in the fleet. The Fillidelfyaan advantage in maneuverability had grown larger. Fortunately, the Fillidelfiyaans hadn’t forced them to abandon their plans completely by sticking with them in their retreat. They too wanted to regroup, and even now they were repositioning their fleet, the most important ships pulled up next to each other, so their captains could confer.
Balte-Maer’s fleet was also creating a new formation. Sétine continued to prepare her spell on the deck of the Cinnamon Seahorse, and in order to communicate with the rest of the fleet, she told her plan to Rarity before teleporting blackmith over to Shining Gleam’s flagship. After she explained to the admiral, he began directing the fleet with flags and horns until the Balte-Maeri ships were drawn up in two staggered, slightly curved lines.
Ponies lashed themselves to whatever sturdy piece of the ship they could as the wind picked up and thunder boomed overhead. The sky was black with clouds now, and rain began to fall, slowly at first, but quickly turning into a downpour. The Fillidelfiyaans would have a hard time lighting them on fire now that they were so thoroughly drenched, but that was merely a fortunate side effect. The sea churned violently around the Fillidelfiyaan fleet, rocking their ships back and forth erratically. They had to know that the storm was unnatural by now, and they searched for some way out of it.
Lightning bolts struck all around the Fillidelfiyaans now, striking ships, ponies, and the waves, which ever more often rose high enough to break over the side of the ships. A tempest surrounded them, and ships crashed into each other or were capsized. The commodore tried to shout commands over the wind, but his words were lost, and the fleet's horns were likewise overwhelmed by the sounds of the storm around them.
The only point of safety seemed to be the Balte-Maeri fleet, and the surviving Fillidelfiyaan ships ran for it. Sétine controlled her storm, pushing the Fillidelfiyaans onward at an uncomfortable pace toward her nation’s waiting ships. Archers readied their arrows and let loose as the Fillidelfiyaans approached, Sétine’s wind carrying them to their targets. The enemy fleet, now much diminished, was driven into the line of Balte-Maeri ships. Some captains tried to ram their opponents, knowing it was their only chance, but the Balte-Maeri were prepared and maneuvered so that they only ran alongside and were captured by grappling hooks. Even those that hadn’t tried this tactic were either captured and boarded, or pelted so thoroughly with arrows that the ship drifted lifelessly through the Balte-Maeri line.
It didn’t take long before the Fillidelfiyaan ships all surrendered and the Balte-Maeri sent up a cry of victory. They danced in the rain as Sétine’s storm subsided, and Duchess Seaspray laughed with contentment. She had proven that, once again, on the sea nopony could match her ducal armada. It was troubling how close they’d come if it hadn’t been for Sétine’s intervention, however. She’d need to have a look at the Fillidelfiyaan ships they’d captured and see what she could learn from them.
***
5th Day of the 11th Month
Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash looked down from the battlements of the castle as the battle raged below, shifting farther away all the time. Things were going very well for the Fillidelfiyaan southern army, far better than anypony could’ve expected, given how different every piece of it was. The Balte-Maeri had underestimated Baron Hadrian, convinced (like many in his own army) that such a force could never hold up in battle. Many in Alhert’s kingdom outranked the baron, and should have been given command, but the king knew what he was doing; Hadrian was a military genius.
He could take any force at his disposal, no matter how disorganized and diverse, and turn it into an army worth reckoning with. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of every unit in his army and used them to his advantage. The gryphons had driven back Seaspray’s heavy troops into range of the castle’s archers, just as he’d predicted. His army hadn’t had to deal with aerial attacks for an instant, as Fillidelfiyaa’s pegasus troops had been able to deal with their Balte-Maeri counterparts without difficulty. His army stood like a wall against the strongest Balte-Maeri units where they tried to counterattack and pressed the advantage wherever they were weakest, driving barbs into the enemy force without cutting deep enough to risk being cut off. He organized it all from the front line, an inspiring figure in his blue-and-yellow armor charging into danger while giving commands to messengers whenever he was able to sheath his sword for a moment.
The Balte-Maeri defensive works were overwhelmed in less than an hour, and the Fillidelfiyaan army pushed them back as bits and pieces of their line gave way and crumbled, forcing the others to reposition and compensate. Once the gryphons had chased the remaining heavy troops into the woods, they began harrowing the Balte-Maeri army from the rear, striking the back lines and setting fire to supply wagons. The Balte-Maeri moved quickly to recover their losses, but they couldn’t move quickly enough. Even the sudden reappearance of the heavy troops from the woods didn’t save them, for the gryphons had been lying in wait and chased back all those they didn’t cut down.
Hadrian himself cut his way through to the enemy commander and captured her. As her banner fell and the word of her capture spread, the battle was over. The Balte-Maeri force broke completely and fled to the south. The motley force composed of minor nobles, unicorns, pegasi, and gryphon mercenaries had won the day, but Baron Hadrian of Trotston wasn’t finished yet. The army was allowed a short celebration of their victory, but they would be on the move again soon. He would not let the Balte-Maeri army creep back home so easily, and his force would hound them all the way back to Balte-Maer itself. Nothing else would suffice.
***
Many weeks later, as spring was beginning to draw to an end, the monarchs of the Three Sisters met to discuss peace. There was no clear victor of the Seventeenth Trade War, though each would claim to their subjects that they had won while quietly enacting the concessions they’d been forced to agree to.
Manehattan, after their naval losses to Fillidelfiyaa and Balte-Maer’s blockade outside their city, agreed not to restrict trade by blockading any ports on the Eastern Continent (which for the moment wasn’t much of a concession, since they had no ability to do so without their navy). Their victories against King Alhert’s army, however, gave them leverage at the negotiating table. After the initial defeat, Alhert had sunk into depression as he watched his dream shatter and had not the strength to command his army as it retreated south, losing battle after battle to Hadish’s pursuing army. It had taken Manehattan’s king some time to reclaim his lands, but he had managed to do so by the time of the peace conference, and Alhert had no cards to play against his foe to the north.
King Alhert was forced to allow the free and unrestricted worship of the True Faith within the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa, including allowing red priests to set up temples. He (and Bishop Hairus) feared that this was only the beginning of the work that his son-in-law would finish once he became king and would transform Fillidelfiyaa into a second Manehattan. Against Balte-Maer, though, he had room to negotiate. Though his raiding fleet was lost (and he had to swear to give up raiding in the future), the army under Baron Hadrian had won stunning victories. They had pushed their foe all the way to the gates of Balte-Maer, behind whose walls they were still cowering during the peace conference. Duchess Seaspray’s capital was under siege, both on land and at sea from the remaining heavy ships Alhert had at his disposal. It was a powerful bargaining chip when one’s opponent was in danger of losing their capital to starvation at any moment.
Duchess Seaspray was forced to bow to the pressure exerted on her by Alhert’s besieging army. She would remove all the fees and taxes levied specifically against Fillidelfiyaan and Manehattanite merchants. As an added bonus for the aging king, she would also surrender a large parcel of border territory, whose lord had conveniently died in the battles. The land would become part of Baron Hadrian’s territory, as a reward for his exemplary service. Despite this, Balte-Maer’s armada was the only one left sailing in force, so Seaspray didn’t come out without anything. She was bestowed with the right to provide all escort around the southern tip of Equestria to Los Pegasus and exact a fee for that service. It would offset her losses, though not completely—not at first, anyway.
The trade disputes at the surface were resolved, but not the way Celestia had wished. The core reasons for the conflict still remained: Equestria was still a disunified mess, and its rulers were more willing to fight each other than to band together for their own protection against outside forces. It wasn’t lost on the ancient sorceress that Banner, Noya Varon, and Neighples—the cities they’d been fighting for the right to trade with—had profited from this conflict. Equestria had to change, it had to be unified, but she wouldn’t be the one to do it, not this time. But, at least the conflict was over for the moment … until the Eighteenth Trade War.
Thunder crashed around Celestia as the rain soaked through her cloak, dress, and coat. In the distance, the estate of Baron Ferdinand mi Amore was ablaze with sorcerous fire that would leave no survivors. Screams cut through the storm as the baron and his court, such as it was, burned alive. In the small village next to the estate, windows lit up, but nopony dared step outside to see what was happening. Even the ponies she’d warned, who were now making their way across the hills and away from the estate, barely looked back at the inferno.
Something is wrong here. Celestia could sense it, like a disturbance in the fabric behind reality, but couldn’t pinpoint it. It wasn’t the fact that blood was streaming from her nose and eyes, that was expected now that her powers had become so diminished. Neither was her torching of the estate, she could remember the events that had led up to it. The problem was, she also thought she could remember the event itself, and the events that came after it. But that just wasn’t possible, was it?
The ancient sorceress’s vision blurred, but it wasn’t just from the rain. She had the sensation of time rolling backwards, sliding around her until she found herself standing in a blizzard. There was still a fire in front of her, but this time it was the College of Winterm that was ablaze. This time, her body wasn’t giving out on her. Celestia hadn’t lost as much power yet then and she’d been able to conjure up an even more impressive fire, one that caused the stone of the college to melt and flow, ensuring not one record on Luna’s betrayal would survive.
So, it’s a dream, then. I do hope it’s not going to stick with just the one theme. If I have to revisit every time I’ve incinerated someone or something, this is going to take all night.
Time scrolled backwards again, and this time Celestia found herself hovering over Cant’r Laht. It wasn’t Cant’r Laht as she knew it in her own time; this was the Cant’r Laht of a thousand years ago. Celestia’s castle was nowhere to be seen; in its place were the estates of the greatest mages of the city. Half those mages were dead, slaughtered by Celestia because they’d dared to oppose her entrance to the city. The other half would surrender soon and name her their new Matron of Sorceresses. Even weakened as she was by her recent battle with the White Procession, she was still far more powerful than even all the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht combined.
What’s this about? I cannot believe that this is just some random collection of memories. Am I recollecting all the times when I killed en masse, “recounting my sins,” as that meddlesome high priestess would say?
Again, Celestia found herself falling further backwards in her personal history. She had quite a long history to fall back through. Now she found herself in the throne room of the Royal Court of the Three Palaces of the Two Queens. She was one of those queens again, and the other queen was standing at the other end of the room. Only, her sister wasn’t Queen Luna at the moment, she was Nightmare Moon. This was a memory that Celestia had no desire to relive. She was grateful when time reversed again, pulling her further back.
Celestia was standing in the Crystal Palace now, far from home, clad in full armor. Luna was lying on the floor nearby, unconscious, or so she believed. Her sword was held over the mad King Sombra of the North, prepared to execute him. She would do it in a moment, or at least she had in the past. He’d taunted her and later cursed her after her sword fell, but she’d counted it as a victory back then. If only I’d known what it would cost.
One last time, she slid further into the past, almost to the very beginning. She had the feeling that this was the end, the last stop in her dream-journey through her life. Celestia and Luna stood together now in a landscape that defied logic or explanation. Discord, Lord of Chaos, a being of unimaginable power, reclined in an infinitely-sided throne, gazing at them with a grin on his face. He didn’t know about the old magic they’d acquired, however, didn’t realize that the Elements of Harmony would soon be his doom.
“A bit melodramatic, aren’t we?” Discord asked with a yawn.
That didn’t happen! This isn’t a memory! This isn’t the past!
“How right you are,” Discord whispered in the newly minted alicorn’s ear, responding to things she’d merely thought about, “What? You didn’t think you’d really won, did you? It’s not like you ever made that same mistake before … or after. Linear time is such a bore.”
Celestia’s jaw dropped at Discord’s revelation. The events she’d been pulled back through, she’d thought them victories at the time, but they’d proven sour in the end. The torching of the mi Amore estate had revealed to Celestia that Cadence would not be fit to succeed her. Her destruction of the College of Winterm had destroyed all knowledge of Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, but also made it impossibly hard for Luna to rejoin the world she’d returned to. Her descent on Cant’r Laht and the destruction of the Cabal had led to a millennium of trouble and strife with Cant’r Laht’s noble families. Her defeat of Luna in Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion had fractured Equestria, possibly forever, and given the True Faith all the fuel it needed to condemn her personally, and sorceresses and unicorns in general. And hadn’t that Rebellion become inevitable after her execution of the Shadow King?
Her and Luna’s defeat of Discord didn’t fit in with the pattern, though. There had been no ill repercussions from that event. In fact, it had ushered in a golden age for Equestria under the rule of an alicorn diarchy. Nothing bad had come from it.
“Not … yet,” Discord reminded her, “Much like with your life, though, your time is nearly up.”
The draconequus snapped his claws, and Celestia instantly jolted awake. Summer and the new year were approaching, but it was still no excuse for just how much Celestia was drenched in sweat. Her limbs shook as she sat up in bed and she tasted blood in her mouth. It hadn’t been an ordinary dream, but a vision, a warning of what was to come.
The Elements of Harmony defeated him once, they were all that could. If his return is imminent, then they must be ready to be used again. Luna and I can’t wield them anymore, however. Twilight Sparkle and her companions must be prepared. Once again, the fate of the world rests on them.
“Akiya, ity eri nana sindirristro sappiyir noya’i, lassima eisik fillist mer Prisindirristro’nadat kotir tegginteggin oro noya’i. Equus kotir ekkkerrinekkerin nof lassima ditte’i kier kotel feitayir huringa. Monstrurak’i kotir baskin, nof mer Balzi nof Selez yekir rusoel fori’i’r guro’i pasan mer cavan. Teis noya’i fefrikka, etei Ye fefozzotir noya’i ur presen kiero hus. Ye Eirenir noya’i’Tol rei lanis kier premir noya’i runel nana banni’i, uri bammigel mer nana Sanniskror recitrey noya’i’r okra. Ity noya’i mak dinksis eri nana untan, Ye soryir oro noya’i kiero tieri pem bammigel mer Casiye nof Selez feassi feye’i’r mathis. Nof hut eri’i koto sigil tieri kotir nana hut noya’i nof tekriel eri pallial recitrey uf’r okra nof gelorel mer dagon nof nieran’r dreituyab’i etei rei epok,” High Priestess Rubius quoted the Word of Faust from the steps of Cant’r Laht Cathedral in the pre-dawn darkness.
“And lo, when this great cataclysm shall come upon ye, many of those separated in the first Cataclysm shall be rejoined to ye. The world shall be reordered and many things that were will no longer be. Terrible creatures shall be abundant, and the Sun and Moon shall cease traveling their courses through the heavens. But be ye not afeared, for I shall not abandon ye even in that day. I shall bestow upon ye a gift that shall allow ye to do great things, even move the great celestial bodies on thine own. When ye tire from this great task, I shall send to ye those who can move the Sun and Moon without the aid of others. And of these there is one who shall be great among ye and take this burden alone and keep the cycles of day and night for an age,” a lesser priestess translated for her so that those who didn’t understand of the Language of the Horns could still understand what she was saying.
“So spoke Saint Origenn the Prophet many thousands of years ago, conveying to us Faust’s own words,” Rubius continued her speech in Low Equestrian, “We have seen the fulfillment of this prophecy! When the Conjunction shook the world, it caused sun and moon to cease their motions until the first sorceresses discovered magic and used it for many years to restore the cycle of day and night, as prophesied. We have also seen the coming of the one spoken of, who is still with us and has moved sun and moon through the heavens for an age. I speak, of course, of Celestia.”
At the mention of her name, the ancient sorceress appeared near the steps of the cathedral. There were no cheers now as there had been during the summer solstice ceremony the previous year in Ponieville. The crowd assembled in Cant’r Laht was quite a different crowd of ponies than those who’d come from far and wide across the Dominion’s holdings to see the oldest living sorceress. While it held its fair share of the unmannered poor who tried to scrape out survival in the ivory city, the crowd near enough to the cathedral’s steps to see the Matron of Sorceresses was overwhelmingly mages and nobility, with the burghers behind them providing a wide barrier that kept the lesser denizens of Cant’r Laht far away.
The change in scenery was also a factor in everypony’s behavior. Cant’r Laht Cathedral, worldwide seat of the Church of One, was not Ponieville’s Mayoral Keep, and High Priestess Rubius, Faust’s Own Chosen and Supreme Bishop of the Church, was not Mayor Mare. Even the rowdiest of Cant’r Laht’s denizens were cowed by the imposing high priestess and the soaring stone and stained-glass structure behind her. And though most sorceresses had their skepticisms of the Church of One, airing them here would be social suicide. All would stand in silence and listen to the High Priestess, just as they did every holy day.
“On this, the first day of the one thousand and first year of the Fourth Age, we celebrate the continual rising and setting of the sun by Celestia each day by witnessing the act of sunrise,” High Priestess Rubius went on, “I give you Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, Keeper of Day and Night, and Guardian of Sun and Moon.”
Celestia ascended the steps up to the cathedral as Rubius stood aside. She had mostly respected what the matron of sorceresses had asked of her this year. As the summer solstice ceremony cycled location, every four years it would be held at Cant’r Laht Cathedral and every four years the Church of One’s High Priestess would quote the same prophecy and give the same introduction. This year there was the opportunity to reinterpret the prophecy (as many in the Church had) of speaking also of Luna. However, any mention of Luna would surely also lead to mention of Nightmare Moon and why Celestia had taken on responsibility for both Sun and Moon, and she didn’t want that. Luna was having enough difficulty readjusting after her long exile without having the public being reminded openly about why she’d been exiled in the first place.
Rubius hadn’t complied with her request to change her titles, though that was probably because the Lodge of Sorceresses had requested just the opposite. They refused to grant Luna any titles of her own, even if it would diminish Celestia’s titles, out of fear that it would be the first step toward the reinstitution of the old diarchy. One immortal alicorn sorceress ruling them they could put up with, but two was out of the question. So, Celestia still in official decrees had to include the full titles she’d used for a thousand years, but in personal correspondence she omitted Night and Moon. Not that she wasn’t still Keeper and Guardian of them respectively, but really it should’ve been Luna who owned those roles. Her sister refused to raise the moon and arrange the stars as she’d once done, though, so the burden still fell upon Celestia. She had to convince her to take up her old responsibilities again, but so far her attempts to do so had been unsuccessful.
“My beloved subjects, it is with great joy that I raise the sun in your sight and today usher in a new year on this, the summer solstice,” Celestia announced.
The pre-dawn darkness lightened as the sun rose over the White Mountains to the east and everypony turned to watch. For important events, Celestia probably would have given a longer speech, but she had been doing this for a thousand years. Ponies came in the thousands to see her raise the sun, not to hear her speak about how she was the only pony with the power to do so (though some of the leaders of Equestrian’s other nations could stand to be reminded of that fact).
As the sun came into view, ponies finally cheered, or applauded with their hooves on the paving stones. High Priestess Rubius said a few more words to which Celestia didn’t pay attention, and the crowd began to disperse. As usual, there would be celebrations in the city after the summer solstice ceremony, but they would not be held at Cant’r Laht Cathedral. Most ponies would join the festival held in Edict Square outside the Lodge of Sorceresses, but some nobles would host parties on their own estates and the most favored would attend the feast at Cant’r Laht Castle.
Among those who would be feasting with Celestia were the six ponies (and one small dragon) in the front row of the crowd. After their participation in the Seventeenth Trade War, the Brave Companions had returned to Ponieville for the remainder of the year. As the anniversary of the first time they’d all come together grew near, Celestia summoned them again to Cant’r Laht. Her recent dreams haunted her, and the beginning and ending of years always seemed to attract troublesome events. Ever since Twilight Sparkle had sent them here, the Elements of Harmony had been safe in Cant’r Laht, but Celestia believed it was time for the Elements to be taken up again, or at least to have them nearby in case of a crisis that couldn’t be solved without them. If she was right, one would be coming soon, but hopefully not so soon that it couldn’t wait until after the summer solstice feast.
***
During the feast, three little fillies frolicked through the castle’s private gardens. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had convinced their respective sisters to let them accompany them to Cant’r Laht for the summer solstice ceremony, and of course they couldn’t leave Scootaloo behind in Ponieville. Despite the purpose of holding the ceremony in Ponieville every four years being to keep countryponies out of the capital when it was here, plenty of ponies had traveled to Cant’r Laht for the solstice, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had stood with them during the event. However, they were not invited to the feast at Cant’r Laht Castle, which suited them just fine. It wasn’t something that interested such young ponies who spent every waking moment scheming up new ways to get their cutie-marks, and Cant’r Laht provided them with plenty of fresh ideas. After they’d had a meal in one of the castle’s smaller dining rooms, they’d rushed outside to play and look for ways to cause mischief.
“Look at all these statues,” Sweetie Belle commented as they entered a portion of the garden crowded with sculptures.
“Pfft, it’s just a bunch of unicorns,” Scootaloo said disdainfully, “In Trotstagor there are much better statues of pegasi.”
“Well, this is Cant’r Laht. Besides, I’d like to see you make a statue better than this,” Sweetie Belle said huffily, pointing at one sculpted to look like a knight raising a flag, “Maybe I should try. I might even get my cutie-mark for it.”
“Boooring,” Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes, “Being a knight could be cool, though.”
“Is that what th’ statue’s for, y’think?” Apple Bloom asked, examining it more closely, “Celebratin’ a knighthood?”
“Actually, that statue represents victory,” a familiar soothing voice said as a nun trotted up to the trio, “More specifically, the victory of Cant’r Laht over the Thornbad Uprising.”
“Sister Cheerilee!” Apple Bloom greeted her excitedly.
Cheerilee had been one of the Ponieville ponies traveling to Cant’r Laht for the summer solstice ceremony, though her journey was not specifically to see Celestia raise the sun. It was part of her pilgrimage to the center of the church she served, but she had felt the call to leave the cathedral for the afternoon to come to the castle. Part of it was that she suspected these three fillies would be loose and unsupervised, and she knew just how much trouble they could get into together. Under her supervision, all would be well.
“Hello, girls. Peace be with you,” Cheerilee greeted them, “Are we admiring the statues of the palace’s private gardens? Few ponies are allowed here, though today is an exception.”
“See, Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle called from near another statue, “They aren’t all unicorns!”
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom rushed over to the statue Sweetie Belle pointed out and Cheerilee followed calmly behind. The statue was actually three statues: an earth pony, a unicorn, and a pegasus standing in a circle touching their hooves together in the center. The unicorn was clearly a sorceress, the pegasus a knight, and the earth pony a court official.
“Those are three of the Founders, the ponies who joined together on the first Hearth’s Warming,” Sister Cheerilee lectured the foals, “Their statue represents unity, for their cooperation saw the joining of all three pony races together for a common cause.”
“What’s this one represent?” Apple Bloom asked as she hopped over to a statue half-hidden behind a bush.
“That is … I’m not really sure,” Cheerilee said as she stared at the strange statue, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The statue in question was nothing like any of the others in the garden. For one thing, it wasn’t a pony, but a serpent-like creature with a plethora of parts from other animals attached to it. Its head was vaguely pony-like, but with a deer antler and goat horn sprouting from it. Limbs were borrowed from a lion, an eagle, a goat, and a dragon, and wings from a bat and a pegasus. It looked quite a bit older than the statues around it too, and cracks crisscrossed its surface.
“I bet it’s confusion,” Apple Bloom suggested.
“Just because it confuses you doesn’t make it confusion,” Sweetie Belle said haughtily, “It obviously represent evil.”
“No way, it’s got t’ be chaos!” Scootaloo put in her two pence worth.
“How is that diff’rent from confusion?” Apple Bloom objected.
“It just is, okay!” Scootaloo said vehemently.
“I still say it’s evil, maybe it’s even supposed to be Ruthus himself!” Sweetie Belle said.
“Actually, it represents discord and disharmony,” the castle guard assigned to watch the trio of fillies said as he found them at last, having lost them after they’d slipped away.
“I think the three of you have a good understanding of that,” Cheerilee said sternly, looking down at them.
“I’m sorry, Sister,” the guard said to Cheerilee, “They got away from me, but I’ll stay on them from now on. Thank you for watching them.”
“Not at all. I know these fillies and how much trouble they can be, but I don’t mind continuing to keep an eye on them,” Cheerilee said, “Maybe we should go someplace else, though.”
“As you wish,” the guard said, and led the way while Cheerilee brought up the rear, keeping the Cutie Mark Crusaders between them.
As they trotted away, the trio of fillies continued to try to justify their interpretation of the statue to each other in tones they thought were low enough that the adults couldn’t hear. Nopony noticed as the statue they left developed another crack along the back of its neck and pebbles fell to the ground, nor the slight sound of a quickening heartbeat.
***
After the feast, the Brave Companions trotted through Cant’r Laht, letting Twilight Sparkle show them more of her previous home. The summer solstice festivities would last all day and well into the night, so they were not lacking in company on the city’s streets. City guards were stationed around Cant’r Laht, making sure ponies didn’t have too much fun, though they looked like they’d much rather join in the revelry than simply watch it while on patrol. Twilight had once looked for her brother whenever the guards were out, but he’d been promoted to Captain of the City Guard recently, so she wasn’t likely to see him out on a standard route anymore.
A tingling came over Twilight’s body as her family’s ancestral home came in sight: Haltrotsun Manor. She’d spent more of her time living with Celestia in Cant’r Laht Castle than here, but she’d still consider it to be her home. The standards of House Haltrotsun fluttered from the walls, proudly displayed for the solstice. Nopony would be home at the moment, her mother and father off attending a feast at the manor of a noble with greater status than them, but she still intended to visit.
Strangely, the building seemed a bit larger than it had been the last time she was here, though maybe that was because of her time spent in Ponieville becoming accustomed to its architecture. She rapped the door with its knocker, but nopony came to answer the door. The Haltrotsuns didn’t have many servants, but it was peculiar that all would have been allowed to leave and celebrate the solstice. Then again, with nopony home, they may have simply decided to take off anyway. Nopony had cast any protective spells on the door before leaving, and Twilight was easily able disengage the lock with her magic.
“Hello? Is anypony home?” she asked as she stepped inside.
Nopony answered, though a few toads hopped across the floors; somepony had left the door to the gardens open again. That, or her father had taken to studying amphibians as his latest passion. The sense of the house being just a little bit too big was more acute within, where all the furniture seemed meant for large ponies and the ceiling too high. The hairs on the back of Twilight’s neck prickled. Magic was here, though that wasn’t surprising, but she couldn’t determine the purpose or source of it.
“I must be honest, darling, I expected … more from a noble estate,” Rarity commented as she watched Pinkamena chase one of the toads.
“Something is not right here,” Twilight said apprehensively, a moment before Zebrikaanian fireworks seemed to go off in her head.
The magic was strong, and it was everywhere, and the sorceress struggled to center herself in the storm of power that permeated everything. When she opened her eyes, she seemed to have shrunk to half her previous size, as had everypony else in the room. It wasn’t them that were shrinking, though; the manor was growing, quickly enough now for Twilight to notice.
“Get outside!” she yelled, unsure of what was going on, but sure that she didn’t want to let the house grow so large that it would take a day to return to the door.
The Brave Companions scrambled toward the half-open doorway, Twilight Sparkle scooping up Spike on the way. Haltrotsun Manor continued to grow, but they eventually reached the threshold … and came to a sudden stop. Looking outside, they found themselves looking down at the street, the path from it to the manner meeting it at a right angle. Rainbow Dash was the first to attempt a jump and struggled with establishing down before she figured out how to fly in this strange space. She came back for Rarity, Fluttershy flew down with Pinkamena, and Twilight teleported herself, Spike, and Applejack to the paving stones, though they landed several paces away from where she’d intended and were facing the wrong direction.
“Twilight, what’s going on?” Fluttershy asked fearfully, looking around her.
Nothing seemed to make any sense. The streets of Cant’r Laht led off at crazily impossible angles, as if the entire city was reflected in a shattered mirror. Above them, a swirling whirlpool opened up and a torrent of water poured down, only to abruptly redirect itself to smash through a mage’s tower, the rubble turning to butterflies. Cant’r Laht swung out from the Titan’s Horn, until they were looking down at Onon’r Laht far below, then abruptly snapped back into position. The streets were level again, mostly, and Haltrotsun Manor had returned to its normal size, though it was now upside down. Eyeballs with bat wings fluttered by and Rainbow Dash stared at them quizzically, until a pony on a broom zipped past her through the air. Ridiculous. Brooms aren’t balanced and stable enough to support flight. Every young sorceress learns that soon enough if they have the idea to try Defying Gravity. Wait, what?
“Chaos magic,” Twilight answered the druidess who was trying to hide behind her own mane.
There was no other explanation. Chaos magic, like necromancy, was banned for good reason. Mages would normally shape the chaos of magic into order with their spells, but chaos magic was an out-of-control outpouring of energy that disrupted the very fabric of reality and could have disastrous long-term consequences. The uninhabited Chaos Lands of the Eastern Continent were proof enough of that. To be able to cause such unimaginable chaos that was currently affecting Cant’r Laht, though, would require an extremely powerful sorceress, perhaps even one on the same level as Celestia. But there were no such sorceresses, were there? Except for Luna.
“We have to get to Celestia,” Twilight Sparkle told her friends as the chaos continued around them, becoming greater by the second.
***
Somehow, they made it to Cant’r Laht Castle without falling into the random abysses that seemed to pop up or the bizarre creatures that now roamed the city’s streets. The castle was fairly stable, all things considered, and the reason became evident as the Brave Companions entered the throne room. Celestia sat alone upon her throne, sweat beading her brow as she intently kept the chaos at bay with her magic.
“You have made it safely,” the ancient sorceress breathed a sigh of relief, allowing herself a brief respite now that magical wards were in place around the castle, “I tried to clear your path here as best I could.”
“Celestia, what is happening out there?” Twilight asked abruptly, “What sorceress would do this?”
“Come with me,” Celestia commanded as she pulled herself up from her throne.
The Brave Companions obediently followed, but concern was written on Twilight Sparkle’s face. She had never seen Celestia like this; there were few who had. The Matron of Sorceresses always presented herself as an all-knowing, unbreakable being of infinite power, but her struggle to fight the chaos magic consuming Cant’r Laht had caused part of that façade to chip away. Twilight was seeing a new side to her mentor, and it was unsettling.
“In answer to your questions, my dear apprentice, there is no sorceress causing the chaos outside. That kind of magic is far beyond the ability of any pony,” Celestia explained as she led them into the castle’s treasury.
Spike hopped off of Twilight’s back to gaze greedily at the gold, precious jewels, and various valuables stored here, but nopony seemed to notice. They were too transfixed themselves by the hoard Celestia had acquired in her millennium-long reign. Chests filled to bursting with coins and gemstones were plentiful, but there were also antique sets of armor, magical relics, ancient tomes, and crates of more mundane possessions that Celestia found valuable for personal reasons.
“An old foe of mine has returned, my first true enemy. I thought he had been defeated centuries ago, but he has returned. His name … is Discord,” Celestia said, gesturing to a tapestry in very poor condition hanging on the wall.
It featured a creature identical to the statue the Cutie Mark Crusaders had only recently argued over in the castle gardens. In this depiction, though, Discord was not an immobile chunk of stone. He was alive and malevolently poised over an earth pony, a unicorn, and a pegasus. Puppet strings ran from the ponies to his claws, and his gleeful smile as the world behind him erupted in nonsense sent a shiver down some of the Brave Companions’ spines. Fluttershy gave a small squeak and recoiled at the sight of some of the other tapestries around the room that also depicted Discord.
“Discord is the mischievous spirit of disharmony and chaos, perhaps the most powerful of the Great Ones who entered our world during the Conjunction. While the other Great Ones were sealed away in Tartarus, so far as we can tell, Discord bided his time and waited until there were none who could oppose him. For twelve centuries, more or less, he held control of all Equus, holding it in a perpetual state of unrest and chaos,” Celestia explained morosely, “Sixteen centuries ago, Luna and I stood against him. Together we wielded the Elements of Harmony and encased him in a stone prison we thought would last for all eternity, but it was not to be. His stone prison has been weakened, both by time and because Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements. In the aftermath of your defeat of Nightmare Moon, I visited the Three Palaces of the Two Queens, and did what I should have done long ago. Discord could not be allowed to remain out of sight, so I had his statue, as well as these tapestries, brought to Cant’r Laht so that I could keep an eye on him. The chaos has begun here, but it will spread if it is not stopped swiftly, and soon the whole world will be Discord’s domain again. Even now, the scars of his first reign are still fading; the Chaos Lands remain uninhabited. We cannot allow Equus to suffer under his rule again.”
“You’ll stop him again, right?” Rainbow Dash asked, “You and Luna?”
“We cannot,” Celestia admitted with a shake of her head, “Only the Elements of Harmony are powerful enough to contain him, and we are no longer the bearers of them. That honor falls upon the six of you, as does the responsibility of stopping Discord before he plunges the world into another millennium of chaos … or longer.”
“But, how are we supposed to use the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight Sparkle asked with concern, “I studied them, but the reason I sent them here is because I could not figure out how they function in any way. They do not follow any of the usual rules of magic!”
“The perfect weapon for fighting a creature who refuses to follow any of the usual rules,” Celestia said with a knowing smile, “How did you wield them to defeat Nightmare Moon? The way will come to you when the time is right, just as it did to Luna and me.”
“Your Grace, I take it that you’ve brought us to the royal treasury because the Elements of Harmony are here?” Rarity inquired.
“Indeed, Rarity, I have kept them safe for the six of you in preparation for a day like today,” Celestia said as she gestured to a locked and sealed chest that practically hummed with magic.
Twilight Sparkle could sense hundreds of wards placed around the chest to protect its contents. It took Celestia a solid minute to dismantle them, but she was still able to do so far more quickly than any other sorceress could have. Maybe my worry about Celestia was unjustified, but that means this Discord is on a whole other level entirely. When Celestia opened the chest at last without fear of magical repercussions, though, she gasped. It was completely empty, with no sign of the amulets or circlet containing the Elements of Harmony.
“This is impossible!” Celestia said, gripped with dread, “The seals and wards were intact, so the Elements should still be here. This does not make any sense!”
“Oh, Celestia,” a chuckling voice came from all directions at once, “What fun would there be in making sense?”
“Discord!” Celestia fumed, her mane waving angrily, “Where are you? Show yourself!”
She and the other ponies turned around and around, looking for the source of the voice. Twilight even tried to search it out with her magic, but it was no use. Nothing seemed to be working the way it should’ve right now, no doubt due to Discord’s chaos magic. One of the tapestries fluttered to get their attention, and the representation of Discord woven into it waved playfully.
“Did you miss me, Celestia?” tapestry-Discord asked, his voice now centered on that particular version of him, “You must have, to drag me from the Everfree Forest, where I was out of sight and out of mind, to be closer to you here. Really, it was a poor decision to bring the Lord of Chaos to your private gardens, then host a summit with all the bickering rulers of Equestria right next door. Not that I’m complaining, since it considerably lessened the time I had to spend in that awful prison you trapped me in. It’s not very comfortable being imprisoned in stone for so long; not that you’d know, since I don’t turn ponies into stone! Well … except for that one time, or was that in the future? Linear time is so boring, I wish I was even more unbound than I already am.”
“Enough!” Celestia yelled, “If you’re here to gloat, go ahead and do it! You’re the one who took the Elements of Harmony, aren’t you? Where are they?”
“Not to fret, not to fret, as you are well aware, the Elements are beyond my ability to affect,” Discord said as he moved to another tapestry and juggled the Elements of Harmony in his claws, “I’m simply borrowing them for a little while. A game’s no fun if it’s over right at the start, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I’m not playing your games. You won’t get away with this, Discord. You’re going to lose,” Celestia said.
“Oh, really?” Discord said, rolling his eyes, then sprouting more eyes all over his body so he could roll them too, “Rather cliché, isn’t it? You’re just as dreary and boring as the last time we met, though there’s somepony missing from this picture. Ah, yes, your dear sister whom you imprisoned in the moon for a thousand years. Now, as you can clearly see, I was able to bounce back from my imprisonment quite well, but there’s only one me. Do you think Luna will ever recover from what you put her through? It’s been one of your years, and things aren’t looking better for her than-”
“Enough!” Celestia fumed, and the temperature in the room went up a few degrees, “If you have nothing useful to say, then begone!”
“Temper, temper, temper,” Discord said, waggling a finger and keeping his cool while Celestia seemed ready to burst into flames, “You really must relax, Celestia, and I have just the ticket. It’s worked well for you, after all.”
A slight flash seemed to come from the tapestry as Discord snapped his claws together. Panicked whinnies came from the Brave Companions and they stepped back from Celestia, who was now a statue, frozen with a shocked expression on her face. Discord had moved to another tapestry and they whirled to find him, where he was absentmindedly inspecting his claws.
“So that’s when I turned a pony into stone,” Discord said, “I knew if it didn’t come to me, then I would come to it.”
“That’s it!” Rainbow Dash said furiously, drawing her sword, “No more of this!”
“Rainbow! Wait!” Twilight yelled as the Hunter shot toward the tapestry of Discord and sliced her sword though it, separating his body in two.
“No! To end like this! Defeated by a toothpick! Oh, the draconequinity! If only you’d killed me before I’d turned Celestia to stone forever!” Discord wailed as his parts separated and red and purple threads spread out like blood from the cut, then smiled and pulled the tapestry back together, “Ohoho, I had you going there, didn’t I? You must be Rainbow Dash, loyal and true, bearer of the Element of Allegiance!”
“Yeah, what of it?” Rainbow Dash asked as she stared at Discord, who was now striking a pose complete with salute, “If you think you can tempt me away with my dreams like Nightmare Moon did, you can forget about it. I’ll always be loyal to my friends.”
“We shall see,” Discord chuckled before vanishing from the tapestry.
“Twilight, darling, we’re wasting our time talking to this Discord character,” Rarity advised, “We need to find wherever he’s hidden the Elements of Harmony.”
“Ooh, fine deduction,” Discord said as he appeared on the tapestry behind the blacksmith, causing her to jump in surprise, “Yes, I’ve hidden the Elements of Harmony somewhere within your reach. Well done, Rarity, the Element of Charity, if I’m not mistaken.”
“So, y’ know who we are. How is that s’posed t’ help y’?” Applejack asked.
“Oh, honest, trustworthy Applejack, I know much more than just your names. That’s easy enough for anyone to learn,” Discord replied as he flicked the nose of tapestry-Celestia, who was now stone just like the real one, “No, I know far more than that.”
“Like our strengths,” Twilight Sparkle addressed the ancient being of chaos, “Which Elements of Harmony we each possess.”
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle, she who has been gifted with the most powerful and elusive element, sorcery. Then you have your druidess friend Fluttershy with compassion, and Pinkamena Diane Pie, who is the bearer of the Element of Mirth. Mirth was always a personal favorite of mine, though alas, ponies don’t seem to share my sense of humor,” Discord said as he shish-kebabbed a few on the tapestry, “I know your Elements and your strengths. Strengths, however, can easily be turned to weaknesses if you know how.”
“I am inclined to agree with Celestia and Rarity, in that you have nothing useful to say and are just wasting our time,” Twilight Sparkle said, keeping tight control of her voice as she thought about her mentor, “Why are you still here? Do you intend to give us some hint of where you have hidden the Elements of Harmony?”
“Very good, very good!” Discord said, clapping his claws together, and a crowd of Discords appeared behind him, also applauding, “Yes, I will tell you where I have hidden the Elements of Harmony, but only in my way. Get ready, get set, and make sure you take this down. Hm-hm. To find your missing Elements, just makes sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began.”
Spike nodded to Twilight that he’d copied down the riddle onto the parchment he always kept handy, though he’d had a bit of trouble with the quill trying to fly away. With a flash of light, Discord vanished from his tapestry, leaving all the ancient wall hangings just as they’d been when they’d first arrived here, except that every instance of Discord was missing and every instance of Celestia was now made of stone.
“What d’ y’ think he meant by that riddle?” Applejack asked, once they were fairly certain that Discord was gone, “Twists an’ turns an’ returnin’ t’ th’ beginnin’?”
“Twists and turns,” Twilight said thoughtfully, “Earlier he said that the Elements were within our reach. It must be! Discord must have hidden the Elements of Harmony in the castle’s labyrinth!”
“Let’s get going, then,” Rainbow Dash said, “And let’s just hope he hasn’t done anything to the castle in the meantime to keep us from reaching the labyrinth.”
***
Rainbow Dash’s fears had proven mostly unfounded. Chaos was beginning to seep into Cant’r Laht Castle now that Celestia had become a statue, but her wards still held. Twilight Sparkle tried not to think about how her mentor was now encased in stone and unable to help her. She was determined that Celestia would not be a statue forever. However, to undo Discord’s spell, they would need to defeat Discord. Chaos magic, however powerful it was, was also notoriously fragile, and things usually returned to exactly the way they had been after it was dispelled, so long as too much time hadn’t passed.
Time was also difficult to determine except by perception, since Celestia was no longer moving the sun through the sky. Twilight also suspected that Discord was moving the sun himself, since it was now in its mid-morning position and the chaos had broken out when it was nearly evening. In any case, they had to find the Elements in the labyrinth as quickly as possible if they wanted to undo his magic without any unfortunate side effects.
The castle labyrinth was familiar to Twilight Sparkle, since she’d spent much time here when living with Celestia. She knew every twist and turn of the labyrinth (as well as where all the secluded spots that were good for reading were), but she had the feeling that that wouldn’t help her anymore. The labyrinth had grown a great deal since Discord had been freed, and now seemed almost as large as Cant’r Laht usually was. The hedge maze also veered off at strange angles that defied logic, forming a truly daunting puzzle.
“How are we supposed to find the Elements in that?” Fluttershy asked, staring at the labyrinth as it rearranged itself.
“Twilight, you can sense the Elements of Harmony with your magic, right?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“If I am close enough to them, I should be able to,” Twilight answered, “With all the chaos magic around, though, I will need to be pretty close.”
“Well, it’ll be a low flyover then,” Rainbow Dash said as she stripped off gear to shed extra weight, “I’ll carry you over the labyrinth, and we should be able to find the Elements of Harmony in no time.”
“Not. So. Fast,” Discord’s voice boomed out.
The draconequus materialized out of nowhere, appeared in front of the entrance to the labyrinth. His full height was several times that of a pony and he overshadowed them (a fact helped by the fact that he moved the sun behind himself so that his shadow would fall over them). His bushy eyebrows were titled into a stern frown, but his lopsided teeth were arrayed in a gleeful grin.
“Discord! What is this about?” Twilight Sparkle demanded to know.
“It slipped my mind earlier to lay out the rules for our little game,” Discord smirked.
“But Celestia said that you don’t follow rules,” Fluttershy remarked before going back to hiding behind Pinkamena.
“When I’m not the one making the rules, yes,” Discord said, stretching his neck over Pinkamena to address Fluttershy directly, “On my honor, I can guarantee that I always follow my own rules without exception, however.”
“Let us get on with this,” Twilight Sparkle said, thinking about how much time could be wasted if she let Discord keep talking like he had in the treasury, “What are your rules?”
“The first rule is no wings or magic allowed,” Discord said, returning his neck to its (more) normal length, and Twilight and Rainbow Dash paled, “As the brave monster-hunter pointed out, that would make things far too easy for you.”
“What else?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Everypony must participate, or the game is over, and I win by default,” Discord said smugly, “That’s it. It’s a simple game, with simple rules. So, what do you say? Everypony who agrees to the rules, raise your hooves in assent.”
“Doesn’t seem like we have much choice,” Rainbow Dash grumbled as she raised her hoof, and the others did the same, with varying levels of reluctance.
“Excellent! Let’s get this game started, then,” Discord said joyously and snapped his claws together.
Twilight Sparkle suddenly felt very hollow inside. Her magic was gone entirely, and it felt incredibly wrong for it to have vanished just like that. When Discord had laid out his rules, she’d expected to have to try to get by without using her magic (or not get caught doing it, if that was possible). She hadn't considered that it would be stripped away from her entirely so that she didn’t even have the possibility of doing magic. The sorceress who could no longer do sorcery stared at the ground and breathed heavily as she tried to adjust.
When she looked up, things were worse. Rainbow Dash seemed paralyzed, staring at her back, which was now completely devoid of wings. It seemed that Discord had taken the ‘no wings’ rule literally as well. Nearby, Fluttershy clung to Pinkamena, bemoaning the loss of her wings. Twilight jumped with a start as she realized that one member of their party was missing.
“Spike!” she called, before whirling to face Discord, “Where is Spike?”
“I’m afraid he won’t be joining you in your little gallivant through the labyrinth,” Discord said as he produced spectacles and a giant document from thin air, “As you can clearly see in Rule 1, Article II, Subsection D, Paragraph 6, dragons clearly fall under the ‘no wings’ rule as winged creatures.”
“Spike has not even grown his wings yet!” Twilight said furiously.
“Hey, I just make the rules, I don’t enforce them,” Discord said with a shrug, “Good luck, everypony!”
With a snap of his claws, Discord vanished again, leaving the Brave Companions standing disoriented at the entrance to the labyrinth. What other surprises did he have in store for them before they could reach the Elements of Harmony? It seemed impossible, but Twilight Sparkle remembered that a year earlier she’d also been in an impossible situation. Not only that, but the five ponies who’d helped her then were with her today.
“We can do this,” the sorceress said confidently, and the other Brave Companions turned to look at her, “As long as we are all together, nothing Discord can throw at us will stop us from reclaiming the Elements of Harmony and imprisoning him again. He is only delaying the inevitable.”
“Twilight is right,” Rainbow Dash said, snapping out of her obsession with her missing wings, “We’ve got this.”
The others nodded their agreement, comforted the same way Twilight had been. Together they stepped into the labyrinth, prepared to do anything to stop Discord. Abruptly, hedges rose up from the ground as the labyrinth reshaped itself. Everypony was cut off from everypony else, but they could still hear each other’s screams and nervous whinnies.
“It is going to be okay, everypony,” Twilight assured them, and looked around, “Do you see that flagpole in the distance with the red banner? All the labyrinth’s paths used to converge there. If they still do, then we can meet up and regroup. Try to reach it.”
Everypony expressed that they understood before taking off toward the banner. Twilight’s memory of the maze’s structure was still correct in that regard; all paths would converge at the flagpole, but there was an awful lot of ground (and other types of surfaces) for them to cover on the way there, and anything could happen on the way.
***
Applejack galloped through a hedge tunnel, searching for a sign of her goal through the foliage but seeing none. She knew the flagpole was in this direction, but she’d lost sight of it after crossing under the bushy arch. The farmpony put on a burst of speed as she spotted light in the distance and charged out of the tunnel. When she looked in the direction she’d last seen the flag, though, it was nowhere to be found. She gave a groan as she turned around and found it in the opposite direction as before. Crossing through the tunnel again likely wouldn’t help, so she searched for another path through the maze.
Over the top of one of the hedges, she spotted a familiar sight. Apple trees, in Celestia’s palace labyrinth? Surely they couldn’t be here naturally, but she wanted to inspect them anyway. Navigating the maze, she came upon a small grove of the trees surrounding a stone basin and pillar. As she approached the fountain, apples fell spontaneously from the nearby trees and rolled across the ground on their own. Where they converged, the fruit rose to form pony-shaped figures, one a golden yellow, the second a glossy red, and the third a dazzling green.
“What are you doing here?” the yellow figure demanded, its voice like the wind rustling the leaves.
“Who are you?” the green one demanded.
“I am Applejack o’ th’ Brave Companions,” Applejack answered.
“The Element of Trustworthiness, of course,” the red figure said.
“Of course, you are drawn to this place,” the green apple-pony added.
“Who are y’? What is this place?” Applejack demanded, “If y’ve got anythin’ t’ do with Discord, I’ll have naught t’ do with y’.”
“This is the Grove of Truth, and we are its keepers,” the red figure announced.
“That is the Fountain of Truth, and we are its guardians,” the yellow one said.
“You may ask us one question, past, future, or present,” said the green one.
“But be warned …” said red.
“… that the truth …” continued yellow.
“… may not always be pleasant,” finished green, with nary a break in their speech.
Applejack stared down the apple-creatures. This was most likely part of Discord’s magic, but maybe it wasn’t. It wouldn’t surprise Applejack one bit to learn that Celestia had a Fountain of Truth in her private gardens; maybe it had magic beyond Discord, just like the Elements of Harmony. If she had the opportunity to ask a question of these beings, it could be very useful to take it.
“Whatever I ask, y’ will answer truthfully?” Applejack asked.
“We will not answer …”
“… the Fountain of Truth will …”
“… and the Fountain of Truth …”
“… cannot lie.”
“Okay then,” Applejack said, approaching the fountain and trying to think of what would be most worthwhile to ask, “I have th’ feelin’ that e’en if we win Discord’s ‘game,’ he’ll try t’ trick us anyhow someway. What awaits us at th’ end o’ our journey?”
The smooth, mirror-like surface of the fountain began to ripple as Applejack finished uttering her question. She found herself gazing at a scene that was both familiar and not familiar. She and her friends were standing in Ponieville, but it had been twisted and rearranged just like Cant’r Laht. Rainbow Dash was missing, but Spike was with them again. Applejack’s face creased with concern as she observed the confrontational expressions on everypony’s faces in the vision.
“I’m done with this!” Pinkamena yelled, her voice bubbling up through the water, as if coming from very far away, “I don’t ever want to see any of you again!”
“The feeling is mutual,” Fluttershy snorted as Pinkamena ran away, “You’re all a bunch of failures that aren’t worth knowing, anyway.”
“I could’ve beaten Discord if it hadn’t been for all o’ you!” the vision-Applejack yelled, and the real Applejack gasped.
“Fine! Leave then! Give up! See if I care!” Twilight Sparkle yelled as they all went their separate ways, “I do not know why I bothered with you anyway!”
“What? No! It can’t be!” Applejack exclaimed as the vision faded and she stumbled back from the fountain, “All o’ us losin’ our friends like that? It can’t be!”
Hovering above, Discord let out a chuckle that didn’t reach the earth pony’s ears.
“Right where I want you,” the draconequus whispered to himself.
“It can’t be true. It can’t be,” Applejack repeated, trying to convince herself, and she looked up as one of the keepers of the grove placed a hoof made of apples on her back.
“When all the truth does …” the glossy red keeper said with a said shake of its head.
“… is make your heart ache …” the dazzling green one continued.
“… sometimes a lie is easier to take,” the golden yellow keeper finished.
Applejack didn’t even hear the resounding snap of Discord’s claws as she gave in. If the truth was too terrible to face, what other choice did she have? Her mind felt fuzzy and the color seemed to drain from her coat as the chaos magic permeated her, stripping her of the defining quality that had granted her an Element of Harmony. To kill her would be too easy (and not particularly fun); Discord had other plans in mind.
“Applejack!” Twilight Sparkle called out as her path brought her to the Grove of Truth, though the grove was now devoid of trees, talking apples, and the Fountain of Truth, “I thought I heard you over here. Was there trouble?”
“Not in the sli’est,” Applejack said confidently as she whirled around to face Twilight, before trotting past her, “Everything is just fine an’ as it should be.”
“Did she just …” Twilight wondered, “No, Applejack is probably just trying to keep her spirits up. What reason would she have to lie?”
***
Pinkamena bounded through the labyrinth, appearing to have nary a care in the world. She paused in her bounding for a moment to appreciate that there was ground both beneath her hooves and above her head. Curious, she jumped as high as she could and found herself falling upwards. She managed to turn around before hitting the ground, but the moment her hooves touched the soil, she found herself sliding down a slope. Hedges whipped past, and she tried and failed to stop before she crashed through one. She landed not completely ungracefully on a wooden stage. The bard blinked in surprise at the large crowd of ponies assembled before her.
“Song! Song! Song!” they began to chant as they spotted her onstage.
Pinkamena spotted the flagpole with the red banner and began to trot toward the edge of the stage.
“Song! Song! Song!” the crowd demanded, their voices getting louder as they crowded around the stage and blocked her escape.
She needed to keep moving, she knew, but she’d never had so many ponies begging her to perform before, even if this was probably just some conjuring of Discord. Well, maybe just a ditty. Pinkamena produced her lute and began to strum a few notes, the crowd cheering before quieting. She began her song but didn’t get a single word out before the strings on her lute snapped, springing back to slap her across the face. The crowd was silent for only a moment before they burst into raucous laughter.
“Hey, what’s so funny?” Pinkamena asked, feeling hurt in more ways than just physically.
“Why, your misfortune, of course,” Discord said as he appeared onstage next to her, dressed like a troubadour with a floppy hat, “What’s the matter? I would think the Element of Mirth would appreciate laughter?”
“They’re laughing at my expense,” Pinkamena protested.
“And? Ponies laugh at you all the time, including your friends,” Discord chuckled as he produced a flipbook with illustrations of past events and began flipping through it, “Oh, Pinkie, your antics are always good for a laugh.”
“That’s because I like to make my friends smile,” Pinkamena said with a hint of uncertainty as she watched the scenes flip by, “They laugh with me, not at me.”
“Are you really so sure about that?” Discord asked, cocking an eyebrow and gesturing out toward the crowd.
It was only now that Pinkamena recognized her friends were a part of the audience, laughing right along with everypony else. Could it really be true? She didn’t want to believe it, but now that she thought about it, did anypony take her seriously? How much of their laughter was directed at her, and not just when she was trying to entertain them?
“Stop it,” Pinkamena said weakly to the crowd, “Stop laughing at me.”
“Oh, come on, where’s that mirth now?” Discord asked as he grabbed the corners of Pinkamena’s mouth and forced them up into a smile, “I thought you liked it when ponies laughed at you?”
“Not. Anymore.” Pinkamena said as the sound of snapping claws echoed through the air.
Just like Applejack before her, Pinkamena gave in to Discord, and was changed by his magic. Her coat faded, her mind dulled, and the laughter of the crowd became even more grating to her ears. It was a relief when they disappeared, leaving her in an empty section of the hedge maze.
“Pinkamena!” Twilight Sparkle called out as she nearly passed by without noticing her friend, “I was hoping we would find somepony else soon. Are we glad to see you!”
“Why? Need a good laugh?” Pinkamena asked confrontationally, but Twilight was too excited at finding her to notice at first.
“Actually, I think we could use some lightheartedness right about now,” Twilight admitted.
“I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction,” Pinkamena said angrily as she stormed past Twilight.
“I have never seen Pinkamena so upset. What do you think is going on?” Twilight asked Applejack.
“Pinkamena has always been like that,” Applejack said, which was clearly not true.
Something strange is going on in this labyrinth. If I were a betting pony, I’d place the blame on Discord. We’ve got to find the rest of our friends before this somehow gets worse.
***
As Rarity trotted through the maze, careful not to look to the left or right, where ground could be seen at a perpendicular in the distance, she considered that this was how things were likely going to be from now on. She hadn’t asked for much out of life, just a steady profit and successful career as a clothier and the chance to rise above her station to enter the noble class. So far, neither had come true, but she’d seen more than she’d ever expected as a Brave Companion. She should have known that a trip to Cant’r Laht for the summer solstice ceremony would not go according to plan, but she never could have anticipated that instead of attending an audience with Celestia or presenting her latest designs to Hoity Toity, she’d be gallivanting through a maze whose structure defied logic searching for the magical artifacts she and her friends had found a year earlier.
While she was thinking over her lot in life, she wasn’t quite paying attention to where she was going and ran straight into a stone wall. Of course, it didn’t help that the wall only came into being a fraction of a second before she ran into it. As she picked herself up off the ground where she’d fallen and dusted off her dress, her eyes fixated on the wall just ahead of her. A bright gemstone peeked out of the stone face, and two more were revealed as she ran her hoof across the wall, dislodging the outer layer of rock. They were splendid, and together could be the highlight of the dress she was planning to present to Hoity Toity for approval before her departure from Cant’r Laht.
No, Rarity! You’ll never even have a chance to speak to him unless you stop Discord, and for that you must find the Element of Charity. The gems are probably not real anyway. Is anything real here anymore? She forced herself to turn away from the wall, the gems seeming to glow more brilliantly as she did so, and she trotted away. Suddenly, she found herself on the ground again and looked back to see that she’d tripped over a leather bag on the ground that hadn’t been there before. Curiously, she pried it open and found tools for breaking stone. Well, if it won’t take too long to pry them free …
Several minutes later, she sat with the rubble of the wall around her, her body covered in stone dust, but it was worth it. The three small gemstones had proved to be only parts of a magnificent diamond larger than her head. She looked at it gleefully as it shimmered in the light, a fortune she could hold in her hooves, enough to buy everything she ever wanted.
“Well, well, Rarity,” Discord chuckled to himself as he hovered above the oblivious blacksmith, “That’s quite a treasure you’ve found for yourself. With all that work you put in to get it out, I imagine it’s not something you’ll be willing to share with anyone.”
Twilight Sparkle picked up her pace as she thought she heard a snap resounding through the air nearby. Rounding the corner of a hedge, she spotted Rarity, her coat drained partially of color like Pinkamena and Applejack. Rarity didn’t notice the other three appear, as she was too busy caressing the large rock in front of her.
“Rarity! There you are!” Twilight exclaimed, then raised an eyebrow as the blacksmith didn’t respond, “Why are you stroking that rock?”
“Rock? Rock!” Rarity said, sounding offended and clutching the stone tighter, “This diamond is mine! All mine! I dug it out myself, so keep your eyes off of it! Don’t even think about trying to take it!”
Twilight Sparkle frowned with concern. It seemed everypony around her was going crazy, something she knew was not at all unlikely given their foe. At least they were still themselves and her friends, though, right?
***
Fluttershy darted from one hedge to another, steeling herself each time. She was not a naturally courageous pony, and she was beginning to realize, like Rarity had, that her future likely would contain many harrowing adventures. The druidess didn’t know if her heart could take much more excitement. She spotted movement out of the corner of her eye and tried to bury herself in the hedge, scratching herself up with the branches in the process. She gave a little gasp as she spotted what it was that was floating by, but it was a gasp of excitement, not one of fear.
“A nightingale butterfly!” she exclaimed, bursting out of the hedge and nearly tripping as her druidess robes caught, “Wait up! I’ve never seen one of you before!”
“Oh, Fluttershy, it looks like your friends have abandoned you,” the butterfly said with a thin reedy voice once she caught up to it.
Peculiar. Since the sonic rainboom, she'd always been able to communicate with animals, but never had she been able to hear them speaking in pony language exactly. Maybe it was just a side effect (and a welcome one) of Discord’s magic. He’d made enough changes to what was normal that there was no reason he couldn’t have allowed her to hear animal voices in her own language.
“That is, if they ever were your friends, really,” the butterfly continued.
“Oh, I’m certain they haven’t abandoned me,” Fluttershy said with real confidence, “They would never do anything like that.”
“It must be because they feel sorry for you, as weak and helpless as they believe you are,” the butterfly said, “Surely that must irk you, knowing they don’t believe in you.”
“Oh, not at all,” Fluttershy replied, “Compared to the others, I am weak and helpless, in most things at least. I’m happy they understand that I can’t always do what they can.”
“Still, it must hurt when they point it out, and it makes you want to point out their flaws too, if only you had the confidence, right?” the butterfly said, looking frustrated.
“No, not really,” Fluttershy replied, “I wouldn’t want to do anything like that, especially to ponies who just want me to be the best I can.”
“Oh, for the love of ravens and writing desks!” the butterfly exclaimed as it transformed into a fuming Discord, “No one is incorruptible, even if I have to do it by force!”
With a snap of the draconequus’s claws, a torrent of chaos magic flooded Fluttershy’s mind. Her virtues were scrubbed away and replaced with their equivalent vices, and her coat faded in color. Discord stomped off mumbling to himself before vanishing.
“Fluttershy?” Twilight Sparkle asked with trepidation as she spotted the druidess sitting alone, “Oh, Fluttershy, I am so pleased we found you. This labyrinth, Discord’s magic, something is getting to everypony. Everypony is acting just awful.”
“Looking for a shoulder to cry on? Well, you won’t find it here!” Fluttershy snapped, “Why don’t you just use that magic you’re so proud of, great and mighty sorceress, and fix everything?”
Twilight Sparkle stood in shocked silence. Fluttershy had never spoken to her, or anypony else that she’d seen, in such a fashion. Something is terribly wrong, it’s getting to all of them. How long before it gets me too, or has it already?
***
Rainbow Dash stalked the labyrinth, greatly missing her wings. What kind of a Hunter couldn’t fly? Surely one that was doomed to a quick death. Something flashed up ahead, and she waited to make sure it wasn’t a trap before pursuing. The Hunter picked up her pace as she recognized the object hovering in the air at eye level as the Element of Allegiance, her Element of Harmony. The red diamond zipped through the maze, Rainbow Dash in hot pursuit, until it exited the maze and zipped over a layer of clouds.
Without thinking, Rainbow Dash charged ahead and instantly plummeted through the clouds. Ropes hanging down from the cliff edge she’d charged over caught her as she fell, and she found herself suspended upside-down. She ceased her struggling as she spotted Discord lounging on the underside of the clouds.
“What are you doing here?” the Hunter demanded to know.
“Moi?” Discord said innocently, “I’m just taking a little respite. After all, it’s not I that needs to make a difficult decision upon which balances the entirety of everything they stand for.”
“What are you babbling about now?” Rainbow Dash demanded.
“Babble? I never babble,” Discord said, looking hurt, “I’ve got an important message to deliver to you.”
“Please say it isn’t in rhyme,” Rainbow groaned.
“It is,” Discord said with a grin and cleared his throat, “A weighty choice is yours to make: the right selection or a big mistake. If a wrong choice you choose to pursue, the foundations of your world will crumble without you.”
With a snap of Discord’s claws, Rainbow Dash got a glimpse of what he meant. The Hunters of the Order of the Falcon, her order, were driven back by nightmarish monsters they’d never seen before. All across Equestria, the same thing was happening to other Hunter orders, until they all found themselves in Cloudsdale. Even there, they weren’t safe, though, and Cloudsdale was torn down from the sky and dashed into a million pieces as all the Hunters perished.
“No, it can’t be true,” Rainbow Dash said as the vision faded, “The Hunters … obliterated.”
“Unless you help them,” Discord whispered in her ear, “They don’t know they need you, but you do. You can’t help them without your wings, of course, but that would mean leaving the game. The decision is yours to make: save the Hunters, save Equestria, or wander this maze for all eternity. I know what I’d pick in your situation.”
***
The other five Brave Companions continued through the labyrinth, searching for Rainbow Dash. Twilight Sparkle looked up and tried to smile as she spotted the flagpole they’d set as their meeting point. Somehow, she’d become burdened with the rock that Rarity still insisted was a diamond. She’d thought that maybe helping her with it when the blacksmith complained of tiring out would help improve her mood, but Rarity was keeping a close eye on the rock and continually reminded the sorceress that it was all hers.
The rest of her “friends” weren’t much better. Pinkamena would snap at anypony that tried to talk to her or express any kind of happiness in her general area. Fluttershy seemed bent on insulting everypony and laughing at Pinkamena just to get under her skin. Applejack continually denied things that were obvious or spouted off things that were blatantly untrue. She didn’t know what was going on, but she wanted it to end.
“Look at that, Rainbow Dash is abandonin’ us. I always knew that she would,” Applejack said.
“How many more lies am I supposed to stand?” Twilight asked as she rolled Rarity’s rock off her back.
“Twilight, darling, it’s not a lie,” Rarity said after running to grab her stone before anypony else could.
Not her, too! Twilight Sparkle gasped as she trotted into the clearing with the flagpole. There, over the hedges, Rainbow Dash was flying away. That’s impossible! Rainbow Dash would never abandon us! What is happening!
She found Rainbow Dash’s sudden change in devotion to be not the most pressing problem as the ground rumbled beneath her hooves. The labyrinth disappeared, the hedges sinking into the earth and vanishing. The flagpole they’d been trying to reach crumbled to dust and drifted away in a zigzagging wind. A great rent filled with indescribable colors tore apart the sky above them and was mercifully hidden by a ceiling of clouds a few moments later. Frogs, worms, and fish began pelting down from them as the Titan’s Horn split in two and Cant’r Laht twisted into a pretzel around the two peaks.
“Well, well, well, looks like somepony broke the rules,” Discord said spitefully as he appeared, “Dear, loyal Rainbow Dash took her wings and left the game, so the game is over.”
Discord snapped his claws, and Twilight Sparkle felt her magical abilities return, but she was too paralyzed to do anything with them. Fluttershy’s wings also returned, but there was no sign of Spike. This can’t be it. This can’t be the end!
“Oh, but it is the end, Twilight Sparkle,” Discord replied to her thoughts, “You didn’t find your precious Elements of Harmony, and you can’t defeat me without them. You’ve lost, I’ve won! I, Discord, Lord of Chaos, Pontiff of Disharmony, the Mad God, Emperor of Entropy, am back! All the world is mine, so let the chaos begin!”
Twilight Sparkle stared in horror as the world came apart at the seams, Discord chuckling gleefully all the while. How can this be? How could we have failed?
“What do you think you’re laughing about?” Pinkamena demanded of the mad draconequus without a hint of fear.
There’s also that problem, as if things weren’t going poorly enough already. What has happened to my friends? They’re all being horrible.
“Why, I’m laughing at you of course, and your failure to come anywhere close to posing a threat to me,” Discord chortled, “Oh, it’s nice to be able to have a bit of fun again!”
“Fun? Fun!” Pinkamena yelled, “I’ll teach you to laugh at my expense!”
The bard charged Discord, who easily grabbed her with a claw, extended his arm, and deposited her far, far away from him. Pinkamena charged the draconequus again, dodging falling furniture, but stopped as she passed Fluttershy, who was pointedly laughing at her. Pinkamena tried to attack Fluttershy instead, but now that she had her wings back, she was able to stay easily out of range of the pink pony’s swings.
“Y’know, Rarity, since we found this diamond o’ yours together, Twi’ said we ought t’ split it six ways,” Applejack casually mentioned as she moved to pull the rock from Rarity’s clutches.
“Never!” Rarity yelled as she struck out, and Applejack narrowly avoided a hoof to the face, “It’s mine! All mine, I say! Get back!”
“That is enough!” Twilight Sparkle yelled as Pinkamena clambered over her in an attempt to reach Fluttershy, “What has happened to all of you? You are acting just awful!”
“You’re one to talk,” Fluttershy snorted, pausing in her mockery of Pinkamena for a moment, “Madam ‘I’m from Cant’r Laht so I’m superior to you and don’t have time for your muddy peasant town’s concerns’.”
Twilight’s ears fell back at Fluttershy’s accusation. It wouldn’t have stung so badly if it hadn’t had the ring of truth to it. I was a pretty awful pony when I first met them, wasn’t I? Is there a single one of them that I haven’t acted like in some way in the past? But … that’s all behind me! I’m a better pony now after spending time with them … aren’t I?
Discord continued to laugh nearby, one eye narrowed suspiciously while the other rolled around crazily. Discord! It can’t just be that my friends have begun displaying the terrible flaws I had after spending all this time with me, with nary a hint of them before. He’s got to be behind this somehow!
“Discord!” Twilight Sparkle demanded as she marched up to him, projecting magical shields around her body to protect herself, “What have you done to them? I thought your little ‘game’ had rules. You have not given us a fair chance!”
“Excuse me? I’m not the one who broke both the rules I laid out for you explicitly at the start. That would be your not-so-loyal-after-all compadre Rainbow Dash,” Discord said as he reached over and popped Twilight’s guarding spells like a soap bubble with one of his claws, “A fair chance is exactly what you got, and I must say it was far fairer than what I ought to have given you out of self-preservation.”
“Just how is removing the labyrinth before we can find the Elements of Harmony fair?” Twilight demanded as she tried to recreate her magical shields and ended up conjuring frogs wearing pantaloons instead.
“Who said I’d hidden the Elements of Harmony in the labyrinth?” Discord asked dismissively and snapped his claws.
The entire world around the sorceress flip-flopped violently, but something told her she couldn’t and shouldn’t fight it. When some semblance of normality returned, she felt … flat. With a start, she realized she was part of one of the tapestries in Cant’r Laht Castle’s treasury. It was a bizarre sensation; in any other situation, she’d have wanted to gather as much data on as possible, but there was no time for that now. She and her friends were in the vault, along with the statue of Celestia, while Discord spoke to them from another tapestry.
“Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began,” the tapestry-Discord repeated before Twilight was whisked back to the present and regained her natural form (apart from a few flowers sprouting in her mane).
“You deduced they would be in the labyrinth, but that deduction was wrong, and it has cost you, Twilight Sparkle,” Discord mocked as he figure-skated around her.
“Whatever you have done to my friends … that is what you are talking about, is it not?” Twilight asked as Discord did a flip, “What have you done to them? Made them the opposite of what they were?”
“Yes!” Discord said enthusiastically, “And no. It wasn’t that hard to change them into what they are now. It was already inside them, after all. No pony, no matter how much you may think they embody a virtue, is safe from falling to the accompanying vice. All it takes is a little push, one I was glad to give.”
“So, you did not give us a fair chance after all,” Twilight huffed.
“I grow tired of this. If they really are as splendid as you imagine, then you ought to be able to bring them back with your own good nature. However, you’re a bit lacking in that department, madam sorceress,” Discord said mockingly as he rolled his eyes, “I’m through with you for the moment. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to spread some more chaos around. Ta-ta!”
With a snap of his claws and a flash of light, Discord vanished. As he departed, a rift opened in the sky, from which a tentacle lanced out, grabbed Cant’r Laht Castle, and deposited it upside-down on a cloud. Now what? As Discord demonstrated, my magic won’t work correctly so long as he’s spreading chaos everywhere, so what can we do to fight him? Celestia had the right idea about using the Elements of Harmony, but that plan has failed. Celestia …
“Hooves off my diamond!” Rarity yelled as she galloped past, the rock tied to her back with what looked like checkered hose.
“You mean my diamond,” Fluttershy said viciously as she swooped down and pulled the rock from Rarity’s back. The blacksmith wouldn’t give it up without a fight and jumped to grab it, her hooves dangling above the ground as Fluttershy tried to fly away.
Discord said that he can’t affect the Elements of Harmony, so he must still be hiding them somewhere, but where? What was that riddle? “To find your missing Elements, just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began.” Back where we began? Cant’r Laht Castle? Haltrotsun Manor? There’s no telling where he considers the place we “began.”
“Seeing as how I grew it on m’ farm, th’ diamond belongs t’ me,” Applejack said as she jumped up to grab the stone as well, dragging the pegasus and unicorn down to the ground with the added weight.
“That’s a good one,” Fluttershy laughed.
“Stop laughing!” Pinkamena demanded, and she tried to climb on Applejack and Rarity to get to the pegasus.
“I have had more than enough of this!” Twilight yelled, casting a spell that thankfully didn’t go awry and teleported the four ponies to separate locations, “I do not know what it was Discord did to all of you, but you make me wish you had all stayed in Ponieville!”
Wait, could it be?
“Nice temper, madam sorceress,” Fluttershy said spitefully, “I see where you get it. You’re like Celestia in a lot of ways. You’re both failures at stopping threats to the future of the entire world, for example.”
“Where we began. Where we began,” Twilight repeated to herself, “Maybe that is it. The Elements of Harmony are hidden where we—the Brave Companions—began, where we first came together a year ago. We need to return to Ponieville, to Golden Oak’s laboratory.”
The only problem is getting there, Twilight thought as she looked out on the roiling mess of chaos that was quickly consuming the Equestry Valley.
***
As if the events of a year earlier were repeating themselves, Twilight Sparkle found herself headed down from Cant’r Laht to Ponieville. This time, however, it was not with an armed escort and Spike, but with her friends. Although, they weren’t acting like any ponies she’d want to associate with. She constantly reminded herself that this wasn’t who they were, that Discord had done this to them, but it was becoming more and more difficult to convince herself of that as time went on. Every time Applejack said something deliberately misleading, or Pinkamena accused somepony of making fun of her, or Fluttershy made a hateful comment, or Rarity reminded everypony not to look at her rock, she cringed, inwardly and visibly. They needed to find the Elements of Harmony and set things right before she did something that she regretted.
Normally the trip through the White Mountains and around the Everfree Forest to Ponieville took three days, but time had become less predictable since they’d left Cant’r Laht. Sun and moon rose and set in a seemingly random pattern. Twilight tried to track how much time had passed on their journey, but she soon gave up. The route was likewise changed from her past trips, but she kept her eyes on Ponieville and plowed ahead through all the oddities and dangers that presented themselves. Her magic only did what she intended one in every three times now, so she tried to keep its use to a minimum and find other ways to deal with obstacles, though her friends seldom helped out.
The sorceress was relieved to finally see Ponieville within reach, even if the town’s palisade was now made of candles and the entire hamlet had been twisted into a corkscrew-shape. Chaos was abundant in the area, from the giant woodland creatures ravaging the nearby farmland, to the off-color grass and sky, to the Mayoral Keep which was now shaped like a pumpkin. As something bounded by on its tongue, the ground shifted beneath Twilight and lifted her into the air. She spun around in confusion and found she was standing on Discord’s head.
“Marvelous, isn’t it?” the draconequus crooned, “I like your new home much better this way, don’t you?”
“I think it was better the way it was,” Twilight stated, and teleported away, reappearing upside-down and landing on her face in a small pond.
“Oh, look at you, defending a place for which you felt so much disdain,” Discord chuckled as Twilight tried to climb out of the pond, then fell on her face again as it zipped away of its own accord and scaled a tree, “You know, it’s a curious thing, but I think it was somewhere around here that I had my confrontation with Celestia and Luna. Of course, things looked very different then. Strange, isn’t it, how certain places tend to attract important moments, like duels whose outcome decides the future of the world? Perhaps you and I will duel here yet. I assume, given your attempts to herd your companions here and that dreadfully serious look on your face, that you haven’t given up yet.”
“Are you scared, Discord?” Twilight asked, “Are you afraid that we will defeat you once we have the Elements of Harmony?”
“Like that’ll ever happen with you leading us,” Fluttershy mocked, and Twilight winced.
“I know a much better way t’ defeat Discord than th’ Elements o’ Harmony,” Applejack stated.
“Yes, I’m absolutely terrified,” Discord said sarcastically with a chuckle before snapping his claws and vanishing.
The sorceress’s anger simmered until she forced herself to calm down. I am just like Celestia. Nearby, Fluttershy had started laughing at Pinkamena again and hovered out of her reach, one of her favorite pastimes as of late, and Twilight forced her anger down again. I bet Celestia never had to deal with anypony like this, though.
“Come on now, everypony, to defeat Discord we must find the Elements of Harmony, and for that we need to enter the laboratory,” Twilight said wearily after she somehow managed to get the five of them through the restructured Ponieville, “Can we please do so without any irksome lies, nasty comments, pointless complaints, or selfish declarations?”
“I would ne’er enter a mage’s laboratory in a million years,” Applejack said as she trotted up, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.
“Whatever you command, madam sorceress,” Fluttershy said spitefully as she entered.
“I hate this place! It’s too bright!” Pinkamena complained as she trotted after the others into the laboratory.
“Come on, Rarity,” Twilight pled with her as she stood stubbornly outside.
“Oh no, I know your plan,” Rarity said suspiciously, “Once I’m in there, I’ll be outnumbered by you and your minion Spike, and you’ll take my beautiful Thom. But it won’t work! This diamond is mine, all mine!”
“What are you talking about? What makes you think Spike is anywhere near here?” Twilight asked as Rarity cackled, then she heard the sound of the adolescent dragon’s cries from within the laboratory, “Spike?”
The sorceress rushed inside to see her friends milling around the common room while Spike ran around in circles, chased by a hopping pillow with teeth. Fluttershy dove from behind and knocked Spike over, and the pillow pounced on him, teeth scraping against his dragon hide as it tried to consume him. Twilight quickly cast a spell and the pillow burst into flames. Spike brushed away burning feathers as he pulled himself free.
“Fluttershy? What did you do that for? That … thing could’ve eaten me!” Spike said as he clutched himself, making sure he hadn’t been injured in any way.
“It’s a shame it didn’t,” Fluttershy said moodily, “Now we still have to listen to your annoying voice.”
“What?” Spike asked, completely stupefied by Fluttershy’s behavior, “Twilight, what happened, and why is everypony looking so … well, gray?”
Twilight Sparkle hadn’t realized it until now, but her friends’ coats had continued to fade since they’d left Cant’r Laht. As Discord’s insidious spell took greater hold of them, their colors seemed to drain more and more. She couldn’t explain the effect, nor would she be able to find it described in any book from either Celestia’s library, the Cant’r Laht archives, or Golden Oak’s collection. Even if she could find a book from Discord’s reign that was still readable, the description of the effect would have no real explanation, as it was with much of Discord’s chaos magic.
“Discord. I’ll explain later,” Twilight told Spike, “Assuming Golden Oak’s collection has not been rearranged or rendered nonsensical by Discord, do you know where Magical Relics of Modernity and Myth is? It helped us find the Elements last time, and I have a suspicion it might do so again.”
“Of course,” Spike said as he rushed over to the bookshelf, giving Rarity a wide berth as she glared at him while clutching the rock she’d dubbed Thom, “Here it is!”
“Whoops,” Fluttershy said as she knocked Spike into the bookshelf and snatched the tome from his claws.
“Fluttershy, give me the book,” Twilight said as she approached slowly, worried that this new Fluttershy would destroy or damage it in some way that would prevent them from finding the Elements of Harmony and defeating Discord.
“No way I’m letting you cast any spells on me, witch,” Fluttershy said venomously, and threw it to Applejack as Twilight leapt toward her, “Keep it away from her!”
“Applejack! I need that book now!” Twilight yelled as she landed and changed directions.
“Rarity has th’ book,” the farmer lied as she threw the book toward Pinkamena.
“Pinkamena!” the sorceress yelled, but she’d already thrown Magical Relics back to Fluttershy.
None of them let her get close enough to snatch the book, but she began to anticipate their moves and came closer and closer to intercepting it with the help of Spike. Finally she had it, or would have if Rarity hadn’t come out of nowhere and snatched it from the air before she could reach it.
“Mine!” Rarity called gleefully as she held onto the book, seemingly having forgotten her “diamond.”
“Rarity! I need that book to defeat Discord!” Twilight yelled as she chased her.
“No! Get your own! This is mine now!” Rarity said petulantly.
Twilight had nearly caught up to Rarity by the time Fluttershy grabbed her from above and threw her into a bookcase. Rare books rained down around her, and she poked her head out of the pile angrily. Rarity seemed to have gone back to Thom and Magical Relics was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is it?” Twilight demanded, “Where is the book?”
“I’ve ne’er seen it afore in m’ life,” Applejack lied.
“Enough with the lies!” Twilight yelled as she spotted the book behind Applejack and jumped toward her.
Pinkamena tackled her before she could reach the tome and pinned her to the ground. Rarity seemed to take a renewed interest in it and crept up to steal it from Applejack. The sorceress pulled free only to be immediately struck to the ground by Fluttershy. This is going to take all day unless I do something!Twilight cast a spell meant to separate all five of them, but instead she ended up reversing gravity within the laboratory and everypony fell to the ceiling. It hadn’t been what she’d intended, but it sufficiently disoriented everypony enough that Spike was able to retrieve Magical Relics and Twilight was able to pull herself free from the tangle and rush over to him.
“Everypony stay back!” Twilight Sparkle yelled as her friends closed in around her and Spike tried to fend them off with a broom.
She flipped open the book before anypony could make a move. Quickly, she turned to the page describing the Elements of Harmony, but it wasn’t there. Instead, when she reached it, the pages became suddenly hollowed out, and the Elements of Harmony were nestled inside. Thank goodness we do not have to go anywhere else to get them. I do not think we would make it.
“We did it,” Twilight said breathlessly, then louder for the benefit of everypony in the room, “We found the Elements of Harmony!”
Other than Spike, everyone else seemed very apathetic to the news. It was like they didn’t even care about defeating Discord—no, it was more than that. It was like they didn’t even care about each other anymore. They’d all changed, and Twilight was beginning to doubt if things could ever return to the way they had been. Bizarre that I’m now the nicest pony among my friends. No! That is just what new Fluttershy would say.
“I never thought I would see the day that all of you would change so much that I no longer wanted to be with you,” Twilight said with disappointment, “I have only known you for a year, but I thought our bond was strong enough to keep us together through anything. I guess I was wrong!”
Angrily, the sorceress distributed the Elements of Harmony, fastening each amulet around the others’ necks. Applejack denied that she’d been given the right one, Pinkamena glowered at hers and looked ready to tear it off at any moment, Rarity stared at hers enviously before snatching it from Twilight, and Fluttershy remarked that with the Elements they might have a chance if it weren’t for Twilight dragging them down. She’d had more than enough of this by the time she placed the circlet with the Element of Sorcery on her own head.
“Twilight, I didn’t want to say anything earlier, with everything that was going on, but aren’t you missing somepony? Where’s Rainbow Dash?” Spike asked as the sorceress angrily adjusted her element.
“Rainbow Dash left us,” Twilight answered, the rage replaced by sadness and betrayal for a few seconds before it came rushing back, “You can wield the Element of Allegiance instead, Spike. You’re more dependable and unswayable than Rainbow Dash anyway.”
“Me!” Spike said incredulously as Twilight threw the amulet at him, “B-but, do the Elements even work for dragons?”
“They will have to. We have no other choice,” Twilight said before turning back to the other Brave Companions, “Come on, everypony, let us defeat Discord so we can set things back to normal, though I do not know if I will want to be around you for a while after we succeed.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” Fluttershy sneered as she and the others left the laboratory.
Gravity within Golden Oak’s laboratory was still reversed, so it wasn’t easy to leave without flying, and Fluttershy was being more of a hinderance than a help, but they managed to make it outside, albeit with several bumps and bruises. The square that normally existed outside of Golden Oak’s laboratory now dipped and rose in a way that made it hard to look at without turning one’s stomach while walking, for it felt like walking on a perfectly level surface. The shops and houses around the square were in various chaotic states, some inside-out, some upside-down, others twisted into curls or endlessly falling in a loop, vanishing just before striking the ground and reappearing in the air. In the midst of it all stood Discord with a grin on his face.
“Well, well, well, well, well,” Discord said as he clapped sarcastically, “So the Brave Companions have found the Elements of Harmony after all. I’m shaking in my clogs at the sight.”
“I figured out your riddle, and now it is time to end this game!” Twilight Sparkle called out to him confrontationally.
“Quite right, it appears I have no choice but to yield the field of battle and surrender. At least I am prepared for it this time and can get into a position that makes a better statue,” Discord said as he posed, “You can turn me back to stone whenever you are ready. Just be sure to get my good side.”
“Gladly,” Twilight said, “Come on everypony, get ready. That includes you, Spike.”
It was like Celestia had said; now that it was the moment to use the Elements of Harmony, they knew exactly how to do so, or at least they had the feeling that they did. Power surged through the gemstones, though it was dull, and their glow flickered quite a bit. The Elements were only working as a pale shadow of themselves, drawing on the last kernel of their virtues in the hearts of their bearers. It was enough to lift the five ponies off the ground, but not very far, and not for long. Discord applauded again as they all fell to the ground, the last spark in the Elements dying out.
“What happened?” Twilight asked incredulously, “The Elements of Harmony should have worked!”
“Mine worked fine. I bet it was th’ Element o’ Sorcery that failed,” Applejack said as Twilight inspected her circlet.
“What do I want with the Element of Mirth anyway?” Pinkamena said as she pulled her necklace off and threw it away.
“As I thought, a worthless relic, just like Celestia,” Fluttershy said as she discarded her amulet as well.
“Mine! Mine! Mine!” Rarity cried as she snatched up the abandoned Elements of Harmony.
“What an incredible performance!” Discord mock-praised as he continued to applaud and approached Twilight, “I couldn’t have asked for a better end to the rebellion against my new reign. Don’t look so glum, Twilight Sparkle, you’ll get used to the chaos. Or not.”
Discord swelled up before popping into a hundred soap bubbles that exploded as they fell and left tiny craters where they struck the ground. Once again, they’d lost. Twilight thought that it would be easier to take the second time, but that wasn’t the case. The Elements of Harmony had failed, and nothing else was strong enough to defeat Discord. It was over.
“Sorry, Twilight, I guess only Rainbow Dash can wield her Element. I tried my best,” Spike apologized as he dropped the Element of Allegiance and returned to the laboratory.
“I’m done with this!” Pinkamena yelled, “I don’t ever want to see any of you again!”
“The feeling is mutual,” Fluttershy snorted as Pinkamena ran away, “You’re all a bunch of failures that aren’t worth knowing, anyway.”
“I could’ve beaten Discord if it hadn’t been for all o’ you!” Applejack proclaimed.
“Fine! Leave then! Give up! See if I care!” Twilight Sparkle yelled as they all abandoned her, not believing hat she was saying, “I do not know why I bothered with you anyway! I was better off on my own!” At least then I wouldn’t have to feel the pain of losing you all. From far away, a snap resounded through the air, and Twilight’s coat faded to gray.
***
Twilight Sparkle glumly stalked the twisting streets of Ponieville, never sure exactly where she’d end up. It was a small town, and in her year of living here she’d become well-accustomed to its layout. That everything was now unpredictable was another reminder that everything had changed and wouldn’t be returning to the way it had been.
She’d lost, and not just the fight with Discord, but so much she held dear. I thought I had everything back in Cant’r Laht. I was a well-respected sorceress, personal protégé of the great Celestia, but I had no idea how much I was missing until I came to Ponieville. Friends, ponies whom I cared for, and who cared for me, who made me a better pony than I was. I’ve lost them all, and those friendships were worth more to me than anything I had before I met them.
“Come now, Twilight Sparkle, turn that frown upside-down,” Discord said as he materialized and began moonwalking upside-down just in front of her, “You may have failed utterly at defeating me, but look on the bright side. Your home will be a much more surprising and livelier place now that I’m in charge.”
“My home?” Twilight said distantly as she looked around at what was left of Ponieville, “No, Ponieville is not my home anymore, not without my friends.”
At last, all hope of the Elements of Harmony unifying is gone, Discord thought to himself with a giggle as he rubbed his claws together gleefully and floated away.
Even if it weren’t for the chaos twisting the town into indescribable shapes and painting it with inconceivable colors, Twilight knew she couldn’t stay in Ponieville any longer. When she’d first come here, she’d hated the town, but only days later she’d begged Celestia to let her stay. Her reason for staying had been the five ponies she’d come to know on their quest to stop Nightmare Moon. She may have grown fond of Ponieville now, but that wouldn’t be enough to keep her here. Without her friends, there was no reason to stay.
“Pack your things, Spike, if you can,” Twilight announced as she entered Golden Oak’s laboratory and was relieved that gravity had returned to normal, “We are leaving Ponieville. Maybe Discord’s magic has not reached the far reaches of Equus yet. I doubt it, but I cannot stay here in any case.”
A groan came from her bedchamber upstairs and she climbed up to investigate.
“Spike?” she asked as she entered.
The dragon was lying on the floor, claws wrapped around his chest. Around him were piles of books and scrolls.
“Spike, what is happening? Are you okay?” Twilight asked with concern. I can’t lose him too!
“I’ve never had … so many come at once,” Spike croaked out as he clutched his throat with one claw and pointed at the pile of scrolls with the other, “They’ve been coming … ever since you left … I can barely … catch my breath.”
The dragon’s face scrunched up before he let out a burst of flame and another scroll materialized, bouncing off him before joining the others. Twilight felt Spike’s chest to make sure he hadn’t hurt himself (as much as she could tell with her limited medical knowledge), before turning to the pile of scrolls. Picking one from the top of the pile, she flattened it out and began to read.
“My dearest mentor, Celestia …” she read aloud before stopping and continuing silently, “Are these all the letters that I have sent Celestia since moving to Ponieville? But how? Why? Who is sending them?”
“How should I know?” Spike groaned, “It isn’t like they were hoof-delivered.”
“They care naught who I am, so long as I am genuinely me, true to myself. There are no petty games or veiled criticisms with them, only true acceptance,” Twilight read aloud from another letter and turned to a third, “Every time I think I understand them, I am surprised again with strength I never knew was there. I am realizing that none of us can stand alone, for our weaknesses would consume us, but together there seems to be nothing that we cannot face.”
Twilight Sparkle continued to read her correspondence with Celestia as the sun and moon moved erratically through the sky and Ponieville shifted around her. With every new letter she was reminded of her experiences with her friends and everything she’d learned, everything she hadn’t realized she’d been learning. She saw again the true natures of Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkamena, written with her own words. The cloud of doubt and despair that clung to her mind was slowly pushed back as she became more and more uplifted by what she read, and her coat gradually regained its color. At last, Discord’s magic was totally dispelled, and the sorceress found herself more invigorated than she’d ever felt.
“How could I have forgotten!” she exclaimed, “With everything we have been through together, I cannot give up now! This was Discord’s plan all along, to separate us. He knew he would never be able to face us together, so he had to drive us apart. Forcing the others to betray their true natures was all part of that, turning them against each other and against me. Well, it will not work any longer!”
“Do you remember, when we first arrived in Ponieville, I told you that the future of Equestria did not rest on me making friends? Nothing was further from the truth! If I hadn’t found my friends, we would never have been able to use the Elements of Harmony, never would have defeated Nightmare Moon. Without them, I can never hope to defeat Discord, but together we can do it!”
“I cannot give up without a fight, and I cannot allow my friends to go on the way they are! I have to find them, to bring them back to who they truly are, to bring us all back together; it is the only way. Just like a year ago, the future of Equestria rests on the six of us coming together!”
Spike groaned in what might have been agreement or might have just been gratitude that all the letters he’d had to materialize had been good for something after all.
“You stay here, rest up, and … try not to float away,” Twilight said after bringing him to his bed which, like the rest of the furniture in his room, was suspended in the air, “I have friends to save … and Equestria.”
***
Though the Apples’ farms were well outside Ponieville, somehow Twilight ended up there first. She hadn’t considered that maybe she would have difficulty finding her friends to win them back, but it was a real possibility with how confusingly rearranged the world was getting. No matter; she was determined to see this through no matter what, and she wouldn’t allow Discord’s toying with reality to get in her way.
“So there I was, about t’ defeat Discord, but all m’ so-called friends prevented me from doin’ it,” Applejack was telling a pony-sized chicken when Twilight arrived.
“Applejack! Am I glad to see you!” Twilight Sparkle called as she galloped toward her, “Everything I said, it was wrong. I am glad I met you, and I am here to fight for our friendship.”
“I’ve ne’er met y’ afore in m’ life,” Applejack lied, “E’en if I had, why don’t y’ fight Discord instead? I seem t’ be th’ only one around willin’ t’ stand up t’ him.”
“Enough!” Twilight yelled as she tackled Applejack to the ground and was glad the farmer didn’t use her superior strength to just buck her off, “This is not how you are! Discord has done something to you; you are not a liar. Remember!”
Twilight cast a spell that she hoped would work as intended and not harm Applejack in any way. At first, she felt the chaos nipping at the edges of the spell, striving to twist it wickedly away from its purpose, but the gem in the circlet around the sorceress’s head held the spell firm. The memories of the time the two of them had spent together, fresh in her memories from her old letters, flowed into Applejack’s mind, reminding her who she truly was, what she truly held dear. The spell became more stable as a light emanated from both the Element of Sorcery and the Element of Trustworthiness, and color returned to Applejack’s coat. Twilight Sparkle rolled off Applejack as she completed the spell, drenched in sweat from the ordeal.
“What happened t’ me?” Applejack asked in a daze, then shock was written across her face as she realized what had been going on since the labyrinth, “Twi! I saw th’ end o’ our friendship, us all splitting apart! I guess it really was th’ truth … th’ truth. I couldn’t handle th’ truth, so I started t’ lie instead. Can y’ e’er forgive me for what I’ve done?”
“What are friends for?” Twilight Sparkle asked, grateful that she knew the answer.
***
With Applejack helping her, it was easier to track down the others and remind them of what they’d lost. They began with Rarity, who was hoarding her, Fluttershy’s, and Pinkamena’s Elements, and moved on to the other two from there. Each time, Twilight was left exhausted from casting her spell, but it was getting easier with each friend she reclaimed. With their linkage through the Elements of Harmony, she found that it wasn’t just her memories flowing each time, but those of her friends as well. Eventually, only one Element remained without an owner, but the pony it belonged to was nowhere to be found.
“Rainbow Dash isn’t home,” Fluttershy announced after flying up and investigating her hideout, “I don’t think she’s returned since we left for Cant’r Laht either.”
“Where could she be?” Rarity wondered, “You don’t think she’s still in Cant’r Laht, do you?”
“If that is what it takes to find her, then that is where we will go,” Twilight announced as she looked at the mountain that had once been the Titan’s Horn with apprehension.
“Or we could just go over there,” Pinkamena said cheerfully, pointing up at the sky.
It was hard to make it out against the sky, which in this area looked like tessellating birds and fish, but there was a solitary cloud hovering up there. Atop it, Rainbow Dash stood guard, though exactly what she was guarding against was unclear, since she didn’t even flinch when a flock of fanged fish flew past or a fireball sailed past her tail.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called excitedly up to her, “There you are! We have been looking for you.”
“That’s great,” Rainbow Dash said without much enthusiasm.
“We need your help t’ defeat Discord,” Applejack called up, “Could y’ maybe come down from there? We could really use y’.”
“No can do,” Rainbow replied flatly, “I have to stay here in Cloudsdale and make sure the Hunters don’t go extinct.”
“Does she really think that cloud is Cloudsdale?” Rarity asked doubtfully.
“Well, Discord did convince y’ that that rock y’ were haulin’ ‘round was a diamond,” Applejack pointed out and received a glower in return.
“Like all of us, Discord must have tricked her into betraying her true self. She knows no allegiance to us, and it is doubtful she will feel allegiance to that cloud for much longer before betraying it too,” Twilight said, “We will not be able to convince her to come down willingly, I am afraid. Fluttershy, do you think you can get the Element of Allegiance on her and get her close enough that I can cast my memory spell?”
“I’ll try,” Fluttershy promised before hovering up to Rainbow Dash, “Would you mind leaving … um … Cloudsdale so that Twilight can enchant you so that you’ll come with us?”
Well, you could’ve phrased it better, Twilight thought, but at least I know you’re yourself again, Fluttershy.
“Never!” Rainbow Dash yelled before zipping away with her cloud.
Fluttershy took off after her, but she would never be able to catch Rainbow Dash; there were few pegasi who could. Twilight Sparkle bit her lip worriedly and considered her options. How long could they chase Rainbow Dash before Discord’s chaos magic became irreversible? She was here now, and she had the opportunity to end this, but she didn’t like the risks it posed to her friend. Before the Hunter got too far away, Twilight assumed a spell-casting stance. With the Elements of Harmony providing shelter against disharmony in the immediate vicinity, the spell went off correctly, and a beam of magical energy shot across the twisted landscape before striking the cloud under Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called as the pegasus fell from the sky.
She didn’t seem to be pulling up and Fluttershy wouldn’t reach her in time, so Twilight began teleporting, faster and farther than she ever had before. She materialized directly beneath Rainbow Dash in a grove of giant, roaring dandelions.
“Caen’r majia acca Ye’r accael![1]” Twilight incanted as she watched Rainbow fall, desperate to find out if she had harmed her friend in trying to stop her fleeing.
A cushion of air sprung into being beneath Rainbow Dash and slowed her fall, but not enough to keep her from knocking Twilight to the ground when she landed on her. The sorceress checked to make sure Rainbow Dash was uninjured, just dazed, before placing the Element of Allegiance around her neck. Before she could cast the memory spell, though, Rainbow Dash threw her off.
“You destroyed Cloudsdale!” the Hunter yelled before drawing a knife and leaping towards Twilight.
“Rainbow, no!” Fluttershy yelled as she caught up to them and tackled her friend, knocking the knife from her mouth.
Rainbow Dash pushed Fluttershy away and drew her sword. She swung toward Twilight, but her blade sank into Pinkamena’s lute instead as the bard reached them and used it to protect the sorceress. Applejack arrived next and tackled Rainbow to the ground. The Hunter tried to break free, and had a good chance of it until Pinkamena, Fluttershy, and even Rarity piled on to keep her pinned. Drawing on the strength and memories of her friends, Twilight cast the final spell on Rainbow Dash and she ceased her struggling.
“What have I done! Twilight, everypony, I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I abandoned you!” Rainbow spoke rapidly, “Did we win? We have the Elements back? Where’s Discord?”
“Everything will be all right, Rainbow. We are all back together again,” Twilight said as the others let her up, “This fight is not over just yet, though.”
***
Near the new location of the Mayoral Keep, Discord had built himself a court of sorts with walls made from oversized tarot cards (all featuring him) and seven-sided dice. Several houses had been pulled into the shape of throne for him to lounge on as he made alterations to his surroundings. He looked up uninterestedly from balancing eggs into a pyramid as the Brave Companions approached.
“Oh, goody, the super-friends are back,” Discord mocked as he snapped his claws and the eggs all changed into pigs, “What is it this time?”
“We’re here t’ defeat you, Discord,” Applejack announced, “Y’ tried t’ break us apart, but y’ couldn’t keep us apart forever!”
“Now, now, if things were really different, then you wouldn’t be lying to me,” Discord said as he snapped his claws and Applejack vanished before reappearing upside-down right in front of him, “Don’t forget who it was that made you a liar. Will any of you ever just give up and accept your fate?”
With four more snaps of his claws, the rest of the Brave Companions apart from Twilight appeared around the draconequus. She felt something emanating from the circlet around her head and knew exactly what she needed to do. Unlike the last time she tried, however, this time it actually worked. The gems around her friends’ necks glowed and Discord’s chaos magic was pushed away. After falling to the ground, the Brave Companions reassembled in front of Discord, the ground around their hooves morphing strangely between its natural state and the current chaos.
“You’ve acquired some new tricks, I see,” Discord said, recoiling as if burnt, “Well, it won’t make any difference. Will you ponies ever learn?”
“To accept defeat? I think not,” Twilight Sparkle replied, “You put us through the toughest struggle our friendship has ever had, and if we can get through that, nothing else could ever break us apart, so long as we do not give up and continue to fight to stay together.”
“A bit on the nose, don’t you think?” Discord scoffed, “Very well, if you’re going to try to use your Elements again, then make it quick. I don’t have all eon, you know.”
Twilight again felt that she knew exactly what she needed to do, and she let her magic flow through the Element of Sorcery. The others did the same, and Trustworthiness, Compassion, Mirth, Charity, and Allegiance all lit up. The six ponies levitated into the air, forming a magic circle in the air. Discord looked up from the play he was putting on with living puppets long enough to see the bright beam of multicolored light bearing down on him.
“No! This can’t be! No! Noooooooooo!” he cried out as the light engulfed him and his body began to transform back into stone.
Around him, everything began to shift back into its natural state. The Mayoral Keep changed from a pumpkin back to its imposing stone structure. The undulating ground turned into Ponieville’s muddy streets. His court collapsed, and homes and shops found their places again. Trees ceased their roaming and the sky shifted back to blue. With one final blast of energy, beams of light shot out in seven directions from Discord, and all the chaos he’d inflicted on Equestria was undone.
When it was over, the Brave Companions dropped to the ground, their Elements inert once again. Stunned ponies wandered around the town, trying to make sense of what had happened to them. In Ponieville’s square, they found the Brave Companions joyfully embracing, celebrating their victory. Discord stood nearby, a statue once more, frozen in a none-too-flattering pose of shock and disbelief. Surprise was written on his face, but at the corners of his mouth one could see the hints of a smile. He was not through with Equestria yet, not by a long shot.
“… this sheds more light on why Discord chose to hide the Elements of Harmony so nearby, besides keeping with his riddle,” Twilight Sparkle dictated, “He could only move them as far as his power extended, and that area was far less vast than it appeared. Apart from the erratic movements of sun, moon, and stars, only Equestria succumbed to his chaos magic, and not even the entirety of Equestria. Most of the Kingdom of Los Pegasus, the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r, and the western two-thirds of White Tail Wood were spared, along with everything north of the Bloodpeak Mountains and south of the Broken Lands. Did you get all that, Spike?”
“Got it,” Spike confirmed as he penned the last stroke.
Discord’s return was bound to be recognized as an important event for years to come, and Twilight intended to have a record of it, with everything she had observed and learned written down. She hadn’t thought to do so with the return of Nightmare Moon, an equally important occasion, and she wanted to get down what she remembered while it was still fresh. Nearly a month had passed since the solstice, and news had been steadily coming in for a while now of experiences outside her own, which she also wanted to record.
Thankfully, the Elements of Harmony had undone Discord’s magic entirely, with no lingering side effects. Ponieville was just the way the sorceress remembered it, and Cant’r Laht had also returned to normal, as she’d seen on a brief visit. Celestia was no longer a statue, and she was moving the sun and moon through the sky again, as well as keeping Cant’r Laht’s sorceresses in line as their matron. For Equestria as a whole, it seemed that things had returned to business as usual, the continent’s inhabitants only a little rattled, as they had been after Nightmare Moon’s return. Things were holding together, but how many more crises like this could they withstand before something changed? Twilight didn’t like the thought of that.
The sorceress suddenly sensed something, a blooming of power to the north. It was hard to pinpoint its source, since it faded rapidly, too rapidly for it to have dissipated naturally. Magic had been used somehow, and then swiftly hidden. All signs pointed to Cant’r Laht as the source of the magic, but that didn’t feel right. Also, it was like no spell she’d ever sensed. It felt … tainted somehow, as if the magic were poison.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked with concern as she looked queasy.
“Spike, take a letter to Celestia,” Twilight said, “I have to find out if everything is okay in Cant’r L-”
“Twilight! Twilight!” Pinkamena interrupted her as she charged into Golden Oak’s laboratory without knocking, “Twilight! I just had a premonition! Something big is happening, or going to happen, in Onon’r Laht!”
The sorceress gasped. Onon’r Laht. That’s why it didn’t feel like it came from Cant’r Laht, it came from below. This could be extremely serious. No decent mage would ever live in Onon’r Laht, only the indecent kind, those that practiced necromancy and the like.
“What did you see, Pinkamena?” Twilight asked with a voice kept level through effort.
“Not much, just that there was something, or somepony, big, important, … maybe dangerous?” Pinkamena said as she scrunched up her nose and concentrated on remembering, “We were there.”
“We?” Twilight asked, having a feeling what she meant.
“The six of us, the Brave Companions I mean, and Spike too. I can’t tell much more.”
“Okay, here is what we are going to do,” Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully, “Spike, I am still going to have you take a letter. Celestia may be able to sense better what we will be facing, and we should let her know we are leaving Ponieville regardless. Pinkamena, can you find the rest of our friends and tell them to meet us here?”
“Can do!” Pinkamena said with an enthusiastic salute before leaving the laboratory.
It seems there will always be something for the Brave Companions to take part in. That is fine with me, though. I’ve seen the alternative, and I didn’t like it one bit. Much better that if we must face these things, we face them together.
***
From the stone arch that marked the entrance to Onon’r Laht swung three ponies. Really, though, it was a stretch to call them ponies anymore, for they’d been hanged long ago and not much flesh was left on their skeletons. Around the necks of two of them hung placards bearing a rough rendition of the crest of Baron Rissel, a local lord. These two were likely soldiers who’d either been caught trying to infiltrate the city or been snatched from the countryside and placed here as a warning to the baron of what would await him if he tried to take Onon’r Laht. The third pony had no placard, so there was no telling for what reason they’d been executed, if there had been a reason at all.
Though Onon’r Laht was technically within the territory of Cant’r Laht (the cities were almost directly above and below each other), it was no more under Celestia’s rule than the Everfree Forest. Law and order were practically nonexistent here, other than through rule by force. Onon’r Laht was both a breeding ground and magnet for undesirables: thieves, murderers, drug rings, necromancers, and criminals of all kinds. At the same time, it was a place where those who had nowhere else to go ended up. Those who had to flee their homes for one reason or another (the most common recently being unicorns fleeing King Hadish’s pogroms) and could find nowhere else that would take them came here. The marginalized members of society congregated here, especially those who weren’t ponies at all. Zebras, gryphons, and even a few minotaurs and satyrs all lived here.
“Twi’, are y’ sure this is a good idea?” Applejack asked as she stared at the swinging bodies.
“It is what we must do,” Twilight answered with certainty.
It wasn’t only Pinkamena’s premonition that decided it must be the six of them to take on this task. Celestia had replied to Twilight’s letter after they’d left Ponieville. She had felt the blossoming of magic as well, but not as strongly as Twilight had, despite being in much closer proximity to the source. The ancient sorceress believed there was some link between it and the Brave Companions, and recent events suggested how. The magic was strange, tainted, and unfamiliar, but there was something about it that suggested Discord’s handiwork. Perhaps there had been an aftereffect of his short-lived reign after all, and because they had used the Elements of Harmony to end it, they were tied to it. The Elements were in their saddlebags, just in case they had need of them, but Twilight hoped the threat wasn’t large enough to come to that.
“It will be okay, everypony,” Twilight announced to her friends, “Together we defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord, and all kinds of challenges. Together we shall prevail again.”
Together, they trotted into Onon’r Laht, passing beneath the swinging skeletons. There was no gate beneath the arch; there would be no point. Onon’r Laht’s walls had crumbled away in all but a few places long ago. Onon’r Laht, meaning City of Stone in the Language of the Horns, had originally been built over nine millennia earlier by the unicorns following their invasion of Equestria. It had been a counterpart to Gladfengel, the pegasus town built on the slopes of the Titan’s Horn above, and later Cant’r Laht, the City of Sky, which was built next to the pegasus settlement once the unicorns managed to carve a path through the mountains. After the Conjunction, when magic allowed the construction of the platform that Cant’r Laht spread onto, Onon’r Laht survived, although they had to deal with the redirection of rivers by the city above. Both cities were later abandoned during the Long Winter, when the White Procession first found their way into this world, and the city below was never fully rebuilt in the aftermath.
For almost four thousand years now, Onon’r Laht had been a ruin, inhabited only by outlaws and the lost. The stone buildings still stood, a testament to the magic invested in them by the city’s mages, spiteful of Cant’r Laht, but most were in poor condition and had been repaired in makeshift ways, if at all. The canals, once the city’s chief method of transportation and source of pride, rivaling those of Neighples on the Eastern Continent, were largely clogged by debris, and the entire city reeked of the rubbish Cant’r Laht sends down from above.
Suspicious eyes watched the Brave Companions as they trotted through the streets. Some were sizing them up, to see if it would be worth the risk to try robbing them, while others held their possessions tightly, waiting to see if they would be the victims of a robbery. Several gryphons lounged atop a building, and one pulled out a crossbow and fired as a rat scurried across the cobblestones below, giving a squeak as it was impaled. Foals whose ribs were visible through the scraps of cloth that served as clothes rushed from a nearby gutter toward the fresh kill, hoping they could get away with it and trade it to some other gryphon for food they could stomach. They scattered as another bolt impaled the rat and the gryphon swooped down to snatch up her kill.
“What are they doing here?” Pinkamena asked Rainbow Dash as she spotted a few Hunters hanging around a notice board, carefully avoiding making eye contact with anypony else.
“There’s always work for Hunters in Onon’r Laht, if you’re desperate,” Rainbow replied with a touch of melancholy to her voice, “Plenty of monsters come out of the lake. The real trouble is finding a job that won’t get you killed or cheated by your employer when the job is done.”
Up the street, a pony was thrown out of a building whose doorway was flanked by once-elegant pillars, now no more than rough columns. He looked like he’d been beaten within a hairsbreadth of death, and an earth pony and minotaur sauntered out of the building to finish the job.
“Let this be a warning! This is what happens to anypony who tries to steal from the Gold Pike!” the pony announced, drawing the attention of everypony in the street, “Lucarian!”
The minotaur drew a sword as long as a pony’s body and held it over the beaten pony’s neck.
“Twilight, we have to do something,” Fluttershy whispered in the sorceress’s ear as she watched the proceedings with wide eyes.
“We cannot, we are outnumbered. See the sashes those two are wearing? Eighteen others in sight wear them too, likely signifying they are lackeys for this Gold Pike,” Twilight explained, “Even if Rainbow were able to fight them all off or I were to use my magic to interfere, it could give us away before we accomplish what we have come here to do. I am sorry, Fluttershy.”
The minotaur raised his sword, then brought it down swiftly, beheading the thief. As the killing stroke fell, Twilight’s head snapped around. She’d sensed magic being used in their vicinity, a teleportation spell. The magic was dissipating rapidly, but she still determined that something had been teleported out of Rarity’s saddlebags.
“Rarity, I think you were just robbed,” Twilight said as she looked around for the culprit, “Is anything missing?”
“The Element of Charity!” Rarity gasped after digging through her saddlebags.
Twilight’s eyes locked on a teenaged unicorn trotting toward an alley. Yes, she has the ability to use magic, and nopony else here does. Got you.
“You! Stop right there!” she called to the unicorn, and the thief broke into a gallop, disappearing into the alleyway.
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash took off into the air, and the crowd parted as the other five took off toward the thief. Somepony stuck out a cane to try to trip Applejack, but she jumped over it easily, casting a glare back at the pony who’d done so that convinced him to make himself scarce. With Rainbow and Fluttershy calling out the thief’s position, they darted through the narrow alleys, avoiding garbage, debris, and the huddled forms of ponies.
When the thief came in sight, Twilight teleported her to immediately in front of them and she crashed into a wall. Recovering quickly, she took off again, bucking a pile of garbage at the Brave Companions as she ran. Twilight teleported her again, but she continued to run, and again a third time with the same result. After the fourth teleportation, when Rainbow Dash landed ahead of her and cut off her escape route, she finally admitted defeat.
“What d’y’want, eh?” the thief asked cockily, though it was easy to tell her bravery was false, “Here t’ take me t’ Cant’r Laht t’ be y’apprentice?”
“I think not,” Twilight replied, “I want you to give back what you stole from my friend.”
“‘At’s all?” the thief asked with skepticism.
“That is all,” Twilight Sparkle replied, and the thief returned the Element of Charity from the pouch at her side, “Though, if I were you, I would learn how to detect when other sorceresses are around before trying that trick. Not all will be as forgiving.”
“If I had magic like that, d’y’think I would be livin’ ‘ere?” the young thief scoffed before spitting at Twilight’s hooves and galloping away.
***
Nopony else in Onon’r Laht seemed bold enough to try to rob them before the Brave Companions reached their destination, though they saw plenty of heinous acts committed that they couldn’t afford to interfere with on the way. A full day had passed since the blossoming of magic here, and the signs had faded considerably, but they were still there. Now that Twilight was in the city, she was able to track down the location where the burst had occurred. It was an unassuming location, a rundown house like any other in Onon’r Laht. If it hadn’t been for the remaining aura of magic and the marks on the walls from where the sparse furniture had been thrown into them, she might’ve believed she had the wrong location.
There was no sign of exactly what had caused the magical burst, but it was no longer here, of that Twilight was certain. Given how the magic had seemed to become shielded after the burst, she suspected that some pony was the source, perhaps even a Source itself, just discovering their powers; however, if that was the case, it didn’t make much sense that they immediately knew how to hide them from others. There was also the fact that the magic was tainted, twisted in some way of which she did not know the specifics.
“If you’re looking for Bitter Leaf, he’s not here,” a feeble voice came from the doorway of the home, and the Brave Companions turned from their search in surprise.
A pegasus mare wearing a shawl stared at them with hollow eyes. Despite her unassuming appearance, Rainbow Dash drew her sword, suspecting a trap. She lowered it as Twilight motioned to her, afraid they’d scare the mare off.
“Who is Bitter Leaf?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“You mean, you’re not Gold Pike’s thugs, here to punish him?” the mare asked, eyes growing wider.
“Do we look like hired thugs?” Rainbow Dash asked, sheathing her sword.
“I assure y’, we’re nothin’ o’ th’ sort,” Applejack said at the same time, and the stranger looked confused.
“Who are you?” Twilight asked, hoping to get more information out of this mare before she bolted. She would’ve liked it if the stranger would come into the room with them, but the mare stayed in the doorway, keeping her escape route open, a smart decision in Onon’r Laht.
“I … I am Glidas,” the mare said, uncertain how much to divulge, “Bitter Leaf is my … friend.”
“What did Bitter Leaf do to earn punishment from Gold Pike’s thugs?” Rarity asked, taking a few steps toward Glidas, but stopping when it looked like she was about to bolt.
“Bitter Leaf is not himself. He’s … he’s changed,” Glidas said, trying to hold things back, but it soon all came tumbling out, “He’s been odd ever since the Confusion, selfish and openly envious of the bosses, Gold Pike especially. He was talking crazy, but I never thought he’d do anything so mad as try to steal from them. The last time I saw him, though …”
“Is Bitter Leaf an earth pony, by any chance?” Applejack asked worriedly, thinking of the thief they’d seen executed earlier.
“Yes?” Glidas said with concern.
“With a white coat and blue mane?” Applejack asked.
“No, why?” Glidas asked, her eyes becoming slightly less large.
“If he did steal from Gold Pike, somepony else got th’ blame,” Applejack said.
“Did anything happen to Bitter Leaf yesterday?” Twilight asked, trying to get things back on track now that they had established that they had not, in fact, stood by while the target of their search had been killed.
“I don’t know; when I got home, everything was a mess and Bitter Leaf had disappeared,” Glidas answered, “I didn’t see him again until today, when I found him out at the Bloody Stage yelling all kinds of crazy things. Quite a crowd was gathering around him, and when I called out, he acted like he didn’t even know me.”
“Do you know where he is now?” Twilight asked and berated herself for the enthusiasm she’d displayed when Glidas recoiled slightly.
“Is … is he in trouble with the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht?” Glidas asked, truly looking at Twilight’s robes for the first time and recognizing her for what she was.
“Maybe, we won’t know until we find him,” Applejack answered honestly.
“Can you take us to him?” Pinkamena asked.
“You think … you could undo what’s happened to him?” Glidas asked, looking to Twilight, “I just want him back … the way he was.”
“If we can, then we will,” Twilight promised her.
“I’ll show you the way,” Glidas said after a moment’s thought.
***
The Bloody Stage had once been an amphitheater where the residents of Onon’r Laht would come to watch performances, but that time was long past. A crumbling wall, a stage, and the concentric rows of seats were all that remained of the structure now. The Bloody Stage had been given its name because it was a favorite spot for large executions, and the stones were stained with blood. The only bloodstains the Brave Companions could see when they arrived were those on the stage itself, since the standing area directly in front of it was packed with spectators.
On the stage stood Bitter Leaf, an earth pony with a dark gray coat and azure mane. The robes he wore weren’t typical to a mage, but they were as close as one could scrounge up in a place like Onon’r Laht. Twilight Sparkle also made note of the staff upon his back, which looked like it had been freshly cut only hours earlier. Beneath his robes, something jangled as he moved around animatedly, and Rainbow Dash was able to spot golden chains hanging around his neck, barely visible even to her Hunter’s eyes because of the hood scrunched up behind his head.
“… we must take it! It should be ours!” Bitter Leaf was yelling when the Brave Companions got close enough to the stage to hear what he was saying, “We can’t stop there, though, no! We’ll march on Ponieville and clear out the mayoral treasury! Once I have the Equestry Valley, the Hill Kingdoms are next, and the riches of the Bank of Trotstagor! Then Cant’r Laht and Celestia’s royal treasury! We can do it!”
Bitter Leaf paused as his eyes locked on the Brave Companions, and Twilight felt a spark pass between them. He knows who we are and why we’ve come! But how? Bitter Leaf took off like a shot from the stage, jumping into the crowd and fleeing in the opposite direction as the Brave Companions. Chaos broke out in the crowd as the pack of creatures tried to figure out what was going on.
“Hold on, Spike!” Twilight told the dragon on her back before teleporting to the other side of the crowd.
Rainbow Dash flew over the crowd and charged ahead after Bitter Leaf, joining Twilight in her pursuit. Fluttershy also lifted off from the ground, but kept back and tried to direct Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkamena around the crowd. Twilight Sparkle galloped after Bitter Leaf, keeping him in sight as he tore down the narrow street. As he tried to turn to go down another street, she reached out with her magic and … nothing happened.
The spell should’ve teleported him back to her, just like with the thief earlier, but instead it failed. It wasn’t that she’d casted the spell incorrectly—she was certain of that—but it didn’t work. The magic reached out to Bitter Leaf and just … stopped short, as if he were cloaked in something that repelled magic. Even if he were wearing dimeritium, it would need to be nearly full plate before it could block magic so thoroughly. No, something about him had deflected Twilight’s spell.
Without the trick she’d used before, the sorceress had to chase him on hoof. Neither of them were particularly athletic ponies, but Twilight was better nourished, so she was confident she could still catch him, especially with Rainbow Dash chasing him too. The only problem the Hunter had was losing sight of him whenever he ducked through a building or under canopies that the residents had stretched between the crumbling structures. Twilight herself often lost sight of him as he changed direction, usually knocking something over to slow her as he did so. It seemed a common tactic in Onon’r Laht.
Other than a few major boulevards, the streets of Onon’r Laht were narrow and winding, and Bitter Leaf had soon doubled back, allowing the rest of the Brave Companions to catch up. With the directions of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy above, the others worked to corral Bitter Leaf. He continued to flee whenever he spotted them, as if instinctively knowing who they were, but he couldn’t run forever.
Bitter Leaf was cornered at last where the city met the lake. Broken, crumbling piers jutted out into the water, their edges uneven from where buildings built along them had collapsed outward centuries earlier. Bitter Leaf turned to and fro as he considered his next move. Along the shore to the left was Pinkamena, and to the right was Applejack. Twilight Sparkle was closing the distance behind him, and Rarity was a short distance behind her. Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena were overhead, the Hunter at last able to consider possible routes of attack. The only way that wasn’t blocked off was the pier ahead of him, and he galloped onto it, even though there would be no escape in that direction, unless he was planning on swimming or sprouting wings. So far, he’d done nothing surprising, other than not use the magic he was suspected to have.
The Brave Companions on hoof closed in from behind while those in flight followed along in the air. Bitter Leaf stopped at the end of the pier and looked down into the water before turning back to face his pursuers. The look on his face was one of frightened apprehension, Twilight saw as she got close enough. She also noticed that his eyes looked like those of a snake, with yellowed sclera and burgundy irises.
“What do you want with me?” Bitter Leaf demanded, looking back and forth between the ponies and dragon.
“If y’ don’t know that, then why did y’ run?” Applejack asked.
“We need to know what happened to you during the … Confusion, and over the last few days,” Twilight said, “You have found that you can work magic, now, right? It can be dangerous to do so without a guide.”
“You have no idea what’s going on, do you?” Bitter Leaf asked as his entire demeanor suddenly shifted, and he gave a grin with too many teeth, “You soon will.”
The stallion craned his neck back and grabbed ahold of his staff before cracking the end against the flagstones at his hooves. Grass suddenly bloomed up around it from the stone and spread toward the Brave Companions. Bitter Leaf had let down the barrier hiding his magic and Twilight Sparkle could sense it now. It was chaos magic, but also a very particular kind of chaos magic that she’d become acquainted with recently. Discord’s magic.
Rainbow Dash dove toward Bitter Leaf and was struck by a gigantic pendulum that knocked her back. A whole array of pendulums swung between the Brave Companions and Bitter Leaf now, hanging from nothing in the sky. The pier warped and twisted, becoming a maze of staircases at impossible angles to each other. The Brave Companions rushed onto the structure, trying to make it through to Bitter Leaf. The grass covering the stairs grew into vines that reached out to entrap the Brave Companions. As Rainbow Dash was working to cut them free, a giant creature that looked half-fish, half-squid emerged from the lake, opening its mouth wide. Bitter Leaf returned the staff to his back and trotted into the creature’s maw, before opening a door at the back of its throat that led to a room filled with gold and jewels.
Gravity returned to normal among the twisted staircases as the fish-squid sank out of sight, and Rainbow and Fluttershy had to carefully carry the others down to the ground. Spike burned away enough of the vines holding him and Twilight that she was able to teleport them to the end of the pier. As she stared out at the tranquil lake, the vines and grass wilted and the staircases collapsed under their own impossible shape and weight, joining the rest of the debris in Onon’r Laht. She could no longer sense Bitter Leaf, as much as she desired to be able to. He was much more dangerous than they’d expected.
***
That night, Twilight worked to compose her report to Celestia. The news that somepony was using Discord’s magic was troubling, to say the least. She was glad they’d brought the Elements of Harmony, and each of them would be looking after their respective artifacts more carefully now. There were no inns in Onon’r Laht (not that they’d trust one if there were), so they set up camp in an abandoned building (of which there were plenty). Smoke from their campfire drifted through a hole in the ceiling, mingling with the mist that shrouded everything in the city of stone at night.
“Twilight, somepony’s approaching,” Rainbow Dash announced from where she watched out the window.
A cloaked and hooded figure was making his way through the mist, purposefully headed toward the building the Brave Companions were camped in. He paused barely for a moment when he reached the doorway downstairs and let himself in. Was this pony associated with Bitter Leaf? Was this just a normal robbery? Were they resting in somepony’s home? There was no way to tell, so the Brave Companions prepared themselves for any situation. As the stallion climbed the ladder to the second floor and poked his head over, Rainbow Dash yanked him up and threw him to the floor with her sword poised over his throat.
“Ah, you must be Rainbow Dash, as vigilant as I expected,” the stallion said, paying no heed to the blade ready to decapitate him.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Rarity asked, keeping a close watch on her saddlebags after the theft earlier.
“How rude of me,” the stallion said before teleporting out from under Dash, “I am Count Arnwulf of the House Steeding, Sorcerer of the 2nd Council in the Lodge of Sorceresses.”
A Cant’r Laht sorcerer. He could only be here for one reason, the same as them. Either he’d sensed Bitter Leaf’s blossoming power just as Twilight and Celestia had, or he’d heard about it somehow. Nothing else would convince a Cant’r Laht mage, much less a council member, to come to Onon’r Laht.
“Celestia sent you?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, I came as soon as I could,” Arnwulf replied, “I am here to lend any assistance that I am able, though it would help to know what you have already found out.”
“How did you find us?” Rainbow Dash demanded to know after sheathing her sword.
“Twilight Sparkle has a most distinctive magical signature, though I suspect that I may also have been sensing the legendary artifacts you are carrying,” Arnwulf said, “If you ask me, bringing them along to face a rogue mage is overkill.”
“You might not think that after we explain what is really going on here,” Twilight Sparkle said, and proceeded to sum up their encounter with Bitter Leaf.
“I see,” Arnwulf said thoughtfully after her explanation, “That explains why the statue felt so empty.”
“What does that mean?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.
“It means that you may have trapped Discord’s corporeal form, but his essence, his soul if you will, escaped the prison you created,” Arnwulf explained, “After his first defeat, he was more cautious this time and had a backup plan if you really managed to use the Elements of Harmony against him. That would be my guess.”
“So, Bitter Leaf … is Discord?” Applejack asked.
“Not exactly. It is more like he has been possessed by Discord, but without Discord having any real control,” Arnwulf said, “Discord’s soul has changed his mind and also given him some measure of his powers. This is a problem. With even a fraction of Discord’s power, Bitter Leaf poses a severe threat to Cant’r Laht and Equestria.”
“How do you know all of this?” Twilight asked suspiciously.
“After Discord’s return, I began researching the other Great Ones. Some of them were known to possess ponies in this same way,” Arnwulf explained and paused before going on, “For now, the other Great Ones are safely sealed away in Tartarus, but if they were to escape … we need to be ready for them. I am not the only one in Cant’r Laht who has become concerned about Celestia’s ability to protect us. First Nightmare Moon and now Discord; twice in a year she has failed to act, and many are beginning to wonder why.”
“She did not act because she could not wield the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight defended her mentor, “The actions she took sent us to find them both times, and both times we saved Equestria because of her direction.”
“Yes, of course, that must be it,” Arnwulf said, though it sounded like he didn’t fully mean it, “You and your companions will not always be around to save the day, though. It is wiser to seek to defend ourselves than to rely on magical artifacts that nopony, not even their bearers, truly understands how to work.”
Count Arnwulf let that statement hang in the air and a silence wore on. The mages of Cant’r Laht are questioning Celestia’s power? Does she know? They’ve always questioned her, pushed against her at every chance they could, but never questioned her position as the most powerful living sorceress. Is all that about to change? What will her response be?
“So … about Bitter Leaf bein’ possessed by Discord …” Applejack brought the mages back to the present, “What do we do ‘bout that?”
“Well, the easiest option would be to kill him and capture Discord’s soul before it tries to move on to a new host,” Arnwulf said.
“No,” Twilight said firmly, and Arnwulf looked surprised, “We will not kill him unless there is no other way.”
“Very well, but be aware that he may not give us another way,” Arnwulf said, “If we can capture him, I should be able to extract Discord’s soul without doing more than minor damage to his mind.”
“And how do you know how to do this?” Twilight asked. There wasn’t much call for extracting the souls of ancient beings, at least not until now.
“Like I said, I have been studying the Great Ones,” Arnwulf said, giving her a stare with eyes that hinted at something unsaid, “Research without application is dead.”
“Capturing Bitter Leaf isn’t going to be easy,” Pinkamena pointed out, “Not with his chaos magic.”
“That is why killing him is the safer option,” Arnwulf said, and got glares from most of the Brave Companions, “I know, I know, you do not want to kill him unless it is necessary.”
“He does not deserve death,” Twilight said, and Applejack nodded, “He is just a pony unfortunate enough to be chosen by Discord.”
“If you say so,” Arnwulf said, clearly still unhappy with the decision but willing to go along with it, “First, we will have to find and capture him, though.”
“Leave that to me,” Twilight said, “As soon as he uses his chaos magic again, I will know exactly where in the city he is.”
***
They didn’t have to wait for long. Twilight could sense the moment Bitter Leaf used his chaos magic. The link between her and Discord through the Elements of Harmony allowed her to sense it more easily than regular magic, but it left a nauseous feeling in her mind when she reached out to locate it. She reached out infrequently as the Brave Companions traveled the streets of Onon’r Laht, avoiding the roaming packs of thieves and murderers out for their nightly fun and trying not to step on the vagrants curled up in the alleyways. Bitter Leaf had used his magic only twice since Twilight had first sensed it, but it left a stain that faded gradually enough for her to confidently lead the way to wherever the possessed mage had cast his spells.
All three occasions he’d used his magic, he’d been within the large, blocky building that the Brave Companions were now approaching. A dome had once covered the roof, but most of it had fallen in over the years and firelight now came from the hole, along with the sound of voices. A wagon had been rolled across the doorway in place of the missing doors and four zebras guarded it, the space between their stripes painted yellow.
“Essa[1],” Count Arwulf whispered, and repeated it as he faced each zebra in turn.
The guards fell asleep, their weapons banging against the stones as they crumpled up and collapsed one by one. Rarity and Applejack moved the wagon out of the way, and the group entered the crumbling structure. Enough of the walls remained that they couldn’t see their target until they were nearly upon the crowd surrounding him.
A large group of zebras were assembled in the open room under the dome, all of them with the yellow paint between their stripes. Much like with Gold Pike and the sashes earlier, they were symbols of one of Onon’r Laht’s gangs. Their former leader, a zebra like them, was in the room, but had been impaled by a broomstick and then hanged; however, he was hanging from the floor, not the ceiling. Another zebra was hanging upside-down next to him, and Bitter Leaf was waving at him as the Brave Companions reached the doorway to the room.
“That is what will happen if you question me or try to seek revenge!” Bitter Leaf screamed, “I’ve offered you the deal of a lifetime, to join my army and plunder all of Equestria—nay, all of Equus! After the kings and queens of Equestria lie dead and I’ve melted their crowns and swords into my throne, we’ll cross the Shimmering Sea and plunder the Zebrikaanian Empire too! Mine! It’ll all be mine! Ahahaha!”
As his laughing abated, Bitter Leaf’s eyes grew wide and he craned his neck at an angle that shouldn’t have been physically possible. On the edge of hole in the roof, crouched and ready to attack was Rainbow Dash, and Bitter Leaf stared directly into her eyes.
“Oho! Thought you could sneak up on me, eh?” he shouted as Dash abandoned her position and shot toward him, “I’ll teach you to try something like that!”
Bitter Leaf rapped his staff against the ground, and a giant earthworm shot up from beneath Rainbow Dash before shoving her against the wall. The zebras scattered, and the rest of the Brave Companions tried to make their way through the churning crowd to Bitter Leaf. The possessed sorcerer rapped his staff against the ground again, and the floor near him turned to liquid, swirling around a drain. Bitter Leaf jumped through, and the sound of clinking coins came up from his escape hatch.
The swirling hole began to narrow, and there would be no forcing their way through the crowd before it closed. Twilight and Arnwulf both teleported themselves across the room and followed Bitter Leaf through, hoping that this unorthodox portal led somewhere they would be able to return from. Twilight Sparkle fell into a pile of coins and gold bars, the impact with a chest jarring her hip and throwing Spike off. They were surrounded by treasure, a veritable hoard, and Spike was practically drooling until Rarity fell through the hole above and landed on top of him. She would be the last Brave Companion to join them; the swirling drain closed up completely with a slurping sound after she came through.
“Keep your wits about you,” Twilight warned as she looked around the room, “Bitter Leaf is here somewhere.”
“How right you are!” Bitter Leaf proclaimed as he pranced into view, “I hope you like my collection. Gold Pike and the Yellow Stripes possessed it once, but now it is all mine! Soon, an army will be mine as well, then all the world!”
“Mrinessen’r dorentai’i![2]” Twilight incanted, in no mood for games.
Ice spikes jutted from ceiling and floor, restraining Bitter Leaf. Somehow, he was still able to reach around and grab his staff. As it cracked against the spikes, the ice turned to bubbles. Fires burst up around the room in multiple colors, but none near enough to the treasure to harm it in any way. Wheels ringed in spikes appeared from nowhere and spun around the room, nearly taking off Twilight’s legs before she jumped over one.
“Caen’r majia acca Ye’r accael![3]” Twilight yelled, and the wheels were caught up in a whirlwind before being dashed to pieces.
“Why don’t you put him to sleep, like you did those guards?” Spike asked Arnwulf as icicles began to fall from the ceiling, deflating as they struck the ground.
“I need to be ready to cast the spell to remove his possession,” the stallion replied, “Besides, no spell used directly against him will work, unless the Elements of Harmony work without a full set.”
“Reventra![4]” Twilight yelled out, thrusting a hoof in the direction of Bitter Leaf.
He stepped out of the way as the spell sailed toward him and the wall behind him broke to pieces. I don’t want to hit him, but he has to be still in order for this to work, and I don’t think he’ll cooperate with me.
“Reventra!” Twilight yelled again, causing a pile of gold to go flying in a shower of coins.
“No!” Bitter Leaf yelled and tried to gather them back up into a pile.
While he was doing so, Rarity managed to sneak up on him, and rather hesitantly tackled him. The overwhelming chaos in the room seemed to lessen, as if something was blocking it. Spinning plates crashed to the floor and the ceiling ceased bubbling. The Element of Charity! It’s still in Rarity’s saddlebags!
“Reventra!” Twilight cast a last time as Bitter Leaf reached for his staff, and the branch shattered, splinters scattering across the floor. Even with the staff destroyed, the chaos magic was not ended, however, Bitter Leaf was just unable to direct it.
“Rarity! Keep ahold of him!” Twilight yelled out as she prepared another spell, “The Elements of Harmony can block his magic!”
“I’ll try, Twilight, darling, but I do hope you have a plan that doesn’t involve me holding him down all evening,” Rarity replied, “I don’t know how much longer I can do it.”
“Arnwulf, are you ready?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, I think so,” the sorcerer said as he spied a diamond atop one of the piles of treasure.
“Ye seni cavan’r doros’i![5]” Twilight incanted, and glowing bonds appeared around Bitter Leaf’s body, holding him in place. Rarity moved away, and Twilight struggled to keep ahold of the possessed mage.
It was as if his entire body were covered in something slippery and he’d be able to pull himself free of the magical shackles if he tried hard enough. Arnwulf rushed over before he could try too hard. Setting down the diamond next to him, he took a deep breath.
“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya[6],” he proclaimed, his voice ringing.
Arnwulf concentrated intently as Bitter Leaf yelled and tried to break free. A thread of mist began to flow from Bitter Leaf’s forehead, and Arnwulf raised up the diamond to entrap it. The gem began to glow more and more brilliantly until the entirety of Discord’s soul had been transported from Bitter Leaf into its crystalline structure. The light dulled as Arnwulf sat back and caught his breath. The chaos in the room had ceased completely; it was over.
“Is he … dead?” Spike asked as he approached Bitter Leaf.
“Just unconscious,” Arnwulf assured him, “His mind and body will both need to recover from that ordeal, but he will return to normal. He can return to the regular problems of Onon’r Laht. Our problems are not over by far, though.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, unsettled at the thought.
“He was not possessed by the entirety of Discord’s soul, only a fragment,” Arnwulf sighed, “If I had guess, I would say there are six more pieces out there at least.”
“Six more ponies possessed by Discord,” Twilight said breathlessly.
“Yes, a troubling thought, isn’t it,” Arnwulf laughed mirthlessly, “And until they Awaken, like Bitter Leaf did here, there is no way of telling who they are.”
“But I will be able to sense when they … Awaken.”
“Most likely, yes,” Arnwulf answered Twilight, “Though I would not put it past a creature like Discord to have a trick or three in the works. In fact, he may be playing tricks already. I noticed something peculiar when extracting the soul fragment. It was not a representative split of his soul, but a heavily aspected piece. That is why he was so concerned about this hoard and accumulating riches, armies, and kingdoms. It was all he cared about.”
“Greed,” Twilight said.
It was the vice that had inflicted Rarity during Discord’s brief reign, the opposite of her Element, Charity. That must’ve been why her closeness had been so effective at blocking Bitter Leaf’s chaos magic. Arnwulf was convinced there were still six more pieces of Discord’s soul, but there were only five other Elements. Could he be wrong, and if so, could he have underestimated the number of soul fragments out there, or was Discord just playing another prank? Multiple ponies with Discord’s powers, scattered across Equestria. It was a horrible thought.
The armies of Nir Tiya were crushed and drained, the bodies left as little more than husks on the floor of the valley. Only Prince Sigi and his entourage managed to escape, and the claimant sought out the great Yliiena the First in Arbor. She was moved by the plight of the Nir Tiyans and set in motion a plan to bring an end to the Great Ones once and for all. Joining the seventy sorceresses of the White Tower and the nineteen Adherents of Ming, along with Hunters of the Orders Hawk, Eagle, Falcon, Owl, Vulture, and Ibis, she set out on her great task.
Together, they were able to bind the Shadow Realm Tartarus and encase it in wards that would prevent even the Great Ones from escaping. The sorceresses and Hunters faced Lord Tirek on Dromoth Plain [Canter Plain] and did battle. Yliiena the First fought Lord Tirek personally, and the battle between Alicorn and Great One tore a gash in the land, the Crescent Rend [Galloping Gorge]. In the end, Tirek was confined to Tartarus and life returned gradually to the Calloping Plain [Moskyin Expanse]. Lord Tirek was the first Great One confined to Tartarus, but many more would follow as mages and Hunters continued to work together to hunt them down and imprison them.
Twilight Sparkle sighed and rubbed her eyes before turning the page. This book said much the same thing as all the other books stacked next to it. At least they were in agreement, mostly, though there wasn’t a great amount of information to go on. Nothing explained exactly how the Great Ones had been bound to Tartarus, only that they had been confined there by Hunters and powerful sorceresses including Yliiena, the first alicorn. A few grimoires had brief explanations of spells that would be effective against the Great Ones, but those were even scarcer than record that wasn’t written as a legend.
Precious few resources remained from the time before the Great Ones had roamed freely. That had been during the Age of Uncertainty, which had ended over six millennia earlier, and records suggested that the Great Ones had been defeated much earlier than the end of the age and the first coming of the White Procession. What records hadn’t been destroyed during the Long Winter had been lost over time, until the Great Ones had become largely forgotten, a myth like the titans. Twilight had with her all the records that the Cant’r Laht Archives had on the subject, sent here at her request by Celestia.
Over a month had passed now since the events in Onon’r Laht, and no more of Discord’s soul fragments had been found. Meanwhile, Twilight studiously read every book that the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht had beaten her to to learn about the Great Ones, but her recent progress had become meaningless since no new material was discovered. She was now fairly certain she could cast the spell Count Arnwulf had used to extract the soul fragment, but there would be no way of knowing for sure until another soul fragment was found. There wasn’t exactly much she could do to practice the spell without a pony possessed by a Great One to test it on.
Count Arnwulf. He’d left Onon’r Laht with the diamond containing Greed (as Twilight had taken to referring to the soul fragment) and brought it to Celestia for safekeeping. It wasn’t until after they’d parted ways that she’d learned he hadn’t been entirely honest with her. Celestia had never sent him. He’d been in Celestia’s presence when Bitter Leaf had Awakened and overheard enough of Celestia’s conversation to piece together what was going on. It wasn’t clear exactly why his first action after obtaining that information had been to double-time it down the mountain, until Twilight learned why he’d been in Celestia’s presence in the first place. He, and many other Cant’r Laht nobles, were petitioning Celestia for the title Prince of the City, left vacant now that the Blueblood line was extinct. According to many mares in Cant’r Laht, Rhaegis had fathered bastards aplenty, but none of the claims seemed legitimate enough to raise them to princehood. No, Celestia would be choosing another noble family to take the title, and Count Arnwulf had seen assisting the Brave Companions as his ticket to the front of the line. Twilight had to admit that it would probably work too, since none of the other petitioners seemed to have done anything of note except attempt to undermine each other. Still, being lied to didn’t feel right, especially after the unpleasant times with Applejack during Discord’s brief reign.
“Is this a bad time?” Spike asked as he entered the room and Twilight turned to look at him.
“Not at all, I could use a break,” Twilight admitted as she glanced at the tome in front of her, “What is it, Spike?”
“I spoke to everypony, and they’ll all be able to make it later,” Spike reported, “I also sent Ream to fetch more parchment. With all the notes you’ve been taking lately, our reserves are getting rather low. It’s a good thing I haven’t had to send a letter to Celestia in a while, or we’d probably be out by now.”
Ream. There are still two Cant’r Laht guards here in Ponieville to protect me, though I’ve never really seen them do any such thing. I’m sure they’d rather be back in Cant’r Laht than running errands for me here, but Celestia insists they stay. It’s not a terrible idea, since I won’t necessarily be able to respond to every threat, but I’d need them closer for them to be useful. I drove them away when I first came here, didn’t I? Just one more mistake I’ve made that needs to be righted. Wait, what was that about not sending letters to Celestia in a while?
“How long ago did I send my last progress report to Celestia?” Twilight asked urgently.
“I don’t know,” Spike said as he scratched an itchy patch of scales on the back of his neck with a claw, “About a week?”
Twilight rose from her books and trotted over to the desk she kept her planner in. It was stuffed full of her plans for each day with markups aplenty and revisions where she’d had to deviate from the plan for one reason or another, so it took her some time to find the last time she’d sent Celestia a letter.
“Not ‘about a week,’” Twilight said, “Exactly a week. I sent my last progress report the Second Day of the Third Month, and today is the Ninth Day. We had better add that to the list of things to do today.”
Twilight Sparkle bit her lip nervously as Spike found a quill and ink. She stared at the stack of books nearby. Did I complete anything this week that I can report on?
“Spike, what are my ongoing tasks?” Twilight asked nervously, “I want to be prepared for what will go into the report.”
“Let’s see,” Spike said as he found the list of Twilight’s projects, “General study of sorcery, including learning existing spells, fabricating new spells, and researching magic theory.”
“I have not looked into that in weeks,” Twilight said self-accusingly as she began to pace, “What is next?”
“Microeconomics and agronomy, especially as it relates to local conditions and the unique situation of the Apples’ charter,” Spike read from the list.
“Not since Applebuck Season, but that was before even the trip to Onon’r Laht,” Twilight said, shaking her head worriedly, “Next.”
“Study of Hearthfire Incantations and other spells to combat the White Procession,” Spike said.
“Next.”
“Battlefield spells.”
“Next.”
“Lost histories of the Third Age, especially those relating to Nightmare Moon and the Equestrian Diarchy.”
“Next.”
“Gryphon culture, traditions, and history,” Spike said, looking up at Twilight with concern.
“Next.”
“Learn Cainhiran Zebrikaanian and teach Zecor’ah-Hizarrah Low Equestrian.”
“Next,” Twilight said with a mortified look.
“The Hunter Bestiary and general monster physiology.”
“Next.”
“Conjunction history and theory.”
“Next.”
“History of the Great Ones.”
“Next,” Twilight said, glancing at the stack of books.
“That’s the end of the list,” Spike said nervously.
“That is the end of the list … the end of the list,” Twilight repeated to herself as she increased the speed of her pacing, “I have not completed anything this week, nothing of note to report to Celestia.”
“But, that’s not really a problem, is it?” Spike asked, trying to coax Twilight away from the mental cliff she was headed towards, “Celestia never commanded you to send her weekly reports. Besides, you never sent her reports when we were in Cant’r Laht.”
“That is because we met face-to-face every week in Cant’r Laht,” Twilight objected, “In all the time I have been in Ponieville, I have never failed to send her a weekly update on my progress, so Celestia will be expecting one. If I fail to send one by the end of the day she might think I am not taking my studies seriously enough. She could summon me back to Cant’r Laht or dismiss me as her apprentice!”
“Yeah, I doubt it,” Spike said.
“I am not willing to take any chances, Spike,” Twilight berated him, “Celestia is the greatest living sorceress, and I do not intend to disappoint her or give her any grounds to find a new apprentice. Is there anything on that list that I could finish today and still have time to send a letter?”
“Well …” Spike said, looking through the list, but Twilight was no longer paying attention to him.
“Of course! I was ready for another lesson with Zecor, but other things forced it to be postponed,” Twilight Sparkle proclaimed, “I can find her, complete the lesson, and report to Celestia on the progress we are making. Where are my books on Cainhiran Zebrikaanian and Low Equestrian?”
“Twilight, I think you’re overreacting,” Spike spoke plainly as the rushed around the laboratory trying to find the books Celestia had sent her a year earlier, “Celestia will understand if you don’t have anything to report this week. If you want, I could even write her a letter to that effect.”
“Hold off on that letter, Spike,” Twilight said as she stuffed her books into a pair of saddlebags, “I will have something to report to Celestia, I guarantee it.”
Spike sighed and covered his face with his claws as Twilight galloped out of Golden Oak’s laboratory. There is no way this will end well.
***
Twilight Sparkle galloped through Ponieville, getting concerned looks from the ponies she passed. If a sorceress, much less one of the Brave Companions, was in a rush, then there was a high likelihood that something important or dangerous was either happening or going to happen. The townsponies had seen enough in the past year to know that much, and many of them headed home as soon as Twilight was past, even though it was the middle of the day. They had no way of knowing that the disaster Twilight envisioned did not affect them at all.
I must get to Zecor; it is the only way I can avoid being late in sending my report to Celestia. The sorceress barreled past Rarity’s shop and barely heard her friend crying out ‘no’ what seemed like a hundred times. When it did register, she slid to a stop. Or is it? Maybe Rarity has some issue that requires my help, and I can report on that in case I am unable to complete the lesson with Zecor. She thought over it for a moment, and helping Rarity won out. Sure, the time she had left was decreasing, but Rarity was here now, and she still had enough time to help her and find Zecor in the Everfree Forest if necessary.
“Rarity, what is the matter?” Twilight asked as she let herself into the shop.
“Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed, popping up from behind the counter, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“You sounded like you were in trouble,” Twilight stated anxiously, acutely away of the passage of time.
“Oh, yes!” Rarity said and Twilight’s hope soared (though she tried not to let it show), “An entire bolt of cloth has gone missing. I’ve nearly turned the shop upside-down searching for it, but I can’t find it anywhere!”
“A bolt of cloth?” Twilight asked, trying now to hide her disappointment. That’s it?
“Yes, I had to specially order it. I need it for the outfits I’m to send to Cant’r Laht for Hoity Toity, and I only have three days to complete them! Without that fabric, I won’t be able to send them in time and he might cut off our business. Things are still rather tenuous between us,” Rarity explained. To be a seamstress for the ponies of Cant’r Laht, that is Rarity’s dream. Surely helping her to save her dream is worthy of at least part of a letter to Celestia.
“Believe me, I understand completely, Rarity,” Twilight said, being in the same time-sensitive situation, “Rest assured that you will be able to send your outfits to Hoity Toity on time, and I will not rest until either that missing fabric is found or I devise some way to replace it. You can rely on me to-”
“There!” Rarity said, suddenly exuberant and pointing at the floor.
“There?” Twilight asked, puzzled.
Rarity got low to the ground and rocked a nearby cabinet against the wall with one hoof. With another, she reached under and fished out the missing bolt of cloth.
“Opalescence, you naughty cat, did you pull that under there?” she asked the fat feline, who paid her as much mind as always, which was none.
“You found it,” Twilight said, trying not to sound too disappointed, “Is there … anything else I can help you with?”
“No, this was all,” Rarity said as she turned her back on Twilight and placed the cloth on a table to brush it off, “Thank you for being here.”
“Of course,” Twilight replied dejectedly.
“Twilight, darling, is something the matter?” Rarity asked, but when she turned the sorceress had already fled the building.
***
I lost some time, but I can still make it. I have more than enough time to reach Zecor’s home in the Everfree and go through the next session of our lessons on Cainhiran Zebrikaanian and Low Equestrian. I can do this! So long as I don’t run into any other distractions and stay focused on my goal.
She made it out of Ponieville without incident and across the fields between the hamlet and the Everfree Forest. Well, most of the way across, anyway. As she entered the lands belonging to the Apples, she was startled by a bellowing roar in the distance. A monster outside the Everfree on the Apples’ lands! The Everfree was nearly in reach now, but to stop a monster from attacking her friend’s farm or threatening Ponieville itself, surely that was worthy of a whole letter to Celestia. Twilight spared a glance at her book-filled saddlebags before taking off in the direction of the roar.
She teleported closer and closer until at last she caught sight of the beast near the Apple homestead. The monster was on the bank of a nearby lake, and it resembled a huge frog with a back made of jagged stone. Mentally she ran through the spells she knew that might have an effect on the creature. If only I’d continued my study of the Hunter bestiary, I might be more prepared for this.
“Twi’!” Applejack called out from behind a bank of earth, “What’re y’ doin’ here?”
“Applejack? What are you doing?” Twilight asked as she turned to face her friend, “Should you not be getting out of here to look for help? Unless you intended to try to fight that monster yourself?”
“Nay, I think Rainbow Dash has it covered,” Applejack replied with a grin.
“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked before turning back to face the frog-monster.
The Hunter swooped down from the sky, tossing bombs that exploded into clouds of gas, obscuring the beast. It shot out its long, frog-like tongue at her, but she flipped at the last second and sliced clean through it with a sword. Tossing a grappling hook under the monster as she flew past, she tugged on the line and managed to flip the creature over, exposing its soft belly. Rainbow Dash shot up into the air before plummeting down and sinking her sword into the beast. It thrashed around as she impaled it, but Rainbow hovered above the struggling creature and out of the path of the acid spitting out of vents on its back.
“Way t’ go, Rainbow!” Applejack called out in congratulations as the monster ceased moving and the pegasus hopped back to clean her sword, before turning aside to Twilight, “I found that thing in th’ lake this mornin’ an’ went an’ found Rainbow t’ put an end t’ it afore it decided t’ attack on its own.”
“I see,” Twilight said, disappointed that she’d missed her chance to do something to write to Celestia about.
“All in a day’s work,” Rainbow said as she trotted over to Applejack, “Hey, wasn’t Twilight here a moment ago?”
***
“Zecor, forz ulo Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight announced as she struck her hoof against the zebra’s door, “Effrir tun eva pron’bel?[1]”
There was no response from within the cottage and Twilight anxiously paced in front of the door. She knew exactly where the sun was in the sky and the time of day, but she looked up to check anyway. It wasn’t one of the prayer times of the zebra religion, so that couldn’t be what was holding Zecor up. She peered in through a window, moving the curtains with her magic, but the cottage appeared deserted. Where is she?
Twilight Sparkled sat down heavily in front of the zebra’s cottage. Failure; I’m a failure. If Zecor isn’t here, then how am I supposed to finish our lessons on Low Equestrian and Cainhiran Zebrikaanian? There’s nothing else I can accomplish before the end of the day. I’m going to be late, Celestia will summon me back to Cant’r Laht, and my studies will end. Maybe, if I’m lucky, Celestia will let me live out the rest of my days in Ponieville, but I’ll never again have the opportunities I had as her apprentice. Maybe that’s okay … but it still hurts.
“Twilight?” Fluttershy’s quiet voice caused the sorceress to suddenly jerk her head up and the druidess nearly fled from the motion, “What are you doing here?”
“Fluttershy? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, surprised to see the druidess.
“Zecora asked me to tend her garden while she was away and make sure the wards she placed around it protected it from the Everfree’s beasts,” Fluttershy replied.
“I did not know that,” Twilight lamented her wasted time, “How long will she be gone.”
“I’m not sure,” Fluttershy said thoughtfully, “I think she’s supposed to return by the autumnal equinox.”
Nearly a month away. That won’t do.
“Why? Were you looking for her?” Fluttershy asked, “Shouldn’t you be in Ponieville for the get-together tonight? I was just about to head there myself after checking on Zecora’s garden.”
“Of course!” Twilight cried out and tried to teleport back to Ponieville, forgetting that the Everfree Forest interfered with her magic, and she ended up on top of a tree half a league north of where she’d started.
She didn’t let that dampen her spirits, though. All six of the Brave Companions together, surely something will come up that I can report on! We seem to attract adventure, or at least challenges that need to be overcome. It’s perfect! I need to get back to Ponieville, to my friend; that’s how I’ll find something to report to Celestia!
***
As the sun neared the western horizon and the day began to cool, the Prancynge Ponie became a lively place. The outdoor tavern bustled with activity and ponies spilled out into the nearby street. At a secluded table sat five of the Brave Companions, the sixth spot set aside for the sorceress that had arranged this meeting through her page. They traded small talk as the waiter eyed them, wishing they’d order something instead of waiting for their friend.
When Twilight did arrive, she caused quite a stir, teleporting into the crowd. After hurrying back to Ponieville, she’d realized that there was still a small amount of time before the gathering she’d set up and returned to Golden Oak’s laboratory to search for something, anything that could save her at the last minute. She’d been unsuccessful, and the stress showed on her face.
“Twilight, are you alright?” Fluttershy asked, “I was worried after you disappeared in the Everfree Forest.”
“The Everfree Forest!” Rarity exclaimed, “Whatever were you doing there?”
“Not important,” Twilight said quickly as she sat down, and the waiter watched expectantly for them to beckon him over, “I want to hear all about you. Any problems, conundrums, or oddities that I can help you with, preferably within the hour?”
“Um, no?” Rainbow Dash said, confused.
“What about you, Pinkamena? Have you had any premonitions lately?” Twilight asked desperately.
“Nothing major since we had to go to Onon’r Laht,” the bard admitted.
“What about you, Twi’?” Applejack asked, “Y’ look like y’ just fought your way up a waterfall. Is somethin’ th’ matter?”
“Yes! I am going to be in terrible trouble unless I can figure this out and you can help me!” Twilight burst out, and the others leaned forward to listen attentively, “My weekly report to Celestia is nearly overdue and I have not done anything this week worth reporting to her!”
“Is that all?” Rainbow Dash asked and got a glare from Twilight, “Sorry, it’s just that it doesn’t seem like as big a problem as you made it out to be.”
“While Rainbow Dash may lack tact, she has a point, darling,” Rarity said, giving the Hunter a pointed look, “What is so terrible about not having anything to report to Celestia? So, nothing exciting happened in the past week. What’s wrong with telling her just that in your report?”
“You do not understand,” Twilight objected, “I am Celestia’s apprentice, and she expects me to make progress in my studies. If I tell her that I have not made any progress, she may think I am not taking my studies seriously. She could dismiss me as her student or summon me back to Cant’r Laht!”
“Even for Celestia, that seems extreme over just a late letter,” Fluttershy commented.
“Are y’ sure y’ aren’t just workin’ yourself up o’er nothin’?” Applejack asked.
“It is not nothing! If I do not have something to report to Celestia before the end of the day, it could change everything!” Twilight said frantically, “If there is nothing you are facing that I can help with, nothing that I can include in a report, then I will need to find something myself!”
“I have something you can help with, Twilight,” Pinkamena said, “You can sit down with us, enjoy a meal, and relax.”
“I have no time to relax!” Twilight exclaimed, and Pinkamena frowned in concern, “I have very little time to solve this problem at all! I need to get to it!”
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Fluttershy asked after the sorceress teleported away.
“I don’t know what else we can say t’ her t’ try t’ calm her down,” Applejack admitted, “Maybe when nothin’ bad happens, she’ll realize she was overreactin’?”
“That’s assuming nothing bad does happen,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, “We should probably find her and make sure she stays alright.”
***
“Come now, Twilight, this really is not a good idea,” the sorceress spoke to herself as she burned a magic circle into a field outside Ponieville, “What other choice do we have? The day will be over soon, so we need something big to report. What could be bigger than this?”
She stood back and admired her work. The circle was huge and intricate, but it matched what she’d extrapolated from her readings perfectly. She’d have to compensate the farmer on this land for their lost crop when she was done, but that was a small price what she was about to pull off. After leaving the Prancyne Ponie, she’d returned to Golden Oak’s laboratory and in increasingly concerned Spike. A few minutes with the stack of books on the Great Ones and she’d left again to find a suitable place for this spell.
“Reading the same books over and over again will never result in a breakthrough in my studies,” Twilight told herself as she prepared to cast the spell, “No, the only way to truly study the Great Ones is to open a gate to Tartarus and study the Great Ones in the flesh!”
Her eyes darted back and forth between the sun, which was barely still peeking over the western horizon, and her magic circle. Twilight’s reading and rereading about Tartarus made it easy for her to locate the shadow realm, and she began to build the necessary bridge. The runes and lines burned across the ground like wakening embers, pulsing in time to the flow of magic. The world seemed to darken and the sound of a thunderstorm came, though there were no clouds in the sky and the sun still projected more light than could be perceived. A chill wind blew around Twilight and spun about the edge of the magic circle. Frost began to form over the circle, but the lines beneath glowed even brighter, like living coals.
Twilight pushed on. I must have something to report! A thread of light shot up from the center of the circle, halting and wavering at the height of five ponies. With the sound of grinding ice, shifting stone, and erupting lava all at once, the gateway began to open. The thread served as the crack between invisible doors that slowly swung open. A blast of air that seemed somehow brittle struck Twilight in the face as the gap widened, and she blinked her eyes repeatedly to keep them moist.
The doorway creaked open and she caught sight of Tartarus, the first pony to do so in millennia. Barren and rocky wastes stretched as far as the eye could see, and the horizon in the distance curved strangely upwards. Mountains and valleys were dusted with ash that seemed to be snow at first, until some of it blew through the portal. The sun was still setting in the west and the moon beginning its ascent in the east, but above Twilight the sky seemed to be of another world. The canopy overhead was a deep red in which the stars were few and shone weakly. Another moon hovered too large and too close, and cracks were beginning to form across its surface.
With ear-piercing shrieks, creatures began to converge on the opening gateway from the other side. Long, wickedly sharp claws grasped at the edge of the doorway as they pulled themselves through. Part of the creatures’ bodies resembled those of ponies, but the resemblance didn’t go very far. They were hairless and without eyes, their faces bizarrely smooth, though they seemed to have no trouble getting around. The long claws replaced the hooves on their forelegs, four to a limb, and the back half of their bodies were like those of a spiny fish. As they exited the gateway, they began to fly around the magic circle with no visible means to aid flight.
“The wardens,” Twilight whispered to herself, “What have I done!”
The wardens began to throw themselves against the maelstrom surrounding the magic circle now, trying to break free. Twilight reached out with her magic to the gateway inching its way opened and tried to force it shut. It resisted all her efforts and continued to grow wider. Shadowy figures appeared on the other side, waiting until it was open wide enough for them to pass through. Twilight continued to try to close the gate, but the effort was too much and she was left shivering in the flattened wheat.
“Twilight!” Pinkamena’s voice came from what seemed like extremely far away.
The sorceress looked up to see the bard come hurtling through the wall of wind, striking a warden as she fell. The eyeless beast faced her only for a moment before deciding she was beneath its notice and getting back to work trying to break through the barrier.
“Pinkamena? Rarity?” Twilight asked disbelievingly as another of her friends hurtled into the magic circle, “What are you doing here?”
“Twi’, what’s going on ‘ere? We went t’ th’ laboratory an’ Spike said y’ took off t’-” Applejack asked, then stopped as she caught sight of the gateway and became mortified, “Did y’ open a door t’ th’ Abyss?”
“No, Tartarus, but it makes no difference!” Twilight cried, “I cannot close it!”
“Tartarus!” Fluttershy exclaimed, having appeared during Applejack’s speech, “Isn’t that where the Great Ones are … like Discord?”
“Yes, I have doomed us all!” Twilight yelled with regret.
A warden broke through the swirling wind and the barrier fell, releasing all of them. Rainbow Dash, who was still outside the circle and had been throwing the others in, let her instincts take over and swung her sword at the wardens. She wouldn’t be able to catch them all, though, and the wardens were the least threatening things that could escape from Tartarus. The gate was still opening and forms were becoming visible on the other side, great and monstrous forms straining at chains.
“Why did y’ do this, Twi’?” Applejack asked.
“I had to do something!” Twilight cried, “I had nothing to report to Celestia, no breakthroughs, no progress, no important events in our lives. When I saw there was a way to open a gate to Tartarus, to study the Great Ones, I thought it was the only way. I needed something to report and the day is almost over!”
“You might want to look again, Twilight,” Pinkamena said uneasily, pointing to the west, “The day is over.”
The sun at last finished sinking below the western horizon as Twilight watched with defeat. Her head snapped around in the complete opposite direction as a portal roared open to the east. Out of it strode Celestia, her face in a hard frown which made Twilight quail. The ancient sorceress reached out toward the gateway to Tartarus with her magic and forced the doors to reverse their course. As ponderously as they’d opened, they now swung closed. Cries of anger and anguish came from Tartarus as the gateway closed completely and they were cut off. The world gradually shifted back to normal, except for the wardens still flying around, seeking out souls to imprison. Blinding lances of light shot out from Celestia, impaling each of the remaining wardens and turning them to ash.
“Twilight Sparkle, you will meet me in Golden Oak’s laboratory,” Celestia said with a stern look before teleporting away.
“Goodbye everypony, I hope you will all come to visit me in Cant’r Laht, so long as I am not sent somewhere farther away,” Twilight sighed before teleporting away too, leaving everypony staring in shock.
***
“I have one question for you, Twilight. Why?” Celestia asked once they were alone in Golden Oak’s laboratory (though Spike was listening anxiously from the next room), “You are smarter than this. Why would you try to open a gateway to Tartarus on your own without proper preparation and study?”
“Because … because I had nothing else to write about in my weekly report to you,” Twilight admitted, “It all turned out to be for naught, though. I still have nothing to report and I did not send you a letter today. I failed.”
“You failed, but not because you didn’t send me a letter,” Celestia said and Twilight looked up at her mentor in surprise, “Twilight, I read your weekly reports because you send them, not because I demand them. If you think I would dismiss you as my apprentice simply because you failed to send me a letter, you are greatly mistaken. I know what kind of an apprentice you are—I have never seen any sorceress as dutiful and studious as you—and no lack of a weekly report is going to change what I think.
“You failed yourself, not because you were not studious enough, but because you were too studious. I have seen the list of your studies and it is too much for one pony, even you, to handle,” Celestia said and Twilight began to object, “No, you must cut down your studies or realize that you cannot work on them all simultaneously. You have also other responsibilities, to your friends, for one thing. Balance, Twilight, you must learn balance or you will burn yourself out! Do you understand?”
“Yes, Celestia, I think I do,” Twilight said.
“Wait!” Pinkamena yelled as she burst, out of breath, into the laboratory, “Don’t take Twilight away!”
“She isn’t th’ only one t’ blame!” Applejack added as the rest of the Brave Companions entered as well, then suddenly clapped her mouth shut as she realized who she was speaking to.
“Twilight told us her problem, but … we didn’t listen,” Fluttershy said in shame.
“We thought she was overexaggerating and worrying about things that didn’t matter,” Rainbow Dash said, “Even so, we should’ve tried to help her and kept her from going so far.”
“Twilight, darling, can you ever forgive us for brushing off your concerns so flippantly?” Rarity asked.
“I can,” Twilight replied, glad she knew these ponies and wishing she’d listened to them earlier.
“Please don’t take Twilight back to Cant’r Laht just because we let things get so out of hoof,” Fluttershy said.
“Very well,” Celestia said after acting as if she were considering it for a moment, “I leave Twilight Sparkle in your care and expect you to be responsible for her. I will add, furthermore, that if this ever happens again, that you should remind her that I trust her as my apprentice to act without sending me reports, though I do enjoy receiving them and reading about her life and progress. Also, to take the burden off of Twilight, if any of the rest of you have anything to share or report, I’m sure that Spike would be willing to take it down and send it to me. Right, Spike?”
“Um, y-yes,” Spike said in embarrassment at being found out as he entered the room.
“Now, I must return to Cant’r Laht. Doubtless, the city’s mages are running around in a panic after sensing the opening of a gate to Tartarus,” Celestia told Twilight, “It’s a good thing that Spike made me aware of the struggle you were going through so that I could arrive before much damage was done. Farewell, my most faithful apprentice.”
“Farewell, my dearest mentor,” Twilight replied as Celestia opened a portal and returned to Cant’r Laht.
Spike, you’re always looking out for me. I really ought to listen to your advice more often. I can rely on my newfound friends here in Ponieville to help me in most situations, but you knew from the start how terrible a path I was going down, didn’t you? You’ve known me your whole life and you’ve always been there for me. Thank you.
Celestia’s hooves rang against the smooth stone floor of Cant’r Laht Cathedral. At this time of day, there were few townsponies here for her to disturb with the clatter, but the priestesses and nuns about their duties looked her way when she passed. No doubt they were surprised to see her here. When was the last time I was actually within this building? It must have been 200—nay, 300 years ago, when the contention over who would be the next High Priestess needed my intervention. Other than once every four years, when the summer solstice ceremony was hosted outside, Celestia tried to avoid the cathedral as much as possible. Chants in the Language of the Horns went on forever, statues of saints stared down judgmentally (or so she felt, anyway), and the incense that permeated the air burned her eyes and nose. Even now, she could feel the threat of her nose to begin bleeding, and it wouldn’t do for the priestesses of the Church of One to see the Matron of Sorceress begin bleeding as soon as she entered their holy place. Some ponies could get the wrong ideas.
“Welcome, Your Grace. What brings you to us this day?” High Priestess Rubius asked as she met Celestia, locking eyes with the alicorn, “Have you heeded my missives and come to speak?”
Rubius was young for a High Priestess, but she was not the youngest by far to have served as head of the Church of One. Celestia could only imagine how the leaders of Equestria had managed to deal with a 9-year old Pontiff after the Long Winter. As was her custom, Rubius wore simple priestly robes, though the fabric was finer than that of any other priestess’s garments. The only official vestment of the High Priestess’s position that adorned her was a stole hanging about her neck into which was woven a verse from the Word of Faust in ancient runes. Another priestess, who stood behind and to the side, carried the High Priestess’s mitre with its seven-pointed star and her staff topped with a horn and six wings.
“I have come for Luna,” Celestia replied brusquely.
“Of course, right this way,” Rubius said, her pleasant exterior not dropping for a moment, and began to lead Celestia on.
Some whispered that Rubius was much like another head of the Church of One, perhaps the most famous: Archbishop Cassius. Both had been young when chosen for their office, were utterly devout in their faith, and were unwilling to be the puppets that corrupt cardinals wished they would be. As of yet, Rubius had not dethroned the corrupt, strengthened the power of her office, or called for a crusade, but she’d only been High Priestess for four years.
“We have told her many times that she need not stay here, but still she remains,” High Priestess Rubius told Celestia, “Despite our assurances that she has been forgiven, she still bears the guilt of her actions as Nightmare Moon. Perhaps you can be successful where we were not.”
The High Priestess stopped outside of one of the many alcoves set into the cathedral’s walls. A screen cut off visibility of most of the room, but Celestia could still see Luna within. Her sister was seated on the stone floor, her head bowed before images of Faust and the saints of the Church of One.
“Thank you, Your Holiness,” Celestia told Rubius, observing protocol.
“Of course,” Rubius said, inclining her head, “And remember, my child, it is never too late for forgiveness.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Celestia said hollowly. I’m more than a thousand years older than you, child.
After Rubius and her attendant left, Celestia pushed aside the screen and entered the alcove with Luna. The other alicorn seemed not to have noticed and kept her head bowed and eyes closed. Celestia snorted to get the hovering incense out of her nose, but Luna still did not respond.
“Luna, what are you doing here?” Celestia asked plainly and Luna waited a few seconds, taking a deep breath before responding.
“I am praying, dear sister, for the forgiveness of mine sins,” Luna replied calmly, her eyes still closed.
“I can see that, but why?” Celestia asked, “I have not seen you in months. Ever since your return, you’ve been spending more and more time here. Neither of us had any use for religion before, so what has changed?”
“If thou didst see what I have seen, then thou wouldst not be so quick to doubt,” Luna replied, then turned to look at Celestia with fearful eyes, “Didst thou thinkest I acquire-ed Nightmare Moon’s powers through naught but careful study? Nay! Before we wert parted, Boreal—Sombra—didst give me the Black Book of K’Rhûr. He was unable to destroy it, but knew that he couldst not have it in his sight any longer. As I prepared mine rebellion, I used it, and performed foul ritual to acquire the power to defeat thee. I thought that that power would be granted to mine being by ritual alone, but nay, I had to make a deal.”
“The dealmaker who didst come to me was a Sundered, a daemon, and he did naught to conceal it from me. An alicorn with four featherless wings, his flesh burned and unable to heal, canst thou imagine it? Mine hatred of thee was so great at that time that I agreed to take what he offered without question, and became Nightmare Moon,” Luna continued, tears now coming from the corners of her eyes, though not for the first time recently, judging by the state of her coat, “I didst make a deal with a daemon! How can I ever be forgiven of such a sin? The priestesses all say I am pardoned already, but how can that be? How could I ever atone for something so terrible?”
“Are you sure that’s what you saw?” Celestia asked thoughtfully, “It may have been but a guise. What you saw could be explained by any number of things.”
“All of which thou wouldst believe instead of the truth!” Luna snapped, then wilted, “I am sorry, sister. I doth not wish to be at odds with thee, never again, but I know what I didst see. I pray that one day thou wouldst believe as I now do, but I also pray that thou wouldst never have to see what I have seen for that to come to pass.”
“If what you saw is what you think it was, and the priestesses say that you are forgiven, then what’s the problem?” Celestia asked, trying to tread carefully, for she too did not wish to be at odds with her sister again, “Are you seeking atonement? If so, you will not find it sitting shut up in here day after day. I need you to help me, to take a part in ruling the Dominions of Cant’r Laht.”
“I … I cannot,” Luna said with a shake of her head that caused the constellations hovering in her mane to whirl, “I cannot trust mine self with power, lest I go down that dark path again.”
“You won’t,” Celestia comforted her, “Besides, you have already taken some part in the affairs of the world outside this chamber. If you had not sent Twilight Sparkle the letters she wrote me, then Discord might still be reigning, instead of imprisoned in stone again.”
“Thou hast something in mind for me to do, is that not true?” Luna asked as she stared at her sister, “It is the night festival, is it not?”
“Something I should have done long ago,” Celestia admitted, “You were right, that the summer solstice ceremony, a festival celebrating the day, should be offset by a festival celebrating the night. The winter solstice is too near to Hearth’s Warming—I do not want a celebration in your honor to be overshadowed—so I’ve chosen another suitable date.”
“Nightmare Night,” Luna said and shivered, “An evil day and one—I have now found out—associated with Nightmare Moon, though ponies knew not that for sure until my return. I ask thee for another day than this.”
“Luna, the preparations were already made while you were cloistered here. The night festival is only three days away,” Celestia explained while her sister looked mortified, “I will not force you, but I think that you should be a part of this first night festival. Clear away the memory of Nightmare Moon and her tyranny and replace this date with celebrations of you and your night.”
“I will … consider it,” Luna acceded.
“Just don’t tarry too long,” Celestia said, and left her sister to her consideration and her prayers.
***
“Isn’t the whole point of this night to not go outside?” Spike asked Twilight through the door to her bedchamber as she changed.
“That has been the tradition, especially in rural areas, ever since the Conjunction,” Twilight Sparkle replied, and launched into a lecture she’d no doubt prepared for the evening if anypony asked her a similar question, “Nightmare Night, also known as the Frightening Night, Darkest Evening, or Darkene’en until after Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, is believed to be the date on which evil is strongest. According to popular belief supported by the Church of One, it is the only night on which the demon Zamion is able to roam free, and he travels the land searching for wandering souls to harvest.”
“Right, so why are we going outside then?” Spike asked, even though it sounded like Twilight hadn’t finished her speech.
“After Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, a new character became part of the story, now known as the Mistress of Darkness. Because most records from the beginning of the Fourth Age are lost, it is impossible to know exactly when or how she was incorporated, but she now serves in much the same role as Zamion. There is an exceptionally high probability that this Mistress of Darkness is in fact another way of referring to Nightmare Moon and would also explain the shift in naming of the event to Nightmare Night,” Twilight continued to lecture, “To redeem perceptions of Luna, Celestia has decreed that throughout the Dominions of Cant’r Laht on this night of the Second Day of the Fifth Month, a festival shall be held celebrating Luna and the night, similar to the summer solstice ceremony for the day. Whether all her subjects will participate in this celebration given the stigma of this night is as of yet unknown.”
“Okay, but what’s with the masks and costumes?” Spike asked.
Everypony, it seemed, would be attending the night festival wearing some manner of disguise. Spike had gone for a simple mask to hide his face, but Twilight had opted for something more involved, which is why he was ready to leave and she was still preparing herself.
“According to tradition, Zamion is unable to take your soul if he cannot recognize you, so whenever somepony absolutely needed to venture out on Nightmare Night, they would disguise themselves. I imagine that ponies will feel more comfortable attending the night festival if they can still disguise themselves,” Twilight said, before exiting her bedchamber in her chosen disguise, “Well, what do you think?”
She was wearing a variant of mages’ robes in blue with stars and constellations adorning them. A wide-brimmed, floppy hat in the same style was perched upon her head. Attached to both the hat and robes were bells that jingled whenever Twilight moved. With a little magical manipulation, she’d managed to sprout a beard from her chin, which Spike tried not to stare at.
“That depends,” the dragon answered, “Zamion definitely won’t recognize you, but what exactly are you trying to disguise yourself as?”
“Why, Star-Swirl the Bearded, of course,” Twilight said, as if it were abundantly obvious.
“Who?” Spike asked, scratching his head with a claw.
“Only the greatest sorcerer of the Age of the Earth Pony,” Twilight said, looking offended, “He may never have risen to alicornhood, but he was the longest-living non-alicorn sorcerer on record. He was nearly seven hundred years old when he disappeared mysteriously some time before the Long Winter. Star-Swirl the Bearded created over a thousand spells, and his work laid the foundation for thousands more. So great was his impact on sorcery that an entire wing of the Cant’r Laht Archives is dedicated to him.”
“Oh yeah, that must be where I’ve heard his name before,” Spike said, remembering all the times in Cant’r Laht that he’d had to venture to the archives to retrieve books for Twilight’s studies.
“Really, Spike?” Twilight asked, “I am certain I have told you about Star-Swirl the Bearded before tonight.”
“Listen, Twilight, you tell me a lot of things,” Spike said defensively, putting his claws up, “You can’t expect me to remember them all.”
“I suppose not,” the sorceress disguised as a sorcerer said with a sigh, “Well, shall we go now?”
“Sounds good to me,” Spike replied.
The duo left Golden Oak’s laboratory to join the night festival. They didn’t have to go far to see the festivities underway. The square outside of the laboratory had been decorated for the festival, as had several streets leading away from it, the street that led to the Mayoral Keep most of all. Ponieville’s mayor’s residence would be another major location of celebration for the festival, and Twilight hoped that more ponies were congregating there. The town square was still mainly deserted, apart from a few ponies still setting up for the celebration and nervous-looking ponies waiting to see if anypony else would come or if they should high-tail it back to their homes for the night.
“Hi Twilight!” Pinkamena called as she bounded up, her clothes backwards and a pumpkin serving as a false head attached to her rump, “You haven’t seen the Mistress of Darkness around, have you?”
“Pinkamena, I am glad to see you here. Hopefully your presence will attract others to the festival,” Twilight greeted her friend, “I would keep quiet about the Mistress of Darkness if I were you, though. The Mistress of Darkness is Nightmare Moon, and I do not think Luna will want to be reminded of that when she is here.”
“Luna’s coming?” Pinkamena asked, cocking her head to the side and making her false head do the same thing, “Why?”
“She is going to begin the night with a ceremony in Cant’r Laht where she raises the moon, then some time later she will be joining us in Ponieville,” Twilight explained, “She wants to speak to us, the Brave Companions. Speaking of which …”
The sorceress had spotted Rainbow Dash entering from a side street. The Hunter approached one of the tables laden with food and grabbed something to eat, earning her a chewing out from the pony behind it about how the festival hadn’t started yet. Rainbow Dash completely ignored her. She looked weary and her armor was worn and stained with blood, most of it not her own.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called out as she approached the Hunter, “I have been trying to find you all week to tell you about the night festival. It seems you found out on your own, though.”
“I’m not staying,” Rainbow said in between ravenously wolfing down bites of food.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, “We are supposed to meet with Luna tonight, all of the Brave Companions.”
“Yeah, Fluttershy told me. I’m really sorry, but I can’t,” Rainbow said sincerely, “I only came to grab something to eat, then I need to get back out there. Tonight is the night monsters are most active, you know, and there’s a lot of work to do.”
“I thought that was just a superstition,” Twilight said.
“I wish somepony would tell them that,” Rainbow Dash griped, “Again, I’m really sorry, but if I don’t help the other Hunters, this whole festival could be ruined. The Mistress of Darkness isn’t the only reason ponies are afraid to go out on Nightmare Night.”
After grabbing some apples to take with her and share with the other Hunters, Rainbow Dash took off. If there were apples here, it was likely that some member of the Apple family was as well, and Twilight looked around for them. Eventually she spotted Applejack standing next to Rarity, and the sorceress trotted up to them. Rarity was wearing a mask shaped like a bird’s face that she’d likely made herself. The farmer was wearing a similar mask, though she looked far less comfortable in it and kept glancing over her back nervously.
“Oh, Twilight, darling, I didn’t recognize you at first,” Rarity said as they met.
“Well, that is the idea, is it not?” Twilight asked as she stroked her beard.
“Twi’, are y’ sure ‘tis safe t’ be out like this tonight?” Applejack asked anxiously.
“I guarantee it,” Twilight told her, “Where are Big McIntosh and Apple Bloom? Did they come as well?”
“They’re stayin’ back at th’ farm t’ look after Granny Smith,” Applejack said, relaxing minutely as her thoughts turned to her family, “I wouldn’t’ve come m’self if y’ hadn’t asked us all t’.”
“Well, I am glad that you did,” Twilight said sincerely, “With Rainbow Dash unable to join us, the number of Brave Companions that will be here to meet with Luna is down to five.”
“More likely four,” Rarity corrected, “I don’t think that Fluttershy will be able to extricate herself from her home tonight, even for something like this.”
“I was worried about this,” Twilight said, and took a calming breath, “Well, I guess that four of the Brave Companions will have to be enough for Luna.”
“No need to worry, Twilight,” Pinkamena assured her, “Besides, Luna won’t be here for a while, right? We have plenty of time to party before she gets here!”
Twilight couldn’t help but smile. Pinkamena was right, and there was no reason not to enjoy themselves. Hopefully their example would also encourage others to join the night festival. The sorceress would be sure to go easy on the drink and keep her wits about her, though. Luna may not have held the myriad titles that Celestia did, but she was every bit as ancient and powerful.
***
Celestia’s letter to Twilight Sparkle hadn’t specified exactly when Luna was to make her appearance. Knowing the Cant’r Laht nobility, though, they would try to keep her in Cant’r Laht as long as possible. She was a mystery, an unknown, something that threatened to upset the balance of power in the city of sorceresses (though she hadn’t done anything yet). This was her first public appearance since the celebration following her return, and they would be waylaying her with questions and trying to draw her into their intrigues. Thus, Twilight didn’t expect Luna to appear in Ponieville for several hours at least.
It was as much a surprise to her as everypony else when it happened not long after the festival had begun. The Brave Companions had made their way through the village to the grounds of the Mayoral Keep and were enjoying the festivities there when a portal opened in the air. The ponies beneath it scattered, the bards stopped their playing and singing, and whispers about ill omens passed among the crowd. From the portal fell three pegasi and one alicorn between them, and the voices in the crowd picked up.
The pegasi were enough to raise a panic, since a second glance revealed they were no normal pegasi. Their wings were not feathered, but leathery like a bat’s and their eyes were like those of a snake. Nevertheless, they were not bat-ponies like any that had been seen with the White Procession, but something else entirely. In the midst of them stood Luna, a shining silver wreath upon her head. The Brave Companions had not seen her since the defeat of Nightmare Moon, and this was the first time they witnessed her with her power restored. Like Celestia, her mane and tail flowed as if in an otherworldly wind. Within them were the stars of the night sky, glittering as the magical hair bobbed back and forth. The dress Luna wore was black as the darkest night and adorned with shining gems that mirrored the stars in her mane and tail.
“It’s the Mistress of Darkness!” somepony screamed in a panic, and chaos broke out.
Luna looked shocked and wounded as ponies tried to flee the Mayoral Keep to escape from her or fell down and began to pray for deliverance. Twilight tried to get closer but the crowd kept her back, and she didn’t dare teleport in all the confusion lest she appear inside somepony. Swallowing hard, Luna spoke up.
“Féor nae, danisen voorn Ponívilæ, vór tës Iö, Luna, Käpræ voorn Níĝt und Gürdræ voorn dae Mönd!” she announced, magically augmenting her voice, which did nothing to help the panic since few ponies understood what she said.
“Fear not, denizens of Ponieville, for ‘tis I, Luna, Keeper of Night and Guardian of the Moon!” the bat-winged pony standing in front of her translated from High Equestrian to Low Equestrian.
Though a few stopped to listen, most of the ponies were in too much of a panic to cease their flights home. Twilight continued trying to reach Luna, but the fleeing crowd, as thinned out as it had become, still threatened to pull her along if she forced it, so she retreated back and tried to catch Luna’s attention with waving. Both Rarity and Applejack were cowering nearby and Pinkamena was nowhere to be seen. So much for the Brave Companions greeting Luna on her arrival.
***
A day earlier, Luna made her way hesitantly through the dungeons of Cant’r Laht Castle. She had been putting off this meeting for a long time, but with the night festival nearly upon her, she decided that the time had finally come. Shortly after she’d first arrived in Cant’r Laht, she’d been made aware of the presence of the three ponies who’d been held here for centuries, without aging. Once they’d served Luna, then Nightmare Moon, and it was time to see if they’d serve her now that she was Luna again.
“They are in there?” Luna asked of the guards posted outside a door barred with a heavy beam.
“They were all moved into a single cell last night, on your orders,” the warden said as he trotted up and gave Luna a key, “This will open the door to the cell. Wait until this door is closed behind you before you unlock it. Are you sure I cannot send some guards in to accompany you? These three are dangerous.”
“I am sure, and thou hast mine thanks for seeing to this task,” Luna said, “I needs speak to them alone.”
The warden bowed to her wishes and motioned for the other guards to unbar the door. The heavy beam was removed with a great amount of huffing and puffing, and once it was gone, Luna opened and trotted through the door. It led to a small room with another door. She waited until the first door was closed and the bar back in place before unlocking and opening the second door.
It was pitch black in the cell beyond, but the torchlight from the room she was standing in allowed her to see the three figures crouched inside, ready to attack. The word that they hadn’t aged in the last thousand years had not been an exaggeration; they looked just as they had on the day she’d last seen them, the day she had begun her rebellion against Celestia. Uniformly gray coats, leathery bat wings with hooked talons at the joint, snake-like eyes that could see even in the murkiest darkness, filled with the fire of a longing for revenge; yes, they were completely unchanged.
“Bei[1],” Luna said softly, and the torches within the cell suddenly all burst into flame.
The three ponies within jerked back in reaction, taken aback by the sudden light. Their eyes quickly adjusted, and they dropped their confrontational stances as they saw who it was that was entering their cell. Their eyes widened as Luna stood before them.
“Your Majesty,” one said as he swiftly prostrated himself on the ground, and the other two followed suit.
“Get up,” Luna commanded and they swiftly scrambled upright.
“Yes, my queen, my lady of the night,” the same pony that had spoken before said as he averted his eyes from Luna’s gaze reverently, yet still tried to gaze upon her.
“I am no queen any longer,” Luna said quickly, lest they get any ideas, “Thou mayest address me as Luna.”
“Forgive me, m’lady, but I could not do that. None of us could,” the same pony said, and the others nodded.
“I see that nothing has changed, Curvin,” Luna addressed him by name, “Thou art still as stiff-necked as ever. I did not think to see thee again. How is it that thou art still living?”
“Thou didst not realize it, but when the four of us were change-ed, we were blessed to live so long as thou dost,” a second pony spoke up, “Hast thou comest to free us? Shall we continue our work and overthrow at last the tyranny of sun and day?”
“Nay!” Luna rebuked him so sharply that he nearly recoiled as from a blow, “I am Nightmare Moon no more, but Luna once again! I have been freed from the shackles of hatred that didst bind me! Marvo, thinkest not that this undying you have been granted be a blessing, but a curse. I rejoice to see thee again, but ‘twould have been better if thee had gone to rest long ago! And thine appearance; thou has lost thine varied coats, Curvin thine horn, Beriar thine feathered wings, and Marvo, thou wert never meant to fly.”
“Thou art right in one thing, however,” Luna continued, and Marvo looked up, “I am here to free thee, if thou wouldst follow me again, as Luna.”
“Of course, we live to serve thee,” all three said in near unison.
“We will need to speak much,” Luna said, worried that they still thought of her as Nightmare Moon, “One other matter before we begin: what has become of Truno? Where is the fourth captain?”
“We know not,” Curvin answered for the group, “The three of us all were captured the first century after the defeat. He may be dead, or he may be anywhere.”
“I pray our paths may pass again and we all may be unified,” Luna said, “Now, time is short, for there is a matter with which I could use thine help.”
***
“Wae art dou flíÿŋe? Iö hef märƴn käm tae partiçæ en dae festí!” Luna yelled, and her ears twitched as she heard ‘Mistress of Darkness’ and ‘Nightmare Moon,’ “Iö bân Níĝtmeræ Mönd nae stäl!”
“Why art thou fleeing? I have merely come to partake in the feast!” Curvin translated for her, “I am Nightmare Moon no longer!”
The last of those who intended to flee made it out of sight, leaving only Luna, her guards, the Brave Companions, and those too afraid to run in the courtyard of the Mayoral Keep. Twilight Sparkle trotted toward the new arrivals, able at last to make it without being swept away or in danger of teleporting inside somepony. As she went, Applejack and Rarity slowly rose and Pinkamena appeared from behind a barrel, first her fake head before she turned herself around.
“Welcome, I am-” Twilight began, but was cut off by Luna, who didn’t lower her voice a bit from her initial announcement to the town.
“Most ponies around here do not speak High Equestrian,” Twilight pointed out, “I doubt they waited long enough for the translation before deciding you were attempting to bewitch them.”
“Tës tradiçœn vór én voorn mÿn stät tae spräk dae Híĝt Speeçæ tíwél onoßræ spraëk dae Leugæ vór dós won kön nae öndrestund,” Luna said, “Dí déd nae kompæ en Cant’r Laht.[3]”
“Maybe not, but most everypony in Cant’r Laht speaks High Equestrian and they look down upon those who do not,” Twilight replied, thinking over her own previous opinions, “The tradition you speak of is also no longer used, even by kings and queens.”
“Iö zí,[4]” Luna said, before switching over to Low Equestrian, “I see. Nopony has thought to tell me this. Thou hast mine thanks, Twilight Sparkle of the House Haltrotsun, favored student of mine beloved sister Celestia, and leader of the Brave Companions.”
“You recognize me,” Twilight said, pleased since it had been so long since they’d met.
“But of course, how could I forget the ponies that didst free me from Nightmare Moon?” Luna said and looked over Twilight at the other Brave Companions, who were beginning to approach, “Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkamena. Charity, Trustworthiness, and Mirth, and thee Twilight, art the bearer of Sorcery, but where art the other two?”
“Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were unable to make it to the festival,” Twilight and looked around at what was left of the party.
“It appears that I have frightened off those that didst come to celebrate mine night,” Luna said morosely as she joined Twilight in her observations, “Perhaps ‘twould be best to return posthaste to Cant’r Laht.”
“There’s no reason to go just yet,” Rarity said, “I’m sure we can still save this night.”
“I see not how when all have fled, believing me to be Nightmare Moon,” Luna said pessimistically.
“Well, to start, we can find who we can and set things straight,” Rarity said.
“The benefit to Ponieville being so small is that it should not take long,” Twilight added.
***
Twilight was not mistaken in her assessment; it did not take long to traverse the village and find everypony willing to venture out again for the night festival. It was a smaller crowd than before, but still a respectable turnout. Ponies were still clearly intimidated by Luna, though it was more of a nervous awe, like that shown to Celestia, than fear. Her guards, on the other hoof, clearly unnerved ponies, both with their appearance and mannerisms. It didn’t help that they remained mostly silent except to speak to Luna. There was something just … unsettling about them.
Gradually, as the night wore on (and inhibitions lowered), ponies became more comfortable around Luna. Music and food brightened ponies’ spirits, as did the close company of others on this accursed night. Ponies looked fearfully toward the sky less and less and the talk about Nightmare Night, Zamion, and the Mistress of Darkness decreased. Twilight was delighted to see that Celestia’s plan to transform this night of fear into one of celebration was working, and she hoped that Luna took joy in it as well.
It was hard to tell with Luna. She seemed pleased to see ponies reveling in her night, something that had been largely denied her even during her reign as a queen with Celestia. She remained incredibly stiff and formal, though. Some of that could be attributed to the fact that she’d been out of Equestrian society for over a thousand years and customs had changed, but she also seemed to be on edge for other reasons. Twilight noticed that she spent a great deal of time speaking with Mother Melodia when they were near Ponieville’s chapel, and neither of them looked encouraged when they parted ways.
Despite the initial scare, the festival was going well, and almost everypony who’d fled had returned. Some other ponies who hadn’t been brave enough to venture out earlier even joined after hearing the festivities outside their homes and deciding there was nothing to fear. It seemed that everything would work out fine, until the dreadful news came that threatened to undo the purpose of the festival. At the time, Luna was speaking with Mayor Mare, who was bombarding the alicorn with questions of how her presence would affect Cant’r Laht politics, so she was one of the first to hear the news.
“Mayor Mare! Mayor Mare! You’ve got t’ send out th’ guard!” a frightened pony called as she approached the mayor and was eyed suspiciously by both the mayoral guard and Luna’s own soldiers, “It’s Lily Valley! I went out t’ invite her in an’ her door was broken down! She’s been taken!”
“T’ be taken on this night, ‘tis th’ work o’ the Children o’ th’ Night for sure,” Applejack commented, and Luna overheard her.
“The Children of the Night; I have heard of them. They worship … Nightmare Moon, do they not?” Luna asked, stopping herself from saying ‘me’, “How wouldst thou know them to be responsible for this?”
“Th’ Children o’ th’ Night always try t’ snatch ponies for sacrifice on Nightmare Night,” Applejack sighed, “For them, t’night is like a holy day. Th’ Mother o’ th’ Lost, th’ Mistress o’ Darkness, not much diff’rence when y’ see what they stand for, is there?”
And Nightmare Moon is both of them. I was both of them. They say tonight is the one night that Zamion walks through the world freely. It was this date over a thousand years ago that I performed the ritual that made me Nightmare Moon. Could it be? Was he Zamion? Regardless, I cannot allow this to go on, not if I hope to redeem myself. How can I be forgiven when there are worshippers who see me as a goddess? This must end!
“This must end,” Luna said aloud, interrupting Mayor Mare’s empty vow that she would not rest until Lily Valley (or her mutilated corpse) was found, “I cannot allow such things to take place during mine night. The Children of the Night shall no longer sacrifice thee in dark ritual nor worship Nightmare Moon, the evil that didst once possess me. I vow to you that I shall find these Children of the Night and put an end to them tonight!”
Everypony was looking at Luna in surprise. She hadn’t realized how loud her proclamation had been, but it was well that it had been heard by so many. When the news that the Children of the Night had struck became known, ponies had begun to doubt that they were safe tonight after all. Luna’s proclamation that she would defend them and put an end to the Children had shown them all that Nightmare Night was meant to die away, replaced by a night festival celebrating a sorceress who would defend the night every bit as much as Celestia did the day and would sweep away the evil left by Nightmare Moon once and for all.
“In this quest, I would be grateful for any assistance that thee might offer,” Luna told the Brave Companions, “My resolve is unshakable, but it has been long since my companions and I have known this world, and we know not where to begin the search for the Children of the Night.”
“Of course,” Twilight said, “I know just how we can find them.”
***
Year 587 of the 3rd Age
A blizzard raged ferociously, the wind whipping snow across the land in a storm that even the White Procession’s wizards would envy. The Plains of Amon had once been a fertile, albeit chilly land, most recently under the crown of the Crystal Empire, but now it was a blisteringly cold wasteland where the blizzard never stopped and nothing could survive for long. For thirty years now, the storm had raged and shown no sign of stopping, and the land had begun to be called by a new, more fitting name: The Frozen North. With his last breath, the mad Shadow King had cursed the land he’d once ruled and made it unsuitable for habitation.
From this curse, only Queen Celestia and Queen Luna of Equestria had escaped, leaving their army behind to disappear along with the Crystal City and all the Shadow King’s armies and subjects. The sorceress-queens had thought all to be lost, but they were not completely gone. For over a thousand years, the subjects of the Crystal Empire would be apart from the world, but Equestria’s armies were not held so tightly by the curse. Exactly thirty years to the day since they’d vanished, they reappeared in the Frozen North, and there was nopony there to mark their coming.
Captain Curvin of Helt Pasture wrapped himself into a ball as the snow and wind buffeted him suddenly, chilling him to the bones. The sudden light and whiteness blinded him, but he thought nothing of it. Pain and agony were nothing new to him or any of the others who suddenly appeared in the Frozen North alongside him. For three decades they had been in a realm unlike anything they’d experienced before. There was only darkness and pain there, the infliction of it all the more severe since nothing could be seen. Sometimes it would be cutting cold, other times searing hot. They had endured crushing weight, things hunting them in the dark, sudden cliffs they could not perceive before dropping off, always something new and horrific. Curvin missed his armor now for the small amount of protection it would give from the cold, but he had been right to throw it off when they’d all nearly drowned in that void. He wished now he’d let himself drown then in that oily liquid rather than endure the tortures that had come.
Twenty thousand soldiers had marched forth to fight beneath the banners of Queen Celestia and Queen Luna, to put an end to the madness of King Sombra, and now only a few hundred lived. Curvin envied those thousands who’d fallen in battle, for they did not have to endure the following years in the void. Thousands had been trapped at first in the darkness, and in the confusion, many had slain each other. They had wandered in the dark and died off little by little until these few were left. The void hadn’t just taken the lives of their comrades, however; it had taken much more. Many who were left had gone mad and could now understand only that black abyss. Nopony aged in the darkness, but the physical and mental trials there had worn them down and wearied them until they felt brittle and hollow.
Something within Curvin awoke as he stared unseeingly at the snow, blinking the flakes away from his eyes. This had never happened before; it had always been darkness. Could they truly be free at last? The cold was still stinging, but it was a sting he remembered, not the artificial torment of the void. He dared to look around, and through the blowing snow could spot the shapes of other ponies, fellow soldiers he hadn’t seen in decades. They all looked just as bad as he must’ve appeared as well, battered and haggard.
“Curvin!” a voice bellowed through the snow, and an unkempt pegasus came into view, using his wings to shield his face, “Curvin! I thought it was you!”
“Tr-Truno?” Curvin asked, his mind moving like molasses, “Th-thou art alive?”
“So art thou!” Truno exclaimed as he collapsed next to the unicorn, “We art back.”
Curvin’s eyes widened at the revelation he hadn’t dared hope for. Truno had some magical ability, he knew. It was not enough for him to have become a sorcerer, but it had been enough for him to be named captain of a detachment that protected them. If Truno said that they had returned to the real world, then it wasn’t just hopeful speculation. He had the knack for knowing exactly where he was at any moment.
“Where art we?” Curvin asked, hardly daring to believe the truth.
“So far as I can tell, near to the Crystal City, though I’ve the sense ‘tis there no longer,” Truno replied, “This storm, ‘tis unnatural and stretches across nearly all the Crystal Empire.”
“We cannot stay here for long,” Curvin said, feeling numbness creeping into his extremities already, “We must leave this place.”
“How can we?” Truno asked, “We will all die of the frost afore we make it to safety.”
“At least then we shall die in our own world of our own accord,” Curvin said as he forced his body to rise, “Come, we must gather those that have survived.”
***
Year 1001 of the 4th Age
Twilight Sparkle led the small delegation outside of Ponieville toward the Everfree Forest. Mayor Mare had offered to send some guards along, but Luna had declined, wanting to keep the party small. Besides her three guards, the Brave Companions that had been at the festival were the only ponies with her. Twilight was leading them to the home of another member of the Brave Companions: Fluttershy. Approaching the hill the druidess lived in, Twilight rapped on the door.
“Begone! You can’t harm me if I don’t invite you in, and I won’t invite you in! Stay away!” a terrified Fluttershy yelled at the sound of the knock.
“Fluttershy, it is me, Twilight Sparkle,” the sorceress assured her friend.
“It could be, or it could be something claiming to be you!” Fluttershy replied fearfully.
“If you want, I could teleport in there and prove it,” Twilight said, acutely aware of Luna waiting impatiently to find the Children of the Night.
“No! No teleporting!” Fluttershy called out.
There was the sound of something being moved from behind the door and the bolt being drawn before it slowly opened and Fluttershy peeked out.
“Oh, it is you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said as she let the door swing open a little wider and caught sight of Luna, “And the Mistress of Darkness!”
Terrified, Fluttershy slammed the door shut again and began to shove whatever had been holding it shut back into place.
“Fluttershy, darling, it’s not the Mistress of Darkness,” Rarity said as she stepped forward and called through one of the windows, “It’s Luna. You remember Luna, don’t you? Celestia’s sister? The one we freed from Nightmare Moon.”
“She needs your held to find and stop the Children of the Night,” Twilight added, hoping it would convince her that Luna had nothing to do with the Mistress of Darkness.
“M-me?” Fluttershy asked as she cracked the door open again, “How can I help?”
“In your druidic duties, you tend to the creatures of the Everfree Forest, yes?” Twilight asked, receiving a nod, “And you can communicate with them like no other pony can. The Children of the Night hide in the Everfree Forest, so I was hoping that you had heard about them from the animals of Everfree.”
“I haven’t,” Fluttershy replied quickly and started to close the door again.
“Could y’ ask them?” Applejack asked, “Luna means t’ set things straight with th’ Children o’ th’ Night once an’ for all, but we need t’ find them first.”
“I-I suppose,” Fluttershy said reluctantly, “Are you sure it’s safe to go into the Everfree Forest on Nightmare Night?”
“Fluttershy, I assure thee that thou shalt not be harmed, not while thee art under mine protection,” Luna said, seeing an opportunity to show her dedication to her role as Keeper of Night, “We must needs make haste, though, lest the Children of the Night do succeed in their sacrifice.”
“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, the blood draining from her face, “I guess … we ought to go right away.”
***
Twilight watched with rapt attention as Fluttershy spoke to the circle of animals in front of her. Since she’d learned of the druidess’s special abilities and how they’d come from the Second Conjunction, exactly like her talent for magic and Pinkamena’s premonitions, she’d never had a chance to witness them up close. She spoke to the animals with words in Low Equestrian and the animals replied with their natural growls, grunts, and chirps, but they carried on a conversation without difficulty. There was a curious ring to Fluttershy’s voice when she spoke to animal,s and Twilight could feel the peculiar magic in the air now that she knew how to detect it.
“They haven’t seen anything,” Fluttershy reported with a sad shake of her head, “Other than that a few were mauled by a basilisk, they haven’t seen the Children of the Night for weeks. The monsters have been forcing them to the fringes of the forest, striking out more and more boldly.”
It was like Rainbow Dash had said; monsters were most active on Nightmare Night, and she had been busy the entire prior week fighting the buildup to tonight. Luna had watched Fluttershy just as closely as Twilight had, with wonder, but now she looked worried. Twilight was also worried that she’d disappointed the alicorn. She had been so sure that Fluttershy would be able to locate the Children of the Night. Now the only way to find them would be to search the entire Everfree Forest, not a task that could be completed in a night, unless the Children were close.
“Who there goes?” a voice cried out from the darkness, and a spear flew out of the forest to land near Luna when there was no reply, “Who be you to venture here on this night?”
Two of Luna’s guards stood protectively between her and the direction the projectile had come from. The third launched himself into the air to search for the attacker from above.
“Wait,” Twilight said, raising a hoof, “Zecor?”
“It is you, Twilight-Sparkle ah-Twilight-Velvet mol’Haltrotsun?” Zecor asked uncertainly.
“Yes, it is really me,” Twilight assured her, ignoring the zebrification of her name.
Zecor stepped hesitantly out of the trees, looking unsettled at the sight of Luna and her guards. A bundle of spears was at the zebra’s side, carried with her when she left her home for defense against the creatures of the Everfree. As she’d demonstrated on their first meeting, she had some magical ability but refused to use it except when it was necessary. It was probably for the best, given how uncertain sorcery was in the Everfree Forest.
“Zecor, this is Luna, sister of Celestia, Keeper of Night, and Guardian of the Moon,” Twilight introduced the alicorn, “Luna, this is Li’Panid Zecor’ah-Hizzarah rei’Zasr.”
“I thought you be the Children of Night,” Zecor said, and she pointed at Luna, “You be alike to the one they worship.”
“I was, once,” Luna admitted shamefully, “I have to come to make an end of this, now.”
“You seek the Children of Night?” Zecor asked, not fully understanding what Luna had admitted, “I have them seen, moving tonight more so than usual.”
“You have seen the Children of the Night?” Twilight said excitedly, “Where?”
“Come, I will you show,” Zecor beckoned, and retrieved the spear she’d thrown earlier before leading the way.
***
Zecor led them down the twisting paths of the Everfree Forest, ever sure of her direction. In time, they passed the place where the Brave Companions had once been cursed. Twilight had found and disabled many of the hexes here, but it was a slow process and many more still remained. Zecor had consented to have enough removed that Twilight and Fluttershy could come and go to her home without danger, but she was still distrustful of ponies in general and wasn’t willing to give up the deterrent completely, so the process was made even slower.
“Here they be,” Zecor whispered as they came upon the Children of the Night.
They could be heard easily enough, but if Zecor hadn’t called it out, they probably would have stumbled right into them. The trees here were close and twisted and they could barely see the ponies in their midnight blue robes through them. None of them carried torches, which one cursed the others for as they stumbled over tangled roots. Tonight, they celebrated darkness and there would be no light but that of the moon, they told him, and Luna looked angry. I longed so much for appreciation of my night that it turned to a desire for worship. Now I see the fruit of those seeds, and I cannot stand those who worship my night as I once wished. This stain must be washed away forever, and I must be the one to do it.
“M’lady, what dost thou intend to do?” Beriar asked as Luna began to move toward the Children of the Night, and she stopped.
“They will tell me where I might find the rest and then I shall end them,” Luna said, her eyes fixed on the blue-robed ponies as they navigated the woods.
“Pardon me, m’lady, but if their conviction, such as it is, is strong, would they not rather die than betray their companions?” Beriar caused Luna to pause again.
“They must take me to the others,” Luna said, though doubt was beginning to creep into her mind.
“If I might be so bold, Thy Grace,” Curvin spoke up, “They would surely lead thee to the others if thou wert to take on the guise of Nightmare Moon.”
“Never,” Luna hissed, “I can never take up the mantle of that evil again.”
“Forgive me, m’lady,” Curvin said, bowing low, “I meant not to suggest that thou ought to become Nightmare Moon again, but merely to alter thy appearance as a means of deceiving these heretics in order to bring them to the truth.”
Luna didn’t like the idea, not one bit, but it was a sensible one. I am no longer Nightmare Moon. That has been expunged. She wished she could believe it. In taking on the appearance of Nightmare Moon, would I be risking giving in truly to that sin? I want nothing to do with her or the Sundered who made me her. At the same time, she wanted badly to eliminate the cult that had grown up around Nightmare Moon and this would be the best way to do it.
Luna was troubled by the conflict within, but she began to cast the spell. Her coat turned black, the night sky in her mane more terrible. Her teeth became pointed and her pupils slitted. Silvery-blue armor replaced her regal dress and a dark crown perched itself on her head. Or so it seemed to everypony watching. In reality, Luna was unchanged except for the spell projected around her and the gnawing doubt in her heart.
“Where goest thee?” Luna demanded of the Children of the Night as she stepped out of the trees, her voice booming.
Struck by fear, the blue-cloaked ponies stared at Luna with eyes as wide as saucers. Luna’s guards emerged from the forest as well to stand around her, looking imposing, but not nearly as terrifying as the dark alicorn they surrounded. The rest of the party stayed back in the trees, keeping out of sight of the Children of the Night.
“Mother of the Lost!” one of the Children exclaimed as she threw herself down on the ground, and her companions quickly and clumsily followed suit, “It is truly you!”
“I asked of thee a question!” Luna said stiffly, “Where goest thee?”
“T-to the great sacrifice of Nightmare Night,” the same pony answered, the others too frightened and awed to speak, “For a thousand years we have kept this night in your memory, awaiting your return.”
“Take me to it!” Luna demanded, unwilling to let the pony speak any longer.
“Of course, Mother!” the Child of the Night said as she rose, “This way. Everypony will be overjoyed to see you!”
Luna and her guards passed among the still-bowing Children of the Night, who slowly rose to follow her. The Brave Companions and Zecor waited for the rest of them to rise before following them, keeping out of sight.
***
Year 588 of the 3rd Age
Curvin hobbled angrily from the throne room of the Royal Court. Three others followed him, each as upset as he was. Truno was nearest, walking gingerly on his chipped hooves that refused to grow back properly and tottering back and forth as he tried to balance without the wings he was used to. Beriar also followed, another pegasus captain from the army lost in the north that had kept his wings, but they were now put to double use as he had lost his forelegs. Marvo had also been a captain in that doomed army and he pulled himself along with his forelegs in a cart, his hindlegs refusing to move. Curvin was in just as bad a shape, having lost a hindleg and a foreleg that were now replaced with pegs that caused him great pain. All of them were covered in rags and old bandages, just like the surviving troops that had followed them here. Of the few hundred that had survived the thirty years of the void, only thirty-seven had made it alive to the Three Palaces of the Two Queens in the Everfree Forest. Frostbite had taken its toll on them, and it had taken them a long time to make the trip from the Frozen North, stopping whenever they had no more energy to move on to beg for scraps. Curvin had no idea what he would tell those few who’d faithfully followed him here.
He hadn’t expected a heroes’ welcome, but he had expected some compassion from Equestria for what he and his fellow soldiers had gone through. Instead, he’d received only derision. The curse that created the Frozen North had turned Equestria’s victory in the War of the Shadow King in the North into a defeat. Sure, Equestria had gained Vanhuv’r and a few stretches of land outside the blizzard, but the North’s resources were lost. It seemed that Queen Celestia wanted nothing more than to forget that the war had ever happened. She had denied them in her throne room in front of all the nobles of the realm. She’d accused his ragtag band of being no more than opportunistic tramps and told them to beg for scraps somewhere other than the Royal Court. It was a crushing blow to Curvin, who’d always served his realm and his queens faithfully, to be discarded now that he was broken. It’s not fair.
As Curvin paused to catch his breath, he realized that in his angry meditations he’d wandered through the Royal Court. This wasn’t the way to the great gilded doors that led out to the city sprawled outside, where the remnants of the army awaited him. It had been so long since he’d been here that he wasn’t sure exactly where he was in the palace. There was nopony else in sight except the other three captains with him, so he couldn’t ask. He gave a start as Queen Luna appeared trotting their direction around the corridor. It’s not fair.
“Captains,” the queen addressed them directly as she stopped in front of them, taking him off guard.
“Thy Majesty,” Curvin said as he struggled to bow, and the other captains followed his lead.
“I take it thine audience did not go well with mine royal sister,” Luna said compassionately, looking at the dissatisfied faces.
“No … it did not,” Curvin admitted, looking down at the elaborate floor tiles.
“Celestia can be cruel, tyrannical even,” Luna said, “It has come to mine mind of late that she is not fit to rule. Wouldst thee agree?”
“Majesty …” Curvin said softly, unsure of what to say. Should I curse one queen or disagree with another. Which is the greater crime?
“You can speak thy mind,” Luna said, “I know mine royal sister cannot be allowed to continue. I intend to do something about this, but I cannot do it alone. I could use soldiers like yourselves. Thee and thy fellow ponies would be well taken care of and under mine protection. What say thee?”
Curvin looked at his fellow captains, who were looking at Queen Luna with awe. Curvin shivered to think of the treachery he would be committing, but was it treachery if the pony you betrayed had already betrayed you? Luna was willing to accept them where Celestia had rejected them, so why not follow her? He knew he could find no reason in his heart.
“Our lives are thine, Your Majesty,” Curvin said as he struggled to bow again, and the other captains did the same.
***
Year 1001 of the 4th Age
At first, given their route, Twilight thought that maybe the Children of the Night had returned to the western watchtower where the Brave Companions had found them over a year ago, but soon they headed in another direction. Deeper into the Everfree Forest they went, the Children of the Night picking up the pace as Luna urged them on. It was a bit unsettling for the ponies following behind to see Nightmare Moon again, but the cultists were overjoyed. They couldn’t stop telling her how glad they were that she had returned again so soon after her latest defeat, nor could they cease reminding her that they’d stayed true when others had become disheartened and left following her downfall. she had returned again so soon after her latest defeat, nor could they cease reminding her that they’d stayed true when others had become disheartened and left following the defeat.
Luna did a remarkable job of maintaining the mask of Nightmare Moon, though every word that was spoken praising her caused her stomach to twist. Nightmare Moon was not to be worshipped; Nightmare Moon was a terrible evil that had come into being because of the envy of a jaded queen. As soon as the right opportunity presented itself, she was going to make that clear.
At last, they came to the meeting place of the Children of the Night. Hundreds had gathered here for the Nightmare Night sacrifice, ponies in midnight blue robes who’d committed horrific deeds in the name of Nightmare Moon. All stood in awe as their deity strode among them and conversation quickly died down. The gathering was in a clearing which the trees of the Everfree Forest seemed to cower from, their trunks leaning away from it. The Brave Companions halted outside the clearing and watched, waiting for any sign that Luna might need their assistance.
I know this place … Luna had been here before, many, many years earlier. Looking through the crowd, she could pick out the moss-covered stones poking out of the ground, arrayed in a perfect circle. This is the Circle of Thumon, the place I gathered my armies for my rebellion, the place where I became Nightmare Moon. There had been a tower here once, where she’d done that dark ritual and made her deal with that Sundered, but now all that was left was the lowest floor, and it was mostly rubble.
Outside that building was a raised stone that served as a makeshift altar. Tied to it was Lily Valley, the pony who’d been taken from outside Ponieville while the night festival had been going on. She is alive; good. I cannot have her blood on my hooves, though a thousand have probably been in her place already, sacrificed to my name … A pony emerged from the ruined tower nearby and raised a horn to his lips. Seeing Luna, he paused momentarily in surprise, then proceeded to blow the horn.
“Behold, the Great Confessor cometh!” the herald called out after blowing his horn, though his proclamation seemed unimportant when compared with the news that Nightmare Moon now walked among them.
Out of the ruined building stepped a pony dressed in midnight blue robes covered in swirling patterns and dangling with tassels and beads. The Great Confessor pulled back the hood over his head and Luna recognized him immediately. Truno! The other three captains were also surprised and didn’t hide it as well as Luna was. Her fourth captain was here, leading the Children of the Light. How long had he been doing this? From the very beginning?
“My queen!” Truno exclaimed upon spotting her towering over the crowd, “Mother of the Lost! You have returned! As I said, it was right to keep faith, for the day cannot overcome the night forever! It may strive to do so, but the night will always return!”
“Silence!” Luna demanded, her anger kindled and voice booming so loud it caused the trees to shudder, “Who told thee to do these things? Who commanded thee to make sacrifices in mine name, to menace the ponies of Equestria, to hold me as thine goddess?”
“The book you left,” Truno said, shaken, as he beckoned a cultist to bring him the heavy tome, “I followed it as best I could understand. I did not wish to displease you, believe me!”
He held up the book after the cultist removed its coverings and Luna inhaled sharply through her teeth. The Black Book of K’Rhûr! Truno gasped as the book sailed from his grasp, snatched by Luna and brought to her so rapidly that she nearly knocked some of the cultists in between unconscious. Because of what this book contained, she’d become imprisoned, first in the being of Nightmare Moon, and then in the moon for a thousand years. In an instant, she resolved unwaveringly that she would do tonight what she hadn’t before and what Sombra had been unable to do.
With a telekinetic shove, she pushed the cultists around her away and threw the book on the ground. Clouds formed in the sky, rumbling disquietingly, as she built her spell. Lightning lanced down in great bolts that momentarily blinded all who looked at them apart from Luna. Again and again and again they struck the book, but it seemed unaffected. The bolts became continuous, a stream of energy that withered all the grass around the book and left the air smelling sharp. The clouds dwindled away, and the night sky seemed to bow, the stars all staring down on the book with destructive intent. As the light grew brighter and purer, the book’s cover began to shrivel and its pages crinkled up. Luna didn’t let up on the spell even after the black book was reduced to ash. When she finally ceased, there was nothing left but a scorched hole in the ground that stretched down a league or more into the earth.
Luna felt incredibly weary, drained of all her magical energy. Her spell of disguise didn’t last long and the Children of the Night gasped as it faded away, returning her to her true appearance. The guards around her hovered protectively, ready to fight if it came to it. Truno looked on in surprise the most, recognizing her without her darkened guise.
“Thou rememberest me, doth thee not, Truno?” Luna asked, staring at the cursed pony, “I am the pony that didst take in thee and thy companions when thou wert rejected. It may be the one good thing that hast come from mine selfishness and bitter heart. Thou hast served Nightmare Moon, a false goddess born of hate, and misled all these ponies. If there is hope for me, who led thee into darkness, then there must be hope for thee as well, if thou wert to turn from thine evil ways. Once thou served at mine side, and I would have thee do so again, but as the pony thee first served: Luna, not Nightmare Moon.”
The Children of the Night watched her and Truno with rapt attention. She would not destroy these ponies, she could not. They called her the Mother of the Lost, and though it was a name born from evil and misunderstanding, she now knew the truth to it. These ponies were lost, and they needed somepony to guide them back to what was right. If it was her fate to be mother to these children, in order to lead them to the true Mother, then she would gladly accept it. This was her redemption.
“My life is thine … Luna,” Truno said as he bowed, not in worship but in submission, and the Children of the Night hesitantly followed his lead.
Mid-autumn rain pounded down on the tents of the Brave Companions, bowing the fabric wherever it hung loose. Nearby, the South Equestry River churned, threatening to overflow its banks but never actually reaching that point. The guard keeping watch on the camp watched the river, even though it would take cataclysmic levels of rain to lift it to where the tents had been pitched. Much of the water flowing northwards drained down into the tunnels and caves of Ghastly Gorge before ever reaching them.
As the rain plinked off his helmet and soaked his gambeson through, the guard considered how he’d gotten to his current situation. Twilight Sparkle had taken an interest in him and his companion again after largely ignoring them for nearly a year, except to use them as errand-colts. The two of them were undecided as to whether this was a good or bad thing, though the immediate circumstances made this guard lean slightly toward the latter. Normally at this time of night he’d be warm and dry in a tavern, either reveling in the common room or in his rented bed, perhaps with a companion. It seemed a great deal preferable to standing out in the dark and rain, watching over the encampment of the sorceress and her friends.
Less than a week after the events of Nightmare Night, Twilight Sparkle had called the Brave Companions together, and they’d quickly departed on a journey to the south. She’d sensed another pony Awaken, the dormant fragment of Discord’s soul within them coming to life. The sorceress had been ready this time and pinpointed the location of this new, dangerous pony. The village of Grunstead was their destination, a small community near Ghastly Gorge just past the border between the Dominions of Cant’r Laht and the Kingdom of Los Pegasus.
Tomorrow they would cross into Queen Helianthus’s territory and hopefully wouldn’t be immediately arrested by Los Pegasus soldiers as trespassers. There was a garrison near Grunstead, and the town was led by an appointed commandant. If they could convince him of the importance of their mission, it would make things a lot easier, but it still would be no cakewalk. They had to find whatever pony Discord had possessed and use the Elements of Harmony to free them, all the while withstanding the fraction of chaos magic that that pony now possessed. They had already dealt with Bitter Leaf in Onon’r Laht in a similar way, so they had some idea of what to expect. Yet, despite Twilight Sparkle’s best-laid plans, she couldn’t anticipate the complications that were to come.
***
Everything will go according to plan. Clúny kept telling himself that as he returned to his home in Grunstead and removed his barding. His plans had been prepared, and now all he had to do was enact them. Tonight, during his guard shift, he’d let a local bandit gang in to pillage the village. Once everypony was dead, including the commandant, he’d find some choice loot for himself and hide it away before going to alert the garrison. The bandits would stand no chance.
The thought had never occurred to him until very recently, but now he couldn’t get it out of his mind. He’d always hated the commandant and envied his (relative) wealth, but now that he was actually taking action, he found that the wealth didn’t matter as much as seeing everypony he was meant to protect slaughtered, then turning around and bringing the same thing down on the bandits he’d made a deal with. It was invigorating somehow, in a way he was only just beginning to understand.
He got a fire started in his home’s hearth and was beginning to hang up his barding, still damp from last night’s rainfall, when the town’s alarm bell began clanging. They couldn’t have betrayed me and attacked early, could they? Reluctantly, Clúny pulled his barding back on. He’d have to venture back out to see what was happening, and he was going to be quite annoyed if the bandits had decided to betray him and strike during the day. He wasn’t sure exactly what he would do, go along with the plan, or aid the rest of the guard. Both were exciting prospects, though the latter gave him a greater chance of survival.
Clúny hung his helm at his side before stepping out of his house. Oddly enough, there was nopony on the streets. When the bell in the watchtower ceased ringing, Clúny knew that something had to be amiss. There was no way the bandits had taken over the commandant’s residence so quickly. A snowflake fell in front of him, most peculiar. Snow didn’t usually fall here until several months later in the year. As the snow picked up, Clúny realized what was going on.
Shouts came from the left, in a tongue he didn’t recognize, and he turned to spot two centaurs galloping toward him. Hastily, he drew the sword at his side, but it did him little good. The first centaur was upon him before he knew it, and his blade glanced off the sturdy, otherworldly armor. The centaur’s mace came down heavily on his unprotected head, shattering his skull. Clúny’s lifeless body crumpled upon his doorstep.
A fine, glowing mist drifted out of the ruins of the pony’s head as the centaur who’d killed him pulled up short. The mist quickly made its way to the centaur’s head, which he shook as his companion overtook him. It was nearly impossible to see with his helmet, but the centaur soldier’s irises shifted to crimson and his sclera yellowed, just as Clúny’s had appeared for the past couple days.
¿Mænäth, hü vitta rün ïlæsh?[1]” the centaur’s companion asked as he slowed and looked back where he stood in a daze.
“Öu, vitta hü rün ïlösh[2],” Mænäth replied before leaving Clúny’s broken form behind.
Something felt different, strange to the centaur. He couldn’t say why, but he had the sudden desire to bash his companion’s head in while he wasn’t expecting it.
***
“Do you think they’ll just let us into the town and start poking around?” Rainbow Dash asked, mostly rhetorically, while she hovered near the rest of the group.
“I doubt that greatly,” Twilight Sparkle admitted, “If we cannot convince Grunstead’s commandant to appreciate the importance of our mission or charm him into allowing us to go about our business, we may have to make some sort of bargain.”
“What kind o’ bargain?” Applejack asked warily.
“According to the merchants that take the southern route to Los Pegasus, the commandant is not opposed to accepting bribes. Hopefully that is all he will request,” Twilight replied.
They were nearing Grunstead now, and the dark clouds that could be seen in the sky ahead were looking more and more ominous. A chill wind blew over the hills, and Rainbow Dash frowned before darting up into the sky to get a better view. Pinkamena rushed ahead to the next crest, and the rest of the Brave Companions followed. Grunstead was invisible, obscured by a wall of blowing snow. The blizzard thinned the farther it got from the village, but frost still coated the ground and scattered trees for half a league in every direction, coming up almost to where the Brave Companions were standing.
“The White Procession,” one of the Cant’r Laht guards, Baldavin, if Twilight remembered correctly, said, “Madame sorceress, we should withdraw until they depart.”
Twilight paused to reach out with her magic toward the town. With all the White Procession’s magic swirling about, it made a bit of a mess of things, but she could still detect the fragment of Discord’s soul. It would be risky to charge into a White Procession invasion, but the safer option of waiting until they’d left entailed its own risks. The pony chosen as the vessel of the fragmented chaos god was getting stronger every second and better at controlling the powers bestowed upon them. There was also the danger that the possessed pony might be subdued by the White Procession, and one of their wizards might take them back to Judd Caradain as a curiosity. While that would remove one of the soul fragments from this world, it would also place it beyond the Brave Companions’ reach and might return with the White Procession someday, more powerful than before.
“No, we must find Discord’s soul fragment before it is too late,” the sorceress decided.
“But, ma’am, we don’t know how large a force the White Procession has brought,” Baldavin objected, “It would be prudent to wait or to seek out the garrison nearby.”
“The garrison has already entered the fight,” Twilight said, reaching out with her magic, “I have made my decision. We will leave any unnecessary baggage here and enter the blizzard. We do not know what piece of Discord’s soul is possessing our target, so everypony stay close and keep your Elements on you.”
Soon a pile of saddlebags and bedrolls formed beneath a wizened old tree nearby. All unnecessary encumbrance removed, the eight ponies (and one dragon), set off towards Grunstead. Soon, the blowing snow surrounded the companions, making it difficult to see ahead of them. Twilight tried to protect the group with her magic, but she found it difficult to shield them all from the snow and wind in addition to detecting Discord’s soul. She was leading them in the general direction of it, but because it was possessing a pony, it wasn’t standing still. Twilight wondered what would happen if the possessed pony were to die. Would the soul flee across Equestria as it had when Discord was imprisoned?
A crossbow bolt shot out of the snow, directed at Twilight Sparkle, who was leading the small party. The guard to Twilight’s right, Ream, jumped in the way, and the bolt punched into his shield. The sorceress cursed herself for not being alert, for allowing her mind to wander. While she’d been considering hypothetical scenarios, they’d entered the village, where a group of bat-ponies were lying in wait.
“Falan otha Fluttershy![3]” Twilight yelled as she spotted a bolt bound for the druidess.
Grunstead’s buildings allowed the snow to clear some, enough that the Brave Companions could see their foes. Rainbow Dash, her sword already out, darted toward the nearest bat-pony. Twilight drew a magical semicircle in the snow at her hooves and threw magical arrows toward many of them, before erecting a shield around the entire party still on the ground. With the bat-ponies in the sky or perched on the rooftops, the only pony in the group who could reach them to fight was Rainbow Dash (and Fluttershy, though she wasn’t much of a warrior). The rest were trapped on the ground, unable to help except for Twilight; the now near-continuous hail of crossbow bolts kept her from attacking with her magic, however, since it would require her to drop her shield to use any of the really effective spells.
There had been ten bat-ponies when they’d arrived. Rainbow Dash had cut down two and Twilight’s arrows had pierced a further three, but that still left five overhead. Rainbow was fighting one, and another tried to take her from behind while the others fired on the rest of the Brave Companions. One of them landed near the group to grab the bolts dropped by one of her dead companions.
A centaur appeared out of the snow behind her, a mace in one hand, a sword in another. The bat-pony paid the centaur little mind, other than lowering her guard as she trusted him to protect her while retrieving ammunition. When she looked at him again, though, his mace was already bearing down on her. She spread her wings to try to take off, but the mace shattered her spine. The centaur swept his sword up and decapitated her as she fell.
Everypony stared at the centaur in shock, except for Rainbow Dash and the bat-pony she was still sword-to-sword with. The guards at Twilight’s side hesitated; was this centaur a friend or a foe? Twilight Sparkle stared down the centaur and wondered whether she should lower the shield now that they weren’t being fired upon. What is going on here? The centaurs and bat-ponies of the White Procession have always been unified. Could there be a civil war going on between the races? If so, it would have to have begun here, since the bat-ponies seem just as shocked as us. Unless . . . ! The magical shield waned as the sorceress reached out with her magic. The fragment of Discord’s soul was within the centaur, possessing him, turning him against his comrades.
Paying no mind to the Brave Companions, the centaur galloped toward the nearest bat-pony. He fluttered away, loading a crossbow shot and firing at the centaur. The bolt deflected harmlessly off the heavy armor that centaurs of the White Procession wore, but he was still out of range of the traitor’s weapons . . . or so he thought. The centaur stabbed his sword upwards and the blade glowed as its length tripled, spearing the bat-pony through. Twilight felt a surge of chaos magic as it did, and a ripple seemed to pass out from the sword, turning some of the snowflakes into marbles.
A stairway of bubbles formed as the centaur charged toward another of the bat-ponies, who frantically loaded his crossbow. He was knocked from the air by a strike from the centaur’s mace, his broken body crashing against the nearby building. The bubbles popped with the sound of thunderclaps and the centaur jumped to the roof of the nearest building, where another bat-pony perched. Miraculously (or chaotically), the thatch held his weight. Weapons from Judd Caradain clanged against each other as the bat-pony and centaur fought. The bat-pony got past the centaur’s defenses several times, but never was able to get to a weak point in his armor. The duel came to an end as the bat-pony’s sword was turned into a very confused carp, which didn’t have long to think about its new existence before the centaur severed it and its wielder’s head in half with a downward sword strike.
The centaur threw his broken foe aside and searched for new enemies. The last bat-pony landed on the roof with him, bleeding and unable to fly, and Rainbow Dash emerged from the storm after him. The Hunter finished off the bat-pony with a thrust of her sword before drawing the blood-stained blade out and whirling toward the centaur.
“Rainbow, stop!” Twilight called out, and the pegasus pulled up short of striking the centaur with her sword.
The centaur observed her, weapons held up defensively, but making no other move as she hovered out of his range (though that could change in an instant). The centaur turned his head to look down on the rest of the Brave Companions, and the cottage he was standing on flattened itself to bring him down to their level. He trotted over to them, weapons still at the ready and Rainbow Dash anxiously hovered over the group. He seemed more concerned with killing the other members of the White Procession (the bat-ponies at least) than fighting them, but Twilight still didn’t want to lower the shield. She wondered what he would do if she told him they needed to extract the soul of a Great One from him.
She didn’t get a chance to say anything, as a crossbow bolt shot out of the snow and found a weak spot in the centaur’s armor, punching into his flesh. The bolt was larger than those the bat-ponies used and had been propelled with greater force than their crossbows could manage. A group of ponies emerged from down the street, a couple of them armed with the weapons. The centaur grunted before taking off in the opposite direction. Another bolt flew toward him, but he swung his sword through the air, turning the projectile into a horde of moths.
“What was that about, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked after sheathing her sword.
“He is the one possessed by Discord. We have to go after him!” the sorceress explained.
“Hold it! You’re not going anywhere until I get some answers!” one of the ponies that had recently arrived demanded as the others encircled the Brave Companions, “I’ve never seen you before, so why did you come here in the middle of an invasion by the White Procession!”
The stallion addressing them was clearly the leader of the band, which seemed composed of a mix of the town guard, the nearby Los Pegasus garrison, and random townsponies and peasants trying to defend their homes. His barding, while not necessarily high quality, was still finer than anything anypony else was wearing. Icons on his helm and chestplate further set him apart from the others.
“Commandant Greenspring?” Twilight asked, and was met with a suspicious nod, “I intended to meet with you and explain our purpose here on our arrival, but the situation has changed. We do not have time to stand around when there is a chance that that centaur could escape back to Judd Caradain.”
“Let him, and let him take all the rest with him,” the commandant said before spitting on the frozen ground, “You lot are going to come back to my residence and explain everything, though.”
Twilight looked around at the band of ponies surrounding them. They could probably overpower them, but it could get ugly, and there was no reason to give Queen Helianthus a justification for war. Rainbow Dash could probably get away and maybe find the centaur, but the chance of that was dwindling with every second he fled and they didn’t pursue him. Besides, even if she found him, she wouldn’t be able to extract Discord’s soul without Twilight and whoever possessed the Element that counteracted the soul fragment. Twilight relented and motioned for Greenspring to lead them to his residence. She hoped it would be a short conversation, and that he’d let them go on their way when it was over.
***
“Out of the question,” Commandant Greenspring said, and Twilight Sparkle frowned back at him, “For one thing, I ought to imprison you for violating the territory of her majesty Queen Helianthus. The only reason I won’t be doing that is because I need all the help I can find to fight off the White Procession. I can’t spare the ponies to guard you, and I’m not going to leave a sorceress here alone without dimeritium shackles. So, you can either come with us to fight the White Procession, or we can execute you.”
The wind howled outside, shaking the shutters, the sound filling the silence between the commandant and the sorceress. Commandant Greenspring’s residence was a manor house built in a hodgepodge manner over the years by previous residents. It boasted six stories, not counting the watchtower, but the uncommon height had its own drawbacks. While most of the buildings of Grunstead were protected by the others around them from the blizzard winds, the commandant’s residence was exposed, and shook back and forth ominously, floors and rooms twisting as if they could pull free and bring the structure down at any moment.
“Fine, but we will also be looking for this possessed centaur, and my friends and I will seek to capture him. If anything were to happen to him, I would be most displeased,” Twilight said as she caused sparks to crackle along the length of her horn. (Thes were entirely for show, but the Grunsteaders didn’t know that, and some of them backed away.) “Once we have what we want, we will leave.”
The sorceress had lost all sense of where the possessed centaur was. He had learned, as Bitter Leaf had, to hide his chaotic essence. The only time she would be able to detect him now would be when he released the chaos magic. Seeing as how one centaur looked largely the same as any other to her (especially since they completely covered themselves in armor), she was counting on that alone to distinguish him. The best way to find him would be to seek out other members of the White Procession and hope that he showed up to kill them. From what they had seen so far, that seemed to be his only motivation. Going along with Greenspring’s plan was actually beneficial to them, so long as the Grunsteaders didn’t kill the possessed centaur and allow Discord’s soul to escape into a new host.
“Once the White Procession is defeated, then we can discuss escorting you back to the Dominions of Cant’r Laht,” Greenspring said, counteracting Twilight’s last statement, “So far as I’m concerned, this ‘possessed’ centaur of yours may as well be left alone. He is helping us, after all, though we’ll see how long that lasts. Do what you have to, but don’t let it interfere with fighting the rest of the White Procession. Everypony, get ready to leave. We’re headed to the grain stores.”
“We do not know what anti-Element has possessed this centaur, but we can narrow it down,” Twilight said to her friends as the commandant was busy with other matters, “Treachery, Deception, and even Cruelty all seem possible, so Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy, you will need to try to subdue the centaur.”
“Twi’, I think y’re overestimatin’ our abilities,” Applejack pointed out, “I doubt e’en Rainbow Dash could hold a centaur immobile on ‘er own. No offense meant.”
“With my magic, but I cannot both hold the target in place and extract the fragment of Discord’s soul at the same time,” Twilight explained, “We may need to get creative.”
***
The storm hadn’t let up one bit while they’d had their chat inside with Commandant Greenspring. If anything, it’d become more intense, especially around the commandant’s residence. The ponies of Grunstead had been holding out here, and the White Procession’s soldiers had largely given up on assaulting the building, choosing instead to hammer it with their unnatural weather. There were a few windigos outside the doors when they departed, but they had been cut down without much trouble, Twilight using her sorcery to burn them away.
The grains stores at the southern end of the village were a likely place to look for the White Procession. What ponies tended to remember of these otherworldly invaders was that they came, ransacked their homes, and threw the seasons off balance, but there was one other thing the White Procession always did. Every incursion by the centaurs and bat-ponies resulted in them confiscating food, either from storage barns or straight from the fields. Exactly why they did this was unknown, since they didn’t explain their motives and nopony who’d ever gone to Judd Caradain had come back. Some sorceresses suspected that Judd Caradain had a food shortage, but it was equally likely that they just raided food stores because it disadvantaged the ponies they were attacking.
The blizzard became less severe as they neared the grain stores, a good sign that they were onto something. Bat-ponies were soon spotted perched atop the granaries, sentinels with crossbows at the ready. In front of the grain stores were a couple squads of centaurs, having finished their rampages through the town and now helping to transport the grain back to Judd Caradain. A portal blazed nearby, two centaurs with glowing staves guarding it while carts were trundled through with the White Procession’s spoils.
One of the ponies with a crossbow fired, the bolt striking a bat-pony and knocking it from the roof. Others sounded an alarm, and the centaurs gladly dropped the grain to draw their weapons. Greenspring’s forces charged ahead with a shout, their voices silencing as they drew swords, axes, and pitchforks. Centaurs and ponies clashed while crossbow bolts whizzed through the air in both directions. The ponies had greater numbers, but a large number of their band was untrained, and the centaurs already had an advantage in height and armor.
“Stay here and protect them,” Twilight Sparkle ordered her guards.
Of the nine individuals in their party, only Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and her guards were truly equipped to fight the White Procession. Applejack was capable, but she had no weapon to fight with other than the axe she’d taken from the commandant’s residence, and she wasn’t familiar with it. The rest would need protection from the battle, and the guards Celestia had provided the sorceress with would provide it while she helped fight off the centaurs and find the one possessed by Discord.
“Cant’r majia ita Ye’r atoc![4]” Twilight incanted, and lightning shot down from the sky, striking the centaurs and frying them in their armor.
“Occosparis, renolla diel’r oxelle’i![5]” she followed up as some of the soldiers tried to reach her, throwing snowballs that exploded into ice spears.
Two bat-ponies tried to gang up on Rainbow Dash. Disengaging the one she’d locked swords with, the Hunter flipped backwards, over the second, and kicked her into the first. Both went tumbling down, and Rainbow speared one with her sword. The second recovered but was off-balance when the Hunter reached her. She only deflected three of Rainbow’s blows before a slash landed across her neck.
Rainbow tried to take off, but was forced back down as a sword swung over her. As the centaur it belonged to reached for her with his other hand, a crossbow bolt struck his forearm, barely piercing the armor but touching his flesh all the same. Dash threw a bomb into his outstretched hand as he recoiled from the strike and instinctively clenched, before winging back a step. The explosion tore off the centaur’s arm and part of his chest armor, and Rainbow shot back in with her sword to pierce his exposed chest before flipping away to avoid his dying sword strike.
Meanwhile, Twilight had engaged one of the centaur wizards while the other looked nervously at the portal behind her. Lightning, fire, ice, and stone flew back and forth between the mages as they tried to strike each other, defensive spells flaring up to block each attack. Twilight tried to keep from hitting any of the ponies in between them, and her adversary sought to do the same for the centaurs.
“Ye seni cavan’r doros’i![6]” Twilight yelled, and glowing chains rose up to grab her opponent’s limbs.
Focusing her magic, the sorceress pulled the bonds tighter, dislocating one of the wizard’s arms. He cried out in pain and slammed down his other arm, the one holding his staff. A ripple passed through the ground, and Twilight was thrown off her hooves. While her spell was weakened, the centaur broke his arms and two of his legs free. Propping up his dislocated arm with his staff, he cast a fireball at Twilight.
“Eren’r oxelle’i soretta Ye’r mathis![7]” the unicorn yelled as she rolled out of the way, and her opponent was impaled from below by spears of earth, unable to leave his position because of the shackles still holding him in place.
Twilight turned her attention to the other centaur wizard, but another centaur galloped between them. With one arm, he swung a mace into the faceplate of a centaur about to spear Commandant Greenspring through. With the other, he swung his sword at the centaur wizard. She gasped in surprise, but was quick to recognize the betrayal. The wizard swung her staff into the possessed centaur’s sword and it shattered, leaving only the handle and hilt in his grasp. Moving her fingers in a rapid pattern, she also sent the traitor flying through the air, and he came to rest near the Brave Companions not involved in the fight.
Applejack leapt into action, as they’d planned in case their quarry showed up. Rainbow Dash had made a few traps, and she threw one at the centaur as he tried to rise, anchoring one of his hindlegs to the ground. A bat-pony flew overhead, and the centaur raised what was left of his sword. With the airy sound of trumpets, his sword regenerated itself, though it now looked more like a large slab of metal than a sword. The blade sliced the bat-pony in two, and the centaur searched for more targets. Praying this would work, Applejack launched herself onto the centaur’s back. He paid her no mind as his mace transformed into a flail with an impossibly long chain and it flung it out at the fighting centaurs, striking several before turning the flail back into a mace. When he tried to gallop toward the rest of the White Procession, he finally found himself caught in the trap, and severed the line with his sword.
Fluttershy now took her turn, uncertainly hovering toward the centaur as Applejack jumped off. She threw a trap ahead of the centaur, and it tripped him up, entangling both his forelegs and causing him to faceplant. As he pushed himself back up, the druidess got as close as she dared. The centaur turned his helmet to face her but turned back after seeing she was a mere pony. His bonds turned to liquid and he stood, brushing past Fluttershy on his way to kill more centaurs and bat-ponies.
So, it’s Treachery then. Twilight Sparkle had been watching the whole ordeal and trying to get closer so she could extract Discord’s soul. If Applejack’s and Fluttershy’s Elements didn’t stop him from using his chaos magic, then they would need Rainbow Dash. Twilight spotted her facing down a centaur with a glaive.
“Rainbow Dash, we need you!” she yelled out to her friend.
The Hunter jumped back, and the possessed centaur crashed into her opponent, nearly sawing him in half with his sword. She then threw traps first at his arms, pulling them out away from his body so that his weapons couldn’t be used. After that, a couple of nets were thrown over his trunk to anchor him to the ground. His legs held out for a bit, but he was forced down as the nets constricted, cursing the Hunter for capturing him. The centaur’s sword shimmered, and Twilight thought that perhaps this wasn’t going to work as they’d thought, and they’d just gotten lucky with Bitter Leaf. When Rainbow Dash landed on his back, however, the sword returned to its normal state, a broken weapon with no blade. Rainbow bucked the centaur’s hands as Twilight approached, forcing him to drop his swords.
Twilight stared at the centaur. To think, they had here a centaur willing to betray the White Procession. If they could communicate with him, what secrets could they learn? Ponies knew practically nothing about Judd Caradain, and here was a centaur who would probably tell them everything they wanted to know. The battle was nearly over, the ponies winning. Would it hurt to just ask him a few questions?
“Twilight, what are you waiting for?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking worriedly at the traps as the centaur struggled to break free, “I can’t hold him forever, and he’s still doing his chaos magic!”
Indeed, the traps were struggling to hold the centaur, as the links in the chains to his arms changed number and size randomly, the shackles around his wrists glowing. The ground beneath him churned slightly, not enough for him to break free, but enough for it to be worrisome. There would be no finding out about Judd Caradain today; it was too great a risk to take. Twilight pulled a jewel from her saddlebags prepared for entrapping Discord’s soul, and concentrated.
“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya,” she pronounced, her voice ringing.
A magical mist flowed out of the centaur’s forehead, drifting slowly down to the jewel at the sorceress’s side. This was a new experience for the sorceress, as she channeled the fragment of Discord’s soul into the gem. She could hear and feel all the thoughts and memories of Discord and the centaur combined in a roiling mass that seemed to come through a thick layer of cotton. Snippets here and there she was able to pick out, but they fled from her mind, forgotten as quickly as she remembered them. It was for the best, for she had to keep directing the soul into the jewel. It glowed brighter and brighter until, at last, the process was done.
“¿Væris eppesanæ?[8]” the centaur asked groggily, before realizing his condition, “¡Equsïtïerï![9]”
He tried to pull free, but without his chaos magic, it was much more difficult. He tried to crane his neck to see what else was going on and was appalled to see that the White Procession was being defeated, until he remembered what he had done. His body slumped as he recalled killing his own kind, his own comrades.
“¡Vittaï menüttö sæ ökeffa kattaï![10]” the surviving centaur wizard commanded, and the remaining members of the White Procession made a fighting retreat back to the portal.
The formerly-possessed centaur looked at first like he wanted to go and struggled again for a moment, but decided against it. Even if he returned to Judd Caradain, all that awaited him there was an execution. Better that he should die here than return in disgrace and be paraded around as a traitor, shaming his family.
The portal snapped closed and the blizzard around Grunstead began to subside. This was not where the White Procession had entered originally; there were other portals, and one by one they too closed as the White Procession returned to their own world. As the last portal closed, as always, everything that had come from Judd Caradain turned to ash, including the traitorous centaur left behind. The Brave Companions couldn’t see through his faceplate, but his face was calm as he accepted his fate. Such a death, to become nothing in a foreign world, was still a better death than what traitors like him deserved.
“A’right Cutie Mark Crusaders, is e’erypony ready?” Apple Bloom asked her friends.
“Ready!” Scootaloo replied.
“Mm-hmm!” Sweetie Belle mumbled enthusiastically through the axe held in her mouth.
All three of them had axes, meant for the gnarled old tree in front of them. Applejack had been talking about cutting it down before she’d been called to Golden Oak’s laboratory and had to leave with the rest of the Brave Companions. They weren’t due back until at least later today, which Apple Bloom thought was plenty of time for her and her friends to chop down the tree for her sister and quite possibly earn their cutie-marks in the process. They’d split firewood before, but never actually felled a tree, but they weren’t going to let complete lack of knowledge on how to complete a task keep them from earning their cutie-marks.
Apple Bloom lifted her axe and struggled to balance it. She’d loaned the hatchet she normally used for tasks around the farm to Scootaloo. The one she had now was normally used by Applejack or Big Mac (who was currently at the market in Ponieville, selling some of the last apples of the season), but she was determined to use it even if it was too big for her. Awkwardly, she swung the axe at the tree’s trunk, the blade chipping off some loose bark. Again she swung, and again, the blade actually biting into the tree as she got the hang of it.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle joined in, following her lead. Blades swung dangerously close to exposed limbs as the fillies worked to fell the tree, but nopony was unlucky enough to be hurt. Sweetie Belle tired the quickest and stepped back as the others cut at the tree haphazardly; they were getting the job done, but nowhere near as neatly as it should’ve been. Apple Bloom too had to step back as she tired out, panting as Scootaloo alone cut away at the last of the trunk, leaving only a sliver supporting the top of the tree.
“Now what?” the pegasus filly asked wearily, looking at the tottering tree.
“Timber!” Sweetie Belle yelled, jumping and bucking the tree. She stepped aside awkwardly as the tree didn’t fall.
Apple Bloom struck the tree next, followed by Scootaloo. Despite the fact that it looked ready to fall at any moment, it refused to budge, seeming to mock them. All three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders jumped at the same time to strike the trunk, and at last it creaked and began to topple. The trunk twisted as it fell, and the fillies scrambled to get out of the way of the falling tree. It crashed to the ground, and the three little ponies popped up around it, checking that the others were okay.
“Alright! Cutie Mark Crusader Lumberjacks!” Scootaloo proclaimed.
The fillies checked to see if the magical marks they so desired had appeared on their flanks. Unfortunately, they were still blank. Silence and depression reigned over the group, but quickly left Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Apple Bloom wasn’t so fortunate, her ears still drooping when the others trotted around the fallen tree to join her.
“Well, maybe next time,” Sweetie Belle said as she offered a hoof to help her friend up.
“Yeah, maybe,” Apple Bloom sighed forlornly.
“What’s the matter Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked.
“’Tis just … we’ve been at this fer a year now, girls, an’ we don’t seem any closer t’ gettin’ our cutie-marks,” Apple Bloom replied, “I’m star’in t’ think we may ne’er get our cutie-marks.”
“Don’t say that!” Sweetie Belle gasped, “Of course we’ll get our cutie-marks!”
“Sweetie’s right,” Scootaloo backed her up, “We just need to keep trying.”
“Maybe. I’m done for today, though,” Apple Bloom said morosely as she got up and trotted away.
“Should we follow her?” Scootaloo asked, looking after Apple Bloom.
“No, we should head back to Ponieville,” Sweetie Belle said, “We better return this axe to Rarity’s shop before she gets back and finds out we took it without asking. Apple Bloom never misses one of Cheerilee’s lessons; we’ll see her there again later.”
***
Apple Bloom had not forgotten that she was to be at the Ponieville chapel later for Cheerilee’s lessons, but she knew she still had time and she wanted to be alone. She wandered through the lands tended by her family, letting herself wallow in her melancholy mood while she paid little attention to where she was wandering. The quest that had seemed so promising when she and her friends had decided to embark on it now seemed impossible. Every spare moment they had together, they’d tried different trades in search of their cutie-marks, but their flanks remained blank. Their Cutie Mark Crusade was not going as well as the unicorns’ crusade for Equestria had gone.
During her wandering and feeling sorry for herself, Apple Bloom had unwittingly strayed into the Everfree Forest. She checked to make sure she knew where she was in the twisted forest before carrying on, paying a little more attention to her surroundings. Now that she was here, she had a destination in mind. They didn’t always understand each other, but she could talk things out with Zecora.
She was trotting through the minefield of hexes when one of them suddenly went off near her in a flash of light and puff of multicolored smoke, startling her. She jumped away, tripping over a tangled bundle of roots, and fell down into a shallow trench strewn with rocks. As she landed jarringly, one of her hooves struck a sharpened edge of a rock, splitting it severely. The filly whimpered as she held the painful hoof close to her chest.
“Who there goes?” a familiar zebra’s voice called out through the trees.
“’Tis me, Apple Bloom!” the filly called out to guide Zecor to her.
“It is you, for true, Appa’Bloom,” Zecor said as she found her where she was still reclining against the edge of the trench, “But what is this? You have hurt been.”
“I tripped an’ fell, Zecora,” Apple Bloom said, and she winced when she tried to stand on her chipped hoof, “I don’t think I can walk ‘ome.”
“Come, little one,” Zecor said, offering to help Apple Bloom walk, “I have something to you help.”
Carefully, the two of them made their way to Zecor’s home deeper in the Everfree. Once there, the zebra ordered the filly to sit and wait while she gathered ingredients into a pot. Apple Bloom looked around the house from her spot as she did so. Zecor shunned the use of sorcery, but she had embraced alchemy. In addition to the plants growing in the garden outside, there were also many alchemy ingredients strewn around the zebra’s home. Much of it she’d gathered from around the Everfree Forest, but there were also many new ingredients here that Zecor had accumulated by trading with ponies now that she was becoming more accepted by the residents of Ponieville. She hadn’t paid much mind to it before, but now she watched intently as the zebra grabbed ingredients and combined them, looking back at an old tome laid out on a nearby windowsill every so often.
“What does trouble you, little one?” Zecor asked as she searched for something to stir her brew.
“It seems like I’ve been tryin’ forever t’ get m’ cutie-mark, an’ nothin’ is workin’!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, “Except for m’ friends, ‘o’ve been tryin’ as ‘ard as I ‘ave, everypony m’ age ‘as got their cutie-marks already! I should be startin’ an appren’iceship or somethin’, an’ instead I’m still tryin’ t’ figure out what I should be doin’ wi’ my life!”
“You can not force your cutie-mark to appear,” Zecor replied, “No pony has so done, and no zebra has their lert’kray—their … glyphmark—so gotten.”
“I had th’ feelin’ y’ were goin’ t’ say that,” Apple Bloom grumbled.
“The salve is ready,” Zecor announced, and Apple Bloom hobbled over to her.
Spreading some of the concoction she’d made onto a cloth, Zecor rubbed it back and forth across Apple Bloom’s chipped hoof. The filly felt a little tingling in the flesh near her hoof, but not much else. The pain did subside as the salve took effect, and Zecor stopped rubbing in the ointment after a few minutes. Apple Bloom’s hoof was as good as new, better even, with a glossy finish.
“Wow, that’s amazin’, Zecora!” Apple Bloom said as she marveled at her hoof, “I didn’t know y’ could do that. Y’ must have all kinds o’ remedies in that book.”
“Yes, there are,” Zecor replied, looking at the tome propped on her windowsill and flipping through it, “Some there were, some I have added. There good and bad are, remedies for illness and injury but also those that inflict it, though remedies I do make. This potion sweating sickness helps. This grants the heart’s desire. This loss of hair slows. Many I use not, but this book is important to me. Once, my husband it belonged to. Panid was the better potion-maker.”
“Sounds like y’ have potions t’ cure everythin’,” Apple Bloom said excitedly, especially remembering the heart’s desire potion that Zecor had pointed out while flipping through.
“No, Appa’Bloom,” Zecor said, closing the book, “There be no potion to give you your cutie-mark. I thought Twilight-Sparkle had you told the magic of cutie-marks—and glyphmarks—is not understood.”
“Fine,” Apple Bloom sighed.
“To keep your hoof from hurt again, you rest here must,” Zecor said, “I must go again out. Here stay a little longer.”
Zecor left the cottage, and Apple Bloom waited a minute before flipping open the book filled with potion recipes. She paged through until she found the one she was pretty sure was the heart’s desire potion. She couldn’t be completely sure, since everything was written in Cainhiran Zebrikaanian (and she could only passably read her own language); even if she knew the language, she couldn’t recognize the Zebrikaanian script, far different from the unicorn alphabet she was used to. The pictures looked right, though, and there were plenty of them. To ensure every step was done correctly with the right ingredients, the pages were covered in illustrations, some of them in various colors of ink to reduce confusion even further. Yes, with this, she believed she’d be able to brew a heart’s desire potion herself.
***
“Do you think maybe she’s not coming after all?” Scootaloo asked Sweetie Belle as they waited outside the Ponieville chapel for Cheerilee.
Most of the other young fillies and colts who came to Sister Cheerilee’s lessons were already here, but Apple Bloom was still conspicuously absent. The other Cutie Mark Crusaders hoped they hadn’t underestimated how hard their friend had taken their most recent failure to acquire their cutie-marks. Maybe it would be best if they went back to the Apples’ lands to look for her. It turned out they needn’t have worried, though, as Apple Bloom arrived while Sweetie Belle was still pondering what to do. She seemed a changed filly, her head held high and a grin on her face.
“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle called out, “We were beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
“Not a chance,” Apple Bloom said excitedly, “Then I wouldn’t have a chance t’ tell y’ I got m’ cutie-mark!”
“You did?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
“Come on, let’s see it,” Scootaloo said as she hovered enthusiastically.
Adjusting her skirts, Apple Bloom gave them a glimpse of her flank and the new image there. Where her coat had once been uniformly yellow, there was now a ring of silvery-gray hair. Her friends tried to figure out what it could possibly and what talent Apple Bloom had discovered while they’d been apart.
“Is it … a ring?” Scootaloo asked, “Are you going to be a jeweler?”
“Nope, ‘tis a barrel hoop,” Apple Bloom said before darting back the way she’d come and rolling a barrel back after her, “Back at th’ farm, I figured out how t’ put this t’gether.”
“A cooper! You can apprentice with my father!” Sweetie Belle said excitedly, “This is going to be so great!”
The other ponies waiting for Cheerilee to arrive gathered around. They were of varying ages, but most were younger than the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and for those without their cutie-marks this was an exciting event they anticipated happening to themselves someday. Hardly anypony was watching the chapel by the time Cheerilee emerged, having spent her time after arriving from the Ponieville Convent until then speaking with the chapel’s priestess.
“Foals?” Cheerilee asked, trying to get their attention, “Foals, are you ready for today’s lesson?”
“Yes, Sister Cheerilee,” a chorus of voices replied, but Sweetie Belle continued to talk about how the Cutie Mark Crusaders would be together more often now and planned for Apple Bloom to try to teach them so they could get their cutie-marks as well.
“Sweetie Belle, are you ready for the lesson?” Cheerilee asked in a measured tone.
“Sorry, Sister Cheerilee,” Sweetie said, blushing in embarrassment, “It’s just, Apple Bloom got her cutie-mark!”
“Did she?” Cheerilee said, her stern countenance giving way to a warm smile, “Congratulations, Apple Bloom, that is certainly grounds for celebration. If it could wait until after the lesson, though, I think that would be best.”
“Of course, Sister Cheerilee,” Apple Bloom replied.
She and the others followed the nun into the Ponieville chapel, Apple Bloom casting a longing look back at the barrel she’d made as they did so. She felt she should be making more, but that was probably just excitement from finally getting her cutie-mark. She tried to ignore it, as she also tried to ignore the slight tingling in her flanks around her new cutie-marks.
***
By the time Cheerilee had finished her lesson, Apple Bloom was practically thrumming with anticipation to get back to making barrels. She was beginning to wonder if something had gone wrong with the potion she’d mixed back in Zecor’s cottage. The feeling passed as she left the chapel, though, so suddenly that she nearly tripped and fell.
“Watch where you’re going, blank flank,” Diamond Tiara said as she pushed Apple Bloom away, happening to be passing by the chapel with Silver Spoon when the attendees of Cheerilee’s lesson were departing.
“Hey, you can’t call her that anymore!” Sweetie Belle said as she caught Apple Bloom and kept her from falling into the dirt.
“Why not? It’s what she is,” Diamond Tiara said, her nose held high as she began to trot past the group.
“Because she’s got her cutie-mark now. She’s a blank flank no longer,” Scootaloo said as she stepped in front of the spoiled filly.
“I don’t believe it,” Diamond Tiara said after a moment’s contemplation, “Show me.”
Apple Bloom presented her flank, and she and her friends gasped when they saw what was there. The ring representing her cooping abilities was still there, but it was now accompanied by a second cutie-mark: a fishing rod. Could it really be? Could she have two cutie-marks, two special talents?
“What is it supposed to represent?” Silver Spoon asked, puzzled and assuming they were both parts of the same cutie-mark, a reasonable assumption since she hadn’t seen the first one separate earlier.
“Barrel-makin’, this one I had earlier,” Apple Bloom said as she pointed to the ring, “But this one is new, an’ for fishin’?”
“Are you trying to say you have two cutie-marks?” Diamond Tiara asked snarkily, “Because that’s impossible, and these cutie-marks are fake.”
“They are not!” Apple Bloom said defensively, “Maybe I just have two diff’rent talents!”
She was trying to convince herself as much as anypony else. As badly as she wanted it to be true, it wasn’t hard, because there was evidence for it. Her first cutie-mark couldn’t have been fake because she really was able to build a barrel. The potion had granted her heart’s desire and given her her cutie-mark … or rather cutie-marks. It just took longer for the second one to show up.
“Prove it, then,” Diamond Tiara demanded.
“I will!” Apple Bloom replied defiantly.
She and the other four ponies trotted in the direction of the North Equestry River where it flowed past the town. Apple Bloom rolled her barrel along with her and still managed to build a fishing rod by the time they reached the river out, of a branch, hair from her tail, and a bent nail. The guard at the town gate watched as the fillies climbed onto the bridge straddling the river, and Apple Bloom sat on her barrel before casting the line into the water below.
In only took her a few minutes to catch a fish, though Diamond Tiara attributed it to beginner’s luck or coincidence. Her skepticism faded away, however, as Apple Bloom caught fish after fish. She filled the barrel she’d built with water, and soon it was packed with fish too. I was right! I do have two special talents instead of one! She was brimming with excitement by the time she spotted Applejack and the rest of the Brave Companions approaching from the south.
“Applejack!” she exclaimed as she galloped toward her sister, “Somethin’ amazin’ ‘as happened!”
***
Applejack slept well that night. In past days, her mind had been on the lingering problem that Discord posed. They had just recovered his second soul fragment from the centaur in Grunstead, but five more remained. Not only did the five ponies possessed by those wicked and chaotic souls pose a threat to Equestria, but Applejack also feared how her absences when she had to travel with the Brave Companions to deal with these threats would affect the Apples’ farm. Twilight Sparkle was convinced that it was otherworldly magic within Applejack that allowed her, Big McIntosh, and Apple Bloom to tend the Apples’ land alone, and though she objected to the idea because it seemed too self-centered, the evidence was there. When she was away, things didn’t go as well as otherwise, and the effect was more than just being short a pony.
Now, though, her thoughts were on Apple Bloom. While her talents hadn’t turned out to be related to tending the land with her kin, she wouldn’t forget her family. Things might be hard for a while without her to help out in the work, but eventually she would be able to help them in other ways, maybe enough that they could afford some help. That wasn’t Applejack’s primary thoughts about her sister, however. Mostly she was happy for her, glad that she’d finally managed to acquire the one thing she’d been striving for so hard for years. Not only that, but she had managed to obtain two cutie-marks, a feat unheard of. She was so proud of her younger sister.
When she awoke the next morning, she prepared breakfast as she usually did for the family. Apple Bloom was conspicuously absent when it was ready, though. Applejack headed to her room to check on her, but she wasn’t there either. She hadn’t left any note that she was heading to Ponieville to see her friends, so Applejack decided to first look around the farmyard. As she stepped outside of their home, a tree in the orchard past the palisade toppled and fell. Applejack rushed out of the enclosure to see what was going on, and was shocked to see Apple Bloom chopping at another tree.
“Apple Bloom! What are y’ doin’?!” Applejack yelled as she galloped toward her younger sister, jumping back as she was nearly struck by her axe.
“I can’t stop!” Apple Bloom mumbled frightfully around the axe, “Help me!”
***
Applejack was eventually able to get the axe out of her sister’s hold, thankfully before she chopped down any more of the family’s precious apple trees. Apple Bloom seemed compulsively inclined to try to knock the tree down anyway. She tried to explain to Applejack that she didn’t really want to fell the apple trees, but she felt she had to, ever since a third cutie-mark had appeared on her flank in the night. Applejack checked, and an axe had joined the barrel hoop and fishing rod. She was getting worried, as was Apple Bloom by this point, so they headed to the pony they felt would be best able to answer their questions.
“So, what do y’ think, Twi’?” Applejack asked the half-awake sorceress.
Unlike some sorceresses, Twilight Sparkle was not in the habit of sleeping half the day away. For her, early mornings could be incredibly productive if she planned for them. Today, however, she had planned on getting some extra sleep after the journey to and from Grunstead. She’d barely been awake when Applejack and Apple Bloom had arrived at Golden Oak’s laboratory and Spike had let them in.
“Two cutie-marks was unheard of, not to mention three,” Twilight replied with a yawn, “I began to look into the matter yesterday to see if there was any precedent, but maybe I was looking in the wrong place. Spike, could you fetch the Catalogue of Bizarre Ailments, Plagues, and Diseases?”
While the majority of Golden Oak’s laboratory was dedicated to botamancy and the lost histories of the Third Age, he also had accumulated a decent collection of books on sicknesses. All the more ironic then, that he’d himself died of the plague. Spike fetched the book easily, the keen knack for knowing the location of every book in a library he’d acquired during his time growing up with Twilight coming in handy.
“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight said as she took the book from him and flipped it open, “Let us see, Diseases with Magical Side Effects. This looks promising: cutie pox.”
“Cutie pox?” Apple Bloom asked worriedly.
“The cutie pox, also known as the cutie-mark plague, afflicted the town of Bercia in the Kingdom of Auberan some time between the eighth and twelfth centuries of the Age of Uncertainty,” Twilight Sparkle read aloud from the tome, “Random cutie-marks appeared all over the bodies of its victims, and with the appearance of each new cutie-mark, the afflicted ponies were forced to perform the associated talent. Fragmentary records of the time make it difficult to determine if this plague was naturally-occurring or was inflicted through magical means by a local disgruntled sorceress. No further outbreaks have been recorded.”
“Is it … contagious?” Spike asked, backing away from Apple Bloom, who also was trying to distance herself from her sister (though if it was contagious, it was probably too late to protect her).
“Unknown,” Twilight replied, “The outbreak did not spread outside of the town, and nopony who visited after the outbreak began contracted it, so probably not, but the records are unreliable at best.”
“What’s th’ cure, Twi’? How d’ we get rid o’ it?” Applejack asked worriedly.
“There is no known cure,” Twilight said, shaking her head sadly, “Everypony who was afflicted with the cutie pox died of exhaustion, and the town of Bercia was abandoned for fear that the sickness would return.”
“Oh no,” Apple Bloom said, tears beginning to leak from the corners of her eyes, “I think it’s goin’ t’ happen again.”
Suddenly, Apple Bloom was off like a shot out the laboratory. Twilight, Applejack, and Spike followed her out, intent on chasing her down. The filly had found a shovel by a nearby house and had returned to the laboratory. She was now busily digging a trench around the tree while some of the ponies in the square watched her curiously.
“What is she doin’?” Applejack asked.
“I think she’s … fortifying the laboratory,” Spike replied.
“We have t’ do somethin’, Twi’!” Applejack said frantically as she grabbed the sorceress, “I can’t lose m’ sister!”
“I know we have to do something, but I do not know just what it is we can do,” Twilight admitted to her hysterical friend.
“Where is Bercia? Maybe y’ can figure out what happened an’ come up with a cure!” Applejack suggested desperately.
“It has been gone for millennia,” Twilight said, hating how her words made her friend’s spirit fall even lower, “All we know is that it was somewhere in Auberan, but that is on the Eastern Continent, well within the Zebrikaanian Empire. It would take us months to reach it.”
“Zecora!” Apple Bloom managed to squeeze out between thrusts of the shovel.
“She’s from th’ Zebrikaanian Empir; maybe she can make a cure!” Applejack said, latching onto this new idea.
Twilight Sparkle highly doubted that that was a possibility. Certainly, Zecor had grown up in the Zebrikaanian Empire, but other than a brief stay in the imperial capital of Zebrikaan, she had spent most of her time in the border province of Cainhira. Even if you didn’t consider that she’d grown up as a peasant in the rural hinterlands of the empire, the cutie pox was probably even more obscure in the Zebrikaanian Empire. The region of Auberan was part of the empire now, but when the cutie pox had broken out it had been a pony kingdom. The zebras had only conquered the northern half of the Eastern Continent in the Third and Fourth Ages, their latest conquests only a few centuries old, long after any knowledge of the cutie pox had faded away.
Still, the sorceress had been surprised by Zecor’s skill with alchemy in the past. It was possible, albeit unlikely, that somehow she knew a cure. More importantly, she had no ideas herself on how to cure Apple Bloom, and she couldn’t deny Applejack the opportunity to seek help from Zecor. Even if it led to nothing, which was more than likely, they had to try every possible path.
“Okay,” Twilight said, “But we had better get going quickly.”
Applejack grabbed Apple Bloom, and they started on their way out of Ponieville. That necessitated crossing the square, though, which was quickly filling with ponies curious to see why other ponies were gathering here. By now, most of the town knew about Apple Bloom’s acquisition of dual cutie-marks the day before, and they were no doubt wondering if it was related to her odd behavior today. Before they could make it through the square, another cutie-mark appeared on Apple Bloom’s coat. She managed to break free of Applejack and darted into a cobbler’s shop, intent on making boots, much to the cobbler’s displeasure.
Applejack and Twilight managed to wrestle her out of the shop, but no sooner had they gotten her outside than she broke free and began juggling cabbages from a nearby cart. Cutie-marks appeared in rapid succession now, and she darted back and forth across the square, startling the ponies standing there as she stepped into each of their roles. The cutie-marks were visible now on the naked patches of her coat, some ponies calling them out with unease.
“She’s been cursed!” one of the ponies in the crowd cried out, no longer content to just watch worriedly like the rest.
“She is not cursed,” Spike told her, which seemed to soothe her fears and those of the ponies around her a little, “She just happens to have a disease with no known cure called the cutie pox.”
“Did you say pox?” a pony wearing a bird mask asked excitedly as she pushed through the crowd, “It’s a plague! Return to your homes! Prepare the fire and body carts! I will fetch my herbs and leeches!”
Before Spike could explain, Redheart, the town’s resident plague doctor, had whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Ponies nearly trampled each other in their haste to get as far away from Apple Bloom as possible. Soon the streets of Ponieville were empty, ponies preparing to wait out the plague they thought the filly had brought to their little hamlet. Spike looked at Twilight in embarrassment, regretting he’d spoken up. Applejack and Twilight tried to pull Apple Bloom away from her latest talent, the task easier now that so many ponies weren’t in the way.
“Where have the ponies all gone?” Zecor asked as she trotted into the square, “I thought they no more feared me, but they their homes close up when I come.”
“Zecora! Are we happy t’ see you!” Applejack exclaimed, “Apple Bloom has cutie pox an’ we were just on our way t’ y’ t’ see if y’ had a cure.”
“I know not of this ‘cutie pox,’ but a cure I have,” Zecor replied, confounding Applejack, “Day before today, Appa’Bloom did me a visit pay. I did help her, and did leave her to heal, but she did go before I did return. Ingredients of mine were gone. What say you, Appa’Bloom?”
“Well, I …” Apple Bloom said before another cutie-mark appeared on her face and she was forced to partake in yet another activity.
“If y’ have a cure, then give it t’ her!” Applejack said.
“A cure I have, but it will her no good do until it complete is. A transgression must confessed be over the cure before it effect has,” Zecor said, before pulling a potion from her saddlebags.
Even ponies terrified of catching a dangerous and unknown illness were nosy enough to pause in barricading themselves inside their homes to peek out at what was going on. It was strange enough that Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike were still here, seemingly uncaring of the danger to themselves, but now they were also speaking to the zebra that lived in the Everfree Forest. They’d also caught the word “cure,” and some of the less frightened ventured out to hear more, albeit with cloths wrapped over their muzzles.
“Well, somepony confess!” Applejack said, looking at Twilight and the ponies hanging back as she worried over her sister.
“I some pony have in mind,” Zecor said before grabbing the potion and trotting over to look sternly at Apple Bloom.
Among the ponies hanging around the edges of the square, she could see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Her friends, who she’d tried so hard with to earn their cutie-marks together. She’d been too impatient, too frustrated to wait like them, though, and had sought a way to get her cutie-mark faster. Now, she was feeling the consequences. It couldn’t go on any longer.
“None o’ m’ cutie-marks are real! I didn’t get ‘em fairly!” Apple Bloom admitted; some ponies gasped, and a faint glow momentarily came from the neck of the potion bottle, “After Zecora left me alone, I mixed a potion t’ give me m’ heart’s desire, an’ I got all these cutie-marks! I shouldn’t’ve taken those ingredients or tried t’ cheat at getting’ m’ cutie-mark! I just want it t’ stop!”
A clear glow was coming from the potion bottle now, and Zecor pushed it toward Apple Bloom. Pulling herself away from repairing a cart’s wheel, she drank the potion down and immediately collapsed. A tingling passed through her body in a wave, but it was a different tingling than the one she’d experienced on acquiring her fraudulent cutie-marks. One by one, the cutie-marks disappeared from her coat until she was a blank flank once more. Just to be safe, she checked her flank, and it was free of all marks.
“Thank you, Zecora,” Twilight Sparkle expressed her gratitude as Apple Bloom rushed off to apologize to her friends for misleading them, “How did you know how to cure her?”
“The potion she made was from my book, but she did not read its warnings,” Zecor said, before pulling the tome from her saddlebags, “The potion she made gives the heart’s desire, but it twists to do ill instead of good. The cure also is here, had she known it.”
“I must admit, I am not much skilled in alchemy, but I would like to go through this book with you some time and see what I might learn,” Twilight said.
“Potions that twist a wish like a genie o’ legend, others that require a confession t’ work,” Applejack commented, “Do any o’ y’ really know how magic works, or are y’ just makin’ it up as y’ go along?”
“It may not be completely understood or as precise as we might wish,” Twilight admitted, “The sorceresses of Cant’r Laht have accumulated a wide range of knowledge, though, and we work to uncover ever more understanding.”
Applejack didn’t look totally convinced, but it was enough of an explanation that she didn’t press Twilight harder. Redheart chose that moment to burst her way through the crowd, unaware that anything had changed.
“Where is the afflicted! I must excise the foul humors posthaste!” the plague doctor exclaimed.
“Do y’ think she’ll figure it out on her own, or should w’ tell her?” Applejack asked.
Cant’r Laht: a city built on the side of a mountain, a city ruled by sorceresses, home to the great alicorn sorceress Celestia, and the seat of the Church of One’s high priestess. Cant’r Laht was near the geographic center of Equestria, the reason besides Celestia’s clout that a summit of all the continent’s crowned heads had met there the previous spring. It overlooked the fertile Equestry Valley, which kings and queens of Equestria had fought over for millennia, visible for many leagues as its ivory towers reflected the sun’s light. Propaganda aside, Cant’r Laht was regarded almost universally as Equestria’s grandest city.
It was also where Rarity would be staying for the next few days. During her absence from Ponieville with the rest of the Brave Companions to deal with the matter in Grunstead, a message had come to her from Cant’r Laht. Hoity Toity had been sufficiently impressed with the designs she’d been sending him over the last months, and he was inviting her to come to Cant’r Laht to work with him in person for a few days, to “get a better sense of her talents.” She jumped at the opportunity and prepared to depart as soon as she could. After the long, three-day journey to Cant’r Laht, she’d been welcomed by a surprise.
“Here are your rooms, madam,” the page announced as he held open the door for her.
She’d anticipated having to find an inn in Cant’r Laht to stay during her time here, but she was staying somewhere far better. After she’d left, Twilight Sparkle had written to Celestia asking that rooms be prepared for her, and a royal page had met her at the gates to the city; during her stay in Cant’r Laht, she would have rooms in Cant’r Laht Castle itself. She marveled at the extent of them as she entered, her chambers here larger than her entire shop in Ponieville. They were also richly furnished, far finer than anything she’d have been able to afford on her own. This was an amazing gift from Twilight, and she’d have to remember to thank her profusely upon her return to Ponieville.
“Everything is to your liking?” Celestia asked from the entrance to the rooms, and Rarity whirled in surprise.
“Your grace!” Rarity said, executing a bow, “Yes, this is fantastic. Thank you for hosting me while I’m in Cant’r Laht. The honor of staying in the castle …”
“It is Twilight Sparkle you should be thanking; it was she who asked that I accommodate you, and I was inclined to indulge her request.”
“Oh, I know,” Rarity said earnestly, “I fully intend to thank her as well.”
“I will allow you to get settled. If you have need of anything, be sure to let the castle servants know,” Celestia said, casting a glance at the page still holding the door open.
“Thank you again!” Rarity called as Celestia left.
Another page had taken all the fabrics and equipment she’d brought with her ahead to her rooms, and she gazed over the parcels. Her meeting with Hoity Toity was the following day, and she needed something really spectacular to impress him. Time to get to work.
***
Rarity’s last-minute efforts paid off, succeeding in impressing Hoity Toity when she presented the dress she’d designed to him. He’d suggested some changes, but they’d been trivial and seemed more about asserting his position as the master than any actual flaws in the design. By the time she left his shop, she was practically glowing with pride.
On her mind, other than her accomplishments, was the question of how she could repay Twilight Sparkle for getting her rooms in Cant’r Laht Castle. The answer was staring her in the face. I shall make Twilight a dress. Maybe it was because she had dresses on the brain after a day spent with Hoity Toity, but the idea seemed remarkable to her. Ever since she’d created the dresses for her friends for the Grand Galloping Gala, Twilight Sparkle had been coming to her more often to request clothing. Most of her requests were for robes, but as the Grand Galloping Gala proved, there were occasions where different attire was required. Perhaps she could make her something for her to wear during the Hearth’s Warming celebrations next month. Celestia had requested the Brave Companions come to Cant’r Laht for the holiday, so there would likely be banquets and balls for her to attend where a more exquisite outfit would be appreciated.
“Pardon me, but we couldn’t help noticing you leaving Hoity Toity’s shop without any purchases,” a stallion asked Rarity as he trotted up alongside her, “There is a rumor going around that the apprentice whom Hoity Toity has been selling the works of is in the city at the moment.”
“Would you happen to be she?” a mare asked as she trotted up on Rarity’s other side.
Rarity stopped and allowed the pair of ponies to come together and face her. Both were unicorns and, judging by their robes, a sorcerer and sorceress too. That may have been the reason behind the aura of haughtiness and superiority they seemed to emanate, but the matching crests around their necks suggested they were also part of Cant’r Laht’s nobility.
“I am,” Rarity replied to the sorceress’s query.
“I’m Jet Set, and this is my wife Upper Crust, Count and Countess of House Limusighn,” the sorcerer made his introductions, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady …?”
“Rarity, my lord and lady,” Rarity made her own introduction, giving a slight bow that evoked momentary eyebrow-raises from the couple.
“Rarity, as in Rarity of the Brave Companions?” Upper Crust asked, and Rarity nodded, “Legends pass from mouth to mouth in the lower classes and through the songs of troubadours, but they seem to leave out many things. It seems you yourself are in that habit, so perhaps the fault does not lie with them. If I might inquire, what are your house and titles?”
“I … don’t have any,” Rarity admitted, “I don’t belong to any great or lesser house. I was born in Ponieville, daughter of a cooper, and work as a smith and tailor to support myself.”
“I see,” Jet Set said with hardly concealed disdain, and lowered his voice to speak to his wife, “I knew Celestia’s apprentice wasn’t very discerning in her companions.”
“I told you Hoity Toity’s new designs had a shabbiness not found in his usual work,” Upper Crust whispered to her husband, “It should have been obvious that nopony of status had been involved.”
“Hey, wait!” Rarity objected, but the duo was already trotting away without even a farewell.
Rarity was livid that they’d been so dismissive of her as soon as learning she had no titles of her own. How was it her fault if she hadn’t been born into a noble house? Then there was their sudden change in opinion. When they’d approached her, it had been to ask if she was Hoity Toity’s mysterious apprentice, who they obviously wanted to meet because they admired her work. As soon as they’d found she wasn’t a member of the nobility, they’d insulted the work they’d previously seemed willing to praise. Shabbiness. Rarity knew her work wasn’t shabby. Maybe she wasn’t a master, but Hoity Toity was, and he’d been impressed time and time again by her work.
A plan began to come together in her head, a way to prove her work was worthy of the great houses of Cant’r Laht. The dress she’d been planning for Twilight would be the centerpiece of her scheme. It would have to be her finest work yet, exquisite and extravagant enough to wow Cant’r Laht’s uppity nobility. She could picture it in her mind and hurried off to gather supplies while the image was still vivid.
It helped that she’d brought along her tailoring equipment from Ponieville (and that she remembered all of Twilight’s measurements), so all she needed were supplies. Thankfully, material was much easier to come by here in Cant’r Laht than in Ponieville. She wouldn’t have to wait several weeks for a merchant to travel to and from one of Equestria’s great cities and haggle over the price both before and after the trip. Through a combination of shops and marketplaces, she was able to find everything she needed to create Twilight Sparkle’s new dress, with a minimum of fuss. Her saddlebags were bulging with materials by the time she was ready to return to the castle.
During her trip, her hoof caught on a loose cobblestone, and Rarity fell to the ground. As she did, her saddlebags could take the strain no longer and tore open, their contents spilling out. Cant’r Laht didn’t have dirt (more often mud) streets like Ponieville, so her materials wouldn’t be ruined immediately, but it still wouldn’t be good for them when they hit the ground.
“Febammiga![1]” a voice rang out, and her dress-making materials halted before they finished their fall.
Carefully, Rarity stood up among the hovering spools of thread and bolts of cloth. Nearby, a unicorn sorcerer wearing a sharp set of robes and a monocle focused intently on her possessions—the pony who’d cast the spell to save them. Next to him stood a slender unicorn sorceress in no less noble attire (minus the monocle), who trotted forward and directed her gaze at Rarity’s saddlebags. The torn fabric stitched itself back together, stronger than before, and the sorceress gave a little nod when her job was complete.
“Leya![2]” the sorcerer commanded, and the hovering materials floated up and back into Rarity’s saddlebags, neatly packed.
Rarity was surprised, especially given her experience with another sorcerous couple earlier. Spending time around Twilight Sparkle gave her a bit more appreciation than she’d otherwise have had (even if it did remove some of sorcery’s mystery). Not only had these two ponies gone out of their way to help her, but they’d expended some of their precious magical reserves to do it.
“Thank you, Fleur,” the sorcerer said as his companion rejoined him, before looking to Rarity, “Are you all right, my dear?”
“Um, yes, thank you,” Rarity said, at a loss for words, “I didn’t expect anypony to help me. Who are you?”
“Not from Cant’r Laht, I see,” the sorcerer said with a good-natured chuckle, “I am Fancy Pants.”
“Duke of House Hoherdanse and Chairpony of the First Council of the Lodge of Sorceresses,” the mare next to him added.
“Yes, yes, of course,” Fancy Pants waved off the impressive titles that made him one of the most powerful ponies in Cant’r Laht, “This is Fleur de Lis, my betrothed, who, as you can tell, is more ardent in reminding ponies of my position.”
“It is a great accomplishment and you should be proud,” Fleur reminded him, “Second only to Celestia in Cant’r Laht.”
“Until she chooses a new Prince of the City,” Fancy Pants said.
“Which may very well be you.”
“Perhaps,” he admitted.
“Well, thank you again,” Rarity said, her grasp of Cant’r Laht politics not nearly good enough to gauge how likely Fancy Pants was to take Blueblood’s place, “I had best be getting back to the castle.”
“The castle?” Fancy Pants said in surprise, and he looked lost in thought for a second, “Of course! That is how I recognize you. You’re one of the Brave Companions, are you not? Let’s see … Rarity?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Rarity said.
“Yes, I saw you briefly at the Grand Galloping Gala and the summit,” Fancy Pants said, “Why, it’s I who should be thanking you, and not just for saving Equestria from Nightmare Moon and Discord. If it weren’t for you uncovering the New Cabal and their conspiracy to assassinate Celestia, I would never have been named chairpony. You see, the previous Chairpony of the First Council happened to have been one of the conspirators. Also, the treaty with the town of Appleoosa and the bison has brought new stability to the south, where most of my lands are.”
“Well, that wasn’t really me, it was all of us,” Rarity said modestly.
“Of course, but you were there and part of it and now you are here in Cant’r Laht, so who else would I direct my thanks to?” Fancy Pants said, “I see you are in a hurry, so I shan’t hold you up any longer, though. There is a race going on later today that I plan to attend. I would be honored if you would join me in my private box, along with other ponies of considerable influence.”
“Well, I … I don’t know,” Rarity said, thinking about the grand project she was planning and the materials in her saddlebags intended for it.
“Give it a thought,” Fleur said, “We would love to see you there.”
“I’ll think about it,” Rarity said, which seemed to satisfy the couple enough that they trotted away, leaving her to return to Cant’r Laht Castle and consider what to do.
***
Rarity still wasn’t sure of her decision when she arrived at the racing grounds outside of Cant’r Laht, but she forced herself to continue on, knowing she’d already delayed committing as much as she’d dared. It had been a tough decision for her, but in the end, she couldn’t turn down the opportunity to mingle with Cant’r Laht’s powerful nobles. Hopefully it would turn out better this time than it had at the gala. She could afford to wait to begin work on Twilight’s dress until tomorrow. She would still have some time in Cant’r Laht outside of working with Hoity Toity for her to finish it before she returned to Ponieville. She’d written ahead to let Twilight know to expect it, so she was dedicated to finishing it before returning home, but she still had plenty of time for that.
She hurried through the stands, searching for Fancy Pants’s private box. Thankfully, one of the castle servants had been able to educate her on the appearance of the Hoherdanse crest, so she was able to locate the box with the matching banners. There were quite a few private boxes built into the stands, a testament to the number of the nobility in Cant’r Laht and their need to feel important. In a box near Fancy Pants’s sat Jet Set and Upper Crust, who turned to watch with some bemusement as Rarity approached the entrance to the box she’d been invited to and was blocked by a burly guard wearing the Hoherdanse colors.
“Mm, pardon me,” Rarity said to the unflinching guard, “I was invited earlier today to join Fancy Pants and his party here.”
“Rarity! There you are!” Fancy Pants called out as he spotted her, “You’ve almost missed the start of the races. Come in, come in.”
As the guard moved to let her in, she couldn’t help noticing the stunned expressions on the faces of the count and countess who’d snubbed her earlier that day. It occurred to her with a shock that it could possibly happen again. She realized that she’d never told Fancy Pants much about herself during their encounter. For all she knew, he thought she was a member of at least minor nobility, as Jet Set and Upper Crust had, and would drop her the moment he learned the truth. He seemed like a decent pony, but Twilight Sparkle had said enough about the pettiness and nastiness of both mages and the Cant’r Laht nobility that she began to wonder if he was as good as he appeared. Best to play it safe and act the part without denying or drawing attention to her unimpressive lineage.
“Everypony, this is Lady Rarity of the Brave Companions,” Fancy Pants introduced her to the others in the box, “We ran into each other earlier today, while she was on her way back to Cant’r Laht Castle. She’s being hosted by Celestia while she is here.”
Surprised and approving murmurs passed through the assembled ponies while Rarity smiled timidly. She hadn’t missed that Fancy Pants had given her a generic title in his introduction of her, not knowing that she was undeserving even of that. If she could win the approval of these nobles and sorceresses before they began asking questions about her titles, that would be for the best. Fancy Pants, it seemed, already assumed she was a pony of some status, but he wasn’t the type to bluntly ask for her titles and house as Jet Set and Upper Crust had.
The assembled ponies took their seats as the competitors for this race took their positions at the starting line. The track was arranged in an oval, as the great circuses of the Holy Maenean Empire had once been. It wasn’t a very interesting course, unlike the Running of the Leaves, but it was one that everypony could easily watch from the stands without the need for scrying. An announcer called out the competitors while other ponies attached their names and colors to a great wooden board facing the spectators. After declaring that five laps would be run in this race, the announcer counted the racers off and they galloped ahead at the end of the countdown.
“There’s Rapidfire, off to an early start,” Fancy Pants commented as one of the racers tore ahead of the pack, “He’s sure to win again.”
The other ponies in the box nodded in agreement, but Rarity wasn’t so sure. She watched as the racers completed their first lap and checked the board of names before speaking up.
“Actually, I think Fleetfoot will be the victor,” she said.
The ponies in the box gasped or gave her incredulous looks, appalled at the thought that she would contradict Fancy Pants. Fancy Pants himself merely raised a questioning eyebrow before turning his attention back to the race. Oh, I hope I haven’t just made a fool of myself! Come on, Fleetfoot! Rarity watched with anticipation as the racers completed lap after lap. Rapidfire remained ahead, but Fleetfoot slowly picked her way up through the pack until pulling to the front barely before the last lap ended.
“Bravo, Rarity,” Fancy Pants congratulated her while the others in the box sat in stunned silence, “How did you know Fleetfoot would be victorious?”
“I could tell that Rapidfire was fast, but he was pushing too hard and didn’t have the stamina to maintain his pace for the whole race,” Rarity explained, “Fleetfoot, on the other hoof, barely broke a sweat the entire time, and pulled ahead while the others tired out.”
“Quite impressive, I must admit. You’ve a talent for picking out the best,” Fancy Pants praised her, “You must have seen many races.”
“Oh, one or two,” Rarity admitted, that one being the Running of the Leaves over a year ago.
“Clearly you are a pony to keep an eye on. I hope I’ll be seeing much more of you while you’re in Cant’r Laht,” Fancy Pants said, and the rest of his guests seemed to agree.
***
The next several days were a whirlwind for Rarity. Being invited by Fancy Pants to the races was just the beginning. More invitations came from the duke on a daily basis, to events all around the city. She was hosted at banquets, private gardens, even a session of the Lodge of Sorceresses. It wasn’t just Fancy Pants sending her invitations, either. The ponies she’d met in his private box at the races were the first, but soon other Cant’r Laht nobles were sending her invitations to events. It seemed there was always something going on in Cant’r Laht.
The nobles seemed to fill their days with diversions until there was no time left to actually rule the lands they owned. Twilight Sparkle had told Rarity that most of the Cant’r Laht nobility were absentee lords, but she had no idea just how absent they were. Many had no real idea what was going on in their lands, reliant entirely on the not always trustworthy reports of their appointed stewards. Many were even aware of this reality and perfectly fine with it, so long as they received the revenues from their lands promptly and in full. They far preferred to focus their attentions on Cant’r Laht instead of the sparsely settled patches of land Celestia had bequeathed to their ancestors in an attempt to get them out of the city.
For the first few days, at least, Rarity had to juggle both working with Hoity Toity and the invitations from the Cant’r Laht nobles. After she’d completed her time with the Cant’r Laht tailor, however, she still found it difficult to manage her days. Invitations became more and more frequent and came from more important ponies, making it hard for her to refuse. She was able to get started on her dress for Twilight, but soon the project fell to the wayside as she spent more and more time out and about.
Rarity knew she couldn’t keep this up forever, however. Between the journey to Grunstead and now this extended stay in Cant’r Laht, her shop in Ponieville had been closed for far too long. As much as she’d rather stay here and mingle with the nobles of Cant’r Laht than return to smithing simple things in Ponieville, she needed to return home. She was fully prepared to leave, having turned down invitations for the day in order to pack her belongings (and do a bit more work on Twilight’s dress), when an invitation arrived that she couldn’t refuse.
Tonight, a grand fête would be held in the Cant’r Laht gardens, attended by the vast majority of Cant’r Laht’s nobility. At it, Celestia would be announcing whom she had chosen to inherit Blueblood’s title as Prince of the City. The invitation was from Fancy Pants, though others soon followed. After all he’d done, knowingly or not, to elevate her position in Cant’r Laht, she couldn’t turn him down, especially when many ponies were convinced that he would be the pony upon which Celestia bestowed the title. Returning to Ponieville would have to wait.
She was preparing to leave for the party when there was a knock on the door to her chambers.
“Come in,” she called, assuming it to be one of the castle servants.
“Surprise!” Pinkamena called out instead as she bounded into the room.
“Pinkamena?” Rarity asked, surprised indeed.
The surprise didn’t stop with the limitlessly energetic bard, however. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy all trotted through the door after her. All the Brave Companions were here now, although she had no idea why.
“What are you all doing here?” Rarity asked.
“Well, originally, I was planning on traveling here with Spike alone to deliver this to Celestia,” Twilight said, producing the gem in which she’d trapped the soul fragment of Discord from Grunstead, “Speaking of which, Spike, could you take this to her? You know where to find us.”
The dragon, who’d been waiting in the hallway, took the gemstone and headed down the familiar passages of the place where he’d grown up.
“Anyway, as I was saying, I thought to visit you while I was here, if you had not already left to return to Ponieville. Pinkamena caught wind of this, and soon we were all headed here to visit you, and to return to Ponieville together if you are ready to leave,” Twilight explained, “I wrote ahead to Celestia, and she has granted us use of the south ballroom for the evening.”
“Ready for a party?” Pinkamena asked excitedly as she bounced up and down.
“It will just be a small get-together for the six of us and Spike, of course,” Twilight said, “I was surprised the ballroom was free, given that there is quite a celebration going on tonight in the gardens just outside of it, in preparation for Celestia announcing the new Prince of the City.”
What do I do? I can’t turn down my friends, not after they came all this way just to visit with me and made preparations for this party. It isn’t as if we can just go to the fête in the garden, either. Rarity had worked hard the last several days maintaining the persona of a cultured pony of status. All of that could be shattered if the nobles who’d treated her as an equal learned the truth from one of her friends, or even witnessed some of them. Twilight could be counted on to maintain the decorum these ponies expected. After all, she really was of noble birth, even if she was about as low in the Cant’r Laht noble hierarchy as you could go, and her status was boosted by her position as personal protégé to Celestia. The others, though, could prove problematic.
None of them had made such a grand impression at the Grand Galloping Gala (though Rarity hadn’t exactly been so great herself). She was beginning to understand why ponies questioned Twilight’s choice in friends, even if she had no such doubts herself. An unsophisticated farmer, a hyperactive aspiring bard, a brutish Hunter, a terribly timid druidess: these were not normally considered acceptable companions for a sorceress and noble. And what about me? A blacksmith without titles or even a family name was just as outside a noble’s circle as the rest, as Jet Set and Upper Crust had demonstrated several days ago.
“Is that supposed to be … my dress?” Twilight asked as she spotted the work-in-progress on its frame.
“Well …” Rarity said.
At least she had something to show, but it was far from the exquisite piece she’d designed. Really, it was no more than the base that she had planned to work from for the rest of the dress, but it did look, at least to the uninformed, that it could be worn alone.
“I expected something more extravagant. This seems very simple, austere, practical,” Twilight said as she trotted up to the dress, “Perfectly fitting for me! You have done it again, Rarity.”
“You … you like it?” Rarity asked hesitantly.
“I do,” Twilight said as she turned with a smile, “Thank you, Rarity. Would you mind if I tried it on now?”
“Um, go ahead,” Rarity said, still surprised that she’d gotten away with an incomplete dress, incomplete because of all the time she’d been spending with the Cant’r Laht nobility. What am I going to do about the fête? She had no good answer.
***
The Brave Companions’ party was an enjoyable affair, Rarity couldn’t deny that, but the merrymaking was clearly of the Ponieville and not the Cant’r Laht variety. Maybe she’d been spoiled over the past week with the fancy events hosted by the city’s nobility, but she longed to return to it. It didn’t help that the Cant’r Laht gardens were right outside the ballroom and she could see the fête from within. She hoped that nopony would look in, see her there, and wonder why she’d chosen to be here instead of coming to the party she’d accepted earlier in the day.
It wouldn’t hurt to at least make an appearance at the fête, even for just a moment. Excusing herself momentarily, Rarity made her way through the hallways of the castle until she found a way out to the gardens that wasn’t through the ballroom. Straightening her attire, she marched into the crowd of nobility. Most ponies were mingling in small groups, enjoying a night that was uncommonly warm for the time of year. (Rarity suspected magic was at play.)
“Ah, Rarity, there you are,” Fancy Pants called out to her from where he was chatting with a group of fellow sorceresses, Jet Set and Upper Crust among them, “I was beginning to worry that you might not make it.”
“Perish the thought,” Rarity said, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“We were just discussing the likely candidates for Prince of the City,” Upper Crust explained, “Maybe you have some idea?”
“Me?” Rarity asked.
“I thought Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s apprentice, might know a thing or two about what she’s planning,” Upper Crust said, “That, or you may have overheard something during your stay in the castle.”
“Oh, well, I haven’t heard anything definitive, per se,” Rarity said, nervously, actually having no idea who Celestia was going to pick.
“I think that she may just name Twilight Sparkle herself,” a bushy-mustached sorcerer in the group spoke up, saving her, “I heard a rumor that she was on her way to Cant’r Laht and may very well be here at this very moment.”
“Give the greatest hereditary title in the city to the second child of an earl? It doesn’t make any sense,” Jet Set objected.
“It makes perfect sense,” the mustached sorcerer argued back, “Why wouldn’t she begin to bestow titles on her heir apparent?”
“The Lady mi Amore Cadenza is Celestia’s heir, not Twilight Sparkle,” Fancy Pants reminded him.
“Yes, but do any of us really expect to see Cadence ever again?” the mustached sorcerer asked, looking around the circle for support, “What do you think, Rarity?”
“I think that I’m absolutely famished and should get something to eat,” Rarity said, excusing herself.
She vaguely remembered long ago that another alicorn, the Lady mi Amore Cadenza, had been named Celestia’s heir, but she had been sent to Tyrannus the same time that Spike’s egg had come to Cant’r Laht. A hostage of Dragonlord Ingrirtireth the same way that Spike was technically a hostage of Celestia, it was likely she’d never return to Cant’r Laht. That was the extent of Rarity’s knowledge of Celestia’s succession, and her knowledge on Cant’r Laht politics was equally shallow, despite all the time she’d spent recently among the nobility. She wouldn’t be able to answer those kinds of questions, but she’d been dodging them the whole week, and now she actually had somewhere to go while avoiding them.
She returned to the Brave Companions’ party, having been gone longer than she’d expected, but not long enough to raise any suspicions. So began an elaborate back-and-forth that soon wore her out. She had to balance her time so that neither set of party-goers would go looking for her. It was easier to escape the fête, since there were so many ponies in attendance that there was no telling where she might be hiding in the crowd, but that was where she wanted to spend her time, among the elite. Soon she ran into another problem besides just dashing back and forth. Attending two celebrations, both of which serving food, meant that she ended up eating more than she wanted, which became a bigger problem as she hurried between parties and began to feel sick.
“Rarity, are you feeling all right?” Twilight Sparkle asked her, “You seem to be spending more time away than here.”
“Is there something wrong with the party?” Pinkamena asked almost tearfully, concerned as Ponieville’s premier party planner.
“No, no, nothing like that,” Rarity said, “Everything is fine.”
“Um, what is that?” Fluttershy asked, pointing at a flower in Rarity’s tail.
As part of the fête, she’d had flowers from the Cant’r Laht gardens woven into her mane and tail. She thought she’d gotten them all, but apparently had missed one. Twilight turned to look out at the garden party, and it was pretty obvious why she had a flower in her tail.
“Rarity, were you attending the fête?” Twilight asked anyway.
“Twilight, I can explain,” she said.
“So, that is why you were staying so long here in Cant’r Laht,” Twilight said, “You were seeking out prospective customers. I must say, if you have managed to catch the attention of the ponies out there enough to be invited to this event, you have accomplished quite a feat. This could mean great things for you. You should return to the fête and mingle with the Cant’t Laht elite.”
“Really?” Rarity said, almost not believing it until Twilight nodded, “Oh, thank you for understanding, Twilight. I’m going to have to make you another dress to show my appreciation.”
“No need for that, this one is fine,” the sorceress said, glad she could do something for her friend, “Now, about the fête.”
“Right, I’ll see you all later,” Rarity said as she happily trotted toward the gardens.
“I’m sure Celestia won’t mind if the rest of us join in as well,” Rainbow Dash said, and Rarity froze.
None of the other Brave Companions seemed to notice as they continued on into the party. It’ll be okay, Rarity. They’re your friends, and they’re all famous in their own way as well. So long as they aren’t too disruptive or spread my origins, everything will be fine.
It didn’t take long for everything to be not fine, though. Pinkamena, with her ever-present lute, decided to challenge the musicians who’d been hired for the fête, many of them the same ponies who remembered her none too fondly from the Grand Galloping Gala. Rainbow Dash seemed intent on showing off the new moves she’d learned recently to a group of nobles who looked frightened to be so near a Hunter performing combat exercises. Applejack was attempting to chat up another group, but they looked incredibly disinterested in anything she had to say. Either that, or they couldn’t get past her accent or uncivilized manner. Fluttershy vanished for a few minutes, before returning with animals in tow that she’d failed to track down during the gala. She looked overjoyed, but the nobles displaced by the wildlife didn’t. At least Twilight was acting as expected, a bit distant and bookish, but still refined. There were other problems for Rarity around the sorceress, though.
“It seems that Twilight Sparkle has taken to the Ponieville way of life,” Jet Set commented nearby disparagingly.
“You ought to advise your friend on better fashion,” Upper Crust told Rarity, “That dress of hers is so simple and plain.”
“Yes, of course,” Rarity said nervously. Her nervousness only increased as she saw Fancy Pants approaching Twilight.
“Pardon me, Lady Haltrotsun,” Fancy Pants said.
“Duke Hoherdanse,” Twilight Sparkle replied, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I was wondering where you acquired your ensemble. I’ve never seen anything of its kind in the city,” Fancy Pants said as he examined the simple dress.
“Well, that is because it was not made by any Cant’r Laht seamstress,” Twilight Sparkle said, intending to do Rarity another favor by praising her before the great lord, “No, a good friend of mine made this, a blacksmith and aspiring dressmaker from Ponieville.”
“You don’t say,” Fancy Pants said as Rarity tried to hurry over and interject herself into the conversation, “Who, might I ask, is this pony?”
“Oh, here she is now,” Twilight said as Rarity skidded to a halt, her plan backfiring, “Rarity, meet Fancy Pants, Duke of Hoherdanse.”
There was no way for Twilight to know that her words had just imposed a crushing blow on Rarity. Now Fancy Pants would know who she really was, as would all the other party attendees in hearing range. Already, she could hear the stunned whispers passing among them. They’d been hosting a commoner all week, treated her like an equal; she’d deceived them.
“I told you that’s all you can expect from somepony of her rank,” Upper Crust whispered to her husband, the couple having followed Rarity in her dash to speak to Fancy Pants.
“Well, just look at the kind of company she usually keeps,” Jet Set commented.
The rest of the Brave Companions, sensing something was going on, converged on Twilight and Rarity. My friends. How could she ever have put these ponies over them, knowing that they’d turn on her the moment they found out the truth. She knew what she had to do.
“Whatever you might think of me, these are my friends, and I won’t stand for you disparaging them,” Rarity spoke up, her words mostly directed at Jet Set, “Every since we met, they’ve been there for me through thick and thin, and I’d never abandon them, not even for the sophistication and glamour of Cant’r Laht.”
“Nice speech, but it doesn’t change what you and they are and are not,” Jet Set replied.
“They are the Brave Companions,” Fancy Pants said, stepping in, “Maybe when you’ve saved Equestria twice, you can speak, but I don’t recall you or anypony in your lineage ever accomplishing such a feat.”
Jet Set turned red at the reprimand of a pony so much higher than him in Cant’r Laht’s hierarchy. Some of the nobles in the crowd seemed to share Fancy Pants’s position, albeit reluctantly, others looked like they needed some time to think it over, and others were firmly opposed. Whispers and murmurs passed freely through the garden until Fancy Pants spoke up again, directing his words at the Countess of Limusighn this time.
“As for the dress worn by Lady Haltrotsun, I asked because I thought it a bold new approach, not because I thought it beneath the Cant’r Laht nobility or shabbily made. It is simple, but sorcery is extravagant enough, and I dare say the sorceresses and sorcerers of Cant’r Laht could afford to remember that and not try to disguise lack of skill with flash in appearance,” the duke said, “Now, Miss Rarity, would you care to introduce me to your friends?”
“I would love to,” Rarity replied.
***
The fête went on for some time, as ponies anxiously awaited Celestia’s announcement. As the time drew close, Twilight Sparkle received a message from the Matron of Sorceresses requesting she meet her in the castle. Excusing herself, she headed inside, wondering what her mentor was up to.
“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful apprentice,” Celestia greeted her.
“Celestia,” Twilight replied, “You wanted to speak with me?”
“Yes, as you well know, I will soon be announcing the replacement for Blueblood as Prince of the City and wanted to let you know first,” the ancient sorceress said.
“Why?” Twilight asked suspiciously.
“I intend to name your father as the new Prince of the City,” Celestia said plainly.
Twilight Sparkle tried to imagine it. Her father, Night Light Haltrotsun, was a sorcerer of modest magical ability, very little political power, and an inclination to study rather than interact with the other Cant’r Laht nobles. He would become the second most powerful pony in Cant’r Laht in an instant, and he wouldn’t be the only one affected. The entire House of Haltrotsun would be elevated from an earldom to a princedom. Twilight herself would see her hereditary rank, apart from her status as Celestia’s protégé, jump significantly, although her title would be identical.
“What do you think?” Celestia asked.
“If I might speak plainly,” Twilight said, thoughts roiling around in her head at the news.
“Of course. When have I ever denied you that right?” Celestia asked.
“I think it will cause great unrest in Cant’r Laht,” Twilight spoke her mind, “There are those who, not without cause, think you are unfairly favoring my family. First you chose me to be your apprentice. Then, my brother was named captain of the city guard. Now, you seek to make the Haltrotsuns and their descendants Princes and Princesses of the City. Many ponies will see it as an attempt to raise my family at their expense.”
“Good, because that is exactly what it is,” Celestia said, looking out a window at the fête going on in the gardens below, “You may find my favoritism unwarranted, but I don’t see it that way. I chose you as my apprentice because of your potential to become a great sorceress. Likewise, Shining Armor was named captain of the guard because of his abilities. Your family has, at least in recent years, impressed me. That is why I wish to place the House Haltrotsun in a place of authority, so that you and your family will be in a position to impress me further. Great things have come from your family, and I’m expecting even greater accomplishments in the future.”
Where there were sorceresses, they tended to congregate, both to exchange ideas and for mutual protection from non-mages, even if they rarely trusted each other. Within Celestia’s lands, the greatest mages resided in Cant’r Laht. In the Kingdom of Los Pegasus, they assembled in Applewood Tower. In the Duchy of Balte-Maer, the place that mages congregated was the College of Eyes.
The College of Eyes was located in the southwest of the duchy, near the mountains that demarcated the boundary between Duchess Seaspray’s territory and the Broken Lands. The college was a sprawling collection of towers and halls separated from the surrounding forest by a high stone wall. For leagues in every direction there were no pony settlements apart from the tiny towns built by the college itself for their hired guardians to live. Ponies were too afraid to settle near the college, for its resident sorceresses had no regard for how their experiments would affect their surroundings, and whole sections of the forest bore the scars of this lack of care. Some even suspected the fire swamps of the southeast were a result of the college’s experiments, but it was all hearsay.
On this night, as winter crept ever closer, the leaders of the College of Eyes met in the Tower of Inner Sight. Around the teardrop-shaped table sat nine ponies, archmagister Mendetheles at the head. In front of the each of the college’s magisters sat a letter, magically duplicated from the original in front of Mendetheles. The cause for concern was that it bore the seal of Celestia, who had no formal power here, but was still recognized as the most powerful living sorceress.
“Does she think she can get away with ordering us about?” the cantankerous, old (nearly two centuries) sorcerer Cascadia demanded, “She is the Matriarch of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, not the College of Eyes.”
“She demanded nothing of us. Her letter only informs us that her apprentice will be arriving here on the morrow, and that she will be offering us aid,” a younger sorceress by the name of Summer Blossom pointed out.
“A disguised order. I’ve half a mind to say we reject it,” another sorceress, an earth pony named Willowick, said, “Celestia is no longer as powerful as she once was; we mages have suspected this for centuries. She may have signed as ‘Guardian of Sun and Moon’ and ‘Keeper of Day and Night,’ but rumor has it that the great alicorn sorceress no longer raises or lowers the moon, leaving that task to her sister Luna instead.”
“Even if rumor is true, she is still able to raise and lower the sun, and who among us can claim that ability?” Mendetheles pointed out, “She is far more powerful than any of us, maybe even all of us put together. It would not do to provoke her without reason.”
“Her apprentice, Twilight Sparkle, is also quite adept at sorcery,” Rion, a sorcerer added, “She learns and improves her magic rapidly and may already be near to us in magical potential.”
“Are you afraid of her, Rion?” Willowick mocked.
“Not at all,” Rion replied, “But allowing her to enter the college could be a good opportunity to learn more about her, to study her abilities and the potential threat she may pose.”
“I too think that we should allow her entry to the college,” a sorceress named Brienne spoke up, “The letter claims she and her companions are seeking the soul of Discord, and that they possess something to which it is vulnerable.”
“Discord,” Cascadia scoffed, spittle falling into his beard as he did so, “A story to cover up that Celestia lost control of the sun again at the beginning of this year.”
“How then would you explain the massive surge of chaos magic that engulfed the Equestry Valley at the same time?” the sorcerer Torbald asked, and Cascadia looked away grouchily, “Or the sudden surge we all sensed here within the College? Whether Celestia’s story is true or not is inconsequential. We’ve had a week to find the source of the chaos magic and are no closer than when we started. Perhaps outside help is what we need to get to the bottom of this.”
“Celestia made it clear in her letter that she considers this Discord soul to be a threat to Equestria, not just her own lands. She has gone to great lengths for this cause in the past,” Sanctum Summit, a peculiarly religious sorceress, said, “How might Twilight Sparkle react if we were to refuse her entry? When her mentor was refused entry to Cant’r Laht, she slaughtered half the mages in the city.”
“I’ve heard arguments for and against allowing Twilight Sparkle and her companions to enter the college from everypony apart from one,” Mendetheles said, “Scalai, what is your opinion?”
All eyes turned to look at the blind sorceress. Little did they know, she was blind no more, her eyesight restored a week ago when a strange power had surged through her, a power she’d quickly contained and masked. She still wore her ornate blindfold, so that they would not know and would not see her new eyes, their yellow sclera and red irises a clear giveaway that she was no longer what she seemed. Throughout the entire council she had been thinking, but made the point of waiting and appearing contemplative before speaking.
“Let her enter, but keep a close eye on her. She cannot be allowed to learn any of our secrets, but we may be able to learn some of hers,” Scalai said, and Mendetheles nodded, “Perhaps she may even find what she is seeking, if it is still here to be found. If not, then we can send her on her way, with us possessing a greater knowledge of a probable future adversary.” Or, for me, a current adversary.
Twilight Sparkle reviewed the list she’d written up as the Brave Companions approached the gates to the College of Eyes. After the events in Grunstead, she was more convinced that the pieces of Discord’s soul represented “anti-Elements” (as she had taken to calling them) that were direct opposites of the Elements of Harmony. She’d tried to compile a list naming these anti-Elements and line them up with their counterparts and ponies (or centaurs) they’d possessed, but was stuck on the last two. The seventh piece was a complete mystery, since there were only six Elements of Harmony, but it also seemed more likely to exist after she’d discovered the Treachery shard roughly equated the Greed shard in size (however you measured soul fragments). The anti-Element to Sorcery gave her pause as well, since she had no idea what its opposite could be. It wasn’t like the other Elements, which represented virtues, and thus had easily deducible vices. A pony with a complete lack of sorcery would just be an average pony, so she had to be missing something.
Twilight didn’t know if this was the beginning of a trend or merely a fluke, but the ponies possessed by Discord’s soul shards seemed to be Awakening faster. Only a few days had passed between the Brave Companions’ return to Ponieville from Cant’r Laht and the sorceress sensing another fragment. Their target had, without a doubt, been somewhere in the College of Eyes. Whether they were still here was unknown, since they’d very quickly managed to hide their power, a necessity in a place packed with sorceresses who could also sense it. It troubled Twilight that they might be facing a fellow sorceress, a pony who would have not just Discord’s chaos magic, but also more conventional sorcery.
The Brave Companions were being escorted to the College of Eyes by the non-magical guards employed by the sorceresses there. This squad had met them the moment they crossed into the college’s territory and refused to let any of the Brave Companions leave their sight. Open eyes were emblazoned on their tabards, and one of them carried a banner with the same symbol, held aloft to mark their progress for observers at the college. Ream and Baldavin, Twilight’s guards, had had to stay behind at a border outpost; although they’d protested, the guardians of the college had made it clear that none of them would be allowed to proceed if they didn’t comply. No soldiers were permitted here but the college’s guardians. Spike had stayed behind with them, better able to send and receive letters from Celestia outside of the college’s zone of control, where they might be able to intercept the messages.
The forest gave way to a large clearing formed by years of gathering firewood and constructing the college’s buildings. The College of Eyes itself stood a little way away yet, a gravel path leading directly to its gates. An imposing stone wall surrounded the college, many towers set into it. Everywhere that there was space on the stone, eyes had been carved, giving the appearance of being gazed down upon as you approached. The Tower of Inner Sight soared above the wall, its stones arranged near the top into the shape of a massive eye, the only major stone structure in the college besides the wall. Peaked tiled roofs of the other, more conventional college buildings also poked over the wall in some places.
Another massive stone eye was built into the wall over the college’s gate, and beneath it stood nine ponies: the magisters of the College of Eyes. All of them were wearing extravagant robes where the theme was repeated again. Eyes were stitched into them or incorporated as part of the design. Stoles embroidered with eyes, whole robes where the eyes were arranged in a repeating pattern—the eyes were everywhere, many of them with gems for pupils. One of the magisters was blindfolded, but eyes were embroidered on the blindfold over her own, presumably nonfunctional, eyes.
“Welcome, Twilight Sparkle, apprentice of Celestia, and welcome also to the rest of the Brave Companions. I am Mendetheles, Archmagister of the College of Eyes,” one of the sorceresses introduced herself, “Before you enter the college, there are certain rules you must agree to.”
“We don’t have time for this. Somepony here has been possessed by Discord,” Rainbow Dash protested, which earned more than a few frowns and a “hmph” from Cascadia, “They’ve already had a week to strengthen their power; there’s no telling how strong they are by now. Every second counts!”
“The College of Eyes is not Cant’r Laht, the wildlands of the Equestry Valley, or a Hunters’ keep. This is our home, not yours, and we determine the rules here,” Mendetheles said with a frown, “You will not set a hoof within the College of Eyes until we allow it, unless you want to meet a quick and painful death.”
“My apologies,” Twilight said, trying to soothe some ruffled feathers, “But Rainbow Dash is right. Time is of the essence if we are to catch whoever has been possessed and extract Discord’s soul before they become too powerful to stop.”
“Low on manners and short on courtesy, just like Celestia. Very well, I shall strive to be brief,” Mendetheles sighed, “Firstly, you will be accompanied at all times while you are here, with Magister Summer Blossom to be the first to escort you. Secondly, you must all stay together. Thirdly, no flying. Honestly, the second and third follow from the first, as would any other restrictions you can think of. You must stay in sight of your escort at all times; fail to do so, and you will be expelled from the college. I don’t care if you think that Discord is going to destroy Equestria; if you fail to follow the rules set out for you, then we will deal with it ourselves. Understood?”
“Understood,” Twilight acknowledged, and glanced at Rainbow Dash to make sure she’d comply with the third rule.
“Summer Blossom, take our guests to where the chaos magic was first detected,” Mendetheles ordered.
***
The place where the possessed pony had Awakened didn’t look very impressive. Then again, neither had the apartment in Onon’r Laht, or the village of Grunstead. The Brave Companions and Summer Blossom were standing in a typical hallway in one of the many buildings in the college. A week had passed since the Awakening, so the lingering magic was incredibly faint, easily overpowered by the magical signatures of the sorceresses that had investigated the scene since then.
“It was the middle of the night,” Summer Blossom reminded her, “Most ponies were asleep.”
“That could help us, actually,” Twilight Sparkle said as she gave up trying to gain any information from the incredibly nonsensical patterns of the chaos magic, “It narrows down our suspects if we know who was awake. Why would anypony have a reason to be here so long after sunset?”
“I don’t know how things work in Cant’r Laht, but the mages of the College of Eyes have freedom,” Summer Blossom said, “We don’t dictate where ponies must be and when, except for aspirants. There are several sorceresses who prefer to work at night, or simply wander the grounds.”
“Who are these sorceresses who are usually out and about at night?” Twilight asked.
The magister gave a deep sigh. Apparently, this Cant’r Laht sorceress had completely failed to grasp her previous statement. The sorceresses of the College of Eyes valued their privacy. They hadn’t been fond of the magisters and their appointed inquisitors trying to determine who had been out the night of the Awakening, and they would be less so toward these outsiders, most of them not even mages. Still, it might be necessary to put this matter to rest once and for all. Summer Blossom had been one of the magisters in favor of allowing the Brave Companions to come here, but so far, they’d not done anything differently from the college’s own investigators. She was beginning to question whether they would be more of a help than a nuisance to the College of Eyes. If they failed at their task, it couldn’t be the college’s fault, though. If I must take them to the Twins, then I must.
“Come with me,” Summer Blossom ordered, swiftly turning and trotting back the way she’d led them.
The Brave Companions followed the magister in loose formation. So, the rumors are true; they are just a random collection of ponies, no well-ordered and disciplined cadre. Could they really just be six friends that fate decided to cast as the Brave Companions? Lost in thought, Summer Blossom led them down to the hall’s exit and out onto the college grounds. Despite the Brave Companions’ presence causing many sorceresses to shut themselves up inside with shuttered windows to keep prying eyes away from their experiments, a few still chose to practice their sorcery in the brisk, late-autumn air. One sorceress was running an apprentice through a ritual but bade him pause as she spotted the Brave Companions, and erected a screen of fog to block their view. For a place that incorporated eyes wherever possible, the ponies here sure didn’t like to be watched, at least by outsiders.
“Where are y’ takin’ us?” Applejack asked as the group seemed to weave an aimless path around the college’s buildings.
“We are going to meet ponies who can tell you who was out and about on the night we detected the chaos surge,” Summer Blossom said as she led them into another building.
Like several of the college buildings, there was a round tower built into one of the corners, though nowhere near as tall or as grand as the Tower of Inner Sight. Summer Blossom led them up the spiral staircase. They reached the top floor of the building, but not the top floor of the tower. To reach that, they had to exit the tower and ascend a ramp to a low-topped doorway.
“Brave Companions all, may I introduce to you Amaelia the Seeker and Amaury the Recorder, the Twins of the Tower,” Summer Blossom said as they climbed into the top floor of the tower.
The circular room was large enough to fit more than twice as many ponies as were currently crammed into it comfortably, had it been empty, but it was far from empty. The center of the room was dominated by a massive topographical map of Equestria covered in wooden miniatures of ponies, some of them recognizable to Twilight as important figures on the continent. Curving along a section of the wall were many crystal balls, all of them active and showing a different locale. A unicorn mare with brown coat speckled by white spots watched them intently, causing the views to shift as she probed the crystal balls with her magic. Nearby sat a unicorn stallion whose coat was the exact opposite of his sister’s (apart from the temporary ink stains on his muzzle), carefully jotting down lines in a massive book, accompanied by a stack of similarly imposing tomes. The twins’ workspace took up the majority of the room, minimal furniture and personal belongings shoved against the walls, hammocks taking the place of beds to save space. The Brave Companions had to follow Summer Blossom single-file through the narrow corridor.
“Riza has just left the Hall of Attunement,” Amaelia announced as she watched her crystal balls, and Amaury scratched something down, “And now she’s entered the Hall of Orbs.”
“No doubt to ‘study’ with Virecenno,” Amaury said as he scootched over to the map table after scratching down another line.
The outer edge of the table was a ring covered in more detailed models of locations across Equestria. Balte-Maer, Manehattan, and Trotstagor rolled past the Brave Companions as Amaury rotated the ring until a miniature of the College of Eyes was situated directly in front of him. He carefully picked up a model of a sorceress from one of the college’s buildings and deposited it on another. Twilight couldn’t help but notice that miniatures of the Brave Companions (as well as Summer Blossom) were situated atop the building they were currently in. The Brave Companions’ miniatures were still somewhat crude and unpainted, and an in-progress model of Ponieville not yet on the outer ring sat near Amaury’s workstation.
Neither of the twins seemed to have noticed the entrance of the new ponies or Summer Blossom’s introduction of them. The magister cleared her throat to try to get their attention.
“Oh, visitors,” Amaury said as he looked up from his map.
“I told you they were coming here,” Amaelia said, not taking her eyes off her crystal balls.
“You said they were coming here,” Amaury said, pointing to the miniature of the building they were in, followed by pointing to the tower, “Not that they were coming here.”
“Don’t be a wisea-” Amaelia started to say, until Summer Blossom interrupted her by clearing her throat more loudly than before, “Yes, Magister, what is it you and the Brave Companions need?”
“They wish to know who was in the Hall of Whispers a week ago, the night of the chaos magic surge,” Summer Blossom said.
“Let’s see here,” Amaury said as he examined the book in front of him before grabbing a thread hanging from it and using it to flip several pages back, “I knew you’d want to check again, so I bookmarked it.”
The guests squeezed around the map table and past Amaelia to get close enough to read. Still, there was only enough room for the magister, Twilight, and Pinkamena to look over Amaury’s shoulders. Rainbow Dash prepared to fly over the map table to take a look, but the pained look that crossed Amaury’s face at the thought of his precious miniatures being knocked around by the beats of her wings made her reconsider.
“Here you can see that the chaos surge occurred at Second Bell, Thirty-Third Glass, Fiftieth Mark,” Amaury explained as he pointed to a random line, which seemed utter nonsense to Twilight until she spotted the marked hourglass nearby, which flipped automatically as the sand ran out, sending a marble rolling down a track to join others already there, “At the time, seven sorceresses were in the Hall of Whispers—busy night—and they’d all left by Second Bell, Forty-First Glass, Sixth Mark.”
“Did anyone leave in a hurry, as if they were fleeing the scene?” Rainbow Dash called past all the ponies in front of her.
Amaury turned back to examine his ledger. The writing was small and cramped, and it looked like even he had some trouble reading it. Amaury leaned in close to read, his muzzle practically touching the page as his eyes darted across it. That explains the ink stains.
“Yes,” the sorcerer said after examining the pertinent portion of the page, “It only took Grey Cloak one glass and twenty-two marks to travel to the Hall of Enlightenment and Brienne one glass and eleven marks to travel to the Hall of Mastery.”
“One of them may be our target. We should investigate them,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Brienne is a magister; if it were her, the rest of us would know,” Summer Blossom protested.
“Maybe, or she may just be able to hide it,” Twilight said, “We should investigate them both to be sure. Where are they currently?”
“Brienne is in the Hall of Attunement and Grey Cloak is in the Tower of Inner Sight,” Amaury said as he turned to his miniature college.
“I will take you to the tower,” Summer Blossom said firmly.
“King Hadish is on the move,” Amaelia reported as the Brave Companions began to back out of the room.
“Noted,” Amaury said as he flipped his book back to the page he’d been on before and rotated the map to Manehattan.
***
Though few ponies now remembered it, the Tower of Inner Sight was located where another, more modest tower, had stood long ago. This tower had been home to a single, solitary wizard. The nearby peasantry’s belief that the College of Eyes had caused the fire-swamps to the southeast weren’t entirely based in fiction; it had been the work of this wizard. Other mages had been drawn to him, to learn from him, and soon he was solitary no more. Eventually, to house the growing number of mages, the tower had been replaced with a far larger version, later known as the Tower of Inner Sight. Even after the initial wizard’s death, sorceresses and sorcerers had continued to gather here, eventually forming the College of Eyes.
Technically, only sorceresses of the College of Eyes were allowed in the Tower of Inner Sight, with not even the college’s guardians permitted, but Summer Blossom would rather take the Brave Companions here than to examine another magister. Only if there were no other options would she let them examine another member of the council that ruled the college. So, they entered the tower in search of Grey Cloak. There were many floors and rooms in the tower, and they weren’t arranged in any sensible way, so it could take some time to find the sorcerer they were searching for.
They had barely begun their search when all seven ponies were suddenly teleported. There had been no warning and no sign of the pony who’d done this to them, but they were definitely somewhere else now. Their surroundings appeared to be the rotunda on the lowest floor of the Tower of Inner Sight, though slightly changed. For example, the hallways to the exits led to blank walls instead of doors. The walls also had a strange pattern that simultaneously seemed to bend toward and away from the viewer. In place of torches, luminescent mushrooms growing on the ceiling provided light.
“What is this place?” Pinkamena asked, looking around in amazement.
“A pocket dimension, maybe?” Summer Blossom said, as at a loss as everypony else.
“A-a what?” Fluttershy asked, not liking the sound of that.
“A fragmentary region of space parallel to our own dimension. They are usually unstable, but some powerful sorceresses have managed to harness small ones to use as ‘pockets’ for storing items, or as a place to find seclusion. In a way, Tartatus is an extremely large pocket dimension, though large pockets of parallel space are usually called shadow realms,” Twilight explained, but her explanation just seemed to make Fluttershy more anxious, “Not to worry, we are not in a pocket dimension. So far as I can tell, we are somewhere under the College of Eyes.”
“Under?” Summer Blossom said, “There is nothing like this beneath the college.”
Giant glowing letters appeared in the air at the center of the room, accompanied by the sound of a gong: The Tower Below. Apparently, that was the name of this place. Whether the sudden arrival of the title was just part of this strange realm or a message from its master was unknown. It faded away as the Brave Companions all moved to the side where it was readable.
“D’ y’ think our Discord-possessed quarry is t’ blame for this?” Applejack asked.
“Oh, I would count on it,” Twilight said, “This entire place is permeated with chaos magic. Be on your guard, everypony. If they brought us here, this may be a trap.”
“I’d count on that, too,” Rainbow Dash said before trotting off toward a doorway through which stairs could be seen, “If this is a tower, that means we can climb it, maybe even return to the surface.”
Climbing the tower seemed to be a much more difficult task than the Hunter had anticipated. The stairs seemed simple at first, but quickly devolved into a maze where the steps never seemed to lead where you thought they would. They branched and weaved across the walls at peculiar angles to each other. Eventually, the pegasi gave up on trying to climb them and just flew through the maze, though there was a strangeness to space even there. The others weren’t able to join them, and had to weave their way through until finally they arrived at a door out of the stairway.
Dodging pony-sized snails that languidly roamed the halls, they reached the exterior wall of the tower. Windows looked out onto a massive cavern lit by glowing moss and mushrooms. Rainbow Dash opened a window and craned her neck out to get a better look at the Tower Below, before hopping out for a flight to the top. As soon as she left the tower, her wings seemed futile in their flapping and she shot upwards, out of control. A few seconds later, she returned to sight, flying upside-down.
“From out here, it looks just like the Tower of Inner Sight,” Rainbow Dash reported, “Except the entire tower is upside-down.”
“Who would be able to build something like this?” Summer Blossom pondered, somewhat introspectively.
“Somepony with a seventh of Discord’s power and a week of time,” Twilight answered, “If they are here, they are likely at the top—or bottom, rather—of the tower. We need to get to them.”
“I can fly on down,” Rainbow Dash offered, but Twilight shook her head.
“We need to stay together,” she said, “I know we already found the shard with the anti-Element to your own, but there is still a mystery shard out there that may require all of us, and we do not know if this is it or not yet. Besides, splitting up is how Discord got to us when we first met him.”
“Fine,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew awkwardly back through the window and fell to the floor, “How tall is the Tower of Inner Sight?”
“Thirty-three floors,” Summer Blossom answered.
“Well, even after our escapade with the stairs, we’re only on the second floor,” Rainbow said, “We’ve got a lot of chaos to wade through to reach the top.”
***
Time being in flux around the Tower Below, it was difficult to tell how long exactly it took the Brave Companions and the magister to reach the top of the tower. It couldn’t have been more than a few hours, yet sometimes it felt like days had elapsed, or only minutes since they’d arrived, the past passage of time just as unstable as the future. Eventually, they did manage to make it through the vast maze of bafflingly strange rooms to the large chamber at the tower’s top.
Initially, the room seemed to be empty, apart from some giant mushroom around the room that seemed to be able to walk around, had they not been asleep currently. It was Pinkamena who pointed out on the ceiling a high-backed chair, a variant of the seat of the college’s archmagister. A pony was seated in it and looked up/down as the ponies she’d trapped here noticed her. Giving a leap, she fell from ceiling to floor, her robes billowing as she drifted down gracefully. She was the sorceress who’d been blindfolded when the Brave Companions had arrived, but her blindfold was now draped around her neck. Her eyes were wide open, red and yellow like Discord’s, and multi-colored, multi-patterned mist drifted from the edges.
“Scalai!” Summer Blossom called out in surprise, assuming a combative stance.
“Chaos,” Scalai said simply, looking to Twilight Sparkle.
“Yes, what about it?” Twilight asked when she realized the possessed pony was waiting for a response.
“The anti-Element you were looking for that is the opposite to your own,” Scalai replied in a measure tone, as if giving a lecture, “Sorcery is the imposition of order upon chaos, shaping magical energy for a premeditated purpose. Chaos magic is the refusal to impose that order, to allow magical energy, even if directed, to do what it will, not what you will. Chaos is the anti-Element to your Element of Sorcery. It is the anti-Element you have found.”
“Get her!” Rainbow Dash yelled, tossing smoke bombs and traps at the rogue sorceress.
With a wave of her hoof, Scalai deflected the attacks, chaos magic surging as wickedly sharp crystals rose from the floor. Rainbow Dash had snuck Applejack some of her Hunter arsenal, and the farmer attacked from another direction. One of the traps got through, snagging one of Scalai’s hindlegs and anchoring it to the floor, but she easily broke free with the help of some savage fanged fish. Twilight Sparkle shot a lightning bolt at the ceiling above the possessed magister, causing chunks to fall toward her. Scalai jumped back even as flowers and grass began to spring up beneath her hooves.
“Can you restrain her?” Twilight Sparkle asked, looking to Summer Blossom.
“Scalai? Maybe, but not for long,” Summer Blossom admitted. They were both magisters, but Scalai had been one for much longer and knew many things that she did not. She also had this new well of chaos magic from Discord, that she no longer doubted.
“It will have to do,” Twilight said, “Kressel, leya nof ita rei senaray’r kalar![1]”
The crystal on the ground in front of them seemed to want to resist at first, but gradually rose into a pony-ish shape. The new crystal soldier charged off after Scalai, giving them some breathing room. Scalai had summoned a multicolored flock of crows who began to harass the Brave Companions, trying to peck them to death. Summer Blossom erected a shield around the group while Rainbow Dash tended to the birds with her sword.
“Mrinessen’r torrisal![[2]” Twilight incanted as Scalai shattered the crystal guardian with a prod from a parasol.
Ice began to cover Scalai, but she broke free with a burst of fire and temporary wings, momentarily becoming a phoenix reborn. A storm of paper animals flew toward the Brave Companions, igniting at the last instant. Summer Blossom sent a flurry of snow into the storm of flaming paper, and only ash drifted down harmlessly.
“Marit’r dorentai’i![3]” Summer Blossom called out, and the smell of brine surrounded her.
An anchor materialized above Scalai, engulfed in sea water. She slid to the side as the anchor fell, but the chain attached to it wrapped around her, immobilizing her. The salty water that had accompanied the anchor also submerged the sorceress, and tried to hold the parts of her not held by the chain still. Twilight ran up to the rogue magister and drew the prepared crystal from her saddlebags.
“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya,[4]” she said, focused on Scalai.
Scalai’s eyes began to glow, and the soul of Discord began to flow out of her. Gradually, the light in her eyes dimmed as the light in the gem increased. So focused were they on their task that Summer Blossom didn’t notice chinks forming in her chain and Twilight didn’t notice the cracks forming in the floor under her hooves.
“Twilight!” Fluttershy yelled as the floor under Twilight suddenly broke apart violently. Her spell ceased, but she managed to catch the gem containing part of Discord’s soul as she fell through to the next floor of the tower. Summer Blossom was thrown back as her spell exploded outward, Scalai freeing herself. Rainbow Dash tried to attack the sorceress, but suddenly found her wings reversed and crashed to the ground.
Scalai looked down on Twilight, the light in her eyes still there. She focused, and the light in one eye went out entirely while the other blazed like a star. Stairs appeared leading up to her, and Twilight started to ascend, but they began to move, faster and faster, keeping her on the floor below. Risking a teleportation, she ended up above Scalai. With Rainbow Dash out of commission for the moment, Fluttershy summoned the bravery to swoop in and slow Twilight’s fall.
No sooner had she set Twilight down than the druidess was turned into a tree (which she probably wouldn’t have minded had it been voluntary). Twilight ducked around her now-wooden friend, dodging a couple of flying slippers, and charged Scalai. As she neared the possessed sorceress, a pit opened in front of her and she jumped over it. While she flew through the air on a collision course with Scalai, she pulled the Element of Sorcery from her saddlebags. As she crashed into the other sorceress, she forcefully placed the circlet on her head. Instantly, the room became less chaotic, Rainbow Dash regaining her wings and Fluttershy her pony form among the changes.
“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya!” Twilight yelled as she pinned down the stunned magister with own not-considerable strength alone.
The fragment of Discord’s soul resumed flowing into the jewel Twilight still had with her. This time she was able to complete the process, and the gem glowed brightly as Scalai fell unconscious.
With the source of the chaos magic now contained, the Tower Below began to return to normal. All eight ponies fell to the ceiling as gravity was restored to normal, Rainbow Dash ducking through the hole Twilight had made earlier to catch Applejack. Disturbing sounds came from what was now above as the tower began to crumble, succumbing to the fact that it was architecturally impossible. A bright flash of light engulfed the group as the tower began to fall and they were teleported away.
“Is everypony okay?” Twilight asked.
Summer Blossom slowly got up and looked around as the Brave Companions confirmed they were fine. They were back in the Tower of Inner Sight, a few stunned members of the college watching the ponies who’d suddenly appeared. Summer Blossom hadn’t been the one to teleport them, and Scalai was still unconscious, meaning that Twilight Sparkle had been the one to transport all eight of them at least the height of the tower in the blink of an eye. She hadn’t become magister by being ignorant; she knew exactly the kind of magical energy that was required to make a jump like that. Yet, even after that teleportation and all the spells she’d used during the battle with Scalai and the ascension of the Tower Below, Twilight Sparkle didn’t seem to be low on magical reserves at all. She must have as great a magical potential as any of the magisters, or even the archmagister herself. Celestia’s apprentice is far more powerful than we ever realized, even without the Elements of Harmony. We must pay close attention to her, for she could be a dangerous foe someday. Or a powerful ally.
Here and there, back and forth. It seems of late all we do is dart from one location to another. After the Brave Companions returned to Ponieville from the College of Eyes, only a few days passed before they had to leave again. This expedition had been planned, at least, though it required navigating the passes and tunnels to Cant’r Laht through the new-fallen snow. Tonight was Hearth’s Warming Eve, and Celestia had requested the Brave Companions’ presence for an important task.
“I still don’t understand why Celestia asked us to do this,” Rainbow Dash said as she adjusted a chainmail hauberk, “We’re not actors or performers.”
The same thought had been on everypony’s minds since Celestia had first sent her letter to Twilight Sparkle. While Hearth’s Warming Eve festivities went on throughout Equestria, Celestia had focused the attention of those in Cant’r Laht on her own celebration, the centerpiece of which was a pageant celebrating the holiday’s origins. Apparently, during the time of the Equestrian diarchy, the pageant had been performed every year to remind ponies of the holiday’s meaning, but it had been absent from Equestrian culture for some time. Like details about the Second and Third Ages, it had been lost, though not deliberately, in this case.
“There are six of us and six parts to fill, darling. And, we are already somewhat famous, after all,” Rarity said as she stared into a looking glass and adjusted the faux crown atop her head.
“Rarity is right,” Twilight Sparkle said, “Celestia believes there is some similarity between us and the Founders of Equestria. It may be no coincidence that the six ponies who came together and united the continent were also two earth ponies, two pegasi, and two unicorns. They were unified by the magic of Hearth’s Warming Eve, and we are unified by the Elements of Harmony, two powerful aspects of sorcery that are not well understood.”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Fluttershy said, curled up into a ball, “I can’t perform in front of hundreds of ponies!”
“Sure you can, Fluttershy!” Pinkamena said enthusiastically as she bounced around, making it difficult for Applejack to help her with her costume, “Just do what I do and pretend everypony is naked!”
“Y’ really do that? That seems … problematic for sev’ral reasons,” Applejack said doubtfully.
“It will be okay, everypony,” Twilight assured them, “We are not professional actors, so the performance may not be perfect, but that is not the point. We are to represent the Founders and to show unity. When we are together is when we are strongest, after all. In the past half a year alone, we have faced Discord and ponies possessed by him on four separate occasions. After all that, a play should be no trouble at all.”
***
The Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant was to be held in the great hall of Cant’r Laht Castle. Celestia had arranged it, so it was only fitting for her to host it. Though most of the city’s nobility hosted their own celebrations for the holiday, they were all in attendance that night, drawn more by the opportunity to enter the castle than any desire to see the performance. Despite the opening up of Celestia’s castle in the last year-and-a-half (largely to gain the loyalty and support of the city’s nobles), it was still considered exclusive and prestigious to be able to attend an event hosted by the matron of sorceresses herself.
There were a few families who had pointedly refused to attend, due to the recent change in the city’s political hierarchy, but they were in the minority. With Celestia in her private box sat the new Prince of the City, Night Light Haltrotsun, along with Twilight Sparkle’s mother (and the new Princess of the City), Twilight Velvet. Neither of them looked incredibly accustomed to their recently established importance or closeness to the matron of sorceresses. Unlike Rhaegis Blueblood, who’d treated Cant’r Laht Castle as his own, Twilight’s mother and father had chosen to continue to live in the Haltrotsun ancestral manor instead of moving into Blueblood’s old chambers. The downside was that they didn’t have the constant contact with Celestia that Blueblood had, except by messages ferried across Cant’r Laht.
The chatter among the audience began to die down as Spike sauntered out onto the stage. In the interest of keeping the play centered on the Brave Companions, Twilight’s page had chosen to be the pageant’s narrator. The adolescent dragon climbed up into the lectern at the edge of the stage and adjusted his script before speaking.
“Long, long ago, between the Age of the Earth Pony and the First Age of our modern era, invaders from another world arrived in Equus. The White Procession made their first forays into our world and ushered in the Long Winter. For over three decades, the White Procession conducted their conquest, and one after another, every pony nation fell to them, until only three remained. Then, as now, Equestria was divided between many warring kingdoms, concerned only with furthering their own interests. Strife was rampant, and it only became worse when the White Procession arrived. Ultimately, it was this strife between the pony nations and inability to work together that led to their downfall at the swords of the centaurs.”
“In the last days of the Long Winter, the three surviving nations managed, for a short time, to maintain peace among themselves, but it was not to last,” Spike narrated as actors representing the different pony races trotted onto the stage to provide visual representations of what he was describing, “The pegasi managed for the first time since the unicorn crusade for Equestria to carve out their own land, ruled by the militant Order of the Aerial Sword. As now, the non-ruling pegasi were divided between the Hunters, who slew monsters born from both the Conjunction and this new otherworldly invasion, and stewards of the weather, responsible for redirecting the clouds. Both services were performed for the benefit of all three pony nations. In return, they demanded food from the earth ponies, the only race still able to produce crops in a world were growing seasons were terribly stunted by the magic of the White Procession. The earth pony Confederation of the Sône provided food also to the unicorn Kingdom of Excesior, in exchange for their mages’ efforts to raise sun and moon and maintain the cycle of day and night.”
“As the White Procession redoubled their onslaught, intent on bringing all of Equus under their sway, things grew bleaker and bleaker for the surviving free nations, which only led to greater strife between them. Poor harvests led to food shortages as even the earth ponies were unable to grow adequate crops in the harsh and frigid environment. The pegasi were unable to hold back the tide of snowstorms and monsters. The unicorn mages were likewise powerless against the White Procession wizards’ sorcery. Each nation blamed the others for the suffering that struck them all, war becoming more and more certain every day.”
“Some, however, had the wisdom to seek a peaceful resolution, and so a summit was called between the three nations. Each would send a representative. From the unicorns came the daughter of their king, Princess Platinum.”
Rarity trotted out onto the stage, wearing a regal purple dress and a thickly lined cloak. She was a bit warm wearing it inside, but Twilight had insisted on authenticity. On her head was a faux crown set with amethysts. Stage assistants had moved a table out to the center of the stage as the actors from the earlier narration departed, and Rarity took her place on the right side.
“The pegasi sent their ruler, Grandmaster Hurricane,” Spike said once Rarity had settled.
Rainbow Dash trotted in and took her place to the left of the table. The armor and heraldry she wore was thirty-six centuries out of date, but once again, Twilight had insisted on authenticity. She was the kind of pony to complain about unicorn knights wearing full plate on tapestries depicting the crusade for Equestria, and she would have none of that here.
“And lastly, the leader of the earth ponies, Chancellor Puddinghead.”
Pinkamena bounded onto the stage, apparently entirely in keeping with her character. It was as if she were born to play the part. She was dressed similarly to what the doge of Neighples would have worn during the time period, complete with exaggerated ruff around her neck. On her head was a wide-brimmed hat topped with fabric that looked, appropriately enough, like a pudding. She too took her position, behind the table, so that the audience could see the faces of all three amateur actors.
“Perhaps, with these three leaders together, a settlement could be reached, the three nations could put aside their differences, and they could fight the White Procession together …” Spike said.
*** 31st Year of the Long Winter
The building hosting the summit was cramped and undignified, chosen for its location alone. The representatives of the last free pony nations in Equestria were meeting in a barn near the southern border of the earth pony Confederation of the Sône, outside a tiny village that was equidistant from all three nations’ capitals. A table had been stolen from the nearby farmhouse, around which now stood the three representatives. Guards from their respective nations stood behind them, hidden in shadow and out of sight, but within easy range if anything were to go awry. The empty hayloft above had been partitioned out so that interested spectators from each nation could look down over their representatives’ backs and observe the proceedings.
“What I want to know is why the earth ponies are keeping all the food to themselves,” Grandmaster Hurricane accused his wingless counterpart next to him, “This was not our agreement!”
“If you want to see somepony who’s reneged on their agreements, look no further than the looking glass, you featherbrain,” Chancellor Puddinghead said, pointing an accusing hoof at the pegasus, “You’re supposed to be guarding us from attacks, but foul creatures and punishing blizzards continue to pour through the Snowshear Mountains, your territory! We can’t supply enough food for everypony, especially if they don’t uphold their end of the bargain!”
“For the last time, we don’t know how the attacks and the storms are getting through!” Hurricane protested, “There must be some foul sorcery at work here. I wouldn’t be surprised if the mages of Excesior were in league with the White Ones’ wizards. The unicorns have betrayed us!”
“I resent that accusation!” Princess Platinum said in offense, “We would never even think to do such a thing. Not all unicorns are in the position to use supernatural abilities, unlike you pegasi, who could easily have guided the White Ones through the aether above the clouds and brought them down upon us. I say it is you who must answer the charge of treason!”
“Or maybe you’ve both betrayed the alliance!” Puddinghead blurted out, “Even if you haven’t, neither of you are helping, so neither of you will get our food. Unless you non-earths pull your weight, I’ve got no idea how the truce can go on.”
“No ideas, no backbone, typical earth pony,” Hurricane huffed.
“Grandmaster Hurricane, though there may be ample cause to place accusations, there is no need for slurs and insults! Desist in this vulgar behavior!” Platinum demanded.
“Or what?” Hurricane asked challengingly, leaning forward and loosening his sword in its sheath with a wing, prompting Platinum’s royal guards to step out of the shadows, “I’m not your subject, arrogant bonehead; none of the pegasi are anymore, and you ought to remember that.”
“I don’t have to stand here and take this!” Princess Platinum fumed indignantly, “Royal blood flows in my veins from centuries of kings and queens! I see now that it was pointless to attempt to reason with barbarians like you! This summit is over!”
“That’s the first thing you’ve said I agree with,” Hurricane said as he pushed ahead of the princess to exit the barn.
“It’s settled then,” Chancellor Puddinghead said as she bounded over the other two and shoved the doors open, letting in a blizzard that was raging harder than when they’d arrived, “This truce has ended!”
The representatives of the three nations managed to leave without coming to blows, barely. Up in the hayloft, as everypony tried to follow their leaders’ example and leave ahead of the others, chaos broke out, and soon a brawl. The barn would be destroyed by the following morning, along with a good portion of the town, and all without any raids by the White Ones, as the ponies of the time called the White Procession. The last free pony nations were nearly ready to tear themselves apart.
*** Year 1001 of the 4th Age
“And so, the summit did not go as planned, though it did go as everypony could expect,” Spike narrated as Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkamena stormed away from each other onstage, “The three leaders returned to their own lands to convey the news, to consolidate their positions, and to complain to their subordinates.”
A backdrop was lowered depicting the Snowshear Mountains, home of the westernmost nation, the Order of the Aerial Sword. Stage assistants had removed the table from the stage and replaced it with recreations of the pillars and statues that had once stood at the entrance to the order’s lodge and fortress. Rainbow Dash’s armor jangled as she trotted between them.
“Ser Pansy!” Rainbow Dash called out, “Where are you?”
“H-here, Grandmaster,” Fluttershy replied timidly as she trotted onto the stage, dressed in less impressive, though just as period-accurate armor.
“Get that fire stoked,” Rainbow demanded of her character’s subordinate, and Fluttershy got to work pretending to do so, “I just flew back from the summit, and my wings could use some deicing.”
“Yes, Grandmaster,” Fluttershy said, continuing at her task.
“Aren’t you going to ask me how the summit went?” Rainbow asked.
“Oh, my apologies, Grandmaster. How was the summit?”
“Terrible! We can’t trust the unicorns or earth ponies anymore, if we ever could,” Rainbow Dash complained, “We must forge our own path, go our own way.”
“Begging your pardon, Grandmaster, but how are we going to do that?” Fluttershy asked, “Our last food stores are running out, and three of our mountain outposts have had to be abandoned in the last month alone.”
“Our position here may have become untenable,” Rainbow Dash said, stroking her chin, “We’ll need a new plan to survive …”
She and Fluttershy trotted off to the left side of the stage, out of the way as stage assistants adjusted the scene. The backdrop now depicted the hall of a fine castle, the seat of the unicorn king of Excesior during the last days of his reign. The table was returned to the stage, but it was no longer empty, now covered in silver table settings to further reinforce the idea of royalty. Rarity stumbled onstage, acting as if she were fighting against a blizzard, before collapsing on the floor.
“Clover the Clever!” she called out, “I need you!”
“Yes, your royal highness?” Twilight asked as she trotted onstage.
She was still wearing a mage’s robes, but these were roughspun and dull in color. As in the modern Zebrikaanian Empire, mages were only tolerated in Excesior as servants of the state, but at least they were tolerated, unlike in the other contemporary realms. The character Twilight Sparkle was playing, Clover the Clever, had been a sorcerer of some power and influence, an unwilling servant who’d once been apprenticed to the Star-Swirl the Bearded, but a servant nonetheless. As such, he’d been at the beck and call of the Excesior royal family, mainly Princess Platinum, who’d seized more and more power in the realm as the king grew more and more ill.
“Heat me a bath,” Rarity commanded, “That journey was torturous.”
“Did the other leaders see the reason in continuing the arrangement and pursuing a united front against the White Ones?” Twilight asked as she pretended to heat a bath for Rarity.
“That summit was a waste of time,” Rarity tsked, “There’s no dealing with such lesser races, who only understand threats and violence. They have no appreciation for our kingdom’s preservation of the cycle of day and night.”
“Indeed,” Twilight said sarcastically.
“Well, we’ll show them something they do understand, then! Our kingdom will go it alone and give them the war they want!” Rarity proclaimed.
“How exactly do you plan to do that?” Twilight asked, “With our army starving and battered, we will never be able to defeat the others.”
“Hm, you may have a point there,” Rarity admitted, “We’ll need to make preparations and some changes before we can attack …”
Twilight and Rarity trotted off to the right edge of the stage, and the scene once again changed. It now depicted the Chancery of the Confederation of the Sône. Several smaller tables with ledgers on them were pulled in as the one laden with silver was removed. A large faux chimney was wheeled into position at the back of the stage. Applejack trotted into the scene, wearing a scribe’s attire, and she began to pace nervously. She stopped abruptly as a rumbling came from the chimney and Pinkamena emerged from the fireplace, covered in soot.
“Chancellor Puddin’head,” Applejack said as Pinkamena dusted herself off, “Wouldn’t it have been easier t’ use th’ door?”
“No, because then you’d have had to invite me in … to my own chancery of all places!” Pinkamena exclaimed.
“Are y’ implyin’ that you’re a vampire?” Applejack asked, “B’cause that’s exactly the kind o’ accusations that got Chancellor Switchbritches executed, y’know?”
“Of course I know, who do you think started that rumor, silly?” Pinkamena asked, “If it’ll make you feel better, I’m no vampire. I know you have trouble keeping up, Smart Cookie, without the brrrrrrrilliant mind that resides beneath this pudding hat. I was elected for that, you know!”
Actually, Chancellor Puddinghead had been elected to her post because she’d been the loudest among those who actually wanted the position. The last four chancellors of the confederation had been publicly executed, so there were few who were enthusiastic to follow in their hoofsteps. Everypony assumed that somepony so seemingly nonsensical who proclaimed what she did with such passion had to be a genius whose ideas were beyond the comprehension of anypony else. So far this tactic had worked for Chancellor Puddinghead, but whether she was aware of the tactic at all was somewhat of an historical mystery.
“O’ course,” Applejack said skeptically, “So, oh enlightened one, what happened at th’ summit?”
“Who cares? Talk is cheap,” Pinkamena said as she darted between tables, scribbling something in one of the ledgers, “All you need to know is that I’ve had the brilliant plan for the confederation to go it alone, without pegasi or unicorns dragging us down!”
“They didn’t listen t’ reason?” Applejack asked in distress, “Did y’ bring up any o' my suggestions?”
“Don’t you worry your little head,” Pinkamena said, placing a foreleg over Applejack’s back, “We’re sure to come out on top. After all, we’re the ones who have all the food, right?”
“Actually, th’ last reserves are runnin’ low,” Applejack said as she removed Pinkamena’s foreleg, “There was hardly anythin’ in this harvest, an’ th’ next harvestin’ season won’t be for another nine months, if it comes at all.”
“Well, this could be more difficult than I thought,” Pinkamena said, pretending to think hard before appearing to come up with a grand idea, “I’ve got it! We’ll find somewhere else to grow our crops, somewhere the White Ones haven’t ruined the land, far from the Order of the Aerial Sword and the Kingdom of Excesior. Don’t you see, Smart Cookie, this is the only way for us to survive!”
Rainbow Dash and Rarity trotted back to the center of the stage to join their voices to Pinkamena’s for the final pronouncement.
“We must find and conquer a new land!”
*** 31st Year of the Long Winter
“Come on, keep up, Pansy!” Grandmaster Hurricane ordered as the other pegasus lagged behind.
“Yes, Grandmaster,” the frightened mare said obediently, trying to put on enough speed to keep up with her superior, “If I’m slowing you down, I could always return to the camp.”
It hadn’t taken long after the summit for the Grandmaster of the Order of the Aerial Sword to put his plan to capture a new land into practice. It wasn’t as if he had much time before things became too dire to do so, though. Pegasi were flooding into the capital in search of food and shelter from the White Ones as the borders began to collapse, the outposts inhabited by soldiers on the brink of starvation unable to hold back the tide. With a small expeditionary force, Hurricane had departed his lands and headed southeast. Rumor from a few years back claimed that the Equestry Valley was untouched by the frost that gripped the rest of the world. That was the goal of his expedition, to find and capture the fertile lands that had become almost mythical in the eyes of the starving populous.
“Nopony flies alone, not even me,” Hurricane replied, “Everypony needs somepony to watch their back, in case of an ambush.”
Why me? Ser Pansy had no idea why the grandmaster of her order had insisted she accompany him as he scouted ahead every day. She was a confidant of his only because she was at his beck and call day and night at the order’s lodge, and the only reason she’d been appointed to that position instead of a border post was because she was barely capable in a fight. If an ambush did come, Grandmaster Hurricane would be the one doing most, if not all, of the fighting, but she was pretty sure he knew that.
“An ambush? From who? The White Ones?” Pansy asked as the grandmaster dove through a mountain pass.
“Could be, or it could be earth pony crossbowmares or unicorn witches,” Hurricane said, “May as well all be the same to us now.”
Ser Pansy wasn’t so sure about that. She wasn’t old enough to remember a time before the Long Winter, but the White Ones and the creatures they brought with them seemed far worse than ponies could be. At least ponies hadn’t ever deliberately tried to destroy the world. Grandmaster Hurricane’s talk of ambush had her jumping at shadows regardless, and the grandmaster seemed to approve at first, praising her readiness to strike at the danger that could be lurking everywhere. He soon tired, however, as she was striking every icicle they passed, assuming some trick of the White Ones hid behind it. It was going to be a long trek to the Equestry Valley.
***
Meanwhile, a party of unicorns were also making their way south. The windswept crags of the Snowshear Mountains weren’t the only place that the rumor of the Equestry Valley had reached. The Kingdom of Excesior had also heard the rumors, but like the pegasi, had dismissed them as idle talk until now. Princess Platinum (with more than a little help from Clover the Clever) planned her own expedition to take the Equestry Valley for her land. She and the sorcerer were apart from the main group at the moment, forging ahead.
“Oh, this is just dreadful,” the princess complained as her cloak got caught on a patch of leafless brambles, “I do hope we reach the Equestry Valley soon; I can’t stand this wilderness much longer.”
“Your highness, we left only three days ago. According to the old maps, it will take at least a week to reach the borders of the Equestry Valley,” Clover explained, just as he had on the previous days, for all the good it had done.
Princess Platinum insisted on forging ahead of the group, not out of some sense of duty or obligation to lead and scout out the land, but because “her royal eyes must set sight on the new land first.” Clover had the unpleasant task of accompanying the heir to the throne of Excesior, as well as keeping her from getting lost and protecting her from the occasional wild animal. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if she got lost in the wilderness; maybe then somepony sensible would take her place and seek a settlement with the other pony nations before the White Ones finally conquered them. There would be questions, though, and accusations placed at Clover’s hooves. There were few enough mages that knew how to raise the sun and moon; his loss would be greatly felt if he were executed for losing Platinum.
“It feels like we’ve been walking for ages,” Platinum continued to complain.
Oh no, here it comes. Every day. We’ve barely even made it out of sight of the camp this time!
“Clover, I command you to carry me.”
There it is. Princess Platinum was no light burden; somehow, she’d been able to get plenty of food while the rest of the kingdom starved. Clover wouldn’t be able to carry her the entire the rest of the day with his own strength alone; he’d have to use magic to support her. That meant his magical reserves would be well drained by the end of the day, and the rest of the ponies in the camp would have to deal with biting winter winds through the night again, since he’d be unable to cast the spells necessary to shield them. All because of their liege.
“Of course, your highness,” Clover said with barely-concealed disdain, but Princess Platinum seemed not to notice.
It was going to be a long trek to the Equestry Valley.
***
“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say we were going in circles,” Smart Cookie said dryly as she and Chancellor Puddinghead passed the same distinctive tree for the fourth time in the same number of hours.
Despite the chancellor’s claim to a novel mind, she had had the same idea as the other leaders. The Equestry Valley was her destination, and she’d set out with her own small host of followers. Also like the others, she’d taken with her the pony who’d greeted her after her return to the summit and charged ahead of the pack. Maybe there was a genius to Puddinghead’s madness, though, as no matter how twisted, convoluted, and backtracking the path was she took Smart Cookie on, they were always ahead of their projected progress to the Equestry Valley by the end of the day.
“Absolutely preposterous,” Chancellor Puddinghead said as she paused at the same flat-topped rock she’d stopped at before to fold the map she was using to navigate into the shape of a swan, “With this fine map, how could we be?”
It had been a miracle to find such a detailed map of the route they’d need to take in the chancery’s archives, but Puddinghead had reached into the stacks of parchment and pulled it out without even searching. The map had seen quite a bit of wear since they’d left, though. Every day, the chancellor twisted and folded it into the most bizarre shapes, and every night Smart Cookie had had to flatten it back out and commit the next day’s route to memory so she knew where they were. Given how complex the chancellor had been folding the parchment, she hadn’t been getting much sleep.
“Of course, it’s just … the map is all bent out of shape,” Smart Cookie pointed out.
“Look around you, Cookie. The world isn’t smooth, so why should the map be?” Puddinghead asked as if the answer was the most obvious and sensible thing in the world.
“Yes, but …” Smart Cookie said as she got closer and took a look at the map, “You’ve still got it upside down.”
“Let me tell you a secret, Cookie, but don’t tell the Pontiff,” Puddinghead said as she gestured Smart Cookie closer conspiratorially, “The world is actually a dodecahedron, so there is no up or down.”
“If you say so,” Smart Cookie said uncertainly.
“I do say so,” Chancellor Puddinghead said proudly, “Buuuut, if you’re so eager to look at the map, maybe you should navigate for a while, if you think you’ve got the ability.”
“Yes, your chancellorship,” Smart Cookie said as Puddinghead threw the map at her and she tried to puzzle out how to undo the folds and twists.
“Well, come on, we haven’t got all day. Just because you aren’t as brilliant as moi doesn’t mean we can slow down,” the chancellor said as she bounded away in the wrong direction.
“Yes, Chancellor Puddinghead,” Smart Cookie said with a sigh.
She followed after her leader, still trying to undo the folded map. She suspected it wouldn’t be long before Puddinghead took it back and led in her own, indiscernible way. At least they’d be able to follow the most efficient route for a bit, if Puddinghead listened to Smart Cookie’s directions, the chances of which were slim. It was going to be a long trek to the Equestry Valley.
*** Year 1001 of the 4th Age
“And so, unbeknownst to each other, all three of the pony nations converged on the Equestry Valley,” Spike narrated, “When they arrived, they found that the rumors had been true. Though no ponies resided there, having been forced out years earlier by the White Procession, the land was green and temperate. The skies were clear, and there were no signs of enemies. Each of the leaders were quick to stake their claim to the land, perhaps the last unoccupied land left in all of Equus.”
“It’s perfect, isn’t it, Ser Pansy?” Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered onto the stage.
“Uh-huh,” Fluttershy said in awe, looking around as she carried a long post with a banner hanging from the top.
“I hereby claim this land for the Order of the Aerial Sword,” Rainbow proclaimed as she took the post from Fluttershy and planted it, unveiling the order’s banner, “From here we will rebuild the empire of old, and a pegasus archon shall rule Equestria once again.”
“This land is simply divine,” Rarity proclaimed as she trotted onto the stage from the other direction, Twilight trailing her with a similar post and banner to the one Rainbow Dash had just planted.
“The Equestry Valley; I cannot believe it is truly the haven of rumors,” Twilight said, “Look, up on the mountains in the distance, you can almost see what is left of Gladfengel-Cant’r Laht!”
“I claim this land for the Kingdom of Excesior,” Rarity proclaimed as she motioned for Twilight to plant the banner, “These lands are now the property of the crown, which I shall hold and rule in my father’s stead.”
“Look at all this farmland, Smart Cookie; have you ever seen dirt more fertile?” Pinkamena asked as she rolled onto the stage, Applejack following close behind with the flag of the Confederation of the Sône.
“I can’t say that I have,” Applejack replied, “All our food problems will b’ solved!”
“Cookie, plant the flag!” Pinkamena ordered, and Applejack complied, “By the laws of the Confederation of the Sône, I hereby claim this land as a new administrative area to be parceled out by the chancellor. That would be me. This is going to keep me in office forever!”
“Such joyful celebration was not to last, however, as all three nations had set claim to the same land, and though it was large enough to support all their populations, none had the intention of sharing,” Spike said, “The only reason war didn’t come immediately was because none of the camps were aware of each other, until a fateful day when the three leaders and their companions happened to be scouting out the same strip of land near the White Mountains …”
*** 31st Year of the Long Winter
“That peak, or maybe that one,” Hurricane told Ser Pansy as he pointed out mountains ahead of them, “We’ll find the perfect spot to build our new capital. I’m thinking we’ll call it Pegasopolis, in honor of our ancestors.”
“Yes, Grand-er, Archon,” Pansy said timidly, “What about our old lands in the Snowshear Mountains, though?”
“Forget about them,” Archon Hurricane waved off her question, “What have they got on these mountains and the Equestry Valley? I’ve already sent the word to have everypony follow us here.”
The two pegasi were flying high, but not nearly high enough that they couldn’t be seen from the ground. They were easily spotted by the two unicorns roaming the mountains’ foothills far below, and well within the range of Clover the Clever’s spells. Ser Pansy gave a frightened yelp as Hurricane suddenly disappeared. A second later, she too vanished before rematerializing on the ground, two unicorns facing her down.
“What do you think you’re doing here?” Princess Platinum demanded, “These are the crown lands of House Rikkirig, and you are trespassing on them!”
“It’s you who’s doing the trespassing,” Hurricane objected to the princess’s accusation, “The Equestry Valley is the property of the New Pegasus Empire!”
While Princess Platinum scoffed at the mention, Chancellor Puddinghead suddenly popped up from behind a nearby boulder. The pegasi and unicorns stepped back in shock, having had no idea she was there. Smart Cookie followed a second later, just as amazed as the others that they hadn’t been seen. That boulder wasn’t nearly large enough to conceal both of us, was it?
“You’re both wrong,” Puddinghead pronounced as she produced a long document covered in many seals and with many attached addendums, “I think you’ll see that the Equestry Valley and all its possessions are the rightful property of the Confederation of the Sône, soon to be governed from its new capital at Dirtmound.”
“Earth pony law,” Platinum scoffed as she threw the document to the ground, “I am of royal unicorn blood and am above such things. I can trace my lineage back to the Holy Maenean Emperors.”
“You and every other petty lord before the Winter began,” Archon Hurricane said, his turn to scoff now, “The Holy Maenean Emperors married anything with a pulse and a title, however low. No wonder their lines died out so quickly; they bred themselves to death.”
“How dare you! My ancestors were right to rip this land away from you uncultured barbarians!” Platinum sputtered, “Clover the Clever, turn this pegasus into a pile of cinders!”
“So, it’s a fight you want, then! I’d be happy to oblige! We’ll see how your magic does against a trained blade!” Hurricane said, drawing his sword.
With the ponies’ focused on their own quibbles, none of them noticed the windigos cresting the hills around them. Also unbeknownst to the ponies were the portals opening up and surrounding them, letting through members of the White Procession. They’d learned of the incursion into the Equestry Valley, and this region seemed particularly vulnerable all of a sudden, so they had come to investigate. As the windigos reported back wordlessly to their masters, gray clouds began to cover the sky and the temperature dropped, none of which was noticed by the ponies as their argument heated up.
“Hold it, there must be some diplomatic way to settle things,” Clover the Clever said, trying to deescalate the situation as he stepped between Hurricane and Platinum (and cast a shield around his body just to be safe), “If we keep going at each other’s throats, then we’re only doing the White Ones’ work for them. The Equestry Valley has more than enough space for all of us. I’m sure we can work something out.”
“I reckon you might be onto something,” Smart Cookie spoke up, and Chancellor Puddinghead’s jaw dropped, “If we sit down and talk this out, I’m sure we can come to a settlement that satisfies everypony.”
“I think it’s worth a try,” Pansy said, and was rounded upon by Hurricane.
“Insubordination!” he yelled after half sheathing his sword, “Ser Pansy, don’t you see that there can never be coexistence with their kind?”
Chancellor Puddinghead seized that moment to bound exceptionally high before landing behind Princess Platinum and wrapping her forelegs around her neck.
“Stand back!” the chancellor ordered as a wide-eyed Platinum whimpered, “You want to negotiate? Rule four of negotiation: acquire some leverage.”
Clover rolled his eyes and teleported the two of them apart. The sorcerer turned in surprise as Hurricane quickly drew his sword and swung it at him. The shield around his body glowed brilliantly before throwing the pegasus back. The three leaders all set to attempting to attack each other, and it was all Clover could do to keep them apart with teleportations and blocking spells. He didn’t know how long he could keep it up—certainly not as long as the leaders were dedicated to killing each other.
“What the …” Chancellor Puddinghead said as she was thrown back and found herself rolling through a drift of snow, “Smart Cookie, where did all this snow come from?”
“Maybe from them!” the scribe said in alarm as she pointed outside the narrow circle of fighting.
An army of centaurs and windigos was storming over the hills at full gallop, bearing down on the six isolated ponies. Wizards continued to call down snow and whip it into the start of a blizzard. They were hemmed in, pinned, surrounded from every direction but the east, where the White Mountains blocked most of them from escaping.
“White Ones!” Clover yelled, as if it weren’t obvious, “Run!”
The four earthbound ponies took off at a gallop to the east, desperate to escape before the pincers closed in around them. Hurricane and Pansy took to the sky but were forced down by a hail of attacks from bat-ponies. They all were herded east, closer and closer to the rocky crags of the mountains. Clover the Clever spotted the entrance to a cave and put on more speed as he grabbed Princess Platinum in his magic to keep her from falling behind. The other ponies had spotted the cave entrance too and the leaders put on a burst of speed, each intent on reaching it first. Clover paused outside of the cave to fire spells off at their attackers before being forced inside by a hail of arrows.
“Get out of my cave!” Archon Hurricane demanded as Clover tried to strategize a defense.
“Your cave?” Princess Platinum scoffed, “This is clearly royal land and my legitimate territory.”
“Actually, according to Minerology Law Thirty-Nine, Section Four, Paragraph Eight of the Confederation of the Sône, all rock formations and the resources therein are property of the chancellor until she appoints a steward to oversee inspection and excavation,” Puddinghead said, looking to Smart Cookie to back her up, but the scribe was more concerned with the predicament they were in than the legal precedents the chancellor was bringing up.
Meanwhile, Clover the Clever was waging a one-pony war against the White Procession, firing spells out into the growing blizzard, and growing weaker by the second. Ice began to creep around the edges of the cave’s entrance, then grew inward. Clover desperately tried to melt the ice and keep the entrance free, but he couldn’t undo the work of the multiple wizards arrayed against him. He collapsed, panting, as the ice formed a solid, impenetrable wall.
“If anypony wants to leave pointless territorial disputes behind for a moment, I thought I should let you know we’re trapped in here!” he yelled, thoroughly outraged at how the leaders continued to quibble even when they were facing certain death.
“We’re going to die in here,” Ser Pansy said meekly.
“If we are to die, then let us die as heroes, boldly defending our land!” Hurricane proclaimed, lifting Pansy up, “Come, Ser Pansy, let us show these unicorns and earth ponies the strength of the Order of the Aerial Sword!”
Clover the Clever had had more than enough, and he trotted angrily to the center of the room.
“Don’t any of you understand!” the sorcerer yelled, loud enough to shake the icicles forming on the ceiling above, “All of your bickering and fighting, it’s why the White Ones have conquered nation after nation! If we’d stood together, then maybe we’d have been able to fight them off, but no, we have to waste our time and our lives fighting each other! And now we’re all going to die here, and you’re still wasting your time trying to fight each other!”
“The honor of our order …” Hurricane said.
“The dignity of my royal house …” said Platinum.
“The sovereignty of the confederation …” spoke Puddinghead.
“… must be maintained!” all three of the leaders said together.
“Fine! You all want to continue fighting over land, then here!” Clover exclaimed in exasperation.
Using the last of his magical reserves, he sent out a burst of magical energy through the stone at his hooves that shot off in three directions. Furrows were ripped through the rock, dividing the cave into three portions, with one of the leaders in each. They all looked shocked before frowning.
“Clover, you traitor! I’ll have you hanged for this!” Princess Platinum exclaimed, “You’ve made my portion smaller than the other two!”
“Typical unicorn trickery to claim what is blatantly false,” Hurricane said, and Clover groaned wearily, the sentiment shared by the companions of the other leaders, “Your portion is the largest!”
“I demand equal allocation of resources, but as chancellor I deserve a more equal allocation,” Puddinghead proclaimed as ice traveled briskly down the walls of the cavern, “Reapportion the territory now!”
“You’d have to be blind or stupid to think that. I’m going to go with the second one,” Hurricane said as the ice spread across the floor and began to encase his body, Ser Pansy retreating past him toward the center of the cavern, “All you earth ponies are weak and mentally deficient!”
“I’m glad my people erased all traces of pegasus civilization, if you could even call it that. I’d shudder to see that ‘culture’ come again,” Platinum said as she too became coated in ice, “You pegasi are naught but mindless brutes and barbarians!”
“You unicorns think you’re ‘all that,’ but we earth ponies are well on our way to toppling your kingdoms, just like you toppled the pegasi’s,” Puddinghead said, heedless of the ice creeping around him or Smart Cookie’s flight from it, “You’re nothing but a bunch of self-obsessed, over-important snobs!”
The ice continued to creep in toward the center of the room even after encasing all three leaders. The safe piece of floor became smaller and smaller, and the three remaining ponies were forced together. They all gave a gasp and jumped away from each other as they collided. They eyed each other, but also kept an eye on the advancing ice that would soon swallow them up too.
“Truce?” Ser Pansy offered hopefully, and the other two nodded, breathing sighs of relief.
“I figure you’re right,” Smart Cookie said to Clover after a moment’s uneasy silence, “About Equus falling to the White Ones all because we were too obsessed with fighting each other, that is. We let our hate get in the way, and now we’re paying the price.”
“Well, if I can admit something,” Pansy said, looking at her frozen commander as if he might still hear her, “I don’t really hate any of you.”
“I don’t hate either of you, either,” Smart Cookie said, “I always hoped we could all band together against the White Ones, but things just didn’t work out that way.”
“I too harbor no hate for you,” Clover admitted as frost began to creep at their tails, “Perhaps, in another world, another time, another life, we could’ve been friends.”
“I would’ve liked that,” Pansy said as ice coated the hindquarters of each pony.
“What’s so funny?” Smart Cookie asked as Clover chuckled, despite the fact that all their forelegs were now also frozen to the floor.
“I suppose, in the end, some ponies did manage to put aside their differences and come together,” Clover said, ice creeping up to their necks.
“I suppose you’re right,” Smart Cookie said with a smile as the ice finished its job, sealing them all within.
Clover felt something within himself, and not just the relief that came from finally finding unity with other ponies after all the anger and divisiveness. It seemed like sorcery, and yet not any kind of sorcery he was familiar with. He was completely drained of magical energy, but it felt as if there was a vast source of it not far away and there was some link to it within himself, if only he opened up to it. He tried, unsuccessfully to reach out for it, but sensed something else at the same time. A similar sensation met his probing when he reached out toward the pegasus soldier and earth pony scribe next to him. Maybe, if he reached out to them …
A flood of magical energy surged into him as he did, into all of them. It felt like an all-consuming fire that threatened to burn them up from the inside-out. He couldn’t hold the energy; he had to release it, but how? This was unlike the magic he’d dealt with before, and he had no idea how to shape the flow, but it he didn’t release it soon, then all three of them would surely die. He let go, and the fire spread outward in every direction.
Clover coughed, blinked his eyes, and shook his head as the ice around him melted. Nearby he could hear the same sounds coming from the others, but he couldn’t see them. A blinding magical light that flickered like flames suffused everything, and it was moving rapidly. As he regained his sight, he could still feel the flames radiating outward across Equus, dimming the farther it traveled, but still alive. The sorcerer staggered to his hooves, feeling better than he ever had before, and looked around.
Not all the ice was gone, but most of it had melted away, turned to steam by the power. Yet he and his new companions were unharmed. The leaders remained frozen, the ice surrounding them melting very slowly. Along one of the cavern’s walls, a depression like a large fireplace had appeared. Within it, a mysterious fire burned vibrantly. When Clover reached out toward it, he felt the same magical energy that he’d channeled through himself and the others. He thought, just for a moment, that he could see shadows in the fire: an earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn sitting together, united.
“What is that?” Ser Pansy asked, also looking at the hearth, “What was that?”
“I don’t know,” Clover admitted, “None of my studies suggested the existence of anything like that. It wouldn’t have been possible without you, though. The magic passed through all of us; it was the only way I could reach it.”
“The White Ones’ sorcery,” Smart Cookie commented, looking at the melting ice around them, “Do you think …?”
The three ponies trotted to the cave’s entrance and peered outside. The rolling hills were green again, apart from the occasional lingering patch of snow, and entirely free from centaurs, bat-ponies, and windigos. Could it be? Had the White Ones been vanquished at last, after three decades of war? Whether they had or not, the three ponies knew one thing: things could not continue as they had been if they hoped to survive in the future.
*** Year 1001 of the 4th Age
“And so Clover the Clever, Ser Pansy, and Smart Cookie returned to the cavern to wait for their leaders to defrost,” Spike narrated as Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Applejack trotted over to a false fire on stage, “They sat in front of the Hearthfire all through the night, sharing tales and songs that later became the carols we sing every year on Hearth’s Warming. In their unity, the flame seemed to grow brighter, and the ice around the leaders melted as well. As they heard the story of what had passed in the light of the Hearthfire, their hearts also seemed to thaw, and they realized the folly of their ways.”
“As the White Procession disappeared, the land began to recover; in the years that followed, the six ponies trapped in the cave that first Hearth’s Warming Eve worked toward a common goal,” Spike said as the Brave Companions joined together and raised up a new banner, one that hadn’t been used in nearly three thousand years, “They became the Founders, and they established a kingdom that lasted for centuries, spanning the entirety of the continent, the first united Kingdom of Equestria. May their legacy, the reason we celebrate Hearth’s Warming Eve, never be forgotten.”
Staggered applause began to come from the audience as the play came to a close. Celestia wondered how many of them had truly gotten the point, and wished she’d been able to convince or cajole some of Equestria’s leaders to come here and witness this performance. As Spike had said upon opening, the Equestria that the White Procession had first attacked was not so different from the Equestria today. The White Procession was still a threat, and Equestria was divided once again. There was strength in unity, but unity was not something she could force.
Whether or not Equestria was unified, Hearth’s Warming still had power. The combined ponies across the continent recalling (consciously or not) that first Hearth’s Warming by telling tales and singing the songs, channeled through the Hearthfire, kept the White Procession out. No attack on Equestria had ever been made by them since the tradition had begun because it was far too difficult. The power of the Hearthfire strengthened the barriers between worlds, which is what had originally forced the White Procession into retreat, terrified they would never be able to return to Judd Caradain. There was a reason that Hearthfire Incantations, the spells designed specifically for combatting the White Procession, bore that name, even if few of them drew on the Hearthfire’s power anymore. The Hearthfire had vanished during Discord’s reign, but Celestia was convinced it was still burning somewhere beneath the White Mountains, or at least she hoped it did. A millennium of disunity might be able to snuff it out, and it would be a dark day if that ever happened. One more reason why Equestria must be unified. The task before you is a monumental one, my apprentice.
Darkness shrouded Ponieville and the surrounding countryside, a thick layer of clouds obscuring the night sky and the stars Luna had meticulously arranged. She had taken over that task again after a thousand-year absence, along with raising and lowering the moon, and it had caused not some small measure of chaos on her first night of doing so. Celestia had kept the positions of the stars more or less constant during her time, and ponies had grown accustomed to seeing the same sky every night, relying on the constancy for help with navigation and the like. Luna now contented herself with making only minor changes, but even so, the night sky had never seemed so brilliant in the past millennium.
On their farm beyond Ponieville’s palisade, skirting the edge of the Everfree Forest, the Apples slept soundly, though some not as soundly as they’d have liked. All four of the family’s members were home now, which seemed more an exception than the rule as of late. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom were at the moment ignorant of the dire straits the family was in, but the other two had talked it over in depth. For a pony unable to read, Big McIntosh had a stunning head for numbers, and he’d shared his calculations with Applejack upon her return from Cant’r Laht. The summer and fall harvests had not been as bountiful as they’d expected, and the reason why was obvious. Applejack had been gone too much, but what was she to do? Twilight Sparkle and the other Brave Companions needed her: the anti-Element of Deceit had not been found yet. There was little she could do now, though, and little she could change. They needed a miracle if they were going to be able to pay their taxes to Mayor Mare. If they couldn’t, she’d take their land for sure, or at least a part of it, which is what she’d wanted for years.
Timberwolves howled in the distance, their cries carried away by the wind that rustled the freshly fallen snow. Those howls grew louder as the timberwolves grew closer, emerging from the Everfree Forest to stalk the Apples’ fields and orchards. Usually they wouldn’t do so unless driven by great hunger and boldness, but something unusual was going on. The wind shifted, bringing the howls to the Apple homestead and through the thickly insulated walls.
Granny Smith’s ears twitched upon hearing the howls, and her eyes creaked open. She had more years on her bones than most sorceresses, but all the same, she heaved herself out of her bed, bringing most of the thick blankets she’d been wrapped in with her. She shuffled to the kitchen and managed to grab some pans, tying them together and slinging them over her back, before trotting out into the snow.
The wind slammed the door shut, waking the rest of the Apples. Applejack and Big Mac jumped out of bed, racing downstairs and grabbing anything they could think to use as a weapon to defend themselves from brigands. Apple Bloom joined them, a spear held in her mouth. It had been something she and her friends had made, another idea on how to get their cutie-marks, and the head fell off as she wielded it. When there was no sign of intruders, the farmponies looked outside.
“Granny! Get back inside afore y’ catch y’r death!” Applejack yelled out into the blowing snow before grabbing a thick cloak to run out after her.
“Wait,” Big Mac said simply, looking up at the sky, as he put out a foreleg like a tree branch to block his sister.
A hole had opened in the clouds as the wind began to spin in a cyclone above a group of scraggly trees. Through it the moon was visible, oddly plain without the bust of a unicorn carved out in craters. The hole in the clouds seemed a window to somewhere else as the moon shimmered and changed color half a dozen times, casting that light down on the stand of trees. Snow melted from their branches and they seemed to revive from death, bark shifting from washed-out to healthy. The timberwolves charged toward the trees, seeking their wood to revitalize their own woody flesh. Granny Smith charged in as well, as fast as her feeble old legs could carry her, and threw down her pans. Picking one back up in her mouth, she began banging it against the other. The timberwolves pulled up short and threw themselves down, claws over their leafy ears to block out the noise. Eventually they would retreat back into the Everfree so long as the clamor kept up; they always had before when this had happened.
“A zap apple harvest,” Big Mac said with a sigh of relief as the others rushed to get pots and pans of their own. Maybe things would work out after all.
***
By dawn, the timberwolves were long gone, and the Apple homestead had returned more or less to normal. The timberwolves wouldn’t return until next harvest, but that didn’t mean the Apples could rest. Applejack and Big Mac were busy clearing away the snow around the trunks of the zap apple trees and erecting a temporary palisade around the grove to protect it from other wild creatures. The zap apple harvests came irregularly, sometimes years apart, but once the first sign appeared that one was coming, there were only a few days to prepare and much to do.
“I’m ready, Granny!” Apple Bloom reported to the aged pony seated in a chair covered with blankets inside the farmhouse.
“Ready? Wit fer?” Granny Smith asked.
“I’m ready t’ make zap apple jam with y’!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, having a difficult time standing still.
During the last zap apple harvest, she hadn’t been deemed old enough to help in the actual jam-making process, instead having to content herself with assisting in the picking of the magical fruit. This would be her first time helping Granny to make the zap apple jam, the first product the fruit offered up, and the product that was most difficult to make.
“Ah, o’ course,” Granny Smith said, levering herself up from her seat and nearly tripping over the blankets she scattered on the floor as she tottered away from it, “We ‘ad best git t’ work.”
“I can ‘ardly believe I get t’ help this time,” Apple Bloom said giddily, “I can’t wait!”
“Cannae wait?” Granny Smith said as she stopped and looked back at her chair in confusion, “Wit cannae ye nae wait fer?”
For makin’ zap apple jam, o’ course!” Apple Bloom said. Granny Smith, when she was conscious, was often forgetting things; nothing about the conversation was out of the ordinary for the old mare. So long as she still remembered how to make zap apple jam.
“O’ course. Why didnae ye say so fae th’ start?” Granny Smith replied as she resumed her trotting, “Now ah been makin’ this jam since ah wis a wee filly nae much older than ye. Zap apples be tricky. Ye have got t’ do a’thing just right t’ git jam.”
“I’m ready t’ learn, Granny,” Apple Bloom promised.
“Good, ye kin start by cleanin’ up so we kin make th’ jam,” Granny Smith said as she passed a broom to Apple Bloom, “Now, while ye be doin’ that, ah goat t’ do … somethin’.”
Apple Bloom set to sweeping as Granny Smith returned to her chair and closed her eyes, asleep a few seconds later. Outside, Applejack and Big Mac paused in construction of the palisade as the wind suddenly shifted in the opposite directions, bringing a smell like cinnamon. Immediately they ran as quickly as they could from the stand of zap apple trees, seeking cover. The clouds above the grove darkened until it seemed that night fell over the trees. A blue-tinted lightning bolt shot down at each tree in the same instant, leaving an afterimage on the eyes of anypony looking in that direction. The zap apple trees appeared unaffected by the lightning, at least in the way that trees struck by such bolts would usually be affected. Small arcs of lightning continued to trail over the trees’ branches as purple-green leaves sprouted on them. Applejack and Big Mac warily returned to the grove, waiting for the sparks to die down before resuming work on the palisade. Apple Bloom goggled from the farmhouse’s window for a few minutes before returning to her sweeping, with Granny Smith snoring in the background.
***
“Ugh, why do we have to walk all the way out into the countryside?” Diamond Tiara complained as she trotted alongside her father, “Reynaud says that in Los Pegasus, wealthy merchants go about in sedan chairs and carriages.”
“Because, Diamond Tiara, we must check in with the Apples to remind them of our agreement. Not that I believe for one moment that they’d back out on us or try to cheat me, but it never hurts to check on your investments,” Filthy Rich expounded.
I’ll have to speak to Reynaud about what ideas he puts in the filly’s head. The private tutor he’d hired from Los Pegasus had certainly proven himself an effective educator, but it seemed his (doubtlessly exaggerated) stories of how the nobles and wealthy lived in Los Pegasus had puffed up Diamond Tiara’s head even more than it had been before he’d come. If she were to take over the family business one day, she would need to understand that Ponieville and Los Pegasus were two very different places. Maybe ponies of high standing in the west really did travel about in sedan chairs and carriages, but Los Pegasus also had paved streets, something entirely absent from Ponieville. Filthy Rich was also no fool; he may have been the richest pony in Ponieville by far, but that wealth would barely match that of a Los Pegasan merchant of even moderate standing.
The two ponies approached the Apples’ homestead, the gates open wide. Filthy Rich waved off the guards following them; he wasn’t worried about threats from the family that lived here. The farmyard itself was abandoned, but there was a path cleared through the snow that led through another gate in the palisade and out to the grove of zap apple trees, with its own palisade now. Applejack and Big McIntosh were nowhere to be found, the two of them busily assembling supplies in town. When they’d arrived with their odd requests and word had gotten to Filthy Rich, he’d known a zap apple harvest was coming. From past experience, he’d learned trying to speak to them while they were about their business was an exercise in futility, so he’d come here instead, to speak to somepony he’d known for many years.
“Well met, Mistress Smith,” he called out to the elderly mare cantering around one of the zap apple trees.
Apple Bloom too was running in circles, with all the youthful exuberance that Granny Smith was too old to muster anymore. Granny Smith heeded Filthy Rich’s greeting and trotted away from the tree toward him and Diamond Tiara. She attempted to, anyway, but her path was unsteady after going in circles for so long.
“Ach, welcome Bloody Rich,” Granny Smith replied as she steadied herself (mostly), “Have ye come tae see th’ zap apple trees?”
“Yes, I have, although Bloody Rich was my grandfather,” Filthy Rich corrected her, not for the first time, “I am Filthy Rich.”
“O’ course, Filthy,” Granny Smith said, and the stallion cringed inwardly, “Ah swear ah’d lose mae heed if t’weren’t attached tae mae neck!”
“Actually, I prefer to go by Filthy Rich, or Sir Rich if you like.”
That was a recent development, and probably one he should be careful in touting. His honorary knighthood had been bestowed by Mayor Mare, who technically didn’t have the authority to do anything of the sort. She was playing a dangerous game by undermining Celestia’s authority, and she only seemed to have become more brazen since the ancient sorceress’s apprentice moved in. He’d play her games, but only so long as he thought she could get away with it, or if he could escape the repercussions. So far, her gambles had only been to his benefit, and he hoped it would remain that way. At the moment, she had the upper hoof in their relationship, but that wouldn’t last forever. One day, his family would exert more influence, and then he’d be the one telling her how to jump.
“If ye say so, Filthy Rich,” Granny Smith said. Likely she’d forgotten him mentioning his new title already, and that was another reason he’d felt it okay to reveal it to her.
“The zap apple harvest will be soon, yes?” Filthy Rich asked as he gestured to the odd trees around them, “And I get the first hundred jars of zap apple jam?”
“O’ course, Filthy,” Granny Smith said, and the stallion frowned.
While he tried to carry on a conversation with the elderly matriarch of the Apple family, who forgot his name or what they were talking about every few sentences, his daughter trotted off to prey on Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom had continued galloping around her assigned tree during the first part of the conversation, but now she was stumbling away from it. She fell to the ground heavily, and shot Diamond Tiara a glare when she snickered.
“Oh, you poor soul,” the spoiled filly said mockingly before sniffing haughtily, “Well, I suppose somepony has to make zap apple jam with Granny Smith, what with your sister abandoning you so often.”
“I’m glad t’ help wi’ th’ zap apple jam. Actually, I’ve been lookin’ forward t’ it for years,” Apple Bloom said, biting back a response to the second part of Diamond Tiara’s jab. That Applejack had been absent from the family more and more since Twilight Sparkle had come to town had become Diamond Tiara’s new favorite reminder. Protesting that Applejack was doing important things with the other Brave Companions for the good of the realm and for Equestria as a whole would have no effect on her. Better to simply ignore her if she could.
“It’s not the jam I’d be worried about, but Granny Smith,” Diamond Tiara said with a sniff.
“What d’you mean?” Apple Bloom asked, eyes narrowing.
“Surely you’ve noticed,” Diamond Tiara scoffed, “She’s always forgetting things, and she makes you do such ridiculous stuff.”
“No she doesn’t,” Apple Bloom protested as she tried to get up, prompty falling back down, head still spinning from her laps around the zap apple tree, “Granny said that w’ have t’ run ‘round th’ trees so that-”
You must be glad that you’re out here in the middle of nowhere and not in the Ponieville square where everypony can see,” Diamond Tiara spoke over her, “Don’t you worry, I won’t tell anypony what’s going on out here … today, anyway.”
“Diamond Tiara, come. We’re headed back to town,” Filthy Rich called, and Diamond Tiara departed with a mischievous smile, leaving Apple Bloom to ponder what she’d said.
***
Her fears of Granny Smith’s odd ways embarrassing her (which she’d never really thought of before) faded quickly, even if she did notice them more now. Apple Bloom didn’t like Diamond Tiara much at all, but she had to admit that she was right about one thing. Granny Smith hardly ever left the Apples’ land, so she wasn’t likely to have much of an opportunity to embarrass her.
Her thoughts were back on the zap apple harvest in no time, and stayed there even the next day when she was in Ponieville. Sister Cheerilee was giving lessons today, and even with preparations for the zap apple harvest in full swing, Applejack still insisted she be here instead of on the farm. Apple Bloom desperately wanted to be back there, helping out and getting ready to make zap apple jam, and she wasn’t paying much attention to Sister Cheerilee.
“Apple Bloom, have you been listening?” the nun asked pointedly, and Apple Bloom looked up in surprise to see her looming above her.
“O’ course, Sister Cheerilee,” Apple Bloom lied.
“Mm-hmm, then perhaps you could summarize today’s reading?” Cheerilee responded.
“Well, umm,” Apple Bloom said as she tried to remember anything, “I s’pose I may have let m’ mind drift a bit.”
“I see,” Cheerilee said, “Our reading today was about King Durnan’s coronation, and how he sought out the elders, trusting in their wisdom. Your granddam lives with you, does she not? Do you trust in her wisdom, Apple Bloom?”
“Granny Smith isn’t m’ granddam,” Apple Bloom said, “I s’pose so.” She didn’t think Cheerilee would appreciate hearing about Granny Smith’s quirks, and she certainly wasn’t going to bring them up with other fillies and colts her own age around after what Diamond Tiara had said.
“Perhaps she could share her wisdom with the rest of us tomorrow,” Cheerilee suggested.
“Oh, no,” Apple Bloom said, “Granny Smith doesn’t travel much from th’ farm, an’ it’s th’ middle o’ preparations for th’ zap apple harvest.”
“Perhaps we could visit her there, then,” Cheerilee said.
“Well … I … um,” Apple Bloom sputtered, trying to come up with an excuse, but finding none she was convinced would satisfy Cheerilee.
The rest of Cheerilee’s lessons for the day passed quickly, but Apple Bloom continued to have trouble concentrating, for a different reason this time. Diamond Tiara’s visit had made her nervous to have anypony encounter Granny Smith. She spent most of her time sleeping, except during the zap apple harvests, it seemed. When she was awake, she had all the peculiarities that Apple Bloom never seemed to have minded before. Not until Diamond Tiara had brought it up had she really seen it or been so worried about the opinions of her peers.
“What’s the matter, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle asked as they left the Ponieville Chapel.
“Y’ know how Granny Smith can be a bit … odd?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Last time I met her, she tried to make me wear a plate as a hat,” Scootaloo said, “Usually she’s asleep.”
“She’s not asleep now, not as much as usual, anyway,” Apple Bloom said, “I’m afraid she may try t’ make e’rypony wear a plate as a hat … or worse.”
“I’m sure it won’t be that bad, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle tried to reassure her, “You’ll see. Maybe the harvest will be ready tomorrow and she won’t have time anyway.”
“Well, well, well,” Diamond Tiara said as she snuck up on the trio from behind, “What’s this I hear about your Granny Smith sharing her ‘wisdom’ with your little class?”
“‘Tis none o’ your business, Diamond Tiara!” Apple Bloom snapped, “Don’t y’ have a fancy private tutor t’ go t’?”
“Yes, actually, though I wouldn’t want to miss out on learning what Granny Smith has to teach,” Diamond Tiara said sarcastically, “Isn’t that right, Silver Spoon?”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” her lackey said, both of them with matching cruel smiles.
Apple Bloom tried to protest, but she knew it was a futile effort. If only Diamond Tiara hadn’t planted the idea of Granny Smith embarrassing her in her head in the first place, then she wouldn’t have worried. Having all the ponies she sat down with at Sister Cheerliee’s lessons witness it was bad enough, but to also have these two fillies that constantly tormented her and her friends there was too much. She had to find some way to prevent this visit from happening. She had to.
***
“Apple Bloom, there’s no way t’ make th’ harvest go faster. Y’ know that. Zap apples are ready when they’re ready, an’ there’s no predictin’ when that’ll be,” Applejack told her later, in the midst of preparations for the harvest.
“I know,” Apple Bloom said with a sigh.
She’d seen several zap apple harvests in her lifetime, and apart from the clear signs that were repeated every time, each one was different. Sometimes days passed between the signs, sometimes only hours. She remembered two harvests ago when they’d come so fast that all the preparations for the jam weren’t ready in time and they had been left with a much-decreased stock to sell. Things were moving fast this harvest, but maybe not fast enough to prevent Granny Smith from having time the next day to speak to her class.
“Why are y’ so worried about this?” Applejack asked her.
She was spared from having to answer as the calls of crows filled the air. Ever since the first sign of the zap apple harvest, they’d seemed drawn to the grove, though they never actually roosted in the zap apple trees. Now they all took off at once, causing snow to fall from the surrounding orchards as they converged over the zap apple orchard. At the same time, the ground beneath the ponies’ hooves began to roll like waves at sea, crashing against the trunks of the zap apple trees. Geysers of blue flame that never burned anything sprouted up in places where the ground cracked open. Lights of the same color pulsed up through the zap apple trees’ trunks and spread out along the branches and through the leaves. In places, tiny buds began to open, lightning coursing along their petals as they unfolded. Only a few minutes after it had started, the third sign ended, the crows departed, and the ground returned to normal.
As Applejack admired the zap apple blooms, Apple Bloom snuck away. Her friends were waiting for her a short distance outside the zap apple grove’s palisade. They looked expectantly at Apple Bloom, but their heads fell when she shook her head. It wasn’t they who were worried about Granny Smith’s actions in front of Sister Cheerilee’s students, but this was a big deal to their friend, so they had to take this seriously too. They wouldn’t be the Cutie Mark Crusaders if they didn’t stand together.
“Cheer up, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said as they trotted together, “I’m sure we can think of something.”
“I sure hope so,” Apple Bloom said glumly, “I wish Sistah Cheerilee had never had this idea.”
“Sister Cheerliee!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
“What, y’ got an idea?” Apple Bloom said excitedly.
“No, but … look!” Sweetie Belle said, swallowing heavily as she pointed down the path to Ponieville.
It was difficult to tell for sure at this distance, but the fillies knew only one violet pony in a nun’s habit who would be venturing through the countryside around Ponieville. So far, Apple Bloom had avoided telling anypony on the farm, but once Cheerilee spoke with Granny Smith about it, there would be no chance of getting out of having her speak to the other fillies and colts. Unless, of course, Granny Smith told Cheerilee that she wouldn’t speak to the class. Small chance of that, however. Granny Smith never seemed short of words around Apple Bloom, when she was awake anyways. When she’s awake …
“Girls, I’ve got an idea!” Apple Bloom said excitedly as she recalled Granny Smith was currently napping in the farmhouse, “We have t’ hurry, though!”
The fillies hurried off before Cheerilee caught sight of them and had long vanished by the time she reached the Apples’ homestead. She paused to accept Applejack’s thanks for her efforts in educating Ponieville’s youth and to get directions to Granny Smith before continuing to the farmhouse. Applejack had told her to go on in, but she still knocked before entering the home. Granny Smith was seated in her chair, blankets covering her and spilling onto the floor around her, a dark bonnet shadowing her eyes.
“Mistress Smith?” Cheerilee asked, unsure if the pony before her was awake or asleep.
“Ooh, aye, ye moost be Sistah Cheer’lee,” Scootaloo mimicked Granny Smith from behind the chair.
“Granny Smith doesn’t talk like that,” Apple Bloom objected under her breath.
“Sure she does,” Scootaloo whispered back, “Besides, Cheerilee’s never met her, so how would she know the difference?”
Sweetie Belle shushed the pair from her precarious position under the blankets atop Granny Smith, trying to move the elderly mare’s jaw to match Scootaloo’s words.
“What was that?” Cheerilee asked.
“Ah asked whay ye haeft come here,” Scootaloo carried on, “’Tis zap apple season ye know, an’ wae all be mighty busy.”
“Yes, of course, Apple Bloom said as much,” Cheerilee said with a slight bow of her head, her ear twitching beneath her coif as she sensed something fishy was going on but couldn’t quite place it, “Where is Apple Bloom?”
“She probably be oot workin’ in thae fields,” Scootaloo said, “Whay haeft ye come here?”
“I had hoped Apple Bloom would be here to talk to you as well, but no matter,” Cheerilee said, “Mistress Smith, I would like to ask you to speak to the foals under my tutelage tomorrow about some of the wisdom you’ve learned in your years.”
“Taemarry! Ampossable!” Scootaloo said, her false accent growing more ridiculous by the minute, “Wae’ve goat tae harvest thae zap aepples afore they ael be bad’uns! Ah’ll bae far tae busy tae talk tae anypony!”
“I see,” Sister Cheerilee said, “Perhaps another time.” Why won’t my ear seize that infernal twitching?
The nun turned and left the farmhouse, trying to think of a suitable substitute for the next day’s lessons. As she departed, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo congratulated each other silently behind the chair. As they did so, they bumped the chair, upsetting Sweetie Belle’s balance. She pitched back, bringing most of the blankets with her as well as nearly taking Granny Smith as well.
“Eh, whit?” the elderly mare said as she was jolted awake and saw the farmhouse door closing, “Visitors?”
Sweetie Belle tried to stay still in the pile of blankets as Granny Smith trotted by. She moved to the door surprisingly swiftly for her age. Cheerilee hadn’t made it far by the time she opened the door and spotted her.
“Haw, ye must be Sistah Cheerilee,” Granny called out and Apple Bloom cringed.
“Um, yes?” Cheerilee said as she turned back, puzzled.
“What brings ye all the way oot here?” Granny Smith asked, puzzling Cheerilee even further.
“I came … to ask you if I you would be willing to speak to the foals under my tutelage tomorrow about the wisdom you’ve accumulated,” Cheerilee repeated herself, “I regret that you haven’t the time.”
“Balderdash!” Granny Smith exclaimed, “Ah wouldnae miss th’ chance tae share me experiences wi’ th’ wee fillies an’ colts.”
“Oh, well … if you say so,” Cheerilee said uncertainly, and started to trot away.
“Ah do say so,” Granny Smith replied, “See ye tomorrow, Sistah!”
Inside, Apple Bloom groaned. There was no hope now.
***
“Face it, girls, we’re never goin’ t’ think o’ somethin’,” Apple Bloom sighed later, hooves over her head.
“Don’t give up hope, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle tried to console her, though things looked pretty hopeless from her perspective as well.
The three of them were sitting on the roof of a granary, looking out at the zap apple grove. To the west, the sky was darkening orange and crimson, the sun nearly out of sight. If Sweetie Belle didn’t return to Ponieville soon, her parents would worry, but she wanted to stick around as long as she could to help Apple Bloom. Scootaloo lounged nearby, having given up hope shortly before Apple Bloom had.
“I’m goin’ t’ have t’ live with Granny Smith makin’ a fool o’ herself an’ me,” Apple Bloom said despondently, “Unless she’s asleep.”
“Or, unless the zap apple harvest is happening!” Sweetie Belle said sharply, sitting up abruptly.
Something was going on out in the orchard, and Scootaloo also sat up to get a better view. The trees seemed almost to be quivering and the clouds over the grove circled, wisps trailing off. For a moment, the stars seemed to whirl as well before snapping back into position. Lightning coursed up and down the trunks of the zap apple trees, and the blossoms were singed to ash. In seconds, everywhere there had been a blossom, a fully formed apple appeared, dangling from the branches.
“Come on!” Sweetie Belle called excitedly as she hurried down from the granary roof and across the farmyard, startling Applejack.
Scootaloo quickly followed, jumping from the roof and flapping her wings, which did little to slow her fall into a pile of snow. As she dug herself free, Apple Bloom climbed down herself, head still hanging in defeat. She trotted over to join the others in the zap apple orchard, where they were marveling at the trees. Zap apples hung on every tree, looking exactly like regular apples except for their shiny gray skins.
“Are they supposed to look like that?” Scootaloo asked doubtfully.
“They’re not ripe, yet.” Apple Bloom said despondently. There was a little more hope now that the harvest would come quickly enough, but still not enough to raise Apple Bloom’s spirits.
“So, picking them early should be fine, right?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Maybe, but I don’t know,” Apple Bloom said, “Zap apples aren’t like normal apples.”
“It’ll be fine,” Scootaloo tried to assure her as she trotted up to the nearest tree.
The lightning that had recently surrounded the trees seemed to still be in the air, tugging at wisps of the pegasus’s mane as she approached. She considered how the Apples knocked the fruit down from their trees before charging the trunk. At the last moment, she spun to buck the tree, much less gracefully than Applejack, but her wings helped correct her trajectory. As soon as her hindhooves connected with the tree’s trunk, she was thrown away, all her hair standing on end. Lightning coursed up and down the trunk for a few seconds after Scootaloo had been rebuffed.
“You okay?” Sweetie Belle asked, and Scootaloo nodded, shaking the fuzz from her head as she rose.
“Maybe apple buckin’ is a bad idea,” Apple Bloom considered as she looked at the trees, “We could just try t’ pick ‘em, though.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders had to do a little searching before they found a tree with low-enough hanging fruit. Standing on each other’s backs and careful not to touch the trunk of the tree, Apple Bloom was able to reach one of the zap apples. If she needed any other proof that they weren’t ripe than the color, the way the skin rebuffed her teeth and eventually gave without breaking when she did manage to get a grip confirmed it. She tried to pull the apple free, but the stem stubbornly held on to its branch without giving a hair. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle also tried to help, pulling Apple Bloom toward the ground, but the zap apple remained fixed.
Panting, the trio fell to the ground after it became clear the zap apple wouldn’t budge until it was ready to be picked. They tried a few others, with the same results. As Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle returned to Ponieville, rushing to make it before last light, Apple Bloom returned to the farmhouse. Her only hope now was for the zap apple harvest to come quickly. Somehow, she had the feeling that she wouldn’t be so lucky.
***
The zap apples still weren’t ripe the following dawn, and as the morning passed, they showed no sign of being ready soon. Apple Bloom tried to concentrate on her work, helping Granny Smith prepare for the jam-making, but she couldn’t take her mind off the inevitable moment that Cheerilee would arrive with the other foals from Ponieville. She’d tried everything she could think of, including asking Applejack and Big Mac to speak instead, but that had done her no favors. Once Applejack had heard, she’d insisted that she be on her best behavior for Sister Cheerilee and that she and Big Mac would take care of everything, so Granny Smith would have plenty of time to speak.
At last, the inevitable came. It was only mid-morning when Sister Cheerilee arrived at the Apples’ home, a gaggle of fillies and colts following her, including Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon. Apple Bloom was glad to see her friends, but the other two made her stomach drop.
“I can’t wait to hear what Granny Smith has to say,” Diamond Tiara said, then loudly whispered, “If she can stay awake long enough or remember where she is.”
“Mistress Smith, what would you like to tell our little ponies?” Cheerilee asked as she directed a stern look at Diamond Tiara.
“Hmm, let’s see,” Granny Smith mused, and Apple Bloom was afraid she might be nodding off, “Och, ah ken whit tae tell ye. Th’ zap apples af jogged me memory. Ah kin tell ye aboot when ah discovered ‘em. Ah was just a wee yin then, barely older’n any o’ ye. ‘Twasnae long after we first arrived ‘ere.”
“Ye see, wars in Haeldom had forced me family tae search for a new home. We made wur way tae Cant’r Laht, searchin’ for some place tae settle down an’ tend th’ land. ‘Twas there that Celestia herself in all her majesty came tae speak tae me father …”
***
Year 774 of the 4th Age
“Your Grace, the Lodge begs you to reconsider your decision,” Count Bracer pleaded with Celestia as he trotted alongside her through the streets of Cant’r Laht.
The sorcerer flinched as Celestia looked down at him but didn’t slow his canter to keep up with her long stride. Bracer was the current advisor the Lodge of Sorceresses had foisted upon her, which meant he was the one who most commonly voiced their disagreements with every action Celestia took. Celestia hadn’t always had an advisor from the Lodge; she could remember a time when she hadn’t had to put up with one … several centuries ago. I think I’ve put up with this nonsense long enough. The advisor will have to go, and soon.
“Might I remind you that it is none of the Lodge’s business what I do with my own lands,” Celestia told the sorcerer quite firmly.
The lands in question had once belonged to a now-extinct noble family whose seat was in Cant’r Laht. When the last member of the family had died out heirless, their lands had passed to the Lodge, but after nearly seven decades of quibbling over which of their members would receive them, they had eventually passed the lands on to Celestia. Besides multiple claims, there was the problem that many did not know what to do with the lands. Though on a clear day, they could be seen from Cant’r Laht, the acres were far outside its sphere of influence. The Equestry Valley was a patchwork of petty kingdoms constantly in some conflict or another with each other, and these lands were right at the heart, bordering the Everfree Forest to boot. Only the threat of Celestia bringing down her wrath had stopped them from being seized years ago, though nopony in them had recognized rulership of anypony from Cant’r Laht even before the lands had passed to the Lodge.
“Yes, but to pass the lands to … commoners,” Count Bracer said as he sweated nervously, “The Lodge assumed that you would grant those lands some day to a distinguished Cant’r Laht House.”
It was unorthodox what Celestia was doing, but she was a rather unorthodox ruler. No Cant’r Laht noble would ever have the strength or focus to truly hold lands in the Equestry Valley under their sway, surrounded on all sides by enemies and monsters. Neither could Celestia afford to have her own guard hold lands that were largely uninhabited and untended. If some of that land were tended, however, then the rest of it could be ruled and survive off the taxes and produce. Perhaps it could even prove as a hoofhold to expand Cant’r Laht’s dominions into the Equestry Valley. The land was in an advantageous location, the possession of which would allow control of trade through the Equestry Valley itself.
Certain compromises and departures from orthodoxy would be required to make this work, of course. This Apple family would have no feudal lord but Celestia herself, though they would have to answer in certain matters to a regional administrator appointed by the ancient sorceress. In many ways, they would have much more freedom than the average peasant farmer in Equestria, enjoying a status only slightly less than a freeholder. She couldn’t simply give them the land to freehold, of course; for her plan to work, they had to remain subservient to the Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht. Celestia was still taking a risk, but it was one she was confident would pay off.
“You may inform the Lodge of Sorceresses that I care not one whit what they think in this matter, and they may as well jump off the Titan’s Horn as continue to try to sway me when I’ve made my decision,” Celestia told Bracer, and her advisor really did stumble in shock this time.
Let the Lodge think on that. I still rule in Cant’r Laht, and I doubt they’ve forgotten how I became Matron of Sorceresses in the first place. Celestia passed through a gate in Cant’r Laht’s wall, the city watch saluting sharply. Nearby was a sprawling city of tents set up on the small outcropping of land from the Titan’s Horn that hadn’t been eaten up by the Ivory City. Time to give them the good news.
***
Year 1001 of the 4th Age
“Celestia granted wur fam’ly th’ land we still tend t’day,” Granny Smith continued, “Her grant gave us th’ right tae settle here an’ tend this land so long as we’re able tae, answerin’ tae none but th’ great sorceress ‘erself. O’ course, we still had tae settle th’ land, an’ it wasnae easy. We nearly starved, an’ e’en when we didn’t, we were all aloon. ‘Til, that is, I discovered th’ zap apples …”
***
Year 779 of the 4th Age
Ginger knew that the Everfree forest was forbidden, but she wouldn’t sit idly by while her family starved. So many of the Apples had already died since coming here, but their family was not one to give up easily, and she was an Apple through and through. The clan was a large one, and it took her considerable time to sneak through the farmstead that was practically a village itself. A first and a second cousin of hers stood watch at the eastern gate of the compound, but they were both snoring, one of them leaning on his spear and the other lounging against the palisade. It wasn’t good, but it was fortunate, as it allowed her to sneak out without trying to clamber over the sharpened logs that surrounded the complex.
Many years from now, Ginger would marry Juniper, a smith that would join the Apple clan and do all the metalworking they needed for many years. Even later, the two of them would be given the monikers Grandsire and Granny Smith by their foals’ foals, a name that stuck with Ginger for generations after her husband’s passing. For now, though, Ginger was merely a foal who wished to help her family and was willing to risk her life to do so.
There were animals in the Everfree Forest, both monstrous and not, and they couldn’t all survive only by eating each other. That meant that something had to grow here, and if she was lucky, then it would be edible for ponies too. She searched through the forest, careful to mark her way back so that she wouldn’t be trapped here forever. There were unsettling sounds all around her, but still the filly pressed on, determined to find something that would provide for her family at least until next harvest.
What she found was a cluster of the most peculiar trees she’d ever seen. Their trunks seemed almost to be glowing, with flickers of light within. Deep gouges scored many of them, made by some beast’s claws. Though the season for apples was long past, the fruit weighed down many of the branches, though they were as strange as the trees they grew on. Their skins were shiny and gray, unlike any kind of apple this member of the Apple family had ever seen.
Ginger couldn’t afford to be choosy, so she set out to pick the apples. Once she brought them back to the farm, she could figure out how to prepare them. As she approached the trees, she felt a tingle run throughout her whole body. With a shock, she realized that her hooves were no longer touching the ground; she was floating, though by flailing her limbs, she was able to make contact with the earth briefly. All around her, gravity seemed to be losing its hold, allowing every loose piece of forest debris to hover just above the ground. The air itself seemed to hum, and the apples began to glow a pale white light.
Ginger noticed that the forest had gone silent, all the creatures either having fled or quieted themselves, and she worried that she’d trotted headlong into something dangerous. The sky above her head grew suddenly clear of clouds, and she gasped audibly as an aurora flashed through every color in the spectrum. As it did, the apples too shifted colors too quickly to follow, until with a flash, their skins became striped in a rainbow pattern and their stems twisted into the shape of lightning bolts. Ginger felt something run through her, suffusing her whole body as the apples changed, before dropping to the ground.
After determining that she was unharmed, she picked herself up off the ground and looked in awe at the trees. The apples certainly looked more palatable now than they had before. Other than the few around her that had burst, that is. She picked up the seeds of those, tucking them away in her saddlebags to plant these strange trees outside the forest, before setting to work picking the apples from the trees. By morning, she would return home with stuffed saddlebags and the start of a unique and very profitable crop for the Apple family.
***
Year 1001 of the 4th Age
“‘Twere th’ only seeds th’ zap apples ever gave. Ah planted an’ tended ‘em an’ learned how tae treat these strange trees,” Granny Smith told the foals, who were all listening in rapt attention now, “Zap apples are nae like other apples, an’ require all kinds o’ special care, oar they willnae give a good crop. Ah learned through th’ years all th’ strange ways needed tae grow ‘em. Ah discovered how tae make jam an’ cider an’ all th’ other wondrous things that can be made from th’ zap apples. Word o’ this strange fruit spread, an’ soon other ponies began tae settle near us.”
“One o’ them ponies was yer great-great-great-great-great-grandsire, Stinkin’ Rich,” Granny Smith said as she pointed at Diamond Tiara, taking the filly by surprise, “He was a great friend o’ our fam’ly, why he an’ ‘is kin are th’ only ones outside th’ fam’ly allowed tae sell our zap apple jam. More an’ more ponies came an’ settled t’gether in Ponieville, a new town, an’ soon we had neighbors all ‘round. Things have changed ‘round ‘ere a lot in th’ past two hundred years, an’ I seen it all.”
Oohs and ahs came from the colts and fillies seated on the floor around Granny Smith’s seat as she concluded her tale. Sister Cheerliee sat in quiet contemplation. Could her story really be true? It wasn’t quite what she’d expected, but it gave her plenty to think about. Nothing about it seemed wrong, yet Granny Smith was making an unbelievable claim in that she’d been there since before Ponieville had even existed.
“Th’ zap apples are ready!” Granny Smith suddenly shouted as she felt a tingle in her joints.
Hurrying to her hooves as best she could, she sped to the door, some of the foals scrambling to help her. A hum filled the air and the zap apple grove glowed, an aurora forming in the sky over it. Many of the foals rushed to see, only to be held back by Applejack and Big Mac from getting too close as the palisade stakes began to shake and try to break free of gravity. Most of them, even Diamond Tiara, would end up helping with the first zap apple harvest, inspired by Granny Smith’s tale of how important these trees and their fruit were to the very existence of their home.
As they rushed to the orchard, nopony seemed to notice the sorceress standing by the door. Twilight Sparkle had come to the Apples’ farm to study the zap apple harvest, which she’d never heard of but knew that magic had to be involved somehow. She’d caught most of Granny Smith’s speech, and like Cheerilee, was stunned by what she’d heard. It simply can’t be true. Granny Smith nearly 230 years old? No sorceress apart from Celestia and Luna have lived so long in millennia, and they’re both alicorns! How? How could this be possible? What secrets is Granny Smith hiding?
“Y’re sayin’ I shouldn’t go,” Applejack said testily in between stuffing provisions into her saddlebags.
“Nay, but I am sayin’ that ‘tis not th’ best time,” Big Mac replied as he watched disapprovingly, “Th’ first zap apple harvest has come, an’ Apple Bloom is helpin’ wi’ Granny t’ make th’ jam, but we still need y’ here, Applejack.”
“Y’ know our situation better than I,” Applejack said, pausing in her packing, “Y’ know that e’en wi’ all th’ proceeds from th’ zap apple harvests, e’en if all goes as could be hoped, we’ll still barely scrape by.”
Big Mac said nothing in reply, but just stared at Applejack. The filly averted her eyes after a few seconds. He didn’t blame her for being gone all the time with the Brave Companions, she knew that, but what was left unsaid was that it had had a detrimental effect on the success of the farm this year. There was no slain criosphinx this year to help make up for the difference either. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way she could still do so, though. However, it would require her to go away.
“Th’ Appleoosa Tournament is offerin’ sizable prizes for th’ winners o’ competitions. If ‘tis anythin’ like th’ White Tail Tournament, I should be able t’ make more than enough,” Applejack said, “I have t’ go. I’ll be back afore th’ second zap apple harvest.”
As she moved toward th’ door, Big Mac blocked her way with one of his massive forelegs. When she looked up into his eyes, expecting him to be cross with her, she instead saw fear.
“Be careful, sis,” he said, “E’ry time y’ leave, I fear it’ll be th’ last time I see y’. Promise me y’ll come back t’ us.”
“I promise,” Applejack said, “I promise t’ return, an’ bring enough coin that we won’t have t’ worry anymore.”
***
A week-and-a-half later, Twilight Sparkle trotted through the countryside around Ponieville, bundled up against the cold. Spike bounced on her back, not quite so bundled up as she, taking down the notes the sorceress relayed to him and reheating his inkwell with his breath whenever the ink began to stiffen. She was on her way to the Apples’ homestead for two reasons. Firstly, she’d been studying the bizarre “zap apple” trees that grew nearby ever since the start of the harvest had alerted her to their presence. Magical plants were not unheard of, but Twilight was having a difficult time making sense of how these functioned. Perhaps if she could witness another harvest, it would enlighten her. According to Big McIntosh, another was due any day now, and so was Applejack. That was the second reason for Twilight’s visit.
Her friend had taken off for Appleoosa without a word to her or the other Brave Companions, which she was of course free to do, but it was still odd. Twilight was anxious about being apart, in case another pony possessed by Discord surfaced. So far, she’d relied on being able to counter the anti-Element with its associated Element, and Deceit, the counter to Applejack’s Element of Trustworthiness, was still out there somewhere. If she was unable to locate Applejack, that could be a problem. The sorceress had tried scrying for her along the most logical routes between Appleoosa and Ponieville, but she had been unsuccessful in finding the farmer. She should have returned by now. Twilight was holding out hope that she was either at the Apples’ homestead, or had sent them word.
When she neared the enclosure, a courier was just trotting away. Twilight picked up her pace, and Spike dismounted to run after her. When she arrived at the Apple family’s home, the three members other than Applejack were gathered around a letter, Apple Bloom reading it aloud.
“I won’t be returnin’ t’ Ponieville. Don’t worry, I’ll send th’ money soon,” Apple Bloom read in surprise before looking up at Big Mac, “What money?”
“Who will not be returning to Ponieville?” Twilight Sparkle cut in, “Applejack? Why not?”
“It doesn’t say,” Apple Bloom said sadly as she allowed the letter to fall to the floor, “Applejack’s … not comin’ back?”
“Applejack not coming back, that’s crazy!” Spike said as he caught up to the group just in time to hear Apple Bloom’s tearful pondering, “Something awful must have happened if that’s true.”
“You are right, Spike,” Twilight admitted, “Applejack must be in trouble.”
The Apples looked at Twilight expectantly, though she almost felt the looks were accusatory, as if they blamed her for dragging Applejack into danger. Admittedly, she had on several occasions, but not this time … not that she was aware of, anyway.
“I will find her,” Twilight swore, “You have my word on that.”
***
It wasn’t just Twilight that set out on the quest to find Applejack and bring her home. In addition to her near-constant companion Spike, the other Brave Companions joined her as well. Rarity shut down her smithy yet again this year with only a minimum of bemoaning the lost business. Rainbow Dash rushed to finish her current contract before the group departed Ponieville. Fluttershy and Pinkamena informed the druids’ circle and the Cakes respectively that they would be gone for some time. Their friend was in trouble, maybe even in danger, and they were all going to be there for her. After all, Applejack had been there for them in the past, so the least they could do was return the favor.
It would have been slow going through the snow had Twilight not used her sorcery to help clear their path. It left her exhausted every night, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make, both because it would help them find Applejack more quickly and because it helped her hone her skills. The sorceress wasn’t the only member of the party that was exhausted by the end of the day, either. Rainbow Dash flew far and wide, scouting to make sure they didn’t miss Applejack on a return journey or wherever she might be held up. Whenever their course took them through a village, everypony fanned out to ask after her.
Eventually they reached their first destination: Appleoosa. In nearly the year since they’d last been here, the town had grown. Though it still seemed incredibly small to the Cant’r Laht sorceress, it was now of a size with Ponieville, buildings spreading beyond the wall originally built to keep the bison out. Alongside the house of the former self-appointed sheriff was rising a stone structure befitting his new Celestia-appointed title, a keep for Thane Silver Star. Few signs of the tournament these ponies had put on remained. It hadn’t been a large or particularly prestigious tournament, what with little established order in the South Equestry Valley, and the fact that most of the nobles who did live around here looked down their muzzles at the upstart thane, but in time it might become another White Tail Tournament.
Given that a large number of the ponies who lived here were Applejack’s kinsponies, it wasn’t hard to find somepony who’d recognized her and knew where she was. Well, they knew where she had gone, at least. East, to Dodge’s Crossing, with a pony named Cherry Jubilee. The Brave Companions headed east as well, following Applejack’s trail and praying that she was still in Dodge’s Crossing or that somepony there knew where she had headed next.
The town of Dodge’s Crossing sat on the current border between the Duchy of Balte-Maer and the Dominions of Cant’r Laht (as re-established by the Treaty of Boulder Brook signed between the Appleoosans and the bison). Six thousand years earlier, the crusader-lord Dodge successfully forded the White River here while it was in flood, taking the pegasi on the west bank by surprise and establishing his own kingdom in the rich South Equestry Valley as a result, simply because he had managed to do what his more powerful, more wealthy fellow crusaders had failed to do: cross the river. The story became enshrined as a legend, and the spot became known as Dodge’s Crossing. Many villages with the same name had sprung up in this spot throughout the ages, the current one only a few centuries older than Ponieville.
The White River was no longer fordable here, but it was still the easiest place to cross within a hundred leagues due to the bridge that had been built from bank to bank. Originally, the bridge that formed the foundation for Dodge’s Crossing had been built by the mages of the growing College of Eyes, a vast span of stone that would have taken years and the backing of a king to build without the aid of magic. Ponies had built their homes and shops on either end of the bridge at first, but had soon begun building on the bridge itself. There was more than enough space; the bridge was wide enough for ten wagons to pass abreast. Buildings continued to expand onto the bridge until only an avenue down the middle remained. That didn’t deter the ponies of Dodge’s Crossing from continuing to build, though. Homes and shops were stacked, and wooden streets built between them. When the towers of buildings grew too high, bridges were built alongside the main bridge, with their own houses and shops built and stacked on top of them. Nowadays, the bridge was nearly three times its original width, and three more levels of bridges passed overhead. The town was the bridge, and the bridge was the town; there was no separating them anymore.
“I hope this doesn’t turn out to be a dead end,” Rainbow Dash commented as the Brave Companions stepped onto the bridge. She flexed her wings nervously, uncomfortable at being boxed in by buildings on either side and more bridges overhead.
“We will find her,” Twilight Sparkle promised, “They said she came here with Cherry Jubilee, so if we find her, then we find Applejack.”
“I found her!” Pinkamena exclaimed, jumping into the air and sending a store’s sign swinging as she struck it with her head.
“Cherry Jubilee?” Rarity asked, “No offense, darling, but how could you tell?”
“Not her, Applejack!” Pinkamena shouted, pointing with a hoof into the crowd of ponies on the bridge.
Everypony looked in the direction the bard was pointing, but nopony could see any sign of the farmer. Rainbow Dash spread her wings, earning a cry from the pony next to her, and hovered just above the crowd. There were two stacks of buildings between the stone bridge and the wooden one above, but banners and lines of laundry were spread over the walkway, keeping Rainbow from flying too high. She did get high enough to see what Pinkamena had seen, an orange mare at the far end of the bridge.
“There she is!” the Hunter proclaimed before trying to wing her way toward Applejack.
Dodging through the tangle of hangings, she made it about a fifth of the way before deciding it would be easier to fly back and over Dodge’s Crossing entirely. Meanwhile, the other Brave Companions tried to make their way across. Fluttershy had a little more success than Dash, carefully moving through the lines, but only Rarity fell behind her. Pinkamena bounded through the crowd, somehow managing to land on only a few ponies in the process. Twilight Sparkle teleported through the groups, Spike clinging tightly to her neck, sometimes zipping up to the balconies on the second floor to get a better view or slip past a knot of ponies. She and Rainbow Dash arrived at Applejack around the same time, with the others drifting in one by one.
“Applejack!” Twilight Sparkle called, and her quarry stopped in surprise.
“Twi’? What’re y’ doin’ here?” Applejack asked, before spotting Pinkamena bounding up, Fluttershy extricating herself from a clothesline, and Rarity stepping out of the crowd leaving the bridge, “What’re y’ all doin’ here?”
“Why didn’t you come back to Ponieville?” Rainbow Dash demanded, landing on the wagon Applejack was pulling.
“Why are you here?” Rarity asked as she trotted up.
“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked with concern.
“What happened after you left Appleoosa?” Twilight asked, “Why did you come here?”
“Well, I, uh …” Applejack said, pointedly avoiding making eye contact.
“Applejack!” a cream-coated pony with a highly-stacked red mane and a finely-cut dress exclaimed as she descended the steps of a nearby home, “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”
The newcomer’s home was quite large and built beyond the main sprawl of Dodge’s Crossing, so there was some space between it and the other buildings. There weren’t too many houses like it around here, which meant the pony who owned it had to be rich, powerful, or most likely both. She appeared to know Applejack, which gave Twilight a hint as to who this pony was (as did the cherry-shaped brooch that fastened her cloak).
“And who are these ponies?” the unfamiliar mare asked as she approached, “Could these be your friends from Ponieville you spoke of?”
“Indeed, we are,” Twilight Sparkle answered, “Cherry Jubilee?”
“The very same,” Cherry Jubilee said proudly, “I suppose Applejack told you all about me. I was lucky to be the one to snatch her up after the tournament. Why, she shone in every competition she entered, which was very nearly all of them. I can always use a pony with quick hooves and a strong back, so when I heard she was looking for a change of scenery, I offered her a job working for me here as fast as I could. Speaking of which, there’s still plenty of work to do today, but I’ve no fear you’ll manage. Catch up with your friends and I’ll see you later.”
“Yes, Mistress Jubilee,” Applejack said with a deferential bow.
“Looking for a change of scenery?” Rainbow Dash asked with derision once Cherry Jubilee was out of earshot, “What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothin’,” Applejack said quickly as she began pulling the wagon again, nearly knocking Rainbow Dash off balance, “I wanted some time away from Ponieville, so I came ‘ere. That’s all there is t’ it.”
“That can’t be all there is to it,” Pinkamena said pleadingly.
“What about your family in Ponieville?” Rarity asked, “Or us?”
“We didn’t travel all the way here and track you down just to go home without you!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she swooped down to land in front of Applejack.
“Well, I didn’t ask y’ t’ come lookin’ for me in th’ first place!” Applejack yelled back, before jerking her cart around Rainbow Dash and continuing to trot away, “I’m stayin’ ‘ere, so accept it!”
“What are we going to do?” Fluttershy asked after Applejack had left.
“There has to be something she is not telling us,” Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully, “What could it be?”
“Whatever it is, we’re not leaving until we find out,” Rainbow Dash said gruffly.
***
Applejack swung her axe against the tree’s trunk one last time, and it began to topple over. It was a change of pace from how she usually interacted with trees, but there wasn’t much to harvest in the middle of the winter. Except for zap apples. No, Applejack, focus. They’ll do fine at the zap apple harvest without you. You need to concentrate on keeping your promise to Big Mac, and you didn’t promise to return in time for the second harvest. Applejack shook herself from her inner monologue and got to work lopping off branches from the newly-felled tree. As she did so, she spotted three familiar ponies trotting her way.
“Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena, what are y’ doin’ ‘ere? I told y’ I’m not comin’ back t’ Ponieville with y’.”
“Settle down; we aren’t here to ponynap you,” Rainbow Dash said, “Cherry Jubilee hired me to clear the forest of gnomes.”
“And I’m here on behalf of the local druids’ circle to make sure Cherry Jubilee is felling the forest responsibly, not too many trees,” Fluttershy explained.
“An’ what about y’, Pinkamena?” Applejack asked, “Have y’ come t’ bake Cherry Jubilee some bread? Or maybe sing while I work?”
“No, though I could,” Pinkamena said, pulling her lute out of her voluminous mane before getting a look from Rainbow Dash and tucking it back away, “Maybe not. I’m here to work, too! Cherry Jubilee hired me to chop and trim trees!”
“D’y’ have any experience wi’ that?” Applejack asked skeptically.
“Well, no,” Pinkamena admitted, “But Cherry Jubilee said you could teach me!”
“Fine, but I don’t want t’ talk about Ponieville,” Applejack huffed.
“Perish the thought!” Pinkamena said, “So, what’re we doing?”
Applejack sighed before showing Pinkamena how she could help her with trimming the tree’s branches. For some reason, the other two continued to hang around as well. Fluttershy at least had some excuse, but Rainbow Dash should have been off tending to the gnomes, some of which Applejack had seen in her time working for Mistress Jubilee.
“So, how was Appleoosa?” Rainbow Dash asked once Applejack and Pinkamena got going, and Applejack shot the Hunter a look, “Appleoosa’s not Ponieville, is it?”
“I s’pose not,” Applejack sighed, “It was fine.”
“How was the tournament?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Fine,” Applejack answered, annoyed at trying to be engaged in a conversation while she had an axe in mouth.
“Did you get to talk to your family there?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yes, I did,” Applejack answered.
“How’d you meet Cherry Jubilee?” Rainbow asked.
“Like she said, she scouted me out once th’ tournament was over an’ asked if I could work for her,” Applejack replied, “In th’ winter, she manages a lumber business, but she’s also got a cherry orchard an’ farmlands for th’ rest o’ th’ year. Somethin’ I understood.”
“So, you told her about your family’s farm, then?” Rainbow asked suspiciously.
“Yes.”
“And did you tell her why you weren’t going back?” Rainbow demanded.
“No, because it’s not her business, an’ it’s not your business either!” Applejack exclaimed, dropping her axe, “I don’t want t’ talk about it, an’ I’m not tellin’ y’! Don’t y’ get it? I’ll come back when I’m ready! Now, I’m tryin’ t’ do m’ job, so why don’t y’ leave me alone and do your job?”
“Fine,” Rainbow Dash said with a frown before taking off for the forest.
“You too, Fluttershy,” Applejack said once she’d cooled down a little.
As the druid also left, she was left alone with Pinkamena. She at least didn’t seem to be intent on getting Applejack’s secrets out of her, but then again, you could never really tell just what Pinkamena was thinking. At the moment, she seemed to be intent on doing her job while humming a tune to herself. Applejack sighed and got back to work.
“Applejack, you mind if we talk?” Pinkamena asked a few minutes later.
“That’s fine, I s’pose, so long as y’ don’t ask any questions,” Applejack said after thinking for a minute. It really wouldn’t be good to shut her friends out when they just wanted to help.
“What about the question I just asked? Oh, that was a question too, wasn’t it?” Pinkamena babbled before putting her forehooves over her mouth.
“That kind o’ question is all right, Pinkamena,” Applejack assured her, “Just, nothin’ about Ponieville or why I’m ‘ere, okay?”
“Okay,” Pinkamena mumbled through her hooves before dropping them, “I was just thinking about the Elements of Harmony, and how all of us are connected. And you know how Twilight says we’re connected in another way, too? I don’t just mean that we’re friends or Brave Companions or anything like that. I mean the sonic rainboom Dash did back when we were all fillies. The one that even you and I saw even though we weren’t anywhere near, you know? That’s how we got powers, she says, like my premonitions. I haven’t had one of those in a while, though maybe I will whenever the next piece of Discord’s soul is found. Anyway, your special power from the rainboom is to make plants grow better, right? I was wondering if you could make this log sprout more branches. Would it have to be rooted still? Could you make your crops better even after they’ve been harvested? When do you think we’ll find another pony with a piece of Discord’s soul? I know Twilight’s worried about it; she kept bringing it up on the way here. She says every Element of Harmony has an anti-Element of Disharmony that these soul pieces have. Do you think the ponies with Discord’s soul are linked, too? Other than by sharing a draconeqawhatsits’s soul, that is. They’ve got powers, like us. Did they have a sonic rainboom too? Or, maybe an anti-sonic rainboom! No, that doesn’t sound right. A sonic anti-rainboom maybe? Or a sonic rainwhisper! Can you imagine it, hardly any sound at all in a collapse without any color!”
“Stop, stop, please stop talking!” Applejack pleaded with her hooves over her ears. She’d been pleading for a while but Pinkamena continued to talk over her about anything and everything that popped into her head.
“Maybe the pony with the anti-Element of Mirth also has premonitions, or maybe it’s the opposite and they have visions of the past, or maybe only sometimes don’t have premonitions. What would the anti-Element of Mirth be? Cruelty? Gloominess? I’m sure Twilight has it written down somewhere, don’t you, Twilight?”
Applejack looked up with surprise to see that the sorceress had joined them, as had Rarity. Pinkamena’s mouth was still moving, but no sound was coming from her, courtesy of a spell that Twilight had cast.
“We didn’t want to force you, darling, but that’s what it’s come to,” Rarity said, “If you want Pinkamena to stop her chatter, you’ll have to tell us the real reason you came here instead of returning to Ponieville.”
“I can’t, I won’t,” Applejack said stubbornly.
“Very well, then,” Rarity said, and Pinkamena’s voice became audible again.
“… but that probably won’t happen for another hundred years or more. I wonder if any of us will still be around then? Maybe Twilight, if she follows in Celestia’s hoofsteps. Maybe you too, Applejack, if you take after your Granny Smith. Was she really around before Ponieville was founded? I can’t imagine Ponieville not being there. Did she tell you what it was like? I guess you didn’t want to talk about that, did you? I’ve only lived there for less than half my life, of course, so it would be different for you to think about, if you wanted to think about it, which you probably don’t. I grew up in the Kingdom of Los Pegasus, not the Dominions of Cant’r Laht. I guess now you’re not in Celestia’s dominions either, are you? This is the Duchy of Balte-Maer, or Duchess Seaspray claims it is, anyway. Did you know I met Duchess Seaspray, not once, but twice? Rarity was there for the second time. That was when you were in Manehattan with Fluttershy. I’ve never been to Manehattan before. What was it like? Fluttershy said you saw Saint Cassius’s Basilica and the Fiery Isle. Saint Cassius, what a mare …”
“Stop, I give up!” Applejack said as Pinkamena’s voice cut off. She’d been motioning for Twilight to stop her for the last few seconds and was relieved when the babbling ended.
“You can stop now, Pinkamena,” Rarity said, and Pinkamena snapped her jaws shut.
“Aw, I was just getting into it,” the part-time bard, part-time baker said after Twilight lifted the spell of silence from here.
“Well, Applejack?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“I’ll tell y’ everythin’ when we meet t’morrow mornin’ for breakfast,” Applejack said, “We should all six of us be t’gether when I do it, an’ Rainbow Dash an’ Fluttershy aren’t ‘ere right now.”
“I don’t know …” Rarity said thoughtfully.
“I promise,” Applejack vowed, “And I would never break a promise.”
“All right then, Applejack,” Twilight Sparkle said, “Tomorrow at breakfast you will tell us the whole story.”
***
They agreed to meet to break their fasts in a tavern in Dodge’s Crossing, on the second level and looking out over the White River. The next morning, all five of the other Brave Companions (and Spike) were assembled there, seated near a window. Applejack hadn’t yet shown up, which was peculiar since she tended to eat early, but that could be attributed to her dreading this meeting. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t sure just why Applejack wouldn’t want to tell them whatever was going on, but she was determined to get to the bottom of it today. They needed to trust each other, and she thought that Applejack knew that. Of all the Brave Companions, the bearer of the Element of Trustworthiness should have.
“I’m glad Applejack agreed to meet us,” Rarity commented, both to pass the time and try to ease the feeling that she wasn’t coming, “We’ll finally be able to get some answers from her.”
“Maybe,” Rainbow Dash, who hadn’t been overly thrilled that the others had agreed to let Applejack wait until this morning to tell them, said.
“Don’t worry, Rainbow,” Pinkamena assured her, “Applejack promised, and she’s sure to keep her vow.”
“Or, maybe she’ll just skip town,” Fluttershy said as she gazed out the window.
“Now, why would she do that?” Rarity asked.
“I don’t know, but she is,” Fluttershy said, pointing out the window.
The others crowded around, inadvertently pushing the druidess to the floor in the process, to look where she had been pointing. Down below, where the homes and shops hadn’t crowded out over the river yet, docks extended out into the flow, where several river boats were tied up. Applejack was standing on one of those boats as it cast off to head downriver.
“What does she think she’s doing?” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“Applejack is breaking her promise!” Pinkamena gasped simultaneously.
The group vacated the window hurriedly and headed for the tavern’s exit, causing quite a commotion. Thankfully, it wasn’t very busy at this time of day, but the few patrons that were there shouted at their tails as they vacated the premises. Rainbow Dash swooped down the narrow alleyway outside the tavern, nearly knocking other ponies aside with every flap of her wings. Fluttershy followed her, apologizing profusely all the while, while those who couldn’t fly headed for the nearest set of stairs. By the time they reached the docks, Applejack’s boat was far away, so they headed toward the nearest bank (the Balte-Maer side) to follow her.
“Applejack! Where do you think you’re going?” Rainbow Dash yelled as she dove toward the boat.
Applejack spoke to the boat’s owners, and they quickly put on speed. Rainbow pulled up from her dive just over the surface of the river and flapped after them, slowly closing the distance. The river boat angled toward the Balte-Maeri bank, passing into a dense stand of tangled trees, yet somehow managing not to get stuck on any roots or ice floes. The captain of the boat had sailed this way several times to avoid guards, and knew just where to sail to get through safely. Rainbow Dash did not know how to pass through and quickly became caught up in the branches.
They were losing Rainbow, but passing through the trees did necessitate slowing some, and those on the bank began to gain on the little boat. Soon they were galloping within sight of Applejack’s vessel but were still unable to reach it. Pinkamena wasn’t going to let that deter her, though. The pink poofy pony darted across the ice and through the branches of the trees until she landed on the deck of the boat, startling its crew and Applejack alike.
“Applejack! You broke your promise! How could you?” Pinkamena demanded.
“I did not break m’ promise,” Applejack said firmly with a shake of her head.
“What?” Pinkamena said incredulously.
“I promised t’ tell y’ when we met for breakfast, but I didn’t promise t’ come t’ breakfast. I never met y’ for breakfast, so I never broke m’ promise,” Applejack explained, but even to her the explanation sounded weak.
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right, but that’s not really an answer. I guess that’s good enough for now,” Pinkamena said before suddenly throwing herself off the boat, “Rarity, catch me!”
“Wait, what?” Rarity said in shock as Pinkamena fell toward her.
She, along with the others, was nearly upon the boat now, since it had strayed close to the shore. She’d gone ahead and ventured carefully out onto the ice, and she slipped as Pinkamena landed on her. The ice cracked, and both ponies plunged into the freezing water, popping up gasping for breath a second later. Rarity shot Pinkamena a shocked and angry look before paddling toward the shore.
“Spike!” Twilight Sparkle called.
“I’m on it,” her dragon page said with a salute before blowing fire to create a warm, dry place for the two drenched ponies once they were out of the river.
“This has gone on long enough,” Twilight mumbled before teleporting herself through the tangled branches and onto the boat.
The boat’s crew jumped back in fright and began to abandon their posts, until the boat knocked against a root and the captain yelled for them all to get back to work or they’d sink. Twilight stared down Applejack, who had nowhere to retreat.
“All right, Applejack, it is time for some answers,” the sorceress said, “Why are you running away? What can you not tell us? Why can you not return to Ponieville? Why would you send your family that letter saying you are not returning and worry them so?”
“I-I did?” Applejack said shakily. She had never meant to worry Apple Bloom and Big Mac and Granny Smith. That letter was supposed to assure them that she had a reason for not returning immediately, not make them think she was abandoning them.
“What is wrong, Applejack?” Twilight asked, more tenderly this time, “You can tell me. I am your friend, am I not?”
“Yes, Twi’, I s’pose so,” Applejack said, slumping in defeat, “Cherry Jubilee said she was impressed by m’ performance at th’ tournament, but I don’t know why. I came in fourth, third, second, but I ne’er won a single event. Th’ whole reason I went t’ Appleoosa was t’ win prize money t’ help th’ farm, but instead I ended up bein’ away durin’ harvest an’ not winnin’ a thing. We’re comin’ up short this year, an’ if w’ don’t pay our taxes, Mayor Mare’ll take land from us instead. It’s what she’s always after. Th’ Apples are goin’ t’ lose more o’ our land, an’ it’s all m’ fault!”
“You came here to work for Cherry Jubilee to earn coin for the farm,” Twilight Sparkle said as Applejack began to sniffle, “Oh, Applejack, you do not have to be ashamed because you did not win at the tournament, and you do not have to worry about losing the farm.”
“Huh?” Applejack said as she looked up at the sorceress.
“Applejack, your friends are here for you; you need only ask,” Twilight said, “I would gladly help you, and I am sure any of the rest of us would likewise do anything that they can to help. You are not alone.”
“You’re right,” Applejack admitted, before trotting up and embracing the sorceress, “Thank y’, Twi’!”
I’m not the only pony that needs to learn how friendships are supposed to work, it appears. That was a comforting thought, given how Twilight had been dwelling on how rocky that first year in Ponieville had been for her ever since Discord’s return. As if thinking about the draconequus triggered poor luck, Twilight suddenly sensed a burst of chaos magic, far to the northeast. It was good they’d found Applejack when they had, for she might soon be needed.
“What is it, Twi’?” Applejack asked as she let the unicorn go and noticed the distant look in her eyes.
“We need to get off this boat, get everypony together, and head for Fillidelfiyaa,” Twilight Sparkle replied, “Another pony has Awakened.”
Dusk was just starting to fall when the Brave Companions arrived at the gates of Fillidelfiyaa. The city looked even drearier than when Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash had been here in the spring. King Hadish’s armies had never reached the city, which was fortunate, given the dilapidated state of its defenses, but the blow to morale from King Alhert slinking back here in defeat had done damage enough. Beneath their heavy winter cloaks, the guards’ green-and-blue barding was ragged and dirty, and they hardly spared the six ponies and dragon a look as they trotted through the half-closed gates. It was as if they didn’t care, or even that they would welcome an invasion if only it would change things. Gloom seemed to hang everywhere, including around the few ponies still out and about at this hour, making their ways home with heads hung low.
“Good captain,” Twilight Sparkle addressed a guard wearing armor with an officer’s knot seated near the guardhouse just past the gates, “Would you have one of your guards carry a message to King Alhert that the Brave Companions wish to speak to him on an urgent matter first thing in the morning?”
“Uh, I suppose so,” the guard captain said after scratching his chin with a hoof, and motioned for the pony sitting across the draughts board from him to go, which he did after some grumbling.
“I wouldn’t count on an audience,” a stallion behind the Brave Companions said.
“You?” Rainbow Dash said as she whirled.
“Ser Gavron,” Twilight addressed him more politely (and because she actually remembered his name), “What are you doing here?”
The king’s fourth cousin wasn’t wearing a suit of armor this time, but a heavy cloak pulled over a doublet embroidered with his family crest that half-matched the king’s. Ser Gavron of House Inthrid-Caramon, second in line to the Crown of Fillidelfiyaa, after Prince Robar of Manehattan. No proof had been found that Ser Gavron had been involved in the plot to assassinate Robar and his wife—Alhert’s daughter—Persimmone, but Twilight still didn’t trust him. Him showing up here as they arrived in the city did nothing to allay her suspicions.
“I’m here to meet you. Really, protégé of Celestia, I would think you realized that many more mages than just you have the ability to scry. Though I don’t tend to involve myself in the matters of sorceresses, I understand that the six of you are popular subjects for that hobby. I’m sorry, seven,” Gavron explained venomously, adding the last sentence as Spike raised a claw to protest, “You won’t be able to get an audience with King Alhert. He has secluded himself in the Sea Keep and barred anypony from speaking with him.”
“You came all the way here and waited for us to arrive just to tell us that?” Rainbow asked.
“No, of course not,” Gavron said with a frown, “I came here to invite you to come with me. There are friends of mine who would like to speak to the Brave Companions. They are willing to provide you with a place to stay tonight, and maybe help you get in to speak to King Alhert tomorrow, if the matter with which you are coming to him is suitably urgent.”
“I thought you said that nopony is able to get in to speak to the king,” Rarity pointed out.
“For the kingdom’s high nobility, exceptions can be made, but we would be taking a risk. Hence, why you’ll need to explain your business here before we help you,” Gavron said, “So, will you come with me, or will you find a run-down inn to wait until spring or later to speak to Alhert?”
***
It wasn’t much of a choice, really. If what Gavron said was true (and the guard captain at least had said it was), then waiting around to speak to Alhert wasn’t an option. Of course, there was nothing that said they had to speak to the king in order to search for the pony possessed by Discord, but it would certainly make things easier. Running around the streets of Fillidelfiyaa after somepony while firing spells willy-nilly would certainly cause problems without the sovereign’s blessing, but they would still do it if they had to. Twilight Sparkle also had to admit that she was curious just who these ‘friends’ of Gavron were, and why they wanted to speak to the Brave Companions.
She got the first answer soon enough. Ser Gavron led them straight to a noble estate in the city belonging to Countess Arethea of House Dawnskimmer. The countess herself welcomed them and had the servants see the Brave Companions to the rooms already prepared for them. On the way, Twilight caught a glimpse of the ponies gathered in the sitting room, all of them in the finery of Fillidelfiyaan nobility. When the Brave Companions returned to the room, she was glad to see that none of them had tried to slip away. Either that, or those she shouldn’t have seen had already slipped away before passing the room the first time.
She’d thought she might have to deduce who they were, but they surprised her again by all introducing themselves. Almost all of them were vassals of King Alhert, directly or indirectly, though their ranks varied greatly. There were a few exceptions, such as some wealthy merchants and twin sorceresses that Twilight resolved to look up in her newest edition of Rossin’s Registry of Mages when she returned to Golden Oak’s Laboratory. Once pleasantries had been exchanged, the Brave Companions’ hosts were ready to get down to business.
“What matter has brought you to Fillidelfiyaa?” Linter, an aging merchant with drooping mustaches asked.
“First I will need to know where you stand, so I can decide if I trust you enough to share our quest,” Twilight replied.
“Ridiculous!” Linter sputtered, “The countess has invited you into her home, an offer you accepted, and now you have the audacity to question our trustworthiness!”
“Arrogance typical of a Cant’r Laht sorceress,” Lókki, one of the non-Cant’r Laht sorceresses, said dreamily, and her sister nodded curtly.
“Be calm,” commanded Arethea, raising a hoof to silence other complaints before they were spoken, “It is okay. What reason have they to trust us? So that you know, Twilight Sparkle, we are concerned subjects of King Alhert one and all. The king, he has allowed his melancholy to consume him, and through him, consume his kingdom. Ser Gavron tells me that you have seen the effect throughout the city, but it is more widespread than you know. All across the realm, ponies have thrown down their implements, their tools, their crowns, even their lives in the grief shared with the king. This cannot be allowed to continue or, treaty or not, King Hadish will invade and spread Manehattan’s borders before his son ever inherits the Fillidelfiyaan throne.”
“You tried to sway the king once,” Ser Gavron said, though he looked displeased with the words coming out of his mouth, “I have been told that the Brave Companions have a peculiar effect on the ponies around them, able to shift minds and events in a way nopony else can. If we were able to get you to speak to the king, would you try to break him out of his gloom? It could mean the salvation of Fillidelfiyaa.”
“I see,” Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully, “It may not be why we came to Fillidelfiyaa, but I see how important it is to this land. Very well, you have shared with us your purposes, so I shall share with you ours. The reason we must speak with King Alhert is to obtain his permission to search the city. As recently as a week ago, somepony possessed by the soul of Discord was here. We must find them and stop them before they grow too powerful.”
“Discord is a myth,” Sátti, the other twin sorceress, said airily.
“You wouldn’t say that if you’d been through what we have,” Rainbow Dash grumbled and Lókki gasped, “We fought Discord and he very nearly won. He would have if it weren’t for Twilight. And that was just the start of this year! Since then, we’ve fought a vagabond consumed by Greed, a centaur bent on Treachery, and a sorceress well-versed in Chaos.”
“One week ago, you felt a surge of chaos magic in the city, did you not?” Twilight Sparkle asked before anypony had time to react to Rainbow’s boorish behavior, “When we vanquished Discord, his soul escaped and split into seven pieces, each of them finding their way into somepony in Equestria. That surge of chaos magic was that pony Awakening, realizing their power and Discord’s soul fragment taking over.”
“If what you say is true, then it is of dire importance indeed that you get in to see King Alhert. We will begin preparations at once,” Countess Arethea said, “As soon as we can in the morning, we will get you into the Sea Keep to speak to the king. While you are there, I pray you will consider what we have told you and will try to break the king out of his gloom.”
“We will,” Twilight vowed.
“Very well,” the countess said with satisfaction, “All of us who will be going to the Sea Keep tomorrow had best get to bed. I will send servants to wake you if there is any change.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said as she and the others left the sitting room, along with most of the others who’d been seated there, “For your hospitality and for your aid.”
***
Fluttershy tossed and turned on the plush bed made up for her, but still she couldn’t get to sleep. In cities, this was often the case for the druidess. She was aware of all the animals around her, and while there wasn’t an absence as some ponies thought (mostly those who’d never been to a real city), there was a difference. Creatures of the field and forest were replaced by animals who’d made their homes among ponies: bats, rats, pigeons, and other creatures city-dwellers considered vermin.
Fluttershy climbed out of bed and pulled on her druidess robes. It couldn’t hurt to speak to just a few of them before going to bed. She might even learn something that would help them on their quest here, though that was a long shot.
“Hello there,” she whispered to a mouse that had crawled through a crack in her wall, and it swiftly retreated as means of reply, “Oh, no, don’t be afraid. I just want to talk to you.”
Something was off about the patter of the mouse’s paws as it fled through the wall before coming to a stop. It sounded as if it were in a much larger passageway than there should have been there. Fluttershy examined how the mouse had left and discovered that the panel of the wall slid away, the mouse having slipped through the gap where it closed. The druidess crept into the passageway, which was barely large enough for her to crawl along, and spotted the mouse’s eyes in the dark.
“I won’t hurt you. Come back,” Fluttershy said as the mouse sped away.
She followed the rodent, listening to the sound of its feet to know where she was to turn in the passageway. It branched several times, and she began to worry that she wouldn’t be able to find her way back to her room when this was over. Well, she could always ask the mouse the way once she caught up to it.
As she crawled along, voices caught her ear—pony voices. There was light up ahead, coming through a small hole in the wall to her right. She couldn’t hear the mouse anymore, so she stopped at the hole and peered out to see where she was. It wasn’t a room that she’d yet seen in Countess Arethea’s manor, but the countess was there, along with a pegasus stallion who’d earlier identified himself as a duke, and a merchant mare Fluttershy couldn’t recall the name of.
“It is best this way,” the countess was saying as Fluttershy started listening in, “Gavron may desire the throne more than anything, but he would never do anything to seize it without just cause. No, he must never know, or it could undo everything.”
“And the Brave Companions? They are a complication,” the stallion said.
“Fitting scapegoats,” Arethea replied, “There may be better options, but they will do.”
“What if it doesn’t work?” the mare asked, “Ponies may get the idea that Cant’r Laht was behind this, which doesn’t suit us at all.”
“Ponies will get the ideas that we put in their heads,” Arethea scoffed, “And we will make sure they come to the conclusion that Manehattan was behind this. Robar will never assume the Crown of Fillidelfiyaa, not after it’s revealed that his father was behind the assassination of King Alhert.”
Fluttershy gasped involuntarily before clapping her hooves over her mouth. King Alhert assassinated? And it sounded like these ponies were planning it. That was … that was … treason! Not to mention regicide. She had to tell somepony. She had to tell Twilight. First, though, she had to get out of these cramped passageways.
“What was that?” Countess Arethea said in alarm as Fluttershy began to back away, “Quickly, get that open!”
The panel with the peephole slid away, and the non-noble mare stuck her head into the tunnel.
“It’s the druidess!” she exclaimed.
“Stop her!” Arethea commanded, and the merchant reluctantly crawled into the passage.
Fluttershy shuffled away as quickly as she could to get away. It helped that the merchant was concerned about her fine clothes whereas Fluttershy’s druidess robes were of no importance to her. Also, she’d spent more than a little time in animal burrows, and this tunnel was more spacious than many of them. Soon, the merchant was out of sight, but she wasn’t the only danger. Arethea had called upon servants and co-conspirators to chase her down, and whenever she thought she might be safe, the sound of somepony else in the passages forced her to flee again.
She wasn’t sure exactly where she was in the manor, but she was trying to get back to her room. Instead, she found the end of the passage, a door latched from within that led out into the night. As somepony spotted her, she pushed it open and flew out over Countess Arethea’s estate. Guards were milling about now, and she quickly made her escape. She had to find someplace to hide, and some way to warn her friends and the king about what she had heard.
***
Four ponies and one dragon left with Countess Arethea and her entourage at first light the following morning. Rainbow Dash had left the manor while it was still dark to look for the Awakened pony on her own, to shorten the group’s overall search. Also, she would be searching for the missing member of their party. The Brave Companions were surprised to find Fluttershy gone when they awakened, Countess Arethea claiming she had left the night before and hadn’t given a reason. There was a chance she had gone to see the local druids’ circle, but Twilight found that unlikely, especially that she would go without telling them and while they had important business to do.
Fluttershy had tried to return to the manor, but Arethea and her co-conspirators had their servants searching the city for her as well, including those of the pegasus duke she’d seen with the countess the night before. Any advantage she’d have being airborne was nullified by the presence of fellow pegasi hunting her. She hadn’t been caught or spotted, but in avoiding the search for her, she had been kept away from the manor and from her friends.
The remaining Brave Companions had no idea they were walking into a trap as they entered the Sea Keep. Their hosts hadn’t been lying about King Alhert barring anypony from entering his presence, and they had had to pull quite a few strings to get them in. Still, it wasn’t through the main gates that they entered, but the servants’ door. Either way, it got them to the throne room and to Alhert.
The Sea Keep’s throne room was darker than when Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle had been here. The high windows were shuttered, letting in no light, and the smoke from the few lit braziers filled the room. There were no squabbling nobles here now, just Alhert, slumped in his wooden throne without even a single guard in sight.
“Your Majesty, the Brave Companions,” a page announced upon their entrance before swiftly retreating from the room.
They were alone with the king now, Countess Arethea and her companions staying behind. Apparently, with all their string-pulling to get the Brave Companions in, the king had agreed to speak only to them. Yet, Alhert said nothing. Twilight Sparkle approached the throne and stopped as he raised his head to gaze at her with hooded eyes.
“It is … you!” the sorceress exclaimed upon spotting the distinctive crimson irises and yellowed sclera marking him as possessed by Discord, “Hold him!”
The others cautiously approached King Alhert, but he made no moves to stop them as they held him against the throne, everypony’s Elements of Harmony close. Spike handed Twilight a gem he’d carried here, and she prepared to extract the soul fragment from the king.
“Stop them!” Countess Arethea commanded as she burst into the throne room with several guards, “They’re going to kill the king!”
“No, we are not, we-” Twilight said, but was cut off as a guard knocked her to the ground.
She considered spells that would knock the guards back without harming them (severely), but it was too late for that. One of them clamped a dimeritium collar around her neck, and her ability to work magic was suddenly cut off. She tried to get up but was knocked down in the confusion as guards swarmed around, gathering up her friends, who tried to struggle free. Alhert sat in the midst of it all, unconcerned about what was going on around him, gloom exuding from him. Yet, a twinkle seemed to come to his Discord-like eyes, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward sporadically.
***
“What are we goin’ t’ do?” Applejack asked later as she paced the cell the Brave Companions had been thrown into.
Twilight contemplated their situation—there was not much else she could do with the collar around her neck. Perhaps they should have let somepony else know that King Alhert was the one possessed before attempting to free him, but with the previous possessed ponies, time had been of the essence. They’d all fought back, though, so maybe such haste was unnecessary. The Brave Companions had tried to explain as they were hauled away, but Countess Arethea had denied their claims of Discord and tried to portray them as an excuse only. She hadn’t seemed that way the night before.
There was something suspicious about all of this. Of course, it must have looked bad to see three ponies and a dragon holding the king down while a sorceress prepared to cast a spell on him, but there was more to it than that. Countess Arethea had believed their story, so why change her mind so suddenly? It even made the countess’s own account make more sense.
Dourness. That had to be the anti-Element that this soul fragment was aspected to. It explained how Alhert’s gloom had spread so thoroughly throughout the kingdom and had the effect on ponies that it did. She had tried to explain this on their way to the dungeons, but nopony seemed to want to listen. Some plot was afoot, but was it against the Brave Companions or something else, and had it been sprung yet?
“I never thought we’d end up in a dungeon,” Rarity moaned in a corner.
“There must be a way out of this,” Twilight said to try to assure the others, but she could use some assurance herself.
“Psst,” came from the cell’s single barred window.
“Ooh, maybe a snake has come to save us,” Pinkamena said as she bounded over to the window, jumping on Applejack’s back to reach it.
“Not a snake, it’s me, Fluttershy,” the druidess whispered through the bars, “Get away from the wall.”
“What? Why? I thought this was a rescue,” Pinkamena said, but Fluttershy had already fluttered away and wouldn’t be answering her questions.
“I think we better do what she says,” Applejack said as she brought Pinkamena away from the wall and helped Rarity up as well.
An explosion suddenly rocked the cell as the wall was blown away. Guards rushed in from the adjoining room to assist the stunned guard already there in stopping the jailbreak, but they didn’t get far. Darts streaked in through the swirling dust filling the new, larger window and past the bars to strike each guard. They fell limp to the floor instantly as they were struck. As the dust settled, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew through the hole in the wall.
“Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! You saved us!” Rarity exclaimed thankfully, “How did you know we needed saving?”
“I found Fluttershy, and she told me everything,” Rainbow said, “Also, word is all over the city how you tried to assassinate the king and how ponies should be on the lookout for the two of us.”
“Countess Arethea and some of the others are planning to kill the king and blame it on us!” Fluttershy blurted out, “I heard them talking about it last night, but I had to flee to keep them from catching me.”
“If they succeed in their plot, you all might have been beheaded, and we couldn’t allow that.”
“I can’t believe they’d lie t’ our faces like that,” Applejack said in disgust, “We’d better get out o’ here. Surely somepony else heard or saw that explosion, so we’d better leave.”
“I need this collar off before we go anywhere,” Twilight Sparkle said, and Spike waddled over to breathe fire on the cell’s lock, to get to the keys on the belt of one of the guards, “Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, it is not just a plot to kill the king that we need to worry about. Alhert is the pony possessed by Discord. We need the find the Elements of Harmony—Pinkamena’s in particular—and go after him.”
“And here I thought we could lay low in the city and search for the that soul fragment,” Rainbow Dash said, “No, of course we have to go after the pony you’re accused of trying to kill.”
If Twilight hadn’t had the dimeritium collar around her neck, she would have felt a huge burst of chaos magic at that moment. As it was, it was fairly obvious that something was changing. The bars of the Brave Companions’ cell suddenly turned to water and splashed to the floor, causing Spike to stumbled back in surprise as the lock before him turned to steam. Screams came from elsewhere in the Sea Keep, and the Brave Companions rushed to the hole in the wall to see what was going on.
The shuttered windows of the castle’s throne room were now open, and thick black fog was boiling out of them. Above the Sea Keep, the fog condensed into the form of a wingless dragon, glowing yellow eyes appearing in its face. More screams came from the city as the figure turned its gaze on the tangled rows of wooden buildings. It opened its maw and belched more fog into the town, sending tendrils winding down the streets before turning toward the dungeon tower.
“Get this collar off of me!” Twilight Sparkle yelled as the dragon opened its maw and lightning crackled at the back of its throat.
Spike hurried over with the keys and frantically tried to find the right one.
“Everypony get close!” Twilight yelled as the collar snapped off and the Brave Companions huddled together, “Nana falan otha Ye’i![1]”
A magical shield sprang up around the group as the fog-dragon’s lightning flew from its mouth and crackled all around, shattering stone and igniting wood. The remainder of the tower above them broke away and slid off to crash outside the castle’s walls. Chunks of stone, beams of wood, and the bodies of other prisoners crashed against the shield, yet it held firm as Twilight poured all of her energy into it. As the barrage of electricity ended, the floor fell through, landing the ponies and baby dragon on the next level down. Twilight waited to release her shield until the debris stopped raining down.
“Now what?” Pinkamena asked as Rainbow Dash peered through a wide crack in the wall to make sure the dragon wasn’t preparing to attack again.
“The Elements of Harmony are in this rubble heap somewhere,” Twilight said as she steadied herself, “Once we find them, we are going after Alhert. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, can you keep the dragon occupied?”
“I’m on it,” the Hunter vowed while Fluttershy meeped, but meekly nodded that she’d do what she could.
“The rest of us will make our way through the castle, find Alhert, and remove the soul fragment,” Twilight said. Being cut off from magic for several hours coupled with the spell she’d just cast had drained her magical reserves significantly. She hoped that when the time came, she’d be able to extract Discord’s soul from the king.
Pinkamena was the one to find the Elements of Harmony, locked in a chest with the rest of their possessions. After Spike unlocked it with the keys he’d held onto, the Brave Companions parted ways once again. The pegasi took to the skies and tried to draw the attention of the fog-dragon, whose attention at the moment was fixated on the ships wintering in Fillidelfiyaa’s harbor. The Elements of Harmony they were carrying brought it around, though, and a roar shook the city.
Meanwhile, the other five were hurrying through the Sea Keep, following Applejack, although she didn’t know the way better than any of the others. The difference was that she’d picked up a spear somewhere and was prepared to defend the group if need be. Usually, Twilight’s magic would be more suitable, but the farmer recognized how drained the sorceress was even if she tried not to show it, and she knew what had to be done. Fortunately, most of the guards they passed were more concerned with either fleeing for their lives or trying to get to Alhert and save him from the beast over his throne room than fighting them.
Guards were crowded around the doors to the throne room, which by the looks of things had turned to basalt and where too heavy to open. Some of them called out that the ponies who’d tried to kill the king were here and that the sorceress had to be to blame, but Twilight ignored them. As they charged with swords and spears and axes, she teleported the four ponies and her page into the throne room.
The chaos magic was thick here, as expected, and they emerged in the air, several paces above the floor. The opened windows let in some light, where the fog-dragon didn’t obscure the sun, but the darkness here was still ominous. It clung to the walls and seemed to move on its own, tendrils reaching into the light only to draw back and reconsider. King Alhert was still seated in his throne, looking much the same as this morning. Once the Brave Companions picked themselves off the floor, they approached him.
He made no move until they tried to hold him down. Then, the king began to sink into his wooden throne, whose planks writhed like supple branches. The throne put down roots and cracked the floor of the throne room. Branches rose up from the ground and grabbed the ponies and dragon, trying to pull them away from the king. As the darkness parted, they spotted Countess Arethea and her co-conspirators pinned to the walls and impaled with branches and their own blades. So, the shard of Discord’s soul hadn’t liked the attempted assassination of its host.
“Give it up,” King Alhert said ponderously, “There is no point in continuing to fight.”
“There always is,” Twilight said defiantly as the branches constricted around her, “Pinkamena!”
“Okily-dokily,” the bard said, before grabbing her amulet with her teeth.
After spinning it around a couple times, she tossed it, and it fell around King Alhert’s head, the string catching on his crown. As the Element of Mirth touched his face, the old king groaned painfully, and the branches turned to silk thread. The room shook as the fog-dragon above stumbled. Dark tendrils radiated from a wall as the fog-dragon tried to claw its way in to save Alhert.
The Brave Companions (and Spike) extricated themselves from the threads and hurried back to the throne. Alhert was sinking deeper in, and they all grabbed hold of him as best they could. Twilight prepared the gem to store the soul fragment and prepared to cast the spell.
“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya![2]” she chanted, and the soul began to transfer from Alhert into the crystal.
As Discord’s soul was drawn out of the king, the chaos magic began to pull free. The throne released Alhert and returned to just a very plain throne. The fog-dragon above thrashed around and breathed lightning, setting fire to Fillidelfiyaa not for the first time, but the creature eventually dissolved into a shower of daisies. The gloom lifted from the kingdom, though Alhert, when he awoke, would still be depressed by the future of his lands. It would not be a supernatural dourness that consumed him and his subjects, at least. Lastly, the doors to the throne room returned to normal, and the guards outside crashed through. They stopped as the last of Discord’s soul flowed into the crystal and Twilight and Alhert both slumped down.
“I know this looks odd, but we can explain, honest,” Pinkamena said, flashing what she hoped was a winning smile.
Fluttershy slept soundly in her own bed in her home beneath her tree. The long journey, first to Appleoosa, then to Dodge’s Crossing, and finally to Fillidelfiyaa and back again had worn the druidess out, which was why it was so good to finally be home again. Here there was less risk of excitement, stumbling onto plots, fleeing into the night, and being unjustly imprisoned. It was a miracle that Alhert’s soldiers hadn’t executed the Brave Companions on the spot. Fortunately, the old king was able to clear things up after he awoke, and he sent the Brave Companions off with abundant thanks.
“Fluttershy! Wake up!” suddenly jolted her awake, and she nearly screamed before recognizing the voice and silhouette in her bedroom.
“Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked with a yawn before stiffening, “How did you get in?”
“I picked the lock,” Rainbow Dash said offhoofedly, “Come on, get out of bed!”
“Y-you picked the lock?” the druidess asked as the blood drained from her face. Could just anypony enter her home whenever they wished. She really didn’t like the thought of that.
“Yes, now come on! Get up!” Rainbow said before pulling the covers away from Fluttershy to reveal that she had nothing on underneath them.
“Oh … I had no idea,” Rainbow said in embarrassment as Fluttershy grasped her tail to cover herself, “Get dressed so we can leave.”
“Leave where?” Fluttershy asked as she climbed out of bed only after Rainbow Dash turned her back on her, “Was another pony with Discord’s soul found?”
“No, no, nothing like that,” the Hunter waved off the suggestion as Fluttershy shrugged into her robes, “The first of the zap apple cider will be ready today!”
“That’s why you broke into my house and woke me up before dawn?” Fluttershy asked, on the very brink of anger, “Rainbow Dash, was that really necessary?”
“Of course it was, now come on!” her oldest friend replied as she grabbed and dragged her out of her home, “Every cider season, what happens?”
“In the third zap apple harvest, the Apples turn them into cider, which is immediately drinkable because no fermentation is required to render zap apple cider alcoholic,” Fluttershy replied.
“What, did I ask for an answer from Twilight?” the Hunter ribbed her.
“Sorry, she was telling me her theories about it on the way home yesterday,” Fluttershy said with a yawn.
“No, that’s not at all what I was referring to,” Rainbow got back on track, “We never get any cider, never any of the good early stuff anyway, and why is that?”
“Um …”
“Pinkamena! She always gets there before us and buys up so much that by the time we have a chance, all the good stuff is gone!” Rainbow Dash said passionately, “Well, not this time! This time we’ll be first!”
“Rainbow Dash, I really don’t care all that much about the cider,” Fluttershy said, leaving it implied that Rainbow could have gone sooner without her and nothing would be lost.
“Oh, you will once you get a taste of the really good stuff,” the Hunter said, undeterred, “I can’t wait to see the look on Pinkamena’s face when she sees us there before her.”
Fluttershy sighed, but continued to flap along behind her friend, trying to keep up as she zipped in the direction of the Apples’ land. That was the only place to buy the zap apple cider as fresh as could be, and ponies from Ponieville and the surrounding countryside would flock here to buy it soon enough. Apparently, this time they’d done so even sooner than Rainbow Dash expected. A line of ponies came into sight as they approached, waiting for the gates to open and the Apples to announce the start of cider season. Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe here eyes at the number of them here so early.
“Hey! Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy!” Pinkamena called from the front of the line as she waved up at them.
“Pinkamena? What are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked as she landed.
“Well, that’s a funny question, silly,” the pink pony replied, “I’m waiting for cider season to start, of course.”
“I get that, but what are you doing here so early?” the Hunter cut right to the heart of the matter.
“Oh, well, I just couldn’t sleep thinking about all the zap apple cider that would be ready today, so I headed out early,” Pinkamena said, completely unaware of the irritation building within her friend, “I may have woken a few ponies, and soon all of Ponieville was following me out here. We had a great time; you should have been here earlier!”
Rainbow Dash groaned in exasperation. All her plans foiled. It had seemed so solid, and yet Pinkamena had somehow gotten in the way anyway. Maybe if I fly over the gate to preempt the line …
The gates to the Apples’ homestead creaked open, ponies stepping back to allow them to swing outward. As Big Mac finished the work, he stopped in surprise, looking at the crowd that had already formed so early, before checking that, indeed, it was only just sunrise. Applejack too had a stunned look on her face when the line began trotting in, headed toward the stand she’d set up on an apple cart to sell the cider from.
“Welcome, e’rypony, t’ th’ first day o’ zap apple cider season,” she called out after recovering and once more ponies were in the farmyard, “Step right up, there’s plenty t’ go around.”
“Come on, Rainbow Dash, we’d better get in line,” Fluttershy told her flustered friend.
Grumbling about how she couldn’t win, the Hunter followed the druidess to the back of the line, which wove through the farmyard and out along the road to the Apples’ homestead. It truly seemed like everypony in Ponieville was already here, and more were arriving all the time. It wasn’t just local,s either. Since the Apples had the only zap apple orchard in all of Equestria, merchants from across the continent traveled here once they heard that a zap apple harvest had started to get their own share of the cider. Rainbow Dash wasn’t worried about them much; the Apple family wisely chose to limit how much any one pony could buy, but they would lessen her chances of getting cider the same as anypony else, and some of them seemed to have brought help this year.
The line moved forward at a steady pace, but to Rainbow Dash it seemed to be taking forever. More ponies arrived after her and Fluttershy, snaking along the path back to Ponieville, but that was no concern of hers. She watched with growing impatience as ponies trotted out with tankards or whole kegs in wagons and carts. For every one that left the Apples’ home immediately after buying their cider, she knew at least three more would be staying on the farmyard to talk to acquaintances and enjoy the unique beverage. Cider season was a social event as much as an opportunity to buy something found nowhere else.
The farmyard was packed by the time the two pegasi passed through the gates. Big McIntosh was just getting the last keg when they entered, which worried Rainbow Dash greatly. It seemed to take an eternity before they finally reached the stand, watching pony after pony receive their cider and step away happily. Fluttershy gestured for Rainbow Dash to go before her, the druidess too concerned with talking to the various woodland creatures she’d picked up along the way and deposited on her back.
“One zap apple cider,” Rainbow Dash said hopefully, and Applejack nodded.
Big Mac tipped the cider barrel while Apple Bloom tried to work the spigot. She would be getting the last of the cider … again, but at least she’d get something. It turned out she wouldn’t even get that. A drop or two of the slightly luminous liquor dripped out, but nothing more.
“Sorry Rainbow,” Applejack apologized before speaking up to the others in line, “That’s it for t’day, e’rypony!”
There were still quite a few ciderless ponies, and they made their displeasure heard. Blame was placed, both on the Apples and on those who’d taken more than what some saw as their fair share. Rainbow Dash glared at Pinkamena, sitting at a table with seven empty tankards in front of her.
“You always run out!” Rainbow Dash shouted, causing Fluttershy to back away, “Why can’t you make enough for all of us?”
“Zap apple cider may be quicker t’ make than usual, but it still takes time, an’ we can only make so much a day,” Applejack answered after the cries of agreement quieted down, “There’ll be more t’morrow. Come back then!”
“You’ll just run out again!” Rainbow Dash continued to complain, and she wasn’t alone.
“We’ve done our best, an’ we’ll continue t’ do our best,” Applejack said, “There’ll be more cider t’morrow, an’ no way t’ make it sooner.”
“Is that so?” an unfamiliar voice came from the back of the crowd of disgruntled ponies, a voice that seemed to cut through all the clamor and commotion even though the words weren’t particularly loud.
The crowd parted to show the stranger, a stallion lounging against the gate. It didn’t take Twilight Sparkle’s magic-sensing abilities to recognize that the yellow-coated unicorn was a sorcerer; no other pony would look the way he did. A stiff-brimmed cap sat upon his red-and-white striped mane, which was pulled back into twin tails. A black knotted kerchief was wrapped around his neck and tucked into his blue-and-white striped sorcerer robes. On his back and draped to one side was a long, thick cape embroidered with half a crest with an apple slice on it.
“‘Tis so,” Applejack called back, “Who are y’?”
“It would be rude to introduce myself before my traveling companion, my dear brother, arrives as well,” the sorcerer said as he stepped away from the gate and began trotting casually toward Applejack and the other members of her family, “Ah, there he is now.”
Everypony turned to look for the coming pony, and all gasped when they spotted him. When he arrived, it was atop a wagon with nopony pulling it. Twilight Sparkle was in the crowd, and she tried to puzzle out how they were doing it. It must be magic, but arcane locomotion has been lost for millennia. The pony on the peculiar cart hopped down as it slowed to a stop surrounded by perplexed ponies. He was nearly identical to his brother, except for his curled red mustaches and his cape, which had the other half of the crest, featuring an apple missing a slice.
“Oh brother-o-mine, did you ever see a sorrier sight?” the original sorcerer asked as the second one joined him, “So many ponies unable to taste that sweet, refreshing nectar. It almost makes you want to break down and weep, does it not?”
“Oh brother-o-mine, if only they knew that there was no reason for such despair,” the second chimed in, “If only they knew that right before them was the solution, brought to Ponieville by us this very day.”
“Excuse me, but who are y’?” Applejack repeated her earlier question.
“I was hoping you would ask that,” the first sorcerer said with a smile.
“He is Flim,” the mustachioed one said, gesturing to his brother.
“He is Flam,” the other said.
“And together we are Flim and Flam Tyrmynus,” they said as one, pulling their capes together to form a completed crest on declaring their family, “Sorcerers extraordinaire and just what you ponies need.”
“Need? ‘Ow’s that?” Apple Bloom asked suspiciously.
“Why, I am glad you asked. Allow me to illuminate you,” Flim said with a tip of his hat, “Well, a shortage of cider just will not do, so that is why we bring our solution to you. It is new and grand like naught you have ever seen. Trust us, and there will be more cider than has ever been. Your ears did not deceive, today there will be zap apple cider ready for drinking.”
“More cider than you could drink in all your days of thinking,” Flam added.
Are they … singing? Twilight knew very few sorcerers who engaged in the musical arts, other than necessity for certain kinds of spells. Of course, after Cadence’s success with it and subsequent ascension to alicornhood, there had been a temporary fad to mimic her style (Twilight herself as a young filly was not excepted from this), but it hadn’t lasted. It wasn’t singing the same way a troubadour or even a church choir would sing, but it had a certain rhythm to it, and Twilight was sure not a few of the ponies in the crowd who were captivated weren’t so only because of the sorcerers’ words. She couldn’t sense them casting any spells, though, so they weren’t attempting to bend their audience’s minds in any supernatural ways, at least.
“So, we bring great opportunity …” Flam said.
“To your thirsty community,” Flim finished, before passing it back to his brother.
“He is Flim.”
“He is Flam.”
“The awe-inspiring …”
“… and much-obliging …”
“Flim-Flam Brothers, sorcerers extraordinaire,” the two of them finished together.
“Now, I suppose by now you are wondering just what we have brought along,” Flim said as he leaned against the wagon his brother had arrived on.
“And from whence shall come this cider that we promised in our song,” Flam said as he jumped back up onto it.
“The answer to both your wonderings is one and the same,” Flim said.
“You shall see with your very eyes how we always back up a claim.” Flam added.
“From all the way across the Shimmering Sea …” Flim said with a smile and sweeping motion.
“… from our far-off home of Neighpoli …” Flam said, reaching for the edge of the canvas that covered a peculiarly shaped stack of something in the back of the wagon.
“… we present now for your consideration …”
“… an invention unseen in any pony nation.”
“The Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery!” they proclaimed together as they pulled the canvas away.
Occupying most of the cart was a set of interconnected equipment composed of brass and glass. Twilight Sparkle could identify some of it from her passing familiarity with alchemy, but the rest was a complete mystery to her. Most sorceresses saw alchemy as an inferior form of magic that required little to no magical ability to perform. Twilight’s opinions had changed, largely due to spending time with Zecor while teaching her Low Equestrian and learning some of how she made her brews and potions. For most of Equestria’s mages, however, they thought very little of it, but maybe things were different on the Eastern Continent, across the Shimmering Sea. Flim and Flam had said they’d come from Neighpoli, the merchant republic ruled from Neighples, and the closest pony nation to the Zebrikaanian Empire. Apart from Saddle Arabia, that was, but there was very little contact between that desert peninsular nation and the realms of Equestria, whereas Neighples was one of the Three Jewels, the prosperous and powerful cities that traded across the Shimmering Sea constantly. Because of this, it wasn’t uncommon along Equestria’s eastern coast to encounter Bannermares, Noya Esti, and Neighopolitans, but the Equestry Valley was a different matter. What are they doing here, so far inland?
“The what?” Rarity asked as everypony else was looking upon the alchemical equipment in awe.
“The Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery,” Flim repeated.
“Or the FFBPPZACD if you prefer,” Flam added.
“Fib-puhzakked,” Pinkamena tried to pronounce the acronym.
“The Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery can convert fresh zap apples into zap apple cider with a fraction of the effort of traditional methods,” Flam said, ignoring the bard’s repeated attempts.
“And a fraction of the time,” Flim added, which really got the crowd’s attention, “Yes, you heard correctly. With this contraption, and a little sorcery, we can create zap apple cider far more quickly than the operation here, which means more cider every day, enough for everypony to drink!”
“But y’ don’t have any zap apples t’ make it from!” Applejack protested over the crowd’s cheers.
“Precisely why we cannot succeed in this task alone,” Flim said smoothly as he trotted toward Applejack and Flam hopped down from the cart, “Miss, could I trouble you for a small amount of your zap apples for a little demonstration?”
“Um, I s’pose,” Applejack said after looking to Granny Smith for permission. The family matriarch had a skeptical look on her face, doubting these two fancy stallions could pull off what she’d taken a lifetime (or several) to perfect.
A green glow surrounded a basket of zap apples sitting across the farmyard, waiting to be turned into cider later. From what Twilight could tell, the glow was completely unnecessary as the basket of apples floated over to the Flim-Flam Brothers, but it added to the spectacle, and the crowd of magicless peasants ate it up. The basket flipped over a hopper near the front of the contraption, and several more flashes of light came from it as the cores and other undesirable bits of the zap apples were teleported back into the basket, which had righted itself and settled to the ground. When the flashing ended, the bottom of the hopper opened and dropped the remaining pristine pieces of the zap apples into a grinder. From there the bits went to a press, the juices flowing into the now steaming and whistling alchemical equipment.
“As you can all see, we have considerably cut down on the work needed to produce the famed zap apple cider,” Flam said proudly, “The first batch ought to be ready any second now.”
“Now ye ‘old it right there!” Granny Smith shouted as she toddled through the crowd to face the mustachioed stallion, “Ye cannae jus’ hasten th’ makin’ o’ cider wi’ou’ losin’ what makes it grand. Quality is more important ‘an speed, an’ that’s what makes oar cider so good!”
“Well, miss, I am glad you brought that up,” Flam said, flashing incredibly white teeth, “I think you will see that we have made no compromises if you try a flagon yourself.”
From the back of the wagon, Flim filled a flagon with the fresh apple cider beginning to pool in the final container and passed it to Granny Smith. Her eyes went wide as she took a sip and found it to be nearly identical to the cider she and her kin labored for hours to produce. She tried to hide her surprise, but Flim and Flam had already noticed it and smiled wryly.
“I think you will all see that the only way to make zap apple cider is with the Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery,” Flam said as his brother passed out the few other tankards of cider produced by the machine to thirsty ponies in the crowd, “What do you think, Ponievillians?”
He was met by enthusiastic cheers, few as enthusiastic as Rainbow Dash’s, who still managed to miss out on zap apple cider. The Apples looked at each other worriedly, until Applejack stepped forward.
“Clear out, e’rypony! There’ll be more cider t’morrow!” she called, before addressing Flim and Flam in a lower tone, “It seems we may ‘ave bus’ness t’ discuss.”
Ponies began filing out of the farmyard, headed back to Ponieville or the farms around it, but the twin sorcerers didn’t wait until everypony had left before beginning negotiations.
“So, Apples, what do you say?” Flim asked, “Would you not rather let the Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery do your work for you?”
“O’ course!” Apple Bloom said excitedly, but Applejack held her back from rushing off to the machine.
“Just a moment,” Applejack said, “What are y’ proposin’ exactly?”
“You would provide the zap apples …” Flim started.
“… and we would supply the Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery,” Flam finished.
“Then we split the cider profits three-quarters …” Flim said, making a cutting motion.
“… and one-quarter,” Flam said.
“Y’ve got a deal!” Apple Bloom said, trying to rush away again and again restrained by her elder sister.
“Hold on now. Who gets th’ larger share?” Applejack asked.
“Us, of course,” Flim scoffed, as if it were obvious.
“After all, it is our invention, and we be providing our magic and expertise to operate it,” Flam added.
“We can’t agree t’ that,” Big Mac said with a shake of his head. Sure, zap apple harvests were irregular, but when they did occur, the money they brought in helped keep the family afloat until the next harvest. Losing three-quarters of even just the cider profits could lead to disaster in the future.
“Hmph, very well,” Flim said, “But you will regret this.”
After resecuring the canvas over their machine, the two sorcerers departed the Apples’ homestead, their cart moving on its own again. Once they were gone, Twilight trotted up to Applejack.
“Is everything going to be okay?” she asked her friend.
“We’ll be fine,” Applejack said, though there did seem to be an ominous air around the pair at the end, “They don’t have any zap apples o’ their own, so ‘tis not like they can drive us out o’ bus’ness. How much damage can they do, really?”
***
The next day, the Apples had even more business than the previous. The line of ponies was abuzz with rumors about the foreign sorcerers who’d showed up the day before, those who hadn’t been here hoping to catch a sight of them. Upon returning to Golden Oak’s laboratory the previous day, Twilight Sparkle had looked up the pair in Rossin’s Registry of Mages to see what she could learn. They were indeed from Neighpoli—Rossin had seen them during his tour of the Eastern Continent—but there wasn’t much else useful about them that she could glean. She certainly couldn’t fathom what their interest would be in producing zap apple cider or bankrupting the Apples.
“Sorry, e’rypony. That’s it for t’day!” Applejack announced at about the same time she had the day before.
Grumbling and complaints passed down the line of ponies, causing an eruptive cry of anguish and frustration as it reached Rainbow Dash. Ponies poured into the farmyard to voice their displeasure, pegasi roosting on the rooftops when there was no more room on the ground. As Applejack was trying to calm them down, the crowd parted and Flim and Flam arrived atop their portable cider distillery, and some of the shouts of displeasure turned to expressions of awe.
“Is there a problem here?” Flim asked knowingly.
“Out of cider again, are we?” Flam berated the Apples.
“Not to worry, everypony, with the Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery, we have what you need,” Flim proclaimed.
“An’ ‘ow’s that?” Applejack asked, eyes narrowing, “Th’ only zap apples in Equestria belong t’ th’ Apples, so th’ only way y’ could get some t’ make cider wi’ your contraption would be if y’ stole them from us!”
“Of course, we do not have any cider at the moment,” Flam laughed nervously and Flim put away the tankard he’d been about to fill, “But, young filly, surely you can see what is right in front of your eyes. We can do what you cannot, provide all your friends and neighbors with the famed zap apple cider. Would it not be better if we took over cider production?”
There were quite a few ponies in the crowd who enthusiastically proclaimed their support for this idea, enough to make the Apples worry. Could Flim and Flam really take over cider production against the Apples’ wishes? Celestia had bequeathed them this land, but Mayor Mare would find any loophole to take whatever she could away from them, and she might just consider this a valid loophole to exploit.
“Th’ answer is still no, Flim and Flam,” Applejack said firmly.
“Yeah, besides, we can make cider just as good an’ just as fast as you!” Apple Bloom taunted.
Applejack frowned at her sister as the crowd collectively gasped. As good, sure, but to say they could make cider as quickly as the sorcerers’ machine was just not true. Ponies in the crowd were talking about the filly’s claim now, though, some demanding proof.
“Is that so?” Flam said as he stroked his mustaches, “What say we make a little wager? Say we set a time where we both shall endeavor to create as much cider as we can, you in your traditional way, and us with the Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery? If we win, you cede us your zap apple orchard.”
“An’ if we win?” Applejack asked.
“We will give you the Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery, and to sweeten the pot, let us say …” Flim said, trailing off to let his brother whisper in his ear, “Three-hundred fifty Bits.”
The amount nearly made Big Mac’s eyes pop out of his head. It would take years to earn that much coin, and he was already calculating how it could affect things. To get it, though, the Apples would need to accept a gamble they were very likely to lose. They might not get a choice to refuse, though. The crowd was enthusiastically behind the wager, Ponieville was behind the wager. If they refused, they might very well demand Mayor Mare take action, and that was the last thing the Apples needed. If they lost the wager, they lost their zap apple orchard. If they refused the wager, they might very well still lose it. The only feasible path forward was to accept and to win, but the likelihood of it succeeding was dim.
“Tomorrow morning, four hours to produce as much zap apple cider as we each can,” Flam proposed, “Why, to give you a sporting chance, my brother and I are even willing to let you include the cider you would usually make tonight in the total. Of course, we would need to have some zap apples for this to be a competition.”
“Ye kin use half th’ orchard,” Granny Smith said, surprising everypony, “It’ll be worth it tae teach ye a leasson!”
“So, we have a deal then?” Flim asked, “Whoever produces the best cider the quickest wins?”
“You have a deal,” Applejack said begrudgingly after consulting with her family.
“Then we look forward to seeing you on the battlefield,” Flam said as he and his brother hopped up onto their wagon, “Farewell Apples, until tomorrow.”
***
Spike walked through the halls of the Mayoral Keep, scrolls and books piled in his tiny arms. The guards here paid him little mind; they were used to the presence of the young dragon by now. Twilight Sparkle wanted to see the archives of Ponieville, the history of the hamlet she now called home, as well as some other records. The archives’ caretaker, a stuffy old earth pony who’d been here even before Mayor Mare had been appointed, was none too happy with a fire-breathing creature around the stacks of ancient documents, but, like everypony in Ponieville, he had to bend to the will of the resident sorceress. Professor Golden Oak had often had similar requests of his own, but he at least had come himself and not been a fire hazard … mostly.
As the dragon page walked past a room whose door was ajar, he suddenly stopped. For a moment, he thought he’d seen Flim and Flam, and when he crept back to peek through the doorway, he found that he hadn’t been mistaken. Normally, that wouldn’t be considered strange, since Mayor Mare tended to host visiting mages in her keep now that Golden Oak’s laboratory was occupied, but the brothers weren’t staying here. They had found a room in one of Filthy Rich’s inns and hired guards to protect their invention there. So, what were they doing here?
“… and you’re sure you’ll win?” Mayor Mare asked as Spike began eavesdropping.
“I predict a ninety-five percent chance of success,” Flam said confidently.
“And, what does that mean?” Mayor Mare asked.
“It means that, given the expected and the unexpected, nineteen times out of twenty we will succeed,” Flim explained.
“And what about that one time? Why can’t you guarantee success?”
“Your Excellency, the Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery is untested for long periods of time,” Flam explained patiently, “It is conceivable that something could go wrong or that efficiency could decrease over time, but both scenarios are unlikely to affect our chances of success.”
“I must say, I do not understand why this is so important to you,” Flim said, “Zap apples are an incredible and versatile fruit, but it hardly seems likely they will return what you have already invested for many years. An urgent summons for us, designs to increase the efficiency of production, both came at great expense to yourself. What can you hope to gain?”
“It will be more than worth it,” Mayor Mare assured them, “I have come so close so many times to snatching the Apples’ lands. Then these miraculous zap apple harvests foil everything! Without their zap apples, there will be no more surprises, no more evading my plans. The Apples will fall short of their obligations—how can they not, with only three ponies working the land—and I will declare them unable to tend their land. It will by mine, given to new tenants who respect my rule and answer directly to me. It’s time for that special deed from Celestia to expire.”
“I see, Your Excellency,” Flam said, though he sounded somewhat skeptical of the wisdom of Mayor Mare’s obsession with the Apples, “My brother and I will endeavor to do our best to acquire the zap apple orchard. I trust that that will fulfill our contract?”
“Of course,” Mayor Mare replied.
The ponies in the room were rising to go, but Spike had already fled. Flim and Flam working with Mayor Mare! I need to find Twilight.
***
With the third day of zap apple cider season came an even larger crowd of ponies. News had spread quickly about this contest between a family of simple farmers and twin sorcerers from beyond the sea. There were no cider sales this morning; that would have to wait until after the contest concluded, if the Apples were victorious. The kegs were where everypony could see them, only slightly more than on the previous two days. The Apples had wanted to get a head start, but they also knew they needed rest for the competition. They were preparing now, making sure all their cider-making equipment was ready to face off against Flim and Flam’s sorcery and alchemy.
“Applejack, I have news for you,” Twilight Sparkle said as she approached her friend, “Flim and Flam are working with Mayor Mare. This whole confrontation was engineered by her to strip you first of the zap apple orchard, and then of the rest of your land.”
“O’ course, I should’ve expected so,” Applejack snorted.
“Do you want to call this off?” Twilight Sparkle asked. As Celestia’s personal protégé, she probably had the power to make it so.
“No, we can’t back down now, in front o’ e’rypony,” Applejack said, “We ‘ave t’ go through wi’ this.”
“Best of luck to you,” Twilight said worriedly before returning to the crowd of ponies who’d turned out to watch the competition.
Most of what the Apples usually used to make zap apple cider was within a shed inside the palisade that surrounded their farmstead. To help speed up the process, and to give the ponies of Ponieville a good show, it had been moved out and deposited near the zap apple orchard. The palisade around the orchard had also been torn down to give an unobstructed view. One of Mayor Mare’s many, mostly unnecessary officials was stringing a rope through the orchard to divide it equally into western and eastern halves. Across the line, Flim and Flam sat easily in front of their cider distillery on wheels, waiting patiently for the competition to start. A pile of barrels sat between them, provided by Magnus, Rarity’s father and the town cooper, for the occasion.
“Attention, ponies of Ponieville!” Mayor Mare called out after one of her retainers blew a trumpet blast to quiet the crowd, “As your mayor, I will be the judge of this competition between the Apple family and the Brothers Tyrmynus. Both have four hours, from now until the sun’s zenith, to produce zap apple cider. Whoever can make the best cider the quickest will win!”
“If the Apples win, then Flim and Flam will cede their Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery, but if the brothers win, then the Apples will cede their zap apple orchard, and the Flim-Flam Brothers will produce plenty of cider for everypony!” Mayor Mare continued, pausing for cheers after her last statement, “Is everypony ready to begin?”
“Whenever the Apples are ready, we are prepared to win,” Flim called back.
“We’re ready!” Applejack answered with glares for both the mayor and the twin sorcerers.
“Then begin!” Mayor Mare yelled, “Make that cider!”
Both parties got to work immediately, ignoring the cheers of the crowd, most of whom were just happy to have some late-winter entertainment instead of work. Zap apples floated away from the trees in the western half of the orchard, a magical glow around them, and were fed into the Flim-Flam Brothers’ contraption.
Across the line, the Apples had to rely on non-magical means to harvest their fruit. Applejack jumped and bucked, causing the magical multicolored fruit to fall into waiting baskets. At first, Big McIntosh helped her while Apple Bloom carried the baskets to Granny Smith. The eldest and youngest members of the Apple family worked together to winnow out zap apples unfit for cider-making and cut out the bad bits before chopping them into tiny pieces and preparing them to be pressed. Apple Bloom called Big Mac over once they were ready for pressing, and the stallion worked the press, squeezing out all the juice from the zap apples. From there, the juice went to a vat with other ingredients where it matured for the small amount of times zap apple cider required before being drained into a keg. All through the process, the Apples shifted around wherever they were needed to keep things moving and moving quickly. With the pressure on, they filled their first keg in record time.
“One done already,” Applejack said with a grateful release of breath as she pushed the keg to the side, “Good job, e’rypony.”
“I bet Flim an’ Flam don’t e’en have a single keg yet,” Apple Bloom said proudly, but gasped when she looked across the line at the brothers.
Three kegs of zap apple cider were already lined up next to their machine and a fourth slid next to it. Flim and Flam sat easily in chairs somepony had brought them, letting their magic do all the work, and Flam cheekily waved as he noticed the Apples watching them.
“Come on, e’rypony, we can’t give up now!” Applejack yelled, “Back t’ work; we can still do this! We’re th’ Apple family!”
Everypony rushed back to work, doing their best but still unable to compete with the sorcerers. It was a losing battle, and they knew it, but they couldn’t give up, couldn’t give in. Maybe a miracle would happen; that seemed the only likely way they could win. The hours slipped by, and the Flim-Flam Brothers continued to outdo the Apples, cranking out four kegs of zap apple cider for every one the Apples were able to produce. By the halfway point of the competition, the twenty-six-barrel lead the Apples had started with was reduced to eight. At this rate, the twins would overtake them within the next hour.
The Brave Companions (apart from Applejack) watched together as the Apples were outdone. All wished they could help their friend, but what could they do? Twilight Sparkle knew that something had to be done, or at least attempted, so she whispered her plan to Pinkamena. The sometimes-bard, sometimes-baker bounded through the crowd and under the halberds of Mayor Mare’s mayoral guards to startle the official.
“Say, your mayorness, would it be okay if the Apples’ friends lent them a hoof?” Pinkamena asked loudly enough that everypony around the mayor could hear, including those outside of her inner circle, before lowering her voice, “It would look bad if you let these outlanders crush them so thoroughly and not very entertainingly.”
“Well, I …” Mayor Mare stammered before listening to advice whispered in her ear, “Flim? Flam? Would you accept friends of the Apple family helping them out?”
“Let them!” Flam called back, “We are confident in our superior ability no matter how many ponies try to help the Apples.”
“I suppose that would be acceptable, then,” Mayor Mare told Pinkamena before seeing the rest of the Brave Companions step out of the crowd and immediately regretting her decision.
“Okay, everypony, I have a plan,” Twilight Sparkle announced once the Brave Companions and the Apples were gathered around, “We need to at least triple output to beat the Flim-Flam Brothers. It will be hard work, but we can do this. Fluttershy, you help harvest the zap apples.”
“Oh my,” the druidess said, “I don’t have to … kick the trees, do I?”
“Just get them down however you can,” the sorceress replied before turning to the next of her friends, “Pinkamena, you stay with Fluttershy. Help with transporting the apples to Granny Smith and bringing them down if you can.”
“You can count on me!” Pinkamena proclaimed, knocking herself in the forehead with her hoof.
“Rarity, your discerning eye will be helpful in winnowing out the bad apples and preparing them for pressing,” Twilight said.
“Naturally,” Rarity said, with a small amount of pride.
“Rainbow Dash, you help with the press,” Twilight ordered.
“On it!” the Hunter said enthusiastically.
“I will help wherever I can and lend my sorcery where it is needed,” Twilight said and got a look from Granny Smith, “Not to change how you make the zap apple cider, I assure you, only to assist. The biggest bottleneck I can see is getting the apples to the press when it is ready, so we do not waste any time, so I will look for ways to eliminate the problem. Let us do this, everypony!”
Shouts of excitement reached Twilight as she concluded her speech, and everypony left for their jobs, except for Applejack.
“Thank y’, Twilight,” the farmer said with tears in her eyes.
“What are friends for?” Twilight asked, a question she’d had no idea how answer before leaving Cant’r Laht, “You may want to wait to thank me until after we win, though.”
The competition continued, the Apples and Brave Companions working to make up the time they’d lost in planning. With the extra horsepower and Twilight’s organizational skills improving the process, production increased. Gradually at first, but by Twilight’s calculations it would be enough to stay ahead, if just barely. She wasn’t the only one making calculations either. With an hour to go, Flam was scribbling furiously on a writing desk.
“Well, brother-o-mine?” Flim asked nervously, carefully watching the Apples and their growing collection of zap apple cider barrels.
“If things continue as they are now, I predict a sixty-five percent chance of success,” the mustachioed stallion said direly.
“Sixty-five?” Flim said incredulously, “That is an unacceptable risk! We have to increase production ourselves somehow!”
“But how?” Flam asked, “We designed the Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery to be as efficient as possible!”
“What are the odds that the inedible bits of the zap apples would be destroyed in the conversion to cider and not adversely affect the final product?” Flim pondered as he rubbed his chin.
“Eighty-five percent,” Flam said after doing some more calculations.
“We have a solution, then,” Flim said slyly.
The bottom of the hopper into which the zap apples were dumped fell permanently open, letting what was pulled from the trees fall directly into the grinder. Flashes of magic ceased coming from the hopper as Flim and Flam no longer cored and weaned the apples before they entered. The glow also disappeared around the zap apples as they devoted the entirety of their magical strength to picking as many apples as quickly as possible. Faster and faster their machine pumped out zap apple cider as faster and faster they pulled zap apples from the trees, their magic now and then pulling branches and leaves along, too.
Ponies watched in anticipation as both groups flew at their work with reckless abandon and time edged ever closer to noon. The barrels provided for the competition grew fewer and fewer until it looked like they’d run out before the time limit. A pony from the mayor’s household carefully watched a stake driven into the ground as time ran out.
“Stop!” he called out as the shadow of the stake pointed due north, “Time’s up!”
The Apples and the Brave Companions wearily collapsed to the ground, having just finished their last barrel of cider. The Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punctual Zap Apple Cider Distillery hissed and groaned to a halt, steam rising from parts of it that had had magic pumped through them.
“Final count,” Mayor Mare announced after her representatives finished counting the kegs of zap apple cider and brought the numbers to her, “The Apple family, both yesterday and this morning, produced in total forty-eight barrels of cider. The Flim-Flam Brothers, in a single morning, produced sixty-four barrels of cider. Flim and Flam win!”
“W-we lost?” Apple Bloom asked plaintively.
“Thank you, Your Excellency,” Flim addressed the mayor, “It was the only outcome that could have been anticipated.”
“Now, who wants some fresh zap apple cider?” Flam asked, beckoning to the field of kegs.
The crowd, which had so enthusiastically embraced the idea of taking over zap apple cider production, was now subdued. After seeing how much work the Apples had put in, and how some of the most famous ponies in Equestria had rushed to their aid, they were beginning to have second thoughts. Wealthy magical foreigners in charge of not only all zap apple cider production, but also zap apple jam and zap apples for baking and consumption, taking it away from the few free local farmers, just didn’t sit right.
“Congratulations Flim an’ Flam; th’ orchard is yours,” Applejack admitted before addressing the crowd, “Y’ had better get your cider.”
“No need to rush, no shortage here!” Flim called out as ponies began to trot over to where the brothers had paid somepony to set up a stand for them during the competition.
A line formed to purchase the cider that they’d craved, though not from who they’d bought it from for centuries. Coin was exchanged for cider, Flim and Flam passing out tankards. As the first pony took a draw of the cider, she immediately spit it out into the snow.
“What is this swill?” she demanded angrily, “This is not zap apple cider!”
“Are these leaves and … bark!” another customer complained as he examined his drink.
“Brother-o-mine, why did you not bring out the good, sure stuff from the beginning of the competition first?” Flim whispered tensely to Flam.
“Because this barrel was closer,” Flam whispered back.
“Not to worry, Ponievillians, we will make this right,” Flim assured them, “Allow me to fetch another barrel.”
“This stuff is awful!” another pony complained after taking a sip, “Why would we pay for more of it?”
“Mayor Mare?” Twilight Sparkle said, an idea coming into her head like lightning, “Did you not say that the winner would be the ponies who made the best cider the quickest?”
“I-I suppose so,” the mayor said nervously as her citizens watched her.
Applejack saw what Twilight was doing and quickly rolled over a barrel of the cider they’d produced. Apple Bloom filled a tankard and brought it over to the mayor, who reluctantly drank. Rainbow Dash zipped over to Flim and Flam’s stand and purloined a tankard of their cider, bringing it back and also presenting it to the mayor, so she could compare. Everypony waited for her to drink some of Flim and Flam’s cider, but she just stared dubiously at the seeds and stems swirling in the drink that was barely luminous.
“I have a correction to make,” Mayor Mare said painfully, “Because of the poor quality of Flim and Flam’s cider, I must declare the Apples the winners in this competition.”
Some cheers went up from the crowd, but not its entirety. Many ponies were still confused as to exactly what side they ought to be on.
“You charlatans thought you could mislead us with your fancy talk and magic!” one pony accused the brothers, which was enough for the crowd to begin pressing in on them, “It was all a trick to steal the zap apples from these good, hard-working ponies!”
“Brother-o-mine, it seems we have a bit of a problem here,” Flim said as they were backed against their invention.
“I can see that, brother-o-mine,” Flam replied with a tight smile.
“I say we make our escape posthaste,” Flim said.
“I could not agree more,” Flam said.
“Your reward is in the Flim-Flam Brothers’ Portable Punct-” Flim called out to the Apples, the extraordinarily long name of their invention getting cut off as the brothers teleported away to escape the sudden rush of angry ponies.
Rainbow Dash stalked through the snow, her eyes darting back and forth at the trees around her. In the aftermath of the competition between the Apples and the Flim-Flam Brothers the day before, she’d finally gotten her taste of zap apple cider from this cider season (and more than she really should have, probably). Now, it was back to work. At the moment, she was the only Hunter in or near Ponieville, and most monsters did not rest in the winter. While she’d been preoccupied with her cider, the notices from ponies seeking aid had begun to pile up, even with her filling one or two a day.
This morning, she’d already taken care of a rusalka, a nest of ghouls, a stray windigo, and a boggart that turned out just to be a mischievous colt. Now, she was investigating at the behest of a minor lord with a minor estate outside Ponieville, and minor patience. Something had burrowed its way into his cellar, smashed barrels and crates to bits, then tunneled back out again. The Hunter suspected a molestag, or maybe a young tatzlwurm; both were likely to make their home beneath this nearby wood, coming out now and again to climb or twine around the trees.
Rainbow Dash spotted what she was looking for, a tree tilted to the side, the snow around its base disturbed. Bark was scraped away by something that had climbed the tree with a serpentine body, probably a tatzlwurm. Just in case the creature was lying in wait, she used her sword to clear away the snow and reveal the burrow’s entrance. Grabbing a bomb hanging from her saddlebags, she lit it and tossed it into the hole before jumping back. It was a sparkler, and wouldn’t do any real damage, but the sound it made, the sparks it threw, and the way it shook the dirt would rile up the monster. Hanging her saddlebags on her branch to lighten her load, she stretched her wings and waited for the beast to emerge.
What burst out of the ground, nearly uprooting the tree, was not what she’d expected. It was not a tatzlwurm, but a lindwurm—a frilled lindwurm at that, the most dangerous variety. It flared the leathery mane around its neck as it roared at her and spat poison from its tongue. Rainbow Dash dodged out of the way, and the poison sent steam up where it hit the snow. Sword at the ready, she darted through the air toward the lindwurm, but had to pull up as it reached out for her with the arms that sprouted from the serpent body near its head, long claws tipping them. The lindwurm twisted its body around with incredible grace and snapped at the Hunter, catching the end of her tail in its jaws. Rainbow Dash twisted around and cut her tail short in order to free herself.
She shot up into the air as the lindwurm wound itself around a tree to gain some height. Some of the gear in her saddlebags would’ve been more useful for this, but she could make do with what she had. Looking away, she tossed a stun bomb down at the lindwurm. Hearing it shriek as it was momentarily blinded, she dove toward it, sword ready to slice through its jaw. As she closed in on its head, the lindwurm opened a third eye in its forehead, which it had kept shut up until now, which had not been blinded. How could I have forgotten!?
A flash of light came from the third eye, and Rainbow Dash found herself blinded. No longer able to see her quarry, she struck out blindly while trying to redirect herself, but she was going too fast. One of the lindwurm’s claws struck her hard and sent her careening out of control. Still unable to see, she smashed through a branch, bounced off a tree, and felt a bone in her wing crack in the process. She slid through the snow for quite a distance, smashing her head against a tree trunk at the end. The screams of the lindwurm were cut off as she lost consciousness.
***
When Rainbow Dash awoke, it was in an unfamiliar place. Or, rather, a familiar place where she hadn’t expected to find herself; it only seemed unfamiliar until she adjusted and realized where she was. She was lying in a bed in Golden Oak’s laboratory, on her stomach and staring at one of the many bookshelves the tree’s previous mage had grown into the walls. She tried to roll over onto her back, but was stopped by the splint holding her right wing out away from her body.
“She’s awake!” Rarity exclaimed as Rainbow Dash gave a small groan of pain at rolling against her broken wing.
“Finally,” a gruff voice huffed as she rolled over the other direction so that she was in a position to see who else was in the room, “Now that you’ve seen she’s awake and alert, I trust I can leave?”
All the Brave Companions were in the room with her, as well as the source of the grumpy voice: Stitchwit. The earth pony stallion was a local barber-surgeon, and not Rainbow Dash’s first choice to treat her. She’d come to him with her injuries once before, and though he was competent, he had the bedside manner of a centaur marauder.
“What am I doing here?” the Hunter said as she sat up in bed.
“You broke your wing. Again!” Stitchwit said before anypony else could respond.
“Fluttershy found you and brought you here,” Twilight Sparkle said, and though the sorceress could be a hard pony at times, her words now seemed like satin compared to Stitchwit’s tone, “I did what I could to help with the pain, but you needed surgery.”
“And you all came here to watch Stitchwit fix my wing?” Rainbow Dash asked dubiously.
“Well, no,” Twilight admitted, and she looked on the verge of saying something else.
“We all came to make sure you recovered!” Pinkamena exclaimed, preparing to pounce on and embrace Rainbow, then thinking better of it when she glanced at her broken wing.
“Recovered,” Stitchwit scoffed, “As if. Whatever they do to turn you into Hunters, it’ll speed your recovery, but you’re not recovered yet. You need to stay in bed for another couple days at least to heal.”
“A couple days?” Rainbow complained, “What am I supposed to do in that time?”
“I’m sure I don’t know, and sure I don’t care,” Stitchwit said as he left, “I’ll be back then to see if the splint is ready to come off. Don’t use that wing or you’ll be sorry.”
Rainbow Dash looked around the room, past her friends, and her eyes settled on her bundle of possessions stacked into a chair. Her armor was there, as well as her saddlebags, but there was one item conspicuously absent.
“Where’s my sword?” the Hunter asked.
“Don’t y’ worry ‘bout that,” Applejack said, “We’ll find it for y’.”
“No, I need to find it,” Rainbow Dash said as she tried to get out of bed, then fell back as she unconsciously tried to use her broken wing to help her.
“Don’t worry, darling, like Applejack said, we’ll find it,” Rarity said, “While we do that, you are going to stay here and rest.”
“But what am I supposed to do?” Rainbow asked, “I can’t just lie in bed all day, I’ll go crazy!”
“Well, you might try this,” Twilight Sparkle said before setting a book down on the shelf next to the bed.
“What’s this?” Rainbow Dash asked as she picked up the book.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t imagine anything the sorceress was interested in would also hold her interest, but she’d give her the benefit of the doubt until she knew better. Most of the tomes that Twilight Sparkle kept around here were old, though this one seemed fairly new. Stamped in the green-dyed leather cover was The Tales of Daring Do.
“It is a collection of stories on the journeys of the pegasus knight and adventurer Daring Do,” Twilight said, and the Hunter’s interest grew, “She travels to many places, seeking treasure and fighting monsters. I think you would like it.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash said, opening the book, “When did she live?” Rainbow Dash knew all kinds of stories about legendary Hunters and pegasi, but she’d never heard of this Daring Do before.
“Oh, none of it is real,” Twilight Sparkle said, “They are just stories, written by the Stygran scribe A.K. Yearling and translated into Low Equestrian by Countess Sundown of Adage. The stories can be quite captivating.”
“It’s all pretend? Then what’s the point?” Rainbow Dash said in disappointment as she put the book down, “Fairy stories are for foals, and none of them capture the truth anyway.”
“You should give it a chance; you might be surprised,” Twilight said.
“No way,” Rainbow Dash said, crossing her forelegs, which caused her to wince as she stretched her wing.
“We will let you rest now,” Twilight said as the others began to file out of the room, “We will return later to see how you are doing.”
“With my sword,” Rainbow Dash said.
“With your sword,” Twilight promised.
***
After her friends left, the Hunter tried to occupy herself, but it was a losing battle. She tried to sleep, but quickly gave up when it became obvious she wouldn’t need sleep until well after nightfall. So, instead, she disobeyed Stitchwit’s orders and got up to trot around Ponieville. She should have known that that was a bad idea when she continually found herself staggering from trying to use her broken wing. It seemed she only realized how much she used them on a daily basis when she broke one of them. Training with her practice swords was even worse, and she was forced to surrender and return to Golden Oak’s laboratory to rest. Rest, but not sleep. She looked through the monster-killing contracts she’d taken, putting them in an order to tackle them, but even with as many as there were, it didn’t take much time. She needed something to do or somepony to talk to, but neither were available.
She was absently looking through her Hunter bestiary, having already checked the pages on lindwurms several times, when she finally gave up and set the book aside. If she was already reduced to reading a book she’d practically memorized through necessity, then maybe reading the book Twilight had proffered wouldn’t be that bad. She set The Tales of Daring Do on the stand where her bestiary had been, and turned to the first story: The Quest for the Sapphire Stone. The guest room of the laboratory was closed off except for one window, but Rainbow Dash still listened to make sure nopony was around before beginning to read.
Hearken now to this tale of Daring Do, this tale of daring-do. This Daring, a daring mare who earned the trust and respect of the kings and queens of the Land. She who is most renowned. This tale brings her to the southern jungles in her quest for the Sapphire Stone at the behest of her liege, King Raddolf. Not yet famous, not yet respected, her deed is unknown by the king or her fellow hunters for the Stone. She is alone, but not without hope in victory, despite the pitfalls she’s encountered.
Her quest seemed cursed from the start, first losing her supplies in a storm as her ship smashed against the coast, and now as she was forced to trot through the jungle’s undergrowth. She longed to soar above the treetops and escape the humid heat that surrounded her, but that would not be possible for several days more at least. Her wing was injured in a crash landing, and she would need time to recover. Though her injury would limit her abilities and options, she refused to give up, and pressed on through the jungle.
“Broken wing, huh?” Rainbow Dash wondered aloud, “Is this why Twilight wanted me to read this book?”
Mosquitos, flies, and gnats swarmed in the low places, and Daring Do avoided them, avoided further injury. She had need to pause often to consult the map she’d won in a game of chance just days before King Raddolf issued his proclamation, a map to the hidden temple where the Sapphire Stone was kept. When she did, it gave her a chance to listen for the predators stalking her. Panthers and pumas were out there, seeking to devour a pony who could no longer simply fly to safety.
They came into the open as she came to a gorge, a whole pack surrounding her. Daring Do had not come here unprepared, and she threw a knife through the air, the point piercing the eye of the pack’s leader. In the momentary hesitation that followed from the rest of the great cats, she ran for a fallen tree that spanned the gorge. Daring Do threw herself against the tree, pushing it toward the edge. She spun to strike once with her sword as the panthers charged before giving the tree a final shove and running out onto it as it began to slip. It tipped into the gorge, and she jumped toward the far side. Without wings to aid her, she barely made it, but make it she did. As she pulled herself up, the remaining jungle cats stalked off, disappointed at losing a meal.
“Whoa, real or not, that’s pretty good,” Rainbow Dash admitted to herself, before going back to reading.
***
Daring Do was now at the heart of the temple, past all the traps that had attempted to bar her way. Her sword with slick with serpent’s blood and her hooves ached from the climbing and galloping, but at last she was here. She gazed upon the temple’s center chamber, and a shaft of light slanted through one of the holes in the ceiling to strike the Sapphire Stone. Blue light blazed from the two-headed jackal, blinding her for a moment before slanting away across the floor tiles. Daring Do had beaten all the other seekers here; she would be the one to claim the Sapphire Stone and present it to King Raddolf.
She stepped out toward the pedestal upon which her goal set, and the floor tile gave beneath her hoof …
Rainbow Dash jerked away from the book as she heard somepony enter the laboratory with her keen Hunter’s ears. After she’d emphatically denied wanting to read The Tales of Daring Do, she couldn’t let somepony catch her with the book, especially not Twilight. She couldn’t admit she liked it, not yet. Maybe it was irrational, but she had little time to think about her actions as she hurriedly closed the book and set it aside, smoothing out the pages when they folded back. Her Hunter bestiary had replaced it on the stand by the time the Brave Companions entered the room.
“What happened to you?” Rainbow Dash asked when she saw that they were practically covered in dirty snow.
“Searching for your sword, we had a … run-in with whatever that thing was that knocked you out,” Rarity said.
“A lindwurm?” Rainbow Dash asked, surprised that they weren’t in worse shape.
“If you say so,” Rarity said, disheartened, “What have you been up to while we’ve been away?”
“Oh, just doing some research,” Rainbow Dash said, gesturing to her bestiary before turning it away from the page on breezies, whose entry could be summed up with the words ‘mostly harmless,’ “Monsters, you know.”
“We do know, but you know better,” Twilight Sparkle said as she approached, “Is there anything you can tell us about … lindwurms?”
“Wait, don’t tell me you’re planning on going after that thing!” Rainbow Dash said incredulously.
“It’s got your sword, an’ there’re other Hunters in Ponieville t’ go after it,” Applejack said, “Th’ five o’ us t’gether can ‘andle it. We’ve already survived it once.”
“It isn’t just any lindwurm,” Rainbow Dash protested, “It’s a frilled lindwurm, and a smart one. It can spit poison that’ll corrode steel and use its third eye to blind you. It’s too dangerous.”
“Nevertheless, we still intend to hunt down this lindwurm and retrieve your sword,” Twilight said, “So, the more help you can give us, the better chance we will have.”
“Fine,” Rainbow Dash sighed, “If you can hold it in place so it can’t just tunnel around you, that’d be a start. I have a few traps that’ll do the trick back at my home. Don’t let it get away, because you’ll never find it. Lindwurms can tunnel for a league or more without tiring. Take out its third eye if you can, and cut off its tongue if you get the chance. Also, if you can cut the tendons directly below its arms then they’ll be mostly useless, but it probably won’t give you the opportunity to do so.”
“Everypony, get some rest. We will go after the lindwurm first thing tomorrow morning,” Twilight Sparkle announced to the other Brave Companions before turning back to the Hunter, “Thank you, Rainbow Dash. I will have more questions for you later. I am sure you will be happy to have something to do.”
“Right, of course,” Rainbow Dash said, though she glanced at The Tales of Daring Do, as if it were calling to her.
***
Between Twilight’s questions about lindwurms and being too nervous to attempt to read in secret with Twilight and Spike both in the laboratory with her, Rainbow Dash was unable to continue The Tales of Daring Do that night, but the following day brought her an opportunity. She was almost glad to see her friends leaving, if only it didn’t mean they were going after a dangerous monster. Still, it gave her time alone and undisturbed to read the story of Daring Do. With the stand on the bed in front of her again, she propped up the book and found the page she’d been on the night before.
She stepped out toward the pedestal upon which her goal set, and the floor tile gave beneath her hoof. Darts flew from the walls, and Daring Do rolled backwards, groaning as she lay upon her broken wing. Traps remained still between her and her prize.
Runes written in the tongue of the ancient qirin who’d once lived here were etched into each of the tiles. Daring Do carefully consulted her battered map and followed its instructions to step only on the safe tiles. Each rune represented a creature, real or mythical, the qirin had known, and only those deemed benevolent or harmless would not trigger a trap.
After what seemed an eternity, she reached the pedestal at the room’s center, upon which sat the Sapphire Stone. After taking a moment to admire the relic she’d searched after for so long, Daring Do removed it from the pedestal and stowed it in her saddlebags. As she did so, the pedestal groaned, and traps rumbled within the walls and beneath her hooves.
Daring began to make her way back to the door through which she’d entered the chamber, but sections of the wall toppled and smashed through the tiles completely, engulfing the room in darts and leaving a yawning abyss where the floor had been. At the bottom of the chasm now between her and the door, sickly green fires were lit, and the pedestal upon which she was now standing began to descend toward the flames.
Daring Do searched for an escape, and found one in a nearby pillar that had fallen only partway before catching on the tiles. She jumped to it and grabbed on with her forelegs, heaving herself up. Pressed against a small segment of wall, she scrambled to ascend as the room grew hotter. She reached the ceiling, but the holes that let in light were not large enough for her to fit through. An arrow in her teeth, she loosened the ancient stones around one of the holes until she was able to scramble through.
She slid down the side of the temple, landing hard on the ground, and the Sapphire Stone bounced out of her saddlebags. As she reached for it, a hairy blue hand grabbed it first. Looking up, Daring Do found towering over her a being covered in blue fur, pulled into spikes, a mean grin on its doglike face. A tail that ended in a hand waved behind it while it gripped the Sapphire Stone in one of its forehands. Saliva dribbled down its cheeks as it opened its mouth to speak.
“Rainbow Dash!” a voice reached the Hunter that was very unlike the creature she’d just read described, “Rainbow Dash, where are you?”
Scootaloo burst into the room just as Rainbow Dash finished chucking The Tales of Daring Do, reading stand and all, over the side of the bed. Rainbow Dash had been a hero to Scootaloo even before the young pegasus had arrived in Ponieville. Her mother had told her stories about Rainbow growing up, which the Hunter still needed to get to the bottom of someday. Today, though, she just wished Scootaloo would’ve left her to The Tales of Daring Do.
“Rainbow Dash! There you are!” Scootaloo exclaimed, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, squirt,” Rainbow Dash said affectionately, “What’re you doing here?”
“Apple Bloom said you broke your wing, and I wanted to make sure you were okay! You’ll still be able to fly, won’t you?” Scootaloo’s words all tumbled out.
“Of course. I just need to rest for a little while, and I’ll be good as new.”
“Oh, rest. I see,” Scootaloo said, and it really seemed she’d gotten the hint, “So, since you’re not going anywhere or doing anything and I’m here, you think you can tell me some stories of your daring-do?”
Rainbow Dash sighed as the filly hopped up onto the bed with her, gazing into her eyes expectantly. How was she to know that she’d rather be reading The Tales of Daring Do than telling tales of daring-do? Could I just tell her to leave? No, that won’t do.
“Okay, squirt, what about the time I fought a hydra in a sewer?” Rainbow Dash said.
***
Telling stories to Scootaloo took up most of the rest of the day; the filly just didn’t want to leave until she absolutely had to return home before Sweetie Belle’s parents would be cross with her. Rainbow Dash was able to read more of The Tales of Daring Do after she left, but was unable to finish it before Twilight and Spike returned in the middle of the night. They had her sword, and nopony had died, which was some relief, but she had to lay low until they were asleep. She read more that night, about Daring Do tricking Ahuizotl (the powerful creature who’d appeared outside the temple) and stealing back the Sapphire Stone, but before the fictional pegasus could get out of the jungle and return to her homeland with her prize, she was captured again.
“You thought to steal my relic for yourself, pitiful little pony, and now you shall pay, just as those who displeased me in the past paid,” said Ahuizotl.
Daring Do struggled unsuccessfully against her bonds. She was tied down to a stone table in a chamber of the temple lit by guttering torches. A large stone wheel was positioned at one end of the chamber, balanced on a track that led down to the table. If it weren’t for the ropes stretched tightly in front of it, one push would send it rolling down to crush her. Ahuizotl grabbed a torch with his tail as he sauntered over to the wheel.
“The ancient qirin once made sacrifices to me here; it seems only fitting for you to meet a similar end. It can be a quite excruciating thing to go through. Which will kill you first? The snakes? The star spiders? Both are long deaths. It may be more merciful to simply be crushed to death,” said Ahuizotl.
“You won’t defeat me, Ahuizotl! I’ll come for you and retrieve the Sapphire Stone!” said Daring Do.
“Save your breaths, little pony; you haven’t many left,” said Ahuizotl.
As he left the chamber, he lit a brazier beneath the rope holding the wheel in place. Flames licked at the rope until it snapped, and the wheel rolled down its track. As it did, it tripped a switch that opened holes in the walls, out of which slithered venomous snakes. The wheel was stopped by another rope, but the fire traveled down with it and began to burn this rope as well.
Daring Do continued to struggle against her bonds, which drew the attention of the snakes. She tried to slip under them instead of loosening or breaking them, even though it pushed her closer to the wheel’s track. Flames burned away the second rope, and the wheel rolled down again, opening holes in the walls from which poured hordes of star spiders. Only one rope now kept the wheel from crushing Daring Do.
She was making some progress and was nearly free when the final rope burned through and …
“Rainbow Dash!” Stitchwit said gruffly as he burst into the room, “Wake up! Let’s take a look at that wing.”
Rainbow Dash thought she stopped herself from giving out a yelp in surprise, but she couldn’t be sure. Stitchwit had seen her reading The Tales of Daring Do, but he didn’t care. What mattered was that the Hunter had put the book away by the time Twilight entered the room. Stitchwit examined her wing, huffing and hmphing as he did it. In the end, he removed the splint.
“It seems you actually listened to my instructions for once and rested,” the barber-surgeon said, “You don’t need the splint anymore. You can fly and return home, just only fly slowly for the next day or so. Otherwise it’ll take longer to fully heal.”
“That is great news,” Twilight Sparkle said, “Rainbow Dash, I am sure you will appreciate no longer being cooped up here with nothing to do.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash laughed nervously, looking at the unfinished book at her bedside.
***
Rainbow Dash tried to return to training in preparation for fulfilling the monster contracts left, she really tried. However, as the day wore on, her thoughts were more and more overtaken by questions about how the story she’d been reading would end. Did Daring Do escape the wheel, the snakes, and the spiders? Did she retrieve the Sapphire Stone from Ahuizotl? Did she return with it to King Raddolf? She cursed herself for ever starting to read that book if it was going to consumer her thoughts like this.
More and more, she concluded that she had to know how the story ended. But how could she find out? She could just ask Twilight Sparkle to let her borrow the book, but she wasn’t yet ready to admit to the sorceress that she’d been secretly reading it while bedridden. Maybe she could just ask without admitting it, but that seemed suspicious, and Twilight would probably see through it. The only way, she decided, would be to sneak into Golden Oak’s laboratory that night and finish the story. Just The Quest for the Sapphire Stone, though, not the entirety of The Tales of Daring Do, and then she would never touch the book again.
After night had fallen, Rainbow Dash found herself hiding on the roof of a house near Golden Oak’s laboratory, waiting for the candles to be snuffed out. Twilight tended to work late into the night, and the Hunter grew more and more anxious with every minute. She almost broke down and headed in to ask the sorceress for the book, when the final window went dark. She counted to ten-thousand before hopping down from her vantage point and creeping through the snow.
Carefully, she picked the lock on the door to the laboratory and snuck inside. With no Twilight or Spike in sight, she crept to the room she’d stayed in during the last two days. Everything was right where she’d left it, except for The Tales of Daring Do. She panicked for a second before deducing that Twilight had probably returned it to its spot on the shelves that filled the laboratory. She searched the ones in the room she was in before returning to the main room. There it was, the familiar green tome, and she carefully pulled it down and began to read.
She was making some progress and was nearly free when the final rope burned through and the wheel came crashing down toward her. Daring Do pulled herself free and the wheel rolled past her head, crushing the snakes pursuing her. Star spiders hung all around her, and she wove her way through them to the chamber’s exit. She rushed down a hallway whose walls were covered in murals praising Ahuizotl and out into the jungle air. Down below, she spotted Ahuizotl confidently walking away.
“Ahuizotl,” swore Daring Do.
“Rainbow Dash?” Spike’s voice asked, breaking the Hunter out of the world she’d immersed herself in.
She definitely yelped this time. Rainbow Dash darted for the door without waiting for Spike to confirm it was her, The Tales of Daring Do gripped in her teeth. As soon as she was outside, she took off into the sky. However, she flapped a little too hard and her injured wing gave out, sending her plummeting face-first into the snow.
“What is going on?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she trotted out of the laboratory, thick blankets wrapped around her, “Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here at this time of night?”
“I-I-” Rainbow Dash stammered, unable to come up with an excuse, especially with The Tales of Daring Do lying in the snow next her.
“Oh, I see,” Twilight Sparkle said as she spotted the book.
“Yes, I came to steal The Tales of Daring Do because I started reading it and couldn’t put it down, but my wing healed before I could finish it, and I have to know how it ends!” Rainbow Dash’s confession tumbled out.
“Is that all?” Twilight Sparkle asked, “You know that you could have just asked me to borrow the book, right?”
“I was afraid you’d be all smug and gloating after I rejected it as unworthy of my reading since it wasn’t real,” Rainbow Dash said, and Twilight considered being smug before deciding against it.
“No, Rainbow Dash, I am just glad that you were able to enjoy the tales,” the sorceress said, “I take it that you were not really bored with nothing to do after all?”
“No way,” Rainbow Dash said emphatically, “It is captivating.”
“Well, I am glad we are in agreement,” Twilight said, smiling pleasantly, “Now, you should probably return home … and see how the story ends.”
***
Daring Do bounded toward Ahuizotl and snatched the Sapphire Stone from his hands before he even saw her coming. Growling, Ahuizotl snapped his fingers, and a hole opened in the ground beneath Daring. She began to fall but managed to grab hold of the edge. Beneath her flowed a glowing green river she felt it would not be good to fall into. As Ahuizotl reached for the Sapphire Stone, Daring Do pulled herself up and ducked under him. With a buck, she knocked him through the trap he’d set for her.
‘Curse you! I will know who you are and find you!” cried Ahuizotl as the hole began to close.
Daring Do left with the Sapphire Stone secured and returned home. King Raddolf was shocked to find that she had succeeded where the other seekers had failed, and he bestowed on her all the wealth and honor promised. The name of Daring Do was known throughout the land, but her tale ended not here.
“Now that is something,” Rainbow Dash commented to herself before turning to the next story in the book: The Quest for the Gryphon’s Goblet.
“How are we to find Rainbow Dash’s sword?” Rarity asked after Spike shut the door on the room the injured Hunter was lying in, “Are we going to just dig through the snow until we bump into it.”
“If need be,” Twilight Sparkle said, “Fluttershy, can you lead us to where you found Rainbow Dash?”
“Yes, but …” the druidess said nervously, “What if whatever monster broke Rainbow’s wing is still out there?”
“Then we fight it,” Applejack said, and Rarity looked horrified.
“Do we have to?” Fluttershy asked, hiding behind her mane as she grew more nervous, “Rainbow Dash is far from the least skilled Hunter, and it took her down.”
“Only if we must. It has likely vacated the area by now, anyway,” Twilight Sparkle assured her, “Spike, fetch me my Hunter’s bestiary.” Just in case it hasn’t.
***
A light snow was falling by the time the Brave Companions arrived at the wood where Fluttershy had found Rainbow Dash, but the signs of the fight were still evident. There was the furrow from where Rainbow Dash had slid to strike her head, the branch that had broken her wing swinging back and forth, the tree that had nearly been uprooted as the lindwurm first burrowed out from under it and then slithered around its trunk. Rainbow Dash had been blinded when she’d lost the sword, so it was worthless asking her where she’d dropped it; it could be anywhere.
The search commenced, the Brave Companions trotting back and forth and trampling the snow. The sword had to be around here somewhere. Fluttershy searched the treetops to see if it had fallen into and been caught there, Pinkamena sometimes climbing up to assist and giving her a fright when they met; the rest stuck to the ground. With no sign of the sword, Twilight Sparkle decided to take more drastic action. The sorceress reached out with her magic and lifted all the snow off the ground, the layer hovering over the Brave Companions’ heads so they could more easily search the ground for Rainbow Dash’s missing blade.
Unbeknownst to her, this use of magic attracted the attention of the lindwurm, and it rushed toward the surface. A rumble in the ground was the only warning the Brave Companions had before it burst from its burrow. It gave a gurgling roar as it twisted its body around and spotted the five ponies and young dragon.
“What is that thing?” Rarity cried in alarm as the lindwurm twisted around a tree to loom over them.
“Spike?” Twilight asked, and her page paged through the Hunter bestiary.
The lindwurm didn’t wait for them to identify it and spat poison at the duo.
“Falan otha Ye![1]” Twilight Sparkle called out, and a shield burst into being around her.
As the poison struck the shield, hissing evilly, she released the snow she was holding, and it crashed down on lindwurm and ponies alike. As the lindwurm shook itself off angrily, light glinted off something just above its left shoulder. It was the hilt of Rainbow Dash’s sword, the blade buried into its flesh.
“Twilight, look!” Pinkamena pointed it out.
“I see it,” the sorceress said, “Cant’r majia tanya Ye’r fecorar![2]”
Lightning flashed down from the heavens to strike the lindwurm, but one of these flashes was not like the others. A blinding light emanated from the lindwurm’s forehead, blinding all the Brave Companions. Twilight Sparkle’s head suddnely felt filled with cotton, and her spell collapsed. She could hear the lindworm moving but had no idea where it was. It was a struggle, but she managed to reach out into the unknown and locate each of the Brave Companions. With a titanic effort, she managed to teleport them a short distance away from where they were, hopefully out of lindwurm’s reach.
Vision gradually returned, but Twilight still struggled to grasp even the simplest spells. The lindwurm had knocked over several trees trying to strike the Brave Companions before they’d vanished and reappeared here. Now it was slithering toward them, claws ready to tear them apart. As it reached the pack of ponies, the lindwurm circled them with its long, serpentine body, diving in and out of the ground and throwing dirty snow and frozen earth at them.
“It’s a lindwurm, I think,” Spike panted, finally having located its entry in the bestiary.
“What weaknesses does it have?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
Before the dragon could reply, Fluttershy steeled herself and launched into the air with a whimper. The lindwurm was taken by surprise as the druidess shot toward it. It snapped at her, but she rolled between its fangs and grabbed at the hilt of the sword lodged in it. She tried to jerk it free, but the sword caught, inflicting excruciating pain on the serpent. The lindwurm howled in agony and knocked Fluttershy aside with its great frilled head. It dove for the ground and began burrowing furiously.
“Quick, e’rypony out!” Applejack yelled as the coils around them began to constrict.
The Brave Companions struggled to hop and climb up the moving body of the lindwurm, all of them but Pinkamena slipping more than once. Applejack pulled Rarity free as the coils closed up, and they were thrown together into the mixture of snow and soil that now covered the area. The end of the lindwurm’s tail whipped around, nearly decapitating Twilight, as it vanished into the earth. The sounds of tunneling grew distant as the lindwurm left them alive but without what they’d come here for.
“Now what?” Pinkamena asked.
“We need to catch the lindwurm,” Twilight said, her head still spinning from the beast’s attack, “I think that we could use a Hunter’s advice before we pursue it, though.”
***
The only Hunter available to question, of course, was Rainbow Dash, and Twilight made the most of her current predicament to get everything she could out of her about lindwurms. While questioning Rainbow Dash, the Hunter seemed distracted. Twilight attributed it to her probably longing to accompany them or take down the lindwurm herself. It was unfortunate for her to be injured and unable to ply her trade at this time, when she had the monster-slaying market in Ponieville to herself and plenty of coin to be made. To continue her trade after she recovered, though, she’d need her sword, which the Brave Companions had to retrieve for her.
Early the next morning, the Brave Companions met back up at Golden Oak’s laboratory to head out after the lindwurm. Twilight Sparkle hoped that the lindwurm hadn’t tunneled far, but if it had then she had a plan to find it regardless. Before they returned to the scene of the attack yesterday, they made a detour to Rainbow Dash’s home to pick up her Hunter traps. Rarity had also made a few traps of Twilight’s own design this morning; she’d sent Ream over with the plans the night before. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkamena all carried the bundled contraptions on their backs, to set up when the time was right.
Twilight experimented with a burst of magic to catch the lindwurm’s attention, but got no response. Fluttershy conversed with the underground creatures here that weren’t hibernating and learned that the lindwurm had indeed not returned since the previous confrontation. As per Twilight’s plan, they followed its underground course, Fluttershy using her abilities to learn the way as they went. The path led almost due east, and soon they reached the Everfree Forest.
The Everfree Forest was no more hospitable than the other times the Brave Companions had been forced to venture into it. Twilight would be without trustworthy use of her magic again, which really made her hope the traps they’d brought along would do the trick. At least the other monsters here mostly left them alone. Those that didn’t got a firm talking-to by Fluttershy and thankfully they were ones that would listen to her. The druidess made it clear that if they were here too long, though, they probably wouldn’t be so lucky. The forest was also mostly free of cultists, now, so they wouldn’t have to deal with the Children of the Night. Luna had straightened out most of her worshippers in the Everfree Forest, taking them under her wings, and was currently in the process of seeking out the other misguided souls that worshipped Nightmare Moon spread out across Equestria.
Tracking the lindwurm’s path here was easier, and the Brave Companions had to call on Fluttershy less and less to see where it had gone. The serpent had taken a shallower course here, as most monsters did in the Everfree, for some unknown reason. Trees were tilted to the side, or completely uprooted in some places, and the snow-covered soil stuck up in mounds.
The Everfree Forest grew still as the Brave Companions reached a place where the trees were tilted every which way by the lindwurm burrowing all over the place. It was definitely nearby, and the group set about preparing. They stepped gingerly as they unpacked and assembled the traps and contraptions, not knowing if the lindwurm was right beneath their hooves or not, trying not wanting to disturb it before they were ready.
“Ready, everypony?” Twilight Sparkle asked and waited until everypony nodded to proceed.
At first, her magic refused to obey her, but then it sent a wave of energy into the ground that set everypony tingling. The lindwurm also felt it and rushed for the surface. It burst through in a geyser of soil and snow, jagged black thorns stuck in its flesh in places.
“Now!” Twilight yelled once the lindwurm was clearly visible and the earth it’d displaced had mostly settled.
Spike sliced the cable near him with his tail, setting off a chain reaction that caused the trap surrounding the lindwurm to constrict. Spikes drove into the lindwurm’s flesh. At their non-pointed ends were loops, and Rarity and Applejack hurriedly drove stakes through them into the ground. The lindwurm would not be retreating belowground now.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight called, and while the druidess whimpered, she hurried to do her duty.
Fluttershy flew up and over the lindwurm while it twisted and struck out at Rarity and Applejack. She hefted a crossbow-like contraption and fired when the lindwurm turned to face her. A band shot out from it and wrapped around the lindwurm’s head, covering all three of its eyes. Reaching blindly with its claws, the lindwurm managed to catch the druidess before she could fly away.
The rest of the Brave Companions began firing the contraptions they’d set up, a mixture of Hunter and Cant’r Laht sorceress ingenuity. Rainbow Dash’s fired spiked chains wrapped around the lindwurm and pierced it in multiple places. One of them managed to pin one of the lindwurm’s arms to it side, and it dropped Fluttershy. Twilight’s weapons were like miniature ballistae, and they fired broad-headed bolts into the lindwurm, some of them punching through.
The lindwurm, though trapped in place where it rose from the ground, was still able to flail the exposed portion of its body around and nearly reach the Brave Companions. Poison spat from its tongue, forcing Pinkamena and Spike both to abandon their weapons as they were swamped and began to sizzle. Applejack was thrown off her hooves as the lindwum managed to get another potion of its body above the surface, smashing her contraption to bits with its coils.
It spun around the circle, spitting poison wherever it sensed another lifeform. Eventually, its maw stared Twilight in the face. The sorceress fired the bolt she had set before rolling through the snow to get away from the poison. The bolt cut through the poison, the lindwurm’s tongue, and the roof of its mouth before punching out through its third eye and snapping the band around the creature’s head.
The lindwurm gave a few deathblows before finally falling still. When it was clear that the monster was actually dead, Applejack removed Rainbow Dash’s sword from it and wiped it in the snow. Once again, nopony was seriously hurt, but it had taken all six of them to do what Rainbow Dash did on a typical day. A greater appreciation was had for what their friend, and indeed all Hunters, went through, as well as amazement at how infrequently she came back seriously injured.
“… As was common in those days in Zahar, the patricians brought their grievances to the nearest Commander of a Hundred. At that time, Hirziya Makrim was stationed at Tir-Ghirya, and he received these visitors, who said to him, ‘This foreigner stirs up trouble among us. She marries our daughters to fishers and streetcleaners and even slaves, according to our own customs so that the deed cannot be undone. At the same time, she speaks against Zarak, the Morning Star, and fills the hearts of the people with thoughts of a foreign god.’ Hirziya Makrim considered these things, and he ordered Lotentius to be brought before him,” Sister Cheerilee read to the foals assembled around her, “Hirziya Makrim demanded that Lotentius deny Faust and proclaim the weddings she had performed invalid, but she refused. Lotentius was turned over to the patricians for sentencing, and they had her beaten with clubs and stones before parading her through the streets of Kor-Ghirya, her legs impaled on long poles. And Lotentius died a martyr, refusing to deny Faust even to her beheading before the temple of Zarak. But the Word of Faust spread from Kor-Ghirya to all of Zahar, and others performed weddings in the sight of Faust for believers against the wishes of the nation’s rulers.”
The fillies and colts who’d come to her for instruction stared at the nun as she shut the tome she’d been reading from. Usually, when she wasn’t teaching worldly skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic, she would read from the Word of Faust. The holy book of the Church of One, despite being a ponderous tome, was still only composed of eleven books, and the church had been around for a long time and accumulated quite a few books, mostly chronicles and prophecies, that were treated with only slightly less reverence. The book she’d been reading from had the unwieldy title XLVII Chronicles (III Chronicles of Elidor): On the Savages of the South or The Word of Faust Comes to the Zebra Nations. The reason for her dragging such an obscure volume down from the Ponieville Convent was the current date.
“Today, the Twenty-Second Day of the Eighth Month, is the Feast Day of Saint Lotentius,” Sister Cheerilee announced, “Today, we remember Saint Lotentius’s work in Zahar to spread the Word of Faust by uniting those She had predestined to be joined.”
“Sister Cheerilee? Where’s Zahar?” one of the colts asked, raising a hoof.
“Zahar no longer exists. Today that land is known as Saddle Arabia, a land across the Shimmering Sea and on the border with the Zebrikaanian Empire. It is because of Saint Lotentius and other believers that Saddle Arabians today are a part of the Church of One,” Cheerilee explained, “Any other questions?”
“Is unitin’ ponies wi’ their special somepony really that important?” Apple Bloom asked skeptically.
“Oh, yes,” Sister Cheerilee said most emphatically, “Faust loves us and has taught us to love each other. For some, that love is a special and sacred bond, and She looks upon such pairings with joy.”
“Do you have a special somepony, Sister Cheerilee?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“No, I do not,” Cheerilee said with an indulgent smile, “For me, the love of Faust and of all you students is enough.”
From the chapel’s bell tower, somepony sounded the hour. Cheerilee and the foals remained silent until the fourth gong sounded. A few of the students started to rise until Cheerilee fixed them with a stare and they sat back down.
“I won’t keep you any longer. You are dismissed,” Cheerilee announced, and the leaving resumed, “Remember, I will be here the rest of the day if anypony needs special tutelage.”
The foals departed the chapel, most in clumps of twos and threes. They took off through the muddy and snow-strewn streets of Ponieville, many trying to prolong time with their friends and postpone returning home to responsibilities as much as possible. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had been looking forward to this time to do some “crusading” for their cutie-marks, but now other thoughts were on their minds.
“I can’t believe that Sistah Cheerilee doesn’t have a special somepony,” Apple Bloom said as the trio trotted through Ponieville, “She’s so kind an’ generous an’ all-around a great pony.”
“That’s it!” Sweetie Belle squealed gleefully, turning more than a few heads of the adults around them.
“You going to be okay there?” Scootaloo asked sarcastically.
“Better than okay!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, “I’ve just had the best idea ever!”
She was drawing an awful lot of attention with her proclamations, the kind that might lead some ponies to act. Instead of palling around as the Cutie Mark Crusaders or doing whatever plan Sweetie Belle had gotten into her head, they could very well end up being sent home. Ponieville was a small town (though it had seen some small amount of growth since Celestia’s protégé had arrived), and even if Applejack and Rarity couldn’t be found because they were off on some adventure (as it seemed they often were now), ponies knew Magnus and Henrietta and Big McIntosh just as well. Scootaloo dragged Sweetie Belle into Sugar Cube Corner before she drew any more attention, Apple Bloom pushing her from behind.
“Sorry, everypony, it’s just … I’ve had the most amazing idea!” Sweetie Belle said once she’d calmed down a bit, but not so much that she didn’t earn a look from Master Cake. He was probably concerned about her waking the twins upstairs that Mistress Cake had given birth to only a month and a half ago.
“Well, tell us,” Apple Bloom prompted her, keeping her voice down so as not to raise the new father’s ire, while prompting Sweetie Belle to do the same.
“We’re going to find Sister Cheerilee a special somepony today, on Saint Lotentius’s Day,” Sweetie Belle laid her plan out.
“Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo said, sounding like she was about to start lecturing her, “That’s a great idea! Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers!”
“Exactly,” Sweetie said slyly.
“I’m in,” Apple Bloom proclaimed, “How do we do it?”
“Hmm,” Sweetie Belle considered, rubbing a hoof against her head, “There must be plenty of eligible stallions in Ponieville. We just have to find one that’s right for Cheerilee.”
“Yeah, it can’t be that difficult,” Scootaloo agreed.
And so, the three fillies set out to find Sister Cheerilee a match. How hard could it be to find somepony and convince them to court her? As it turned out, harder than they expected. At least there were plenty of ponies in Ponieville today, traveling from the surrounding countryside to purchase the things they’d need once the snow thawed in a month or less. None of them seemed to be acceptable matches, though, at least not where the young crusaders were concerned.
Of those eligible, most were colts, only slightly older or younger than the trio. Too young for Sister Cheerilee. Others were too old, widowers mostly, with few hairs in their manes and even fewer teeth in their mouths. Some were sickly or too puerile. Mayor Mare’s son Fengold was too uppity (and already promised to the daughter of Count Baukus).
If only they could widen their pool to other stallions in Ponieville, but most of them were already married, betrothed, or courting somepony else. The remaining stock of stallions all seemed to possess at least one feature that put them short of the perfection the fillies required for their teacher. Gaudiness, inconsiderateness, lack of height, excessive height, obsessive bathing, too infrequent bathing, strange obsessions that were better left unspoken; all ruled them out. It really seemed that everypony who could court Sister Cheerilee was already courting somepony else.
“Anypony else think this may be pointless an’ we ought t’ just give up now?” Apple Bloom asked depressingly as she sat on an overturned basket in Ponieville’s market.
“No way,” Sweetie Belle said, but without as much vigor as before.
“Hey, what about him?” Scootaloo asked, pointing across the market at Big McIntosh.
Apple Bloom’s brother was attempting to make some sales, getting rid of the produce in the wagon he’d hauled into town, which was now half-filled with supplies to take back to the farm. He was a very efficient pony who didn’t believe on making multiple trips to town when they could be accomplished in one. The stallion hadn’t intended to go into Ponieville today, but Applejack had been called away by the Brave Companions—something about Rainbow Dash being in trouble—so he was taking her place.
“Yes, he’s perfect,” Sweetie Belle agreed with her pegasus friend.
“Who?” Apple Bloom asked, oblivious, “Cuvrin? ‘Asn’t he got a wife?”
Apple Bloom considered her brother. Everything Scootaloo said was true, but she’d never really thought about it, and it seemed odd to consider her own brother as a potential romantic interest for Sister Cheerlie. If they got married, then Sister Cheerilee would really be Apple Bloom’s sister. Imagine that! Their ages weren’t too dissimilar, though. Perhaps they really would make a good match, but could it work?
“I don’t know,” Apple Bloom said, “Big Mac is plenty busy wi’ responsibilities back ‘ome, not t’ mention he’s too shy t’ ever ask Sistah Cheerilee t’ be ‘is special somepony.”
“Maybe he doesn’t have to ask,” Sweetie Belle schemed.
“What do y’ mean?” Apple Bloom asked uneasily.
“Well, if we can get them together in a romantic setting, then he’ll have no choice,” Sweetie Belle explained, “Or, maybe she’ll ask him.”
“Let’s do this! For Sister Cheerilee!” Scootaloo said enthusiastically, “So, what’s the plan?”
Sweetie Belle led the two of them out of the market as she explained what she had in mind.
***
Scootaloo paced back and forth, occasionally fluttering her wings to hover for a moment. While the others fetched the targets of their plans, she held down the fort at the Golden Mane, one of the inns/taverns owned by Filthy Rich that was opened even on years when Ponieville didn’t host the Summer Solstice Ceremony. It wasn’t Ponieville’s nicest dining establishment, but it wasn’t the worst, either. It was what the Cutie Mark Crusaders could afford, with the coin Sweetie Belle had “borrowed” from Rarity’s shop. It would have to be enough.
“In here, Sistah Cheerilee,” Apple Bloom called as she led the nun into the tavern.
“Will you tell me what this is all about now, Apple Bloom?” Cheerilee asked patiently as the filly led her through the tables of ponies watching her with surprise, “Scootaloo?”
“Welcome, Sister Cheerilee,” Scootaloo said, “Take a seat.”
Cheerilee eyed the table set out before her, prepared for two ponies.
“Apple Bloom, where are y’?” Big Mac asked as he entered the tavern.
“Over here!” she called out, and the stallion left Sweetie Belle, who’d fetched him, “Why don’t y’ sit down, brother?”
“What is this?” Big Mac asked, looking at the table and at Sister Cheerilee dubiously.
“Oh, we just thought it would be nice for you two to sit down together and … talk,” Sweetie Belle said innocently.
“Well, there’s the food, so we’ll just leave you to it,” Scootaloo said rapidly as the serving maid brought out two meals for the table.
Before either Big Mac or Cheerilee could say anything, the tiny pegasus was ushering the other two fillies out of the tavern. The farmer and the nun regarded each other, unsure what to do in this situation. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had no sooner left the Golden Mane than they rushed around to the nearest window and pressed themselves against it. The bard they’d hired for a song, also with Sweetie Belle’s ill-gotten gains, trotted up and began to play for the couple as they continued to stand awkwardly next to the table. Pinkamena would probably have helped them out for free, but like Applejack, she was off doing who-knows-what with the rest of the Brave Companions.
“Come on, come on,” Sweetie Belle pleaded as Big Mac and Sister Cheerilee continued to stand by the table.
“The food does smell good. I’m accustomed to bread, water, and stew myself,” Sister Cheerilee said, “I suppose it could be nice to sit down for a meal and talk. It has been quite some time since we’ve had a chance for extended conversation.”
“Since we were colt ‘n’ filly,” Big McIntosh said, “I s’pose.”
Outside, the Cutie Mark Crusaders squealed with delight as Big Mac pulled Sister Cheerilee’s chair out for her and they sat down to eat.
***
“What a waste,” Scootaloo lamented later, kicking a rock ahead of her on the path, “All they did was … chat!”
“I can’t believe it didn’t work,” Sweetie Belle said petulantly, “What’d we do wrong?”
“I don’t know, girls, maybe Big Mac an’ Cheerilee just aren’t meant t’ be t’gether,” Apple Bloom said.
“No way,” Sweetie protested, “They’re perfect for each other; they just don’t know it.”
“If only there were some kind of spell to help them along,” Scootaloo said, “I bet we could get Twilight Sparkle to help out.”
“Not a spell, but a potion, maybe,” Apple Bloom thought aloud.
“You have an idea, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle asked, perking up.
“Come on, girls, we’re going t’ th’ Everfree Forest!” Apple Bloom proclaimed.
***
“Zecora! Zecora, are y’ home?” Apple Bloom called as she rapped on the door of Zecor’s cottage in the forest.
“I don’t think she’s home, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said as she hovered near a window, Sweetie Belle holding her up.
“Now what?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“We could wait for her t’ return,” Apple Bloom suggested.
“No way,” said Scootaloo, “Who knows when she’ll get back? We have to do this today, while it’s still Saint Lotentius’s Day.”
Scootaloo scrambled up the side of the cottage toward the high window she’d been peeking through. Sweetie Belle figured out what she was doing and gave her a boost. Scootaloo managed to get the window open and crawled through, causing a ruckus as she fell inside. A few seconds later, the door to Zecor’s cottage swung open, a pleased-looking young pegasus standing in the doorway.
Into Zecor’s cottage they went, snooping around the place. Despite breaking in, they hadn’t really considered how they were supposed to learn how to make a potion without Zecor being here. Apple Bloom hopped up on a stool to read a book that’d been left open atop a cabinet. It was one of Zecor’s potion books, and she hesitated for a moment, thinking about what had happened the last time she’d made a potion from one of Zecor’s tomes, but went ahead anyway.
At least this time she’d have a better idea of what she was making, since she could read some of it. The book was still in Cainhiran Zebrikaanian, the language of Zecor’s homeland, the letters flowing together in a continuous script, but there were additions. In the zebra’s lessons with Twilight Sparkle to learn Low Equestrian, she’d practiced by translating some of her books. Pages were inserted here and there with copies of the instructions in Zebrikaanian translated to something Apple Bloom could read.
“I think I’ve got it,” Apple Bloom said as she found a promising recipe, and the others gathered around.
“Love poifon?” Scootaloo asked, reading off the page.
“I think she meant t’ write love potion,” Apple Bloom said, “Zecora’s still learnin’, after all.”
“Let’s see,” Sweetie Belle said, examining the page, “Take a tuft of cloud, a bright glow of rainbow, stir with a pegasus feather, fast, not slow. Clouds and rainbows? What kind of ingredients are those?”
“Magic ingredients,” Apple Bloom said, waggling her hooves mysteriously, “Not really. That must be th’ poetic version o’ it. See ‘ere an’ ‘ere? Diagrams an’ plain instructions. ‘Tuft o’ cloud is … albedo … an’ mineral water mixed t’ a froth. Th’ rainbow refers t’ mixing th’ essence o’ these six ingredients.”
Apple Bloom was feeling quite pleased with herself. She wasn’t quite as nervous now about screwing up a potion again after she’d read and understood the alchemical terms on the page. Maybe she had a future with alchemy, maybe even her cutie-mark … That thought would have to wait until after the Cutie Mark Crusaders accomplished their current quest, though.
“What about the pegasus feather?” Scootaloo asked.
“That really is just a pegasus feather,” Apple Bloom said, “If y’ wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all,” Scootaloo said, her teeth already around one of the feathers in her wing, “Anything for Sister Cheerilee.”
“Let’s get t’ work, girls,” Apple Bloom said, taking the potion book and hopping down from the stool.
It was a little difficult finding the right ingredients, since those that were labeled were written in Zebrikaanian. The diagrams in the book helped for the most part, and those that didn’t were able to be matched up by label. Sweetie Belle worked on mixing up the “cloud” while the other two turned the remaining ingredients into juice. As shown in the book, they mixed them all together over a flame and waited for the mixture to begin bubbling. Apple Bloom mixed the potion with Scootaloo’s feather, her eyes shut against the fumes the potion put off, and when she pulled it out there was nothing left but a charred stub. It had to have worked, though, for the potion changed from a gray-brown sludge into a slightly glowing pink-purple liquid. Bubbles suspended in the potion slowly drifted to the surface.
“Well, did we do it?” Scootaloo asked.
“It looks right,” Apple Bloom said, consulting the potion book.
“Only one way to find out,” Sweetie Belle said, and she poured the potion into a vial and stoppered it up.
***
“Apple Bloom, what’s all this about? Big Mac asked as he followed his little sister through Ponieville, “Shouldn’t y’ be home?”
Big McIntosh paused in front of the Golden Mane when he realized where he was. He eyed Apple Bloom dubiously, but she ignored it and pulled him inside. The eyes of the tavern’s patrons followed him with interest now, especially since Sister Cheerilee had entered a few minutes earlier.
“Big Mac?” the nun asked as she spotted him.
“Sister Cheerilee?”
“Okay, girls, what’s going on?” Sister Cheerilee asked as she turned on Scootaloo.
“You didn’t finish your meal, earlier,” Sweetie Belle said, and the pair of adults looked at her skeptically, knowing very well that they had, “You were supposed to get another drink.”
Sweetie Belle gestured to the table they’d been at before, where two mugs of spiced wine awaited.
“Apple Bloom, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but-” Big Mac said, but stopped when Cheerilee placed a hoof on his side.
“It’s okay, Big Mac,” she assured him, “Let’s have a seat.”
She refrained from speaking again until after the Cutie Mark Crusaders had left, assembling themselves outside the window again. Big Mac started to lift the mug, then set it back down, unsure what was going on.
“I’m terribly sorry about this,” Sister Cheerilee said, “I think I know what’s going on.”
“No need for apologies, Sister; at least I don’t think there is,” Big Mac said, “Truthfully, I have no idea what’s gotten in t’ those fillies’ ‘eads.”
“Earlier today, I was teaching them about Saint Lotentius and her efforts to join those who loved each other. They seemed surprised that I have no special somepony, and I think that they have decided that you ought to be my mate,” Cheerilee explained.
“Me? You?” Big Mac asked with surprise.
“Yes, I’ll have to set them straight, as to why such a thing is impossible,” Cheerilee chuckled, “They have obviously been trying very hard to get us together, though, so we may as well enjoy these drinks and a brief time together.”
“Mm-hmm,” Big McIntosh said as he raised his mug and took a drink at the same time as Cheerilee.
Both of them dropped their mugs, Cheerilee’s tipping over, as the potion the CMC had slipped into the wine took effect. The two locked eyes, staring at each other intently over the table as if seeing each other for the first time. The Cutie Mark Crusaders watched just as intently from outside, waiting to see if their plan would work.
“Big Mac,” Cheerilee whispered, leaning in close, “Would you …”
“Would y’ be m’ special somepony?” Big Mac got the words out first.
“Yes,” Cheerilee answered.
“Yes!” the Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered, congratulating themselves and completely unaware of how shocked and uncomfortable the ponies in the tavern suddenly were.
***
Needless to say, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were pretty pleased with themselves. They’d brought Sister Cheerilee and Big McIntosh together, and nothing could be better from their perspective. The only downside was that they hadn’t gotten their cutie-marks in matchmaking from it, but they all agreed that it might take some time for them to appear—maybe not until the duo they’d brought together was married. They weren’t going to go that far in emulating Saint Lotentius and actually marry Big Mac and Sister Cheerilee, though. That was a job for Ponieville’s priestess.
“Have you heard the news?” a merchant asked a potential customer, who was examining a plow he was trying to sell, “About Sister Cheerilee and Big McIntosh?”
Ponieville was a small town, and rumors about what had transpired in the Golden Mane had already spread through the whole village. The CMC were skipping by through the market when they heard the question posed and paused. They wanted to bask in the knowledge that they’d helped get the two together and what ponies were saying about it.
“Of course,” the customer, a farmer from the surrounding countryside, replied huffily, “Shameful is what it is. Snogging in public with no shame. Nuns abandoning their vows; what kind of times do we live in? They ought to be excommunicated and driven away for such a thing, them and his ‘ole family.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were shocked. That certainly didn’t sound like well-wishes for the happy couple. And as for driving the Apples away, Apple Bloom suddenly desired to be anywhere else. What was this outrage and talk of vows and excommunication? Surely just these two ponies were sour about something, right?
“Y’know, the Apples are Healds,” another merchant joined the conversation, as he was getting no business at his stand since all his customers were gravitating toward the ongoing discussion, “They used t’ be no better than the hordes up in Stalliongrad today.”
“Barbarians to the marrow,” the farmer huffed as more ponies gathered around, “Of course they wouldn’t stoop to defiling a nun. The sister took her vow of chastity, to never be with a stallion, yet that didn’t stop that ruffian from claiming her!”
“Yeah, he should hang for this!” somepony in the rapidly forming crowd called out.
“The Apples should leave!” said another, and Apple Bloom noticed one of Mayor Mare’s flunkies take special note of that.
Though there were some calling for less severe action, the crowd was becoming more agitated, quickly turning into a mob. The Cutie Mark Crusaders slipped away before anypony with ill intent noticed them.
“What are we going to do?” Sweetie Belle squeaked once they were safely away in an alleyway.
“How were we supposed to know?” Scootaloo protested, “Oh, this is bad!”
“I knew we shouldn’t ‘ave tried t’ make a potion!” Apple Bloom blamed herself, “I should ‘ave learned m’ lesson last time!”
“So, it was you,” someone said from behind them in heavily-accented Low Equestrian.
“Zecora!” all three exclaimed together as they turned to face the zebra looming over them.
In truth, their heights weren’t all that far apart since Zecor was fairly short, but her presence alone certainly made her seem to be looming over them. The beads in her mane rattled together, as if they were moving of their own will, or maybe Zecor was just moving them with her magic. There was fire in her narrowed eyes, but the fillies were still glad to see her.
“Appel’Bloem, what have you done?” Zecor asked brusquely, “I return home to find things moved and ingredients missing. What did you make this time?”
“Well, we … may have made a love potion and used it on ponies we shouldn’t have,” Apple Bloom said shamefully.
“Love potion?” Zecor said, “I have no recipes for love potion.”
Zecor reached into her saddlebags and pulled out her potion books, setting them down on the barrel the CMC had been hiding behind. Apple Bloom flipped through the book she’d used until she found the recipe and pointed it out to Zecor.
“Here, this one,” Apple Bloom said.
“That? That is love poison. Ignorant filly! Why would you create something you know not everything of? See here?” Zecor rebuked her, pointing to an untranslated section of the script, “‘Those who drink this poison will not be to think of anything except each other.’ This poison has brought down towns and nations when leaders could not do their duty.”
“How do we undo it?” Scootaloo asked desperately, “Big Mac and Cheerilee are no rulers, but they can’t go on like this.”
“There is a cure,” Zecor said crossly, “But for it to work, Big’Mac and Cheer’lee must be apart for one of your hours. It must be done today, while it is early still. You have caused this mess; you must find way to stop it.”
“A wedding!” Apple Bloom exclaimed after thinking for a minute.
“Come again?” Sweetie Belle asked in confusion.
“We tell Sister Cheerilee an’ Big Mac they should get married!” Apple Bloom said, “They’re sure t’ go for it, an’ they’ll want t’ do it as soon as possible.”
“And how is that supposed to keep them apart?” Scootaloo asked skeptically.
“They’ll have t’ prepare, an’ we can separate ‘em during that time,” Apple Bloom explained, “Sweetie Belle, you’ll go wi’ Sistah Cheerilee t’ th’ Ponieville convent t’ announce her intention t’ leave. I’ll go wi’ Big Mac t’ th’ Ponieville Chapel t’ arrange things wi’ th’ priestess there.”
“No, Appel’Bloem,” Zecor cut in, “You will come with me to make the cure. Maybe you will know then the serious of alchemy.”
“Okay,” Apple Bloom said, a little intimidated now, “Scootaloo, you go with Big Mac. Both o’ y’ stall as long as y’ can an’ make sure they don’t complete their tasks in time t’ get back t’gether.”
“Got it!” Scootaloo said the same time that Sweetie Belle said, “Alright!”
As they took off to find Big Mac and Cheerilee, Apple Bloom followed the stern-faced Zecor away. Believe me, Zecora, after this, I’ve learned my lesson about alchemy. If you think it’s a good idea, Apple Bloom, just don’t do it!
***
“I must say, I never expected anything like this from you,” Mother Joennia, the abbess of the Ponieville convent said sternly to Sister Cheerilee, “Sister Gretia, perhaps, Sister Lilia, certainly, but never you.”
“I know what I want, Reverend Mother,” Cheerilee said, rocking her stool as she fidgeted uneasily, longing to return to Big McIntosh.
“What you want has no bearing,” Joennia said severely, “You’ve made a vow—many vows, in fact—to be set apart as a servant of Faust. Vows of poverty, humility, … and celibacy.”
“Forget the vows. I renounce them,” Sister Cheerilee said, removing her veil, and Joennia gasped, “I love Big McIntosh and we will be married.”
“Such a thing will never come to pass,” Joennia swore, “You will be confined to your cell until you come to your senses. You will be-”
Joennia’s grand declarations of what would happen to Cheerilee were interrupted by a rapping on the windowsill of her study’s lone window. The mare started to go on, but the rapping continued, and she excused herself to investigate, ordering Sister Cheerilee to stay where she was. Peeking out of the window, she nearly jumped back in alarm as she spotted Sweetie Belle clinging to the ivy beneath the window.
“Foal, what are you doing here?” Joennia asked severely, eyeing the drop that Sweetie would suffer were she to slip.
“Don’t be too hard on Sister Cheerilee,” she whispered up, “She can’t help herself. She’s under a spell.”
“Bewitched, is she?” Joennia said with revulsion.
The Church of One had embraced magic as Faust’s gift to the world, a tool to overcome the other troubles the Conjunction had brought, but nopony liked the thought that they may have their own will taken from them on a sorceress’s whim.
“Who has done such a thing to her?” Joennia asked.
“That’s not important,” Sweetie Belle said guiltily, “She mustn’t be allowed to return to Ponieville and be with Big Mac, though. Do whatever it takes to keep her here.”
Sweetie Belle’s grasp on the ivy slipped as the bell in the convent’s bell tower began to chime out the hour. The elderly Joennia reached out with lightning speed to catch the foal’s cloak in her teeth and haul her up through the window before she could fall. Sweetie breathed a sigh of relief as the chimes came to an end after five. It took nearly a third of an hour to get from here to Ponieville. Even if Cheerilee left at this moment, she would just barely reach Ponieville before the hour was up. Her relief all slipped away, however, when she realized that Cheerilee was gone, having left some time during her conversation with the abbess.
***
“I simply cannot marry you, not on such short notice,” Medolia, Ponieville’s priestess, continued to object as Big McIntosh followed her around the chapel.
“You must. You must,” Big Mac persisted, “Cheerilee and I love each other, and we must be wed!”
“Sister Cheerilee will not be marrying you or anypony else,” Medolia said, giving a sharp glance to the other ponies in the chapel that watched the pair, trying to listen in on their conversation (which wasn’t difficult when Big Mac raised his voice), “Even if she is released from her vows, as you assure me she will be, she must wait a year before marrying. No, I will not perform this ceremony.”
“Then we’ll go t’ another parish t’ be married,” Big Mac said stubbornly, “Reinchad, or Perrin Fields.”
“Do you mean to be married without my blessing, then?” Medolia asked with hooded eyes, “Or do you intend to move to a new parish entirely? Are you willing to give up the freedom granted to your family to become a serf for Count Rhesin or Baroness Sheila? Come to your senses, Big McIntosh. These are not the thoughts of the sensible pony I know.”
“Mother Medolia, can I speak to you?” Scootaloo cut into the conversation.
The priestess had done an admirable job of keeping Big Mac busy, and time was nearly up, but he looked on the verge of storming out if Medolia continued to refuse him. Perhaps if she gave him some time to cool down, then Medolia could keep him here long enough that the hour would be over. If he tried to leave out the front of the chapel, he wouldn’t get very far, not with a crowd starting to form that wanted him punished in some way; that wasn’t a good outcome, of course, so he had to be kept inside.
“Yes, my child,” Medolia said to the pegasus, “Big Mac, I will be back to speak with you in a moment.”
“So, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and I may have used a love potion that turned to be a love poison to accidentally make Big Mac and Sister Cheerilee fall in love. We’re working on a cure, but they have to be kept apart from each other. While he’s here, he’s safe, but it seemed like you might be about to drive him away,” Scootaloo said bluntly.
“I see,” Medolia said after the initial shock from the deluge wore off, “I would think Apple Bloom had learned her lesson after the last time.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure she has now,” Scootaloo said sheepishly, absentmindedly flapping her wings, “If you could just keep Big Mac here—where is he?!”
Big McIntosh had disappeared while they were talking, and Scootaloo frantically scanned the chapel for any sign of him. Her outburst had attracted the attention of the other ponies in the chapel, and they all pointed toward a side door. Big Mac had escaped. Perfect.
***
Zecor bottled up the foul-smelling brew and dropped it into her saddlebags. With no time to go to her home in the Everfree Forest and return, she and Apple Bloom had made do with the ingredients they could buy around town and equipment assembled in the back of Sugar Cube Corner. Master and Mistress Cake weren’t very happy about them using their bakery to brew the potion, but they were glad when they’d chased Big McIntosh and Cheerilee out. When the mob that’d been forming in the market arrived here to find that their targets had left, they’d passed by without doing any harm to the bakery. There was always the danger that the two lovebirds would return, though, and bring the mob with them, so they didn’t complain too loudly about Zecor and Apple Bloom making a potion to snap them out of it.
Now that the potion was ready, they had to find Big McIntosh and Sister Cheerilee and apply it to them. Technically, they’d only need to find one of them, though that would make things awkward until they could apply it to the other as well, so Zecor and Apple Bloom set out for the Ponieville chapel, where Big Mac was supposed to be if Scootaloo had been successful. They were making their way through the streets of Ponieville when Zecor suddenly stopped.
“Zecora, what’re y’ doin’? We have t’ go!” Apple Bloom said.
“It is sunset, and I must pray, Appel’Bloem,” Zecor said, pointing toward the horizon, “Take the cure and finish things.”
Apple Bloom hesitated for an instant, fearing she’d mess things up again, before taking the cure from Zecor. The bottle clutched in her teeth, she galloped for the Ponieville chapel. Scootaloo was there waiting for her.
“Big Mac is gone!” the pegasus blurted out as soon as Apple Bloom could hear her.
“Gone?” Apple Bloom asked, setting down the cure, “Where’d he go?”
“I don’t know!” Scootaloo said frantically, “He could be anywhere!”
“No, he’s prob’ly tryin’ t’ get t’ Cheerilee,” Apple Bloom said, “Follow me!”
Apple Bloom picked the cure back up and took off in the direction that most directly led toward the Ponieville convent. Some of the mob milling around the chapel spotted her and decided that she might know where Big McIntosh was, so they chased after her as well. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had to alter their course to avoid actually leading the angry ponies to Big Mac, ducking around buildings and under carts.
“I’ll lead them away!” Scootaloo yelled ahead to Apple Bloom, “You find Big Mac!”
Her plan worked, when she abruptly stopped following Apple Bloom after they were both out of sight of the mob. They continued to follow Scootaloo, assuming Apple Bloom was still ahead, and went off in an entirely different direction. Apple Bloom pressed on, through Ponieville’s northern gate and across the fields, following tracks in the snow now that looked like Big Mac’s.
She spotted Big McIntosh, and Sister Cheerilee only a second later. Her brother was running up a hill toward her, slipping and falling in the snow as his haste made for clumsiness. Sister Cheerilee was struggling herself to stay upright as she plowed through the snow, Sweetie Belle chasing behind her.
Apple Bloom was running as fast as she could, but she’d never reach them before they met. About where they’d come together was a gnarled old tree, devoid of branches at this time of year. She had a shot at stopping them, but only one shot. If she didn’t take it, they’d be doomed for sure, though. She waited until she was as close as she dared get and took her chance.
The potion left her teeth, sailing through the air. It spun end over end until the bottle struck a branch of the tree, shattering and sending the cure raining down. The potion fell onto Big Mac and Sister Cheerilee just as they were about to meet. Suddenly freed from the effects of the love poison, the two confused ponies slammed into each other and fell to the ground.
“Sister Cheerilee, I’m terribly sorry,” Big McIntosh apologized as he helped her up, “Um, sister, your mane’s uncovered.”
“Oh, so it is. Thank you,” Sister Cheerilee said as Big Mac gave her his cloak to replace her veil temporarily, “Do you have any idea what we’re doing out here?”
“Nope,” Big Mac replied after checking his surroundings.
Apple Bloom collapsed in the snow in relief, panting heavily, and Sweetie Belle joined her, just as tired out. It was over. Well, not really. They still had a lot of explaining to do to a lot of ponies.
“Spike! Spike! Get up!” Twilight called as she entered his bedchamber, levitating a lantern.
As Spike pried his eyes open reluctantly, he eyed the lantern warily. It had been many years since Twilight Sparkle had dropped something she’d been levitating by floundering the spell, but that wasn’t the only danger. Spike had lived with the sorceress his entire life and knew that she was prone to becoming distracted. All it would take was for her to accidentally release her spell, and the lantern could send Golden Oak’s laboratory up in smoke. At least their previous residence in Cant’r Laht Castle had been made of nice nonflammable stone.
Spike may have acted more mature than many ponies his own age—he was younger than those three fillies who’d caused all kinds of trouble in town a few days earlier, while the Brave Companions were busy caring for Rainbow Dash and seeking the lindwurm—but he was still little more than a hatchling by dragon standards. He needed his rest and was starting to resent not getting it. He’d been up late the night before last, returning from the Everfree Forest with the Brave Companions after defeating the lindwurm, and last night Rainbow Dash had broken into the laboratory to steal a book of tales, of all things. Was it too much to ask for one good night of sleep? Apparently so.
“Can’t it wait until morning, Twilight?” the dragon asked as he rolled over and tried to shut out the light.
“No, it cannot,” Twilight Sparkle replied, “There has been another Awakening.”
Spike absently wondered which piece of Discord it was this time. They’d already found shards of his soul representing Greed, Treachery, Chaos, and Dourness. According to Twilight’s notes, Deceit, Cruelty, and one other unknown remained.
“We need to awaken … the Brave Companions,” Twilight said, pausing as she realized the word she’d chosen, and nodded when she decided it was fitting, “Find Ream and Baldavi,n and send them out for Applejack and Fluttershy. Fluttershy can retrieve Rainbow. After that, find Rarity. I will wake Pinkamena myself once I have gathered my notes and supplies.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to leave first thing in the morning?” Spike asked as he begrudgingly climbed out of bed, grabbing clothes as he followed Twilight out through her bedchamber and into the laboratory’s study.
“No, Spike,” Twilight replied, “Each of the last possessed ponies we found had been Awakened for days, and they were powerful with Discord’s chaos magic. It will take us days just to reach this new pony, and we cannot risk waiting a single unnecessary moment.”
“Okay, Twilight, I’ll get them,” Spike said with a sigh as Twilight set the lantern down and started sorting through her notes on Discord.
The sorceress found what she was looking for: a map of Equestria where she’d marked each of the points that she’d detected an Awakening and where Discord’s soul shards had been found. She added a sixth point to the map, north of the White Tail Wood, within the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r. There were no borders between nations on this map, but still she knew what was unwritten. One, and exactly one, shard had been found in each Equestria’s nations now except for Manehattan and Stalliongrad. Seven shards, seven nations. Was there a deeper meaning, or was in all just glorious coincidence? With Discord, it probably was a glorious coincidence, but no coincidence with Discord was ever just a coincidence. Twilight rolled up the map and tucked it into her saddlebags. Agonizing over the remaining soul shards and why Discord has scattered them across Equestria would have to wait until they dealt with the one right in front of them.
***
“There’s another blacksmith in Ponieville now,” Rarity mentioned as the Brave Companions neared their destination, “I’ve seen his work, and it is quite good. Some of my regular customers have started going to him for their needs. Not that I’m too put out by it, I’m busy enough making attire for Hoity Toity to sell in Cant’r Laht, but it is most undoubtedly due to my long absences from Ponieville.”
Twilight was well aware of the impact their absences were having on her friends. Applejack’s drama around Dodge’s Crossing was merely one way it had surfaced, and now Rarity was telling her about how she was losing business because of it. It affected the others as well, she knew. Master and Mistress Cake were unhappy about Pinkamena leaving at a moment’s notice when they needed help in the bakery, so they’d rescinded her free board at Sugar Cube Corner and she’d had to take on a second job. Rainbow Dash was hurting for coin, though she was less affected than Applejack or Rarity since she would typically take on some Hunter contracts during the day and catch up to them at night when they were traveling. She wasn’t doing that now, what with her wing still healing and her nose buried in the Tales of Daring Do at night. Fluttershy hadn’t said anything, but that was her way. Twilight suspected that she was in hot water with the Ponieville druids’ circle for coming and going so much.
This year had seemed entirely composed of traveling to one place or another in Equestria and back to Ponieville. Between hunting down the fragments of Discord’s soul, the Hearth’s Warming Eve Pageant, and finding Applejack when she ran to Dodge’s Crossing, the Brave Companions had gone from one trip to another. And it wasn’t over yet. As more fragments of Discord’s soul were found, Twilight argued with herself whether everypony needed to come along on every trip. Surely now that the anti-Elements of Greed, Treachery, and Dourness had been found, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkamena could stay home. Still, there was that unknown seventh piece; what if it required everypony or was a repeat of a previous fragment? It wasn’t a risk worth taking.
If only the sorceress had the ability to create portals, like Celestia and Luna. She’d attempted to, more times this past year than before, but still she was unsuccessful. Unlike teleportation, portals were not more strenuous and did not require more energy the farther you traveled. The problem was that they were incredibly difficult and required a great quantity of magical energy in the first place. Twilight Sparkle had not yet grasped it, but someday she knew she’d have to. It was part of establishing one’s reputation as a truly powerful sorceress, and it would also make her friends’ lives much easier if she could whisk them across Equestria in an instant if necessary, instead of disrupting their time in Ponieville with weeks of trips.
“I am sorry, Rarity,” Twilight apologized, “I appreciate all of you taking the time for these trips. I know it has not been easy for you this past year.”
“I’m starting to get used to being woken in the middle of the night to go on ‘quests,’” Rainbow Dash jested.
“If this were a fairy story, I’d start wondering when Celestia is going to knight us for service to the realm,” Pinkamena chimed in.
“All joking aside, I really am grateful that you are here,” Twilight said genuinely.
“Ach, now, don’t get all sentimental wi’ us now, Twi’,” Applejack said, “Y’know there’s nowhere else we’d rather be. Besides, who else’d stop Discord if not for us?”
There was also that. Nopony else could wield the Elements of Harmony, so what chance did anypony else have against these pieces of the crazed Great One? They now accepted the mantle of the Brave Companions as if the six of them had always worn it, but it was hard to believe only a few years earlier that Twilight had never met them, and most of the others had had little more than brief meetings with each other. That they were together, they all now considered a blessing, but the responsibility and expectations of the Brave Companions sometimes felt like a curse.
“There it is!” Baldavin called out from up ahead, and the Brave Companions hurried to join him.
Honestly, there was little call for excitement. This region of the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r was all farmland, and pretty rocky farmland at that. With winter still holding on with a vengeance, the fields were all coated in snow and there wasn’t anything to see outside their destination, a tiny hamlet that made even Ponieville seem a proper town. Its name was Brightenfeld, a shoddy-looking muddy village with uneven wooden cottages and streets laid out at random within a wooden palisade.
North of Brightenfeld loomed a structure of stone and wood that looked like nothing more than a small, unfinished castle. It had four stone towers at the outer wall’s corners, though they were capped with wooden roofs, and the walls between them were only stone up to one-and-a-half times the height of an average pony. It wouldn’t keep out more than small bands of brigands or rioting townsponies, which was probably what it was built for.
Twilight had corresponded with Celestia to obtain whatever information she could on this village. There wasn’t really anything surprising about it: it was a poor farming community, like so many other poor farming communities that dotted Equestria. Count Stammer, whose fortress-like residence squatted north of Brightenfeld, was the local lord, a vassal to Margrave Orion Star, whose seat of Comethold was not far away, and who was a vassal to King Hyelliff. She had letters from Celestia addressed to all three (though the one to Vanhuv’r’s king would likely be unnecessary) to ensure their safety here, but Ream and Baldavin still kept a close eye out.
The two guards Celestia had left with the sorceress in Ponieville had never seemed to care during her first year there whether she made use of them or not. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t accustomed to protection other than her own sorcery, so they’d been perfectly content when she left them to their drinking in Ponieville’s taverns. However, now that she’d started including them in these increasingly frequent expeditions, they were taking their jobs seriously. The pair had actually seemed upset that they hadn’t been notified about the trip to fetch Applejack from Appleoosa that had turned into a quest to Fillidelfiyaa. Twilight, who for so long had simply ignored their presence in Ponieville, considering them unnecessary, now had to make a conscious effort to remember them.
“Okay, everypony, spread out and look for any sign of the possessed pony,” Twilight announced, causing the pair of guards to look to each other apprehensively, “Brightenfeld is small enough that I do not think being separated will be a problem.”
“What do we do if we find them?” Fluttershy asked nervously, no doubt playing out the worst possible scenario in her head.
“Call out or … fly,” Rainbow Dash said, lifting Fluttershy’s wing with her own, “If they notice you and start using their crazy chaos magic, though, we’ll know without you screaming.”
***
“Lilian, what are you doing here!?” Pinkamena exclaimed upon meeting her old acquaintance, and the bard nearly fell off the barrel he was perched upon.
“You know I like to travel around, Pinkamena,” Lilian said as he straightened the feather in his cap, “I was wintering in Los Pegasus, and thought I might head north for a while.”
“Whose wife or daughter was it this time?” Pinkamena asked.
“I resent that accusation,” Lilian objected, looking hurt, “Actually, I had the feeling I might find some good stories in the Principality of Stalliongrad.”
“What about here? Heard any good stories?” Pinkamena asked.
“Nothing that fits my style,” he said, waving a hoof through the air dismissively, “The local rumor mill seems to be obsessed with the idea that some evil force is stealing ponies in the night.”
“Ooh, do tell,” Pinkamena said as she pulled up another barrel and jumped up onto it.
Lilian gave her a skeptical look. Why would you want to know about something like that? Pinkamena continued to stare at him, and eventually he had to sigh and admit defeat. Part of understanding Pinkamena was understanding that you’d never understand Pinkamena. He shook his head before telling her what he’d heard.
***
“To each their own kind” seemed to be the theme of this search in Brightenfeld. Twilight had seen Rainbow Dash run off after a fellow Hunter, Applejack was jawing with some farmers who’d come in from the surrounding countryside for the day, Rarity had gravitated to the local blacksmith, and Fluttershy had disappeared to who-knows-where looking for druids. Now the sorceress was approaching the home of a hedge wizard. Not that she’d normally consider a hedge wizard to be equivalent to a sorceress, but he was a fellow Source at least, no matter how weak.
His home looked just as poor and run-down as the rest of Brightenfeld, the only difference being that it was painted in bright colors that had mostly peeled off. A sign was nailed over the door: Friedrich, Wizard Extraordinaire. It didn’t take a very attentive eye to tell that the sign had once extended farther left and had been hacked short, nor that something over the word Wizard had recently been painted over. Twilight Sparkle knocked on the upper half of the divided door.
“For the last time, I don’t thaw frozen wells. That was Gavel’s-,” Friedrich ranted as he opened the top door and stopped when he noticed Twilight, Spike, and the two guards standing behind them, “Oh, madam sorceress. I’m not in trouble, am I?”
Like the majority (though not the entirety) of mages, he was a unicorn, with a coat the color of melted butter. Stained and threadbare robes in imitation of a true sorcerer’s robes, embroidered with moons and stars, draped his body. A floppy hat with a rounded top in a close, but not quite matching color hung from a hook just inside.
“Should you be?” Twilight Sparkle answered the sorcerer’s question with a question.
“No, of course not,” Friedrich said, giving a smile full of crooked teeth, “I don’t suppose you’ve come to take me away to … Cant’r Laht, have you?”
“I am afraid not,” Twilight replied.
“Just my luck,” Friedrich moaned, “We had a good thing going here—Gavel and I—then she goes off to be court sorceress for Lord Wessin in Comethold. Pah! She’s no better than I am, yet she still gets to live the high life and I don’t, just because I was off healing sheep when Wessin’s retinue came through town.”
“Lord Wessin of Comethold? He is Margrave Orion Star’s steward?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, the margrave, may his life be short and profitless, can’t be bothered to leave Vanhuv’r,” Friedrich said, spitting onto the street near Twilight as he cursed Orion Star’s name, “While he’s busy using King Hyelliff’s tail as a mane, Lord Wessin is the one who really rules this march.”
“Is that why you’re really here?” Friedrich asked, eyes narrowing, “You here to spy on us, sorceress, maybe so Celestia knows how to invade?”
“No, not at all,” Twilight Sparkle said calmly, “I am here to ask if you know of any strange happenings around recently, especially magical ones.”
“I’m a hedge wizard, not the town gossip,” Friedrich sneered, “You want hearsay, go ask somepony else.”
He didn’t dare slam the door shut on a proper mage, but Twilight knew that their conversation was at an end. She thanked him for his time before turning to go, fuming with frustration inside. Hopefully the others were having better luck.
***
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash called out, hovering in the air, “Over here, everypony!”
Fluttershy was surrounded by a group of druids from Brightenfeld’s circle, who she’d found congregated near a farm close to Brightenfeld itself. The circle of ponies in rough robes weren’t very enthused to see the rest of the Brave Companions approaching, disturbing their conversation with a fellow druidess.
“I think we may ‘ave found somethin’,” Applejack said, “Ponies ‘ave been disappearin’, an’ if they’re ever found, then there’s not much left o’ ‘em.”
“Yeah, the Hunters I talked to said the same thing,” Rainbow Dash said, “The townsponies tried to put together money to hire them to slay the monster responsible, but it didn’t take them long to figure out that it was a monster of a different kind. It’s a pony doing this.”
“Cruelty, it must be,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“But who could it be?” Rarity asked, “There aren’t that many ponies in Brightenfeld, and I didn’t see any with peculiar eyes.”
“I-” Fluttershy started to say, but Pinkamena had already started talking.
“They could’ve left,” the bard said, “Lilian said ponies have been moving through the town for a while now.”
“Th-” Fluttershy tried to get a word in again.
“If that’s true, then how are we supposed to find them?” Rainbow Dash asked, “They could be anywhere.”
“If they are still close, I will be able to sense if they use their chaos magic,” Twilight said, “If they are still taking ponies, then they cannot be very far away.”
“Ahem,” Ream cleared his throat, surprising everypony, since the guards so far had never intruded on their conversations, “I believe the druidess has something to say.”
Fluttershy shrank back as all the Brave Companions fixed their eyes on her intently.
“Um,” she said, gesturing to the druids that were hanging back from the Brave Companions.
“We have seen these ponies taken; we know who is responsible,” an elderly mare among the druids stepped forward and announced, “They are taken to Count Stammer’s manor. The count is the one who is doing these unspeakable things.”
“Alright, let’s take care of it, then,” Rainbow Dash said, making to take off for the manor immediately.
“Just a moment, Rainbow,” Twilight stopped her, “Let us think about this. If we burst into the manor, Count Stammer may entrap us without effort using the chaos magic he now has at his disposal. We need to take him by surprise. I do not wish to have a repeat of our fights with Scalai or King Alhert. We will go tonight … quietly.”
***
That night, under the pale moon, the Brave Companions assembled outside of Count Stammer’s manor. Rainbow Dash had at least been allowed to scout the manor from above, but now she was on the ground with the rest of them. She wouldn’t be carrying any of them over the walls tonight, not with her wing still on the mend, even if she insisted it could take it. With her magic, Twilight melted a pile of snow into a pool of water and used it to scry out the inside of the manor at that moment. None of the guards were looking at the spot by the well, so she released her spell.
With only the slightest of flashes, the sorceress teleported them into the manor, the eight ponies and dragon bunched between the well and the wall. She may not have been able to create portals, but she had gotten really good at teleportation. She’d also picked up a new spell that would help them tonight. Everypony shuddered as the enchantment settled over them. While they were still standing there, there was no noticeable effect, but as they began to move and become less aware of the ponies around them, it became harder to look at each other. They were all still completely visible, and anypony who noticed that would have no trouble staring, but the spell she’d placed over them made it hard for anypony to notice. One’s eyes just slid right past without taking note. After bumping into each other a couple times, she began to wonder if it had been worth it, but no guards had taken notice of their presence despite walking in view of several of them.
A door set into the main gates opened and admitted several ponies, most with hoods and one with a sack over their head. The Brave Companions followed the procession to the manor’s main building, nopony there noticing them even when they glanced over their shoulders. Into the manor house they went and down into the basement below. Ream and Baldavin looked about nervously as they descended. They trusted Twilight, but there weren’t many places worse to fight in than a basement.
It looked like they’d found what they’d come for. Almost the entirety of the basement was packed with torture equipment (the remainder containing kegs of ale). The floor was stained with old blood, and the place had a foul air about it. In the middle of it all stood a pony wearing a rough and bloodstained cloak over fine clothes. Count Stammer was a short and pudgy earth pony who watched with anticipation as his cronies strapped his newest victim down.
“Get him!” Twilight yelled, and the group pounced on those in the basement.
Applejack knocked down one of the hooded figures before they realized more ponies than just Twilight were here. The other two managed to look through the spell as it faded, but they dropped their swords as Rainbow Dash and Ream held their own blades to the ponies’ throats. Baldavin retreated back up the stairs to cover their way out and made sure the door was secure. Rarity and Pinkamena knocked the stunned Count Stammer against a table, sending wicked utensils flying.
“Fluttershy, his head,” Twilight announced as she pulled a gem from her saddlebags and prepared to cast the spell to extract Discord’s soul.
“Wh-what is this? Who a-are you?” Count Stammer stammered as Fluttershy wrapped the Element of Compassion’s cord around his head, “I’ll see you all hang for this! No, that’s too good for you! You’ll come to know the pain only I can inflict!”
“Be quiet!” Twilight commanded, her voice magically augmented, which cowed the count, “Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya![1]”
Twilight Sparkle concentrated on the spell, but nothing seemed to be happening. Impossible! Could he have found some way to counteract it? The sorceress opened her eyes and stared deeply into the count’s. They were just normal eyes, with none of the yellowing or other color changes that marked a pony as possessed by Discord.
“Let him go,” she said as she stepped back, “He is not the one.”
“Maybe not, but he’s still got a lot to answer for,” Rainbow Dash said, gesturing to the torture equipment around them.
While Twilight had been concentrating on her spell, the Hunter, Ream, and Applejack had secured Count Stammer’s cronies. The pony that had been brought here to be tortured had been released, and there was no sign of her. That was going to make things difficult.
“We cannot do anything,” Twilight said with regret, “He is not ours to deal with.”
“What are you saying?” Rarity said.
“I wish we could, but if we assassinate a subject of Hyelliff without provocation, it will mean war between Vanhuv’r and Cant’r Laht,” the sorceress explained, “Word will spread about what has been happening here, and it will be up to his subjects or his liege to decide what to do with him, not us.”
“You expect to just trot out of here after this?” Count Stammer asked, regaining some of his confidence.
“Yes, because if you attempt to stop us, then we will be compelled to defend ourselves, and I have no qualms about killing you in self-defense,” Twilight said, looking at the count coldly.
Stammer couldn’t help but to swallow hard. Those eyes were so set, so determined, so frigid and fiery at the same time, that he had no illusions that the sorceress didn’t mean what she said. Somepony as low as him had never seen the great Celestia, but he could imagine she were like this, only many times more. He had heard stories of the ancient sorceress, and also of her apprentice. This was her, he had no doubt. Why she and the Brave Companions were here, he had no clue, but he didn’t care.
“Get out,” he said, but the quavering of his voice made it sound less of a command.
***
“I can’t believe it wasn’t him. I can’t believe the things he did were done without Discord behind them,” Rarity said, shivering as she thought about the stories of terribly mutilated bodies.
The Brave Companions were having breakfast in the common room of Brightenfeld’s one and only inn. The ponies around them kept their voices hushed as they talked about the revelation of what was going on beneath their local lord’s manor. Mostly it was just revulsion, but a few wanted to do something about it. In the minority were those who wanted to storm the manor and drag Count Stammer out to be punished. The others were in favor of sending a delegation to Lord Wessin in Comethold.
“Ponies are capable of incredible cruelty without the intercession of a Great One,” Twilight Sparkle mused, “We should leave Brightenfeld before Count Stammer changes his mind about letting us leave.”
“I almost hope he does,” Rainbow Dash said gruffly as she partially unsheathed her sword.
“He’s gone! He’s gone!” Pinkamena said frantically as she hurried up to the table, dropping a lute onto it as she arrived, “Lilian disappeared last night without paying for his room!”
“Based on th’ stories y’ve told about ‘im, that seems about right,” Applejack said disapprovingly.
“No, you don’t understand. Lilian wouldn’t have done that. Well, maybe he would’ve, but he’d never have left this,” Pinkamena said, tapping the lute with her hoof.
“Could it be … the Discord-possessed pony took him?” Fluttershy asked timidly.
“Perhaps,” Twilight said, and Fluttershy blinked in surprise that somepony had heard her, “Yes, stealing ponies where they were already being taken and tortured provides a good cover. However, where is this culprit? Pinkamena, could I have a string of that lute to locate Lilian?”
At first, the bard clutched the instrument close to her, as she would her own lute, but loosened her grip after a second or two.
“I suppose Lilian would rather replace a string than body parts,” Pinkamena said morosely as she removed a string and slid it across the table to Twilight.
The sorceress carved a magic circle into the table, much to the horror of the inn’s owner. Grabbing Rarity’s bowl of unfinished oatmeal, she poured it over the circle and cast an incantation on it. A slight glow came from the oatmeal, and it seemed to pulse as Twilight split the lute string into two pieces and cast a spell on them that caused them to stand out straight. She stabbed the strings into the oatmeal, lit them on fire, and the mound of meal began to undulate, rearranging itself into a topographical map of the surrounding area; it was relatively flat, but had enough detail that Twilight could compare it to her maps. The strings burned down to stubs, one of them located where Brightenfeld was, the other the current location of Lilian.
“Comethold,” Twilight Sparkle said as she released the spell and the oatmeal returned to a lumpy, formless mass. They now knew where to find the Discord-possessed pony, and Twilight had a pretty good idea who it was.
***
Comethold was a castle town with the castle from which it took its name incorporated into the northwestern walls. The entire town was built upon on island where one of the rivers that eventually flowed into the Equestry River split and merged. Upon arrival at the town gates, Twilight Sparkle presented one of her letters from Celestia to the guard. The pony who examined it couldn’t read much, but he recognized Margrave Orion Star’s name and Celestia’s seal. They were allowed to enter the town and hurried through the twisting streets to the castle. There, they had a little more trouble. Getting into a Vanhuv’rite town was one thing, but entering the central stronghold of a march that had specifically been created to guard against the Dominions of Cant’r Laht was entirely another. A line of guardsponies blocked their path at the gate as their commander examined the letter and considered whether she ought to let them through.
“Lord Wessin!” Twilight called as she spotted a pony in fine clothing leading a procession of others across the castle’s ward, “Lord Wessin, we must speak to you!”
“What’s all this then?” the steward asked, peering past the guards, “I’m not accepting any petitioners today.”
“Aye, milord,” the guard commander said, giving Twilight her letter back, “You ‘eard ‘im, move along.”
Twilight knew what she was considering was rash, but she couldn’t allow their quarry to get away just because a puffed-up administrator didn’t feel like meeting with them today. The guards gasped their exclamations as she teleported past them, appearing right in front of Lord Wessin.
“I say!” the steward exclaimed, “Who do you think you are?”
“I am Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun, personal protégé of Celestia,” the sorceress said as some of the guards spun around and rushed toward her with weapons drawn, “I believe you have a dangerous pony in your employ. When did you hire your court sorceresses?”
“Five days ago,” Wessin said, looking at Twilight with skepticism, but he waved his guards to stand down, “I was passing through some muddy little hamlet with the most odious local lord. For the life of me, I can’t remember where it was.”
“Brightenfeld?” Twilight asked.
“Ah yes, that’s it,” Wessin said.
“Where is she? Where is Gavel?” Twilight asked urgently.
“Oh, I don’t know. In my employ or not, you sorceresses do whatever you please, don’t you?” Wessin said, “You might try her study. She demanded the privacy of a section of the dungeons. Odd, I always thought your kind preferred towers.”
“We need to find her,” Twilight said, drawing the steward’s attention to the others still outside the castle.
“Why? What did she do?” Wessin asked.
“I do not know for sure what she has done, though there is ample reason to suspect ponynapping and torture. My concern is more on what she might do if not stopped,” Twilight Sparkle said, “She is possessed by the partial soul of the Great One Discord, and so possesses within herself the ability to tear the world apart in chaos.”
Her barrage of dire warnings and grand terms had had the desired effect, leaving Lord Wessin stunned. He ordered the guards to let the others in, and together the Brave Companions followed the guard commander to Gavel’s “study.” When the commander tried to open the heavy door, it wouldn’t budge. Twilight felt out the spell holding it in place and shattered it, causing the door to erupt in splinters that she deflected with a shield.
The door creaked open as they entered, the rooms emitting a foreboding sense as well as many colorful curses from Lilian. The bard was stretched out over a fire, though it looked like he’d suffered no harm yet. Gavel stood nearby atop a pile of mice summoned involuntarily, watching as Lilian’s clothes began to heat.
“Mrinessen’r torrisal![2]” Twilight chanted before the former hedge witch realized she was there.
An icy prison engulfed Gavel and the mice, and the Brave Companions rushed toward her. Pinkamena bounded toward her friend, overturning a bucket of water onto the fire as Lilian ceased his cursing and watched his rescue. The ice surrounding Gavel turned to butterflies before the Brave Companions reached her, and the entire castle seemed to tilt, forcing them to climb a slope to approach the possessed pony.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight ordered, and the Hunter dashed upwards with her wings toward Gavel, looping around to the right.
Gavel waved a hoof dismissively, and Rainbow Dash was suddenly confined in an invisible box and sent tumbling down the floor. She didn’t notice Fluttershy swooping around from the other direction, though. The druidess looped the Element of Kindness around her horn so that it hung down in front of her eyes, a jeweled butterfly twirling in place and blocking her chaos magic. Suddenly the room righted itself and Rainbow was freed. Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack rushed forward, the latter two restraining Gavel. Twilight Sparkle first blocked Gavel from casting any conventional spells before taking the jewel she’d tried and failed to use on Count Stammer from her saddlebags.
“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya[3],” she incanted, and the soul of Discord began to flow out of Gavel and into the gem.
Gavel jerked involuntarily as the process progressed, her eyes gradually returning to their normal appearance. She collapsed into unconsciousness as the soul fragment was completely removed, the gem that now contained it glowing brightly. Twilight tucked it into her saddlebags before confirming that everything had returned to normal.
“Well, I guess our work is done here, right?” Rainbow Dash asked, striding past and ignoring the shocked guard commander looking at Gavel’s unconscious body that he was sure he’d just seen the life sucked out of.
“Here, yes,” Twilight said as she suddenly froze, “However, we cannot return home yet.”
“Why not, Twi’?” Applejack asked.
“I just detected a surge of chaos magic to the east,” the sorceress said, “Another pony has Awakened.”
Freezing rain pounded down onto the snow-covered farmlands north of White Tail Wood. The spring equinox was only a month and a day away, but winter did not want to release Equestria without a fight this year. Longer-than-usual winters were nothing new, and they always brought out the same crowd. Sorceresses in their ivory towers would debate if the frequent incursions of the White Procession and their weather-changing magic might be altering the climate. Druids would petition their local magistrates to take steps to avert what they called the Great Freeze, when Equus’s climate would cool enough to plunge the globe into an ice age (and they’d be ridiculed for it). Elderly mares and stallions with nothing better to do would jaw on about how they’d seen many winters much colder and fiercer—the stories of which were greatly exaggerated, even if their assertions were generally correct. Life went on as normal, even if with a little more difficulty than in milder years.
For the caravan traveling across the southern reaches of King Hyelliff’s domains, bound for Manehattan, the rain made everything exceedingly miserable. Cloaks had stopped serving their purpose long ago, now soaked through and clinging to the ponies beneath, the cold seeping in no matter what they did to avoid it. Oxen and cartponies slipped and slid in the half-frozen mix of snow, water, and ice coating the path, and the wagons jerked and bounced in the uneven ruts. It was a slow and frustrating way of travelling, but safer than going it alone. When the caravan had left Vanhuv’r, laden with goods from Stygra shipped to the city across the Agate Ocean by daring ice-cutters, it had been composed of only twelve wagons. Over time, other caravans had merged into it and other travelers had joined them. Now, there were nearly forty wagons and over a hundred persons traveling in the caravan.
Among those who’d joined were the Brave Companions, having met the caravan shortly after leaving Comethold. The Awakening that Twilight Sparkle had felt had occurred in the Kingdom of Manehattan, in the steppe that bordered the Hill Kingdoms. They were now headed east, and joining the caravan had seemed the right decision. The Awakened pony’s location had also all but confirmed Twilight Sparkle’s supposition that one soul fragment had gone to each of the Equestrian nations. The only one left out now was Stalliongrad, but she had the feeling that one there would soon come to light as well.
It was the morning of the second day since they’d joined the caravan, and Fluttershy was out purchasing food for the group while the camp was being torn down. Many of the traders had discovered that frozen, desperate ponies were a lucrative market, and sold goods from their wagons before they began moving for the day. Foals ran underhoof as the druidess made her way through the muddy campground, making her apologies as she nearly knocked over a mare with a basket on her head whose contents had to be soaked by now. The goats that surrounded a brightly painted wagon watched her as she passed, and she pulled her cloak tighter against the rain, despite what little good that did. At last, she reached the wagon of a produce trader she’d purchased from the day before.
“Good morning, Master Squint,” she said cheerily.
“Is it? I hadn’t noticed,” the trader said gruffly, “What do you need?”
The druidess perused the crates and sacks stacked up in the wagon behind Squint. Some of the other traders had set up tables in front of their wagons and stretched canvas above them to keep the rain off them and their customers, but Squint had not. As a result, no ponies were lined up to purchase what he was selling. He eyed those canvas awnings jealously, but the only way he’d get one now would be to acquire somepony’s tent.
“Two dozen carrots, please,” Fluttershy said.
“One bit,” Squint stated his price with a face as rigid as a mountainside.
“One bit!” Fluttershy squeaked at the price, “It was four carrots for a shilling and sixpence yesterday, why would the price go up to ten pence a carrot?”
“Look around you,” Squint said with a frown, “Do you see any new carrots growing in the fields? What’s in my wagon is all I have, and every carrot I sell you is one I can’t sell in Manehattan.”
“Okay,” the druidess said meekly, giving in and forking over twelve shillings.
Squint retrieved the carrots she’d purchased, most of them looking pretty pale and shriveled, and Fluttershy tucked them into her saddlebags before trotting away unhappily. She knew she’d been cheated, but what could she do about it? Standing up for herself wasn’t really her strong suit, at least not around ponies she didn’t know. She didn’t want to admit it, but she wasn’t much better around those she did know. The Ponieville druids’ circle had been quite irate the last time she’d announced she was leaving on a quest with the Brave Companions, and she’d said practically nothing in her own defense. This time she hadn’t met with them, Twilight had been so insistent on leaving immediately, but she’d left them a letter. She knew they wouldn’t take that well, and she’d be in for a chewing-out when she returned. She wasn’t quite sure how she was going to face any more of that.
She wandered her way back to where the Brave Companions had set up their camp the night before. Ream and Baldavin, already prepared to go, watched their surroundings intently while the others packed up. Tents were taken down, rolled up, and would soon be piled on everypony’s backs for the next leg of their journey. The only reason they were able to be rolled up nicely was because of Twilight’s magic temporarily drying and thawing them. It was a waste of her power to keep them so throughout the day’s journey, however, so they’d soon be soaked through, frozen, and heavy, until she thawed them out again to set up when they came to a halt that night.
“Ooh, breakfast!” Pinkamena exclaimed, bounding up to Fluttershy as she spotted the druidess.
Fluttershy passed out the carrots she’d purchased, and everypony paused in packing up to break their fast.
“Oh my,” Rarity said as she examined her knotty carrot critically, “I hope you didn’t pay too much for these, darling.”
“Just one bit,” Fluttershy said softly, thinking nopony could hear her.
“A ‘ole bit for two dozen carrots?” Applejack said with spite, and Fluttershy eeped in embarrassment, “That’s criminal.”
“What scoundrel sold you these at that price?” Rarity asked, and Fluttershy didn’t respond, “Did you try to negotiate?”
“Well … um … no,” Fluttershy admitted.
“Well, that settles it,” Rarity said, baffling the druidess, “Later, when I go to purchase our luncheon, you will come with me.”
“Oh, Rarity, I-” Fluttershy started to object.
“No excuses, darling,” Rarity said firmly, “I’ll show you how to deal with these hoodlums.”
Fluttershy groaned quietly. She would’ve far preferred to stay with the rest of the Brave Companions and never venture out again.
***
Later that day, Fluttershy reluctantly followed Rarity up the column of wagons and ponies. Pinkamena came along too, though for what reason Fluttershy couldn’t say. Maybe she just wanted to see more of the caravan. In any case, the trio got plenty of looks. Those who knew the Brave Companions were traveling among them could identify them and relate tales they’d heard, and the others were just curious what a bard, a druidess, and a unicorn in a beautiful cloak made from less-than-stellar material were doing together.
“Now, darling, watch how I do it,” Rarity told the druidess before approaching a merchant atop an ox-drawn dragon, “Pardon me, kind sir, but could I buy some oats from you?”
“I suppose,” the merchant said, scratching his beard with a hoof, “How much do you need?”
“Nine feedbags worth,” Rarity replied.
“Hm, I can sell you that for fourteen shillings,” the merchant said with a crooked grin.
“Oh my,” Rarity said demurely as she climbed up onto the wagon’s seat next to him, “That’s quite a bit of money, don’t you think? I’m sure a nice stallion like yourself would have it in his heart to lower the price a little, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh … well,” the merchant said as he looked Rarity up and down, and Fluttershy pulled her cloak’s hood tighter so her friends wouldn’t see her face coloring.
“Say, seven shillings for the lot?” Rarity asked.
“Well, I can’t go that low, but for a pretty mare like you, let’s say ten shillings.”
“That’s still a lot,” Rarity pouted, “How about seven and sixpence?”
“Well … I suppose,” the merchant said, “You’ve got a deal.”
“Oh, thank you,” Rarity said as she hopped down from the wagon, continuing to gaze at the merchant until he disappeared into the wagon and then returning to normal, “You see, Fluttershy, there’s nothing to it.”
“Mm-hmm,” Fluttershy mumbled quietly, keeping her hood pulled forward.
“Now, what else do we need?” Rarity asked after the merchant returned with their oats and she flirted a little more as a farewell.
“Oh! Oh! Pinkamena exclaimed, “Twilight needs more lamp oil and ink!”
“Well, we ought to be able to find both of those here somewhere,” Rarity said, looking down the long line of wagons.
They found one with jars of lamp oil in the back, and Pinkamena hurried forward to speak to the pony hauling the wagon.
Hey there!” the bard greeted her in her own zany way, “We need lamp oil. You’ve got lamp oil. What’ll it cost for a pint?”
“Two bits,” the trader replied as she eyed Pinkamena’s mane, somehow still incredibly poofy even in the freezing rain.
“Two bits? That’s ridiculous, and believe me, I know ridiculous,” Pinkamena said, and the trader’s eyebrows rose in confusion, “I’ll pay you one bit and not a penny more.”
“Two bits and not a penny less,” the trader stood firm.
“One bit,” Pinkamena shot back.
“Two bits,” the trader replied firmly.
“One bit.”
“Two bits.”
“One bit!”
“Two bits!”
“One bit!”
“Two bits!”
“Two bits!” Pinkamena switched things up.
“One bit!” the trader exclaimed, not realizing her slip-up.
“Two bits!” Pinkamena exclaimed, suppressing a grin.
“One bit! Take it or find somepony else to do business with!” the trader said, tiring of the back and forth.
“Fine, have it your way,” Pinkamena said, flipping her the gold coin and grabbing a pint of lamp oil off the back of the wagon.
“Hey, wait a minute,” the trader said as she looked at her bit, then stopped to replay the conversation in her head.
By the time she’d figured out what had happened, the trio of ponies were already well away from her wagon.
“See, Fluttershy, it’s not that hard,” Pinkamena said as she bounded through the snow and ice somehow without falling on her face.
“This wagon seems promising,” Rarity said as she spotted one stacked with well-protected books and scrolls, “Fluttershy, why don’t you give it a try?”
“Well, okay,” the druidess said, trotting forward nervously.
As the wagon bumped along, its owner sat in the back reading a book. He looked over his spectacles as Fluttershy approached and set the book down.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, I need a well of ink,” Fluttershy said, “Do you have one to sell?”
“Sure. Eight shillings,” the merchant said.
Fluttershy thought back to what Rarity had done, trying to keep herself from blushing as she did so. If it’ll help me get what I need, though.
“Oh, that’s a lot of money. I bet a handsome stallion like you could lower the price for a mare like me,” Fluttershy attempted, even pulling back her hood to shake her mane out and instantly regretting it when the icy rain soaked into her scalp.
“Well …” the merchant said.
It looked like despite her clumsy attempt (compared to Rarity), he might actually lower the price for her. All chance of that ended when the merchant was reminded of his wife by her tapping her hoof in the wagon and staring back at him.
“No. Eight shillings and not a penny less,” the merchant said firmly.
“Um …” Fluttershy said, and thought back to what Pinkamena had done, “Eight shillings is a ridiculous price. I insist on paying … ten shillings!”
“Ten?” the merchant asked in surprise. Never before had he had somepony negotiate upwards when buying from him. Well, except for some incredibly pretentious nobles who felt that paying more would somehow make what he was selling actually worth more.
“No, I mean, two shillings,” Fluttershy fumbled.
“Two?” the merchant asked skeptically.
“No, wait!” Fluttershy said, growing more and more confused with the more offers she made, “Two bits!”
“Now just a moment. I think you’re confused,” he said.
“Two bits and not a penny less or I take my business elsewhere!” Fluttershy exclaimed, intent on asserting herself now no matter what.
“Okay, okay,” the merchant surrendered, reaching back into the wagon for an inkwell.
“Don’t give him your money!” Pinkamena yelled as she interceded, “It’s not worth two whole bits!”
“Terribly sorry about that,” Rarity said as she gave the confused merchant eight shillings and took the inkwell. “What were you thinking?” she asked Fluttershy as they left.
“I was just trying to do what you two did,” the druidess replied meekly.
“Well, I’m glad you tried, but perhaps you need a little more practice before entering negotiations again,” Rarity said.
“Oh, I’ll never get it!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she broke away and ran off, dodging through the line of wagons.
Rarity and Pinkamena followed for a bit, but it was obvious that the druidess wanted to be alone right now, whether that was a good idea or not. If they continued to chase her, she could always just fly away and disappear, and then it would be truly difficult to find her. At least for now they knew she was still with the caravan.
Fluttershy wandered along the carts, not really paying much attention to her surroundings. This included not noticing that a goat had been following her ever since her failed negotiations over the inkwell. I’ll never understand what to do. I’ll never manage to assert myself. Can’t anypony see that? I can! If only it didn’t have to be this way.
“Pardon me, ma’a’a’a’adam,” the goat who’d been following her bleated as she stopped on the side of the road, allowing him to catch up, and the druidess jumped into the air in shock.
“H-hello,” Fluttershy said as she fluttered back to the ground, “Who are you?”
“Tyrio Quingla,” he introduced himself, making a bow in the traditional goat manner where his horns touched the ground, even though that caused the end of his scarf to fall into icy slush, “It seems to me that you could use some he’elp.”
“Help? With what?” Fluttershy asked.
“Are you a pushover? A coward? One born with a meek spirit?” Tyrio asked.
“Well, I …” Fluttershy said sheepishly.
“Tonight, be at Iron Wi’ill’s wagon. You know the one. Bri’ightly painted and surrounded by goats like myself,” Tyrio said.
“But, I-” Fluttershy objected.
“Be there,” Tyrio ordered before stepping away.
***
Fluttershy didn’t exactly know what she was doing, but she excused herself from the Brave Companions’ tents that night to seek out Iron Will’s wagon. When the caravan had pulled to a halt, she’d taken notice of where it’d parked. Last night, it had been nearer to the center of camp, but tonight it was parked near the outskirts. As she approached, she almost turned back. A crowd had gathered around the wagon; she hadn’t expected a crowd, nor had any desire to be near so many ponies. She was resolved to find out what this was about, though, so she joined the ponies, goats, and gryphons already there.
There were quite a few goats around the wagon, the same group that followed it around all day. Fluttershy wondered if Iron Will were a goat as well, though his name didn’t sound very goat-ish. Goats weren’t exactly an uncommon sight in Equestria, but it was odd to see so many gathered together, and so prominently. Goats seemed to just blend into the background of pony society, always there but never in any positions of importance or power. So far as anypony could recall, it had always been this way, and it was the same across the Shimmering Sea in the Zebrikaanian Empire, or across the Agate and Blazing Oceans in Stygra. Goats didn’t build or run civilizations, they just resided in them, and they seemed to have no problem with that.
According to the Church of One, goats had once had their own civilization, but had surrendered it immediately after the unicorns had departed the Valley of Uinor to join with them. The story went that the goats had guarded the approaches to the valley for centuries against dragons to allow the unicorns a measure of safety, and they gladly welcomed them upon their exodus from the hidden land. Goats had made up a quarter of the population of the Holy Maenean Empire at its height, and it was their language that had merged with that of the unicorns to form the Language of the Horns, so named for the distinctive features each race possessed. They were subjects of all and masters of none, and the goats seemed perfectly content with their lot in life, as strange as that seemed to ponies.
There was a disturbance in the front of the crowd as the goats tried to quiet ponies. One side of the wagon had been lowered down and propped up with legs that swung with it to form a stage of sorts. A curtain divided the interior of the wagon off from the stage, and it rippled and parted as Iron Will stepped out. Fluttershy hovered up above the ponies ahead of her to get a peek, then dropped back down as quickly as she could upon spying that he was a minotaur.
Minotaurs, like earth ponies, gryphons, and monsters, had entered the world during the Conjunction. Though satyrs shared a similar body shape with them, they claimed no kinship to these bullish bipeds (even if their temperaments were also alike). They were everything goats were not—unpredictable, hot-headed malcontents—yet some goats seemed drawn to them, like the ones here. Minotaurs were also a rare sight in Equestria, at least this far north. They only seemed to really be happy as warlords, with their own little despotate to run. This made them fairly successful in the pirate kingdoms to the south, but not terribly popular here, where kings and queens would rather not have them about raising private armies and causing trouble. Well, other than Prince Bann the Terrible, whose support for them doing just that within his realm had caused no end of trouble for his brother Braid, the current Prince of Stalliongrad, when he took the throne.
Iron Will was an imposing figure, easily twice as tall as any pony. His horns would put an ox to shame. Clouds of steam seemed to pour from his nostrils when he snorted. A kilt was wrapped around his waist, and a sash of the same material was draped over his heavily muscled shoulder, a large medallion with a stylized version of Iron Will’s head pinned to it. He paced back and forth on the stage (which only took him a few steps), looking out over the crowd.
“Are you happy where you are?” the minotaur demanded without ceasing his pacing, and some of the ponies in the crowd wondered aloud what he was talking about, “Happy being ground into the dirt by ponies with crowns on their heads or gold in their purses? You want to stand against them, but you don’t! How could you? How could you not?”
Most of the crowd were groups that’d joined the caravan later, Fluttershy noticed. The few merchants who’d been here left as Iron Will called down the monied. She considered leaving herself, but the opportunity was gone before she could make up her mind. Tyrio whispered into Iron Will’s ear as he reached the edge of the stage and the minotaur straightened, striding back to the center.
“You, the druidess in the back!” Iron Will bellowed, and the crowd parted to leave Fluttershy exposed, “Get up here!”
“Oh, well, I don’t really want to …” Fluttershy tried to make excuses, though her voice was so quiet she was unsure if Iron Will could even hear her.
“Now!” the minotaur yelled.
Fluttershy jumped in terror, but instead of running away, she found herself trotting toward the front of the crowd. She nearly made it there when one of the goats from the crowd bounded out in front of her.
“Oh, pardon me,” she said softly, and tried to walk around, but the goat stepped in front of her again.
“I said to get up here now!” Iron Will yelled.
“I’m trying, but …” Fluttershy trained off.
“He’s in your way?” Iron Will bellowed, “Then do something about it!”
“Um, I need to get past, so if you could just …” Fluttershy said, trying to go around the goat only for him to move in the way again, and this continued several times, “… move … out of … my path or … let … me … by.”
“No! No! No!” Iron Will yelled as he jumped down from the stage to land next to Fluttershy, causing the other ponies to step back, “You know what he’s thinking? He’s thinking, ‘Here’s a pony without a backbone, a pony I can walk all over, and she’ll say nothing about it. And I will walk over her because I can!’ That’s what he’s thinking. So, are you going to prove him right and get walked all over, or are you going to prove him wrong?!”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Fluttershy said indecisively, looking back and forth between the goat and the minotaur.
Iron Will rolled his eyes and gave the druidess a hearty shove forward. With a flap of her wings, she was able to stay on her hooves, but the goat was knocked down into the icy mud.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Fluttershy said, extending a hoof to assist the goat in getting back up.
“Don’t apologize! He was in your way, and he got what he deserved!” Iron Will shouted, “You showed him you’re no pushover! You showed him you’re in charge of what happens to you in life! Now tell him what you think of him!”
“I-” Fluttershy objected.
“Tell him!” Iron Will yelled, his breath throwing back the hood of her cloak.
“You … should have gotten out of the way,” Fluttershy told the goat hesitantly, “If you had, then you wouldn’t be lying in the mud like you are now. Maybe … maybe that’ll teach you not to get in my way! Try again, and you’ll get the same thing!”
“What’d I say, boss?” Tyrio bleated into Iron Will’s ear while the crowd was focused on Fluttershy, “Pe’erfect, isn’t she?”
“Perfect,” Iron Will confirmed, looking at Fluttershy hungrily before striding over and picking her up in one hand to raise her over the crowd, “You see, everypony! This pony was weak! She had a meek spirit! She was a coward! But I showed her the way and she took back control of her life! She stood up for herself! You all can do the same if you follow me!”
The crowd stomped in applause as Fluttershy looked down on them in surprise. She was sure that the applause was for Iron Will, but she squashed that thought. No, I’m done putting myself down. At least some of them are applauding for me. Me!She’d felt bad when she’d knocked that goat down, who was now picking himself off to be toweled clean by his fellow goats, but that feeling had gone away. It’d felt good to get her frustration off her chest, to assert herself. It had felt good, and she wanted more.
***
The rest of the Brave Companions had no idea why the druidess had a new spring in her step the following morning, nor why she’d volunteer to buy breakfast again after her experiences the day before. Rarity and Pinkamena offered to come with her, but she turned down their proposals. If she was going to do this, she had to do it on her own. She would “seize control of her own life,” as Iron Will would say.
She was trotting through the camp when she got a chance to test out her newfound conviction. A nearby wagon had a table that swung down from the side, and as the owner released it, it fell and hit the druidess over the head, knocking her down into the icy slush. The merchant peered out of the hole in the wagon the table had previously covered and spotted Fluttershy.
“Hey, get outta the way!” she yelled, “I got customers comin’!”
Fluttershy started to slink away before stopping in her tracks and putting her hoof down forcefully.
“Excuse me?” Fluttershy asked indignantly, planting her forehooves on the table as the merchant began shoving goods for sale onto it.
“You ‘eard me, unless you’re gonna buy somethin’, get goin’,” the merchant said.
If you let them treat you like dirt once, they’ll treat you like dirt your entire life. Show them you won’t let them in a way they’ll understand. Using her wings to help her, Fluttershy flipped the table back up. The merchant yelped as it slammed against her muzzle and her goods spilled off it. When the table swung back down, she was staring at Fluttershy, but she wasn’t looking down on her anymore.
“Is there something you wanted to say?” the druidess demanded, making sure she kept her face stern (and somewhat scary) as she’d practiced after watching Iron Will.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the merchant said, “Just … I don’t want any trouble.”
“Thank you,” Fluttershy said with a sweet smile, and she trotted on.
It wasn’t until she was out of sight of the wagon that she stopped to squeal in excitement, drawing looks from several foals. She’d really done it! She’d stood up for herself! It wasn’t that hard after all. She felt that she could really pull this off. With little fear left in her, she proceeded on to her true destination.
“Good morning, Master Squint,” she greeted the produce trader as she approached his wagon, “I’d like two dozen carrots today.”
“One bit and sixteen shillings,” Squint demanded.
It was much more than the going rate for carrots, but given how Fluttershy had rolled over and accepted his prices the day before, he figured he could squeeze some extra out of her. He had no idea how wrong he was. This wasn’t the same druidess he’d extorted yesterday.
“No,” Fluttershy said, “I’ll pay you nine shillings and not a penny more. That’s a fair price for carrots; a price you gave me two days ago.”
“Now see here,” Squint protested, “I can’t sell you carrots for that price. I can’t sell my stock in Trotstagor or Manehattan if you buy it all up, and I need to pay for upkeep on the wagon and transportation and-”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses, and I don’t want to be cheated again,” Fluttershy said, “Honestly, with the amount you overcharged me yesterday, you ought to be paying me for these carrots.”
“I don’t know who you think you are,” Squint said, though he was starting to sweat.
“I’m Fluttershy, druidess of the Poniville circle,” Fluttershy proclaimed loudly and proudly. Let them know who you are; be proud of who you are; make them understand they should fear who you are. “I’ll bet there are plenty of ponies in this caravan who’d be none too happy to learn that you’re overcharging for the food they need to keep on going. Could be dangerous for you, so why don’t you deal with me? And if you still want more after I’m through with you, I know a Cant’r Laht sorceress who I’m sure would like to have a talk with you about your prices, and a Hunter who’d love to rough you up some just for taking advantage of me before. So, what do you say?”
“Okay, okay, nine shillings for the carrots,” Squint surrendered.
Who was this pony, and what had become of the one he’d done business with before? There was something scary in her eyes today, and he had no desire to anger her and see what she’d do. He tried to get her some of the poorer quality produce (if she were going to pay less, she was going to get less), but the druidess cleared her throat and he found himself getting her twenty-four fine, if not perfect, carrots. He was glad to see the backside of her when she left.
Some ponies in the caravan had begun to realize who was traveling with them, and word that the Brave Companions were among them had spread through the camp. When Fluttershy returned with breakfast to where they’d set up camp, they were surrounded by ponies who wanted to speak to them and petition them for help. Fluttershy tried to get through to her friends, but the crowd was too tightly packed.
“Excuse me. Pardon me. Excuse me,” she said as she tried to get through, with no success, “Get out of the way! I’m coming through!”
Shocked ponies moved to the side to make a path that Fluttershy trotted down as she gave approving nods. Pinkamena and Rarity were just as stunned to see the druidess victoriously making her way through the crowd toward them. They’d half-considered following her around to make sure she didn’t get into any trouble again, but the way she was stepping now, it was obvious that she’d been able to manage herself.
“What happened to you?” Pinkamena asked.
“You’re so bold and confident,” Rarity added, “The way you carry yourself is completely different from before. What changed?”
“Iron Will,” Fluttershy answered between taking the carrots from her saddlebags, “I went to his rally last night.”
“Iron Will? You mean that monster who stays in the colorful wagon?” Pinkamena asked.
“He’s not a monster; he’s just a minotaur,” Fluttershy corrected her, “Listening to and watching him has really made a difference. I feel like a whole new pony.”
“I like this ‘new Fluttershy,’ so long as we don’t need to find a seventh Element of Harmony for her, because that would be difficult,” Pinkamena giggled.
Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed at her friend’s laughter. Those who laugh at you to your face surely do so behind your back as well. They don’t take you seriously and won’t until you silence their laughter. Fail to do that, and they’ll laugh at you forever. Fluttershy turned quickly to leave, her tail slapping Pinkamena across the face, silencing her laughter. Rarity watched the druidess leave with concern, though surely it had just been an accident, right?
“Hello, Mistress Fluttershy,” Ream said as she approached, “Do you want me to carry your gear again today?”
“Think I can’t do it myself?” the druidess overreacted as she took the packs from the guard roughly, “I’ll teach you to underestimate me!”
The crowd parted quickly to let Fluttershy leave while Rarity, Pinkamena, and Ream watched with confusion and some measure of concern.
***
Throughout the day, the druidess was a terror passing through the caravan, become more and more spiteful with every confrontation. She took advantage of the slightest slight to strike back at ponies. In her own mind, she was simply asserting herself and making sure nopony would look down on or take advantage of her, but that wasn’t what the rumors would say. They passed through the caravan just like the news of the Brave Companions, though these rumors were spoken in hushed tones lest the druidess heard them. Soon, everypony did their best to avoid her, though there wasn’t much they could do without leaving the caravan, and nopony wanted to do that, though it did become more strung out during the day.
“Hey!” Fluttershy yelled as a filly dashed past her, splashing mud on her already-stained druidess cloak.
“I-I’m sorry,” the filly apologized, forcing herself to stop and turn to face Fluttershy.
“Sorry? I don’t think so,” Fluttershy said, “You’ll never be sorry until what you’ve done to me has been done to you.”
Here there was a drop on either side of the path, and Fluttershy pushed the filly off one side, sending her tumbling and splashing though half-frozen puddles of mud. Rarity and Pinkamena had been looking for Fluttershy ever since the rumors about the druidess had reached them, and they spotted her just as she pushed the filly over the edge. They hadn’t believed the rumors, but now they began to wonder if they were true after all. The two ponies tried to reach Fluttershy but didn’t manage to catch up to her before she had another opportunity to bare her newfound fangs.
“Hurry up! Get moving!” she yelled at the wagon ahead of her that had come to a standstill half-on and half-off a rickety wooden bridge over a sluggishly-moving river.
“I’m not goin’ across this bridge any faster! M’ oxen’ll fall off!” the pony seated at the head of the wagon yelled back, “Y’ve got wings. Use ‘em if y’re in such’a ‘urry!”
“I’m a pegasus, so you think I’ll just let you block the way?” Fluttershy asked angrily as she began pushing against the back of the wagon, “I don’t think so!”
“Fluttershy!” Rarity yelled as she and Pinkamena galloped up, “What are you doing?”
“Showing him that he can’t just push me around,” Fluttershy said adamantly with a stomp, “He thought he could just take advantage of me!”
“No, he didn’t,” Rarity said with concern, “You’re taking this too far, Fluttershy. What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me,” Fluttershy objected, glaring at the diver of the wagon she’d been leaning against when it pulled forward, even though that’s what she’d wanted, “I’m not the one with the problem. Maybe you have a problem with the new Fluttershy?”
“I dare say I might,” Rarity said indignantly, “Not all the changes you’ve made are for the good. New Fluttershy is seeming more and more like nasty Fluttershy. What about old Fluttershy? Nice, sweet Fluttershy?”
“She was weak; that’s why you like her, because she’d do anything you’d say!” Fluttershy exclaimed, “Oh, I see now. You wish I was back to being meek Fluttershy. Spineless Fluttershy. Pushover Fluttershy. Do-whatever-you-please-to-her-because-she-hasn’t-the-courage-to-object Fluttershy. Well, she’s gone for good!”
“So many Fluttershys!” Pinkamena exclaimed, “How am I supposed to keep them all straight?”
“What’s the matter? Too complex for you, Pinkamena?” Fluttershy mocked, poking her in the forehead with a hoof.
“Hey, now,” Rarity objected, “There’s no need to descend to insults. Pinkamena is far from foolish, and you know it.”
“Oh, and you’re any less foolish?” Fluttershy said maliciously, “You think the ponies of Cant’r Laht will ever accept you? Face the facts! No matter what you do, they’ll never welcome somepony from a backwater like Ponieville with open hooves. Hoity Toity is just using you to move merchandise.”
“Hey, leave her alone!” Pinkamena demanded as Rarity retreated in stunned silence.
“Or what?” Fluttershy asked, “You’ll play me a song? No, bake some bread? Plan a party, maybe? Face it, Pinkamena. You have no idea what you’re doing with your life, so you’re in no position to tell me what to do with mine!”
“I can’t believe what that monster Iron Will has turned you into,” Rarity whimpered as Pinkamena joined her.
“He’s not a monster,” Fluttershy said with gritted teeth, “He’s a minotaur!”
Rarity and Pinkamena fled back toward where the rest of the Brave Companions were in the caravan. Fluttershy looked around, subconsciously searching for next target, but there was nopony near her. As her breathing slowed from her outbursts, she realized that she was all alone. Up the road, the front part of the caravan was trying to put whatever distance it could between her and them, and down the road the rest were keeping their distance and waiting for her to move on before advancing. She trotted up to the bridge and looked down in the river. She didn’t like what she saw reflected in the icy water. Iron Will may not be a monster, but I seem to have become one.
***
“Fluttershy! Where are you?” Rarity called out as she trotted through the woods.
After the confrontation at the bridge, none of the Brave Companions had seen Fluttershy the rest of the day. The next morning, they discovered a letter that the druidess had left for them. In it, she apologized for her behavior and told them how she planned to go away and become a hermit so she wouldn’t hurt any more ponies. Naturally, the Brave Companions couldn’t let her go ahead with that plan, so now they were out searching the surrounding area for her.
“Fluttershy! Come on out!” Pinkamena called as she bounded along.
Rarity nudged the bard as she spotted hoofprints in the crusty snow. Unlike many pegasi, Fluttershy spent most of her time on the ground instead of flying, which meant she actually left tracks, and they were pretty sure they’d found some of them. They led to a hollow under a tree, probably some creature’s den. Most ponies wouldn’t enter such a place, but it was a druidess they were looking for, and it wouldn’t be the first time she’d lived in a hole in the ground.
“Fluttershy, are you in there?” Rarity asked as she called down into the burrow.
“Go away!” the reply came back in Fluttershy’s voice, “I don’t want to hurt you anymore! Leave before nasty Fluttershy shows up again!”
“Darling, we forgive you,” Rarity said, “We all said things that we regret.”
“I didn’t,” Pinkamena said, and Rarity nudged her in the ribs.
“No, I’m the one who was so mean and unpleasant,” Fluttershy objected, “The two of you were just trying to help. It’s better if I just stay here so that I don’t walk over anypony and they don’t walk over me.”
“Well …” Pinkamena said, trotted back and forth on the ground above the burrow.
“Fluttershy, you can still stand up for yourself without being unpleasant,” Rarity told her.
“I don’t know that I can,” came the reply, “I tried before I came out here, but every time I just ended up being … monstrous! I don’t want that!”
Pinkamena poked Rarity’s shoulder, and she looked up from the hole. Where Pinkamena was pointing, a minotaur and two goats came into view. Iron Will wore a pleased grin on his face as he sauntered through the forest.
“I to’o’old you we could find her by following the’em,” one of the goats said.
“So you did,” Iron Will admitted, “Now, I heard her voice. Where is she?”
“What are you doing here?” Pinkamena asked.
“Your friend Fluttershy has been quite useful to me, but I’m not done with her yet. She’s coming with me,” Iron Will announced as he searched for the druidess.
“Now isn’t really a good time,” Rarity said as she positioned herself in front of the burrow entrance, “Why don’t you come back later? Or, better yet, return to the caravan and we can meet you there?”
“I don’t think so,” Iron Will said with narrowed eyes as he spotted the burrow behind Rarity. With a massive, hairy hand, he picked the unicorn up and deposited her in a nearby leafless bush.
“Fluttershy, come out here!” Iron Will demanded.
When there was no immediate response, he braced himself against the trunk of the tree over the burrow and began to push. Snow and dirt fountained as the tree began to budge, tilting away to widen the burrow entrance. Roots popped out of the ground, and the tree groaned from the force on it.
“What do you think you’re doing to that tree?” Fluttershy demanded as she showed herself, crawling up out of the burrow.
“Hm, there you are,” Iron Will said as he let the poor tree return to its previous position, “Fluttershy, you’ve caused a boom in my following. I want you to continue with me and help me gather more ponies to my cause.”
“No,” Fluttershy said simply.
“Heh heh,” Iron Will laughed disdainfully, “Perhaps I should rephrase that. You will come along with me and help me.”
“No, I won’t,” Fluttershy said again, quite calmly, and Pinkamena and Rarity’s jaws dropped.
“You think you can oppose me? I’m an enemy you wouldn’t want to have!” Iron Will threatened, propping an arm against the tree to shake it again, “Iron Will gets what Iron Will wants, and Iron Will wants you.”
“Well, this time Iron Will won’t get what Iron Will wants,” Fluttershy said with a frown, “I’m not coming with you, no matter what you say. You can threaten me all you want, but my answer is the same. You wouldn’t hurt me, because then you wouldn’t get what you wanted, and even if I did come along, I would never help you anyway. I said no, and I meant it.”
Iron Will fumed, but he realized that pressing the druidess any further would be useless. She had made an argument he couldn’t refuse. If she said she wouldn’t come with him, there was nothing he could do. He’d just have to manage on his own, like before. Snapping his fingers for the goats who’d accompanied him here to rejoin him, he stalked away.
“You did it, Fluttershy!” Pinkamena exclaimed as she rushed to embrace her, “You stood up to Iron Will without overdoing it!”
“Yes, I did,” Fluttershy said with relief, “I lost myself for awhile there, but I’m back now. The same old Fluttershy, though hopefully not one who lets others walk all over her.”
“We believe in you, darling,” Rarity said, “You’ve found your balance, to remain the same sweet Fluttershy as before but also learn how to stand up for yourself. Now, we’d better get back to the caravan before we lose it.”
The walls of Trotstagor towered over the Brave Companions as they approached the Vanhuv’r Gate. Trotstagor had once been a prosperous city, the capital of the Hill Kingdoms at their height. It was a city whose every detail had been designed with precision and care, unlike so many other cities across Equestria that had sprung up and grown with no direction. Trotstagor was perfectly square, with three elaborate gates on each side, each named according to the most important city at the time toward which the gates’ paths would lead. The wall and gates were still impressive, but the city less so.
Trotstagor was a city that had never fallen in war and yet had fallen nonetheless. The Hill Kingdoms had expanded and prospered before being forced back by powerful new neighbors like the Kingdom of Manehattan and the Principality of Stalliongrad. Today, the Hill Kingdoms were not really kingdoms at all, even if kings still ruled here (as vassals of Celestia). As the Hill Kingdoms had declined, so too had Trotstagor. Nowadays, only seven of the twelve great gates were still capable of opening: Stalliongrad and Bloodpeak on the north, Rhyspaen on the east, Cant’r Laht on the south, and Maryior and Vanhuv’r on the west. The wall, nevertheless, remained strong, and soldiers continued to pace it. After all, this was now the border between the Dominions of Cant’r Laht and the Kingdom of Manehattan, who had quite a bit of trouble getting along.
The Brave Companions had separated themselves from the caravan they’d traveled with thus far. While the wagons had trundled through the Maryior Gate, they’d headed north, seeking another entrance. Most of the merchants and followers were outwardly content with pitching camp for the night again, although they had no choice in the matter, but Twilight was determined to find them an inn tonight. After four miserable days on the road, it would be good to sleep in a real bed again, and not have to magically thaw and dry everypony’s tents and bedrolls.
“Hail, Brave Companions!” a unicorn noblestallion called from a tavern’s balcony shortly after they’d entered the city, “I was hoping you’d come in through the Vanhuv’r Gate.”
“Count Arnwulf?” Twilight Sparkle called up to the Cant’r Laht sorcerer, “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing, though I think we both know the answer,” Arnwulf answered, “Best not to shout it out, though. Allow me to come down and join you.”
The Brave Companions waited in the street while the count settled his bill with the tavern owner and made his way down. Having just passed through a gate, they were on one of the six main streets that had once divided Trotstagor into sixteen even squares. It was quite wide, divided in the middle by a line of trees that had mostly been replaced here by street hawkers with the lanes on each side roomy enough for three carts to pass side-by-side. Even so, eight ponies and a dragon made quite an obstacle, and ponies grumbled at them as they were forced to go around.
“Why is it that we always meet in cities that history has passed over?” Arnwulf asked Twilight as he joined them, “Granted, Trotstagor isn’t quite as bad as Onon’r Laht, but still …”
“So, you are looking for the pony possessed by Discord as well,” Twilight Sparkle stated, returning to the conversation where he’d left off on the balcony, “Do you wish to join us? By my calculations, we are little more than a day away from them.”
“Well, then, your calculations are wrong,” Arnwulf said with a self-satisfied smirk, “You see, I happen to know that the pony you’re searching for is not in the Kingdom of Manehattan, but here in Trotstagor.”
“How?” Twilight demanded.
“I thought I might make a tour of Celestia’s realms, see exactly what these dominions that Cant’r Laht rules are like,” Arnwulf said, answering in as roundabout a way as possible, “I have plenty of time on my hooves, after all, ever since I was passed up for appointment as Prince of the City by your father.”
“I had nothing to do with that,” Twilight replied. I even advised Celestia not to do it!
“Maybe not, but you and your house will reap the benefits, and I must find my own way,” Arnwulf said with disdain, “But, back to the matter at hoof. I was visiting Trotstagor when I sensed the use of Discord’s twisted magic here in the city. I haven’t been able to pinpoint it, but I knew the six of you were somewhere out to the west and would be making your way here, so I endeavored to meet you when you arrived and join forces. And so, we are caught up to the present.”
“Do you have any idea where this possessed pony is?” Rainbow Dash asked, “Are you even sure they’re still in Trotstagor?”
“Quite sure,” Arnwulf replied, “They continue to use their magic, though they’ve found some way to mask it by diffusing it. It is very difficult to find the origin, though I am certain that they are somewhere in the city center, which just so happens to be where I’m already renting rooms, and plenty of them for everypony. Shall we make our way there?”
“I suppose, if you have already gone to so much trouble for us,” Twilight Sparkle said, and she gestured for Arnwulf to lead the way.
The party of ten now proceeded down the street to the east as twilight fell. Around the Vanhuv’r Gate and the city’s northwestern tower, the stone buildings still stood, but they soon gave way to abandoned structures and eventually countryside as the Brave Companions trotted along. Once Trotstagor’s population had dwindled enough that many of its buildings were without inhabitants, ponies had begun tearing them down and reclaiming the land for planting. On less than a fifth of the land within Trotstagor’s walls now stood the structures that had once filled and overflowed the city’s boundaries. Besides the pocket around the Vanhuv’r Gate, there was also a small settlement near the Cant’r Laht Gate in the south and the largest portion of old city, its southern edge skirting the city center and its northern reaches spanning the Stalliongrad and Bloodpeak Gates.
Arnwulf’s rented rooms were just east of the city center, so the Brave Companions had to pass through Kings’ Square to reach them. Kings’ Square was at the exact center of Trotstagor, where the street from the Stalliongrad Gate to the Cant’r Laht Gate and the street from the Maryior Gate and the Rhyspaen Gate intersected. Ironically, unlike everything else about Trotstagor’s structure, Kings’ Square was not an actual square. It was circular on three sides, surrounding a fountain with statutes of the original eighteen Hill Kings. From the northeast corner of Kings’ Square jutted the Bank of Trotstagor. It was for this reason that Kings’ Square was sometimes called Coins’ Square. The Bank of Trotstagor and its dedicated wizards set conversion rates for all coinage across Equestria, and its power had only grown greater after the Hill Kings had kneeled to Celestia and relinquished their sovereignty. For a long time, there had been a balance between the kings and the bank, but the bank was now ascendant.
The other three-quarters of the Kings’ Square not taken up by the bank was for the Hill Kings. Each of the segments between the streets had been subdivided into six manors so that the first eighteen kings could all have an entryway facing the square. The square had also been home to an amphitheater once, where the kings could meet, but that had been replaced after the number of monarchs dwindled to twelve. The segment of manors facing the Bank of Trotstagor was now a meeting hall, though it seldom saw any use. Rarity noticed that banners hung from five of the remaining kingly manors and asked about it as they trotted through the square.
“There will be a kingsmoot tomorrow, the first in years,” Arnwulf answered as he led them along a street that ran past one of the bannered manors, nodding politely to the ponies standing guard, “The last of the Hill Kings have all assembled.”
When the Hill Kings had pledged their allegiance to Celestia twenty-seven years earlier, the sorceress had imposed some conditions. The twelve kings had been allowed to keep their titles, but they weren’t allowed to pass them on to their heirs. Celestia wouldn’t tolerate kings in her domain forever. Seven had passed on, leaving their heirs to become dukes or counts, until only these five remained.
“What do you think they’ll talk about?” Rarity asked.
“Oh, probably the same things they talk about separately,” Arnwulf said, “They’ll complain about Celestia before admitting they prefer her to the alternative. The only thing that would really make them happy would be to see the Hill Kingdoms independent again, but that’ll never happen.”
As the Hill Kingdoms had grown, they’d added more kings, and so around the original ring of eighteen kingly manors were erected more manors for the new kings. One by one, they were all abandoned as the Kingdoms shrank, and those that hadn’t been torn down had been sold and repurposed. It was one of these manors that had become the inn where Arnwulf was staying. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said he had plenty of room for everypony. They had the whole floor to themselves, with enough space for everypony to have their own room and bed, even Spike.
Twilight didn’t spend much time in her bed that night, nor did Arnwulf. The two mages spent most of their time between dusk and dawn working on some way to overcome the masking trick the Discord-possessed pony had picked up. Several times throughout the night, they felt the chaos magic at work, and each time they narrowed the location of the user further until they were sure that their quarry was located somewhere very near to Kings’ Square. Perhaps they were in the Bank of Trotstagor, perhaps they were among the entourages of the Hill Kings, or perhaps they were one of the many who came every night to the square to beg and were cleared out by constables the next morning before sunrise. Eventually, though, the two Cant’r Laht mages had to go to bed, to get a few hours of sleep in preparation for the next day, when they would catch the pony who contained the sixth piece of Discord’s soul.
***
The Brave Companions and Arnwulf headed for Kings’ Square first thing the next morning, eyes peeled for anypony suspicious. There were some very distinctive features that would mark the possessed pony as apart from others, but they couldn’t just go around staring into everypony’s eyes. They were as discreet about it as they could be, but plenty of ponies still managed to slip away through the streets leading away from the square without being checked. Soon, Kings’ Square was clear apart from the Brave Companions and a few ponies tossing coins into the fountain of the Hill Kings.
Bells chimed the hour from within the three bell towers atop the Bank of Trotstagor, and guards filed out of the five occupied kingly manors around the square. Kings and their entourages filed out behind the guards, dressed in finery. From one group galloped a frail-looking courtier toward the meeting hall. A few minutes later, he appeared atop the building and approached a large, mounted horn.
“Behold, the Hill Kings, who will gather in Kingsmoot to discuss matters of the realm. Your rulers assemble,” he announced, his voice projecting across Kings’ Square and beyond, “According to our traditions, the kings will enter the Hall of Meeting one at a time, eldest to youngest. King Roan of Dunhome, Patriarch of House Konstos, join the Kingsmoot!”
The second northernmost manor to the southeast was the current residence of King Roan. He and his entourage proceeded to the meeting hall, ponies about their business or passing through the square making way and keeping their distance from the guards’ spears. The livery on the courtiers and guards were the same color as the banner that hung limply from the manor: maroon.
“King Eritas of Peakness, Patriarch of House Manth, join the Kingsmoot!” the herald announced.
From the middle of the opposite section of manors, King Eritas and his entourage left for the meeting hall. A white banner hung down over the manor Eritas had chosen. None of the manors here were set aside for any king, all temporary, so it was first-come, first-serve on arrival, and the Hill Kings could choose their own residences while in the city. It was no coincidence that Roan and Eritas had chosen two manors nearly as far apart as you could get; the two did not like each other.
“King Magaphete of Sire’s Hall, Patriarch of House Renzostt, join the Kingsmoot!” the herald called next.
Magaphete did like Roan, so he had chosen a manor next to the elderly king. His green banner hung over the northernmost manor to the southeast, beside Roan’s maroon. He and his entourage looped around the fountain in the center of King’s Square on their way to the meeting hall, evoking grumbles from the entourages still waiting in the cold.
“King Guthram of Maddoch, Patriarch of House Saxe-Erebos, join the Kingsmoot!” the herald announced.
Guthram didn’t have far to take his entourage to reach the meeting hall. His yellow banner hung down over the manor closest to the hall on the southeast. He briskly made his way inside, grumbling all the while about having to wait.
“King Vanic of Ethrow, Patriarch of House Alle-Hotzern, join the Kingsmoot!” the herald said.
As soon as Vanic heard his name, he began marching to the meeting hall. He also didn’t have far to go, though he had no love for Guthram and had chosen a manor relatively near only out of convenience. A blue banner adorned the manor closest to the meeting hall on the northwest.
“The Hill Kings are gathered in Kingsmoot to discuss matters of the realm!” the herald announced once all the kings and their entourages were inside, “Your rulers are assembled!”
Twilight’s and Arnwulf’s heads jerked as a wave of tainted magic suddenly seemed to come from every direction at once. They were near the epicenter, that was for certain, and they were also close to the pony they were hunting. Both of them reached into their saddlebags for the equipment they’d tested the night before along with the things they hadn’t had a chance to test. The sorcerer was faster, whispering to a small amethyst at the end of a cable as soon as it was out of his saddlebags. The little jewel pulled the line tight, pointing straight to the structure that dominated the skyline here: The Bank of Trotstagor.
The Bank of Trotstagor loomed over Kings’ Square, a monumental building as large as a cathedral and nearly as impressive. Above the heavy doors, climbing up the front of the bank all the way to the bell towers, were friezes and statues of pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies, and even some goats. After all, they’d been valued and trusted moneychangers in the Holy Maenean Empire. Heroes, saints, and moneychangers were all depicted together, interwoven as if all had the same importance. Certainly, this reflected the Bank of Trotstagor’s view of the world.
This was undeniably the greatest bank of Equestria, and few even on the Eastern Continent surpassed it. While Trotstagor crumbled, its bank stood strong. It was the bankers here that had urged the Hill Kings to seek Celestia’s protection, for fear what would become of them should the city become part of the Kingdom of Manehattan. The Bank of Trotstagor was no ordinary bank. Their precise conversion rates were trusted across Equestria because of their staff of wizards that carefully analyzed the composition of every coin that could be found on the continent. If Prince Braid debased the Stalliongrad grivna or King Hadish increased the bronze content of the Manehattan quatrequatreloep, the Bank of Trotstagor would know about it, and soon everypony in Equestria and across the Shimmering Sea would as well. Despite the Hill Kingdoms now being part of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, the Bank of Trotstagor still minted its own coin, the silver duurmark, which never changed composition and was the standard against which all other coinage was measured.
“Into the bank, then?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking at the artifact Arnwulf was holding.
The small crowd of ponies (and Spike) headed for the bank’s entrance. Guards in tall, polished helms and breastplates wielding guisarmes watched as they trotted through the gap left by a partially opened door. The doors were incredibly massive and thick, so it made sense not to open them all the way, but braziers burned brightly within the bank to compensate for the coldness outside, leaving a haze of smoke on the ceiling where the chimney grates didn’t catch it. As soon as the Brave Companions entered, they were guided along by the wooden fencing that stuck up from between the patterned and colored stone floor tiles to a line of windows.
“No weapons are allowed in the Bank of Trotstagor,” a guard droned on, sounding like she’d said it a thousand times before, “Please remove all weapons and mark them according to the posted instructions. They will be returned to you when you leave.”
“We’re here on important business for Celestia,” Arnwulf said, “We don’t have time for this.”
“No weapons are allowed in the Bank of Trotstagor,” the guard repeated, giving Arnwulf a pointed look, “Please remove all weapons and mark them according to the posted instructions. They will be returned to you when you leave.”
Begrudgingly, they complied with the guard’s instructions. All weapons were removed, marked with banners obtained from the ponies through the windows, and passed to the ponies through the windows. Then, everypony had to fill out a form with their names listing all the weapons they’d left and the numbers on the banners they’d marked them with. Rainbow Dash was left behind as she had to register all of her Hunter gear, which the ponies on the other side of the windows seemed to take amusement in until she glared at them. The group sans Rainbow Dash hurried on past the guards that approved them to pass on to another window with a long line.
“What now?” Pinkamena asked impatiently.
“We have to sign in, see?” Twilight said, pointing at a sign hanging over the window, just as exasperated as everypony else.
“Sign in?” Rainbow Dash groaned as she rejoined them, “We just signed in to drop off our weapons!”
Twilight Sparkle was determined not to let the bureaucracy get to her. She’d dealt with the Cant’r Laht Archive, and she could deal with this. As they waited in line, she watched what was going on in the rest of the bank and hoped to catch a glimpse of their quarry by happenstance. There were plenty of ponies moving about, most of them making their way to the exit doors through a queue moving just as slowly as the one they were in.
“Where are they going?” Fluttershy wondered aloud as she watched the other line grow longer.
“Haven’t you heard?” one of the guards pacing along the line asked, “The Kingsmoot’s started.”
“Yes, but isn’t the Kingsmoot off-limits to all but the Hill Kings and those they invite?” Arnwulf asked.
“For the moment, though if they vote to open the Kingsmoot as they did in the past in the square, then anypony can enter,” the guard said as if the traditions of the Hill Kingdoms were obvious, “Everypony wants to be the first. Also, anypony who works for the Bank of Trotstagor is free to leave and attend the Kingsmoot.”
“So, you could leave for the Kingsmoot?” Ream asked dubiously.
“Any clerk or evaluator is free to leave and attend the Kingsmoot,” the guard corrected herself with a frown.
“We aren’t just going to wait here, are we?” Rainbow Dash whispered after the guard had moved on.
“We will do what we must,” Twilight Sparkle replied, though like the others, she watched the ponies leaving worriedly, “You will see, Rainbow. We will get some answers soon.”
***
No answers were to be found in the Bank of Trotstagor. Nopony seemed to have noticed a pony with red irises, even the mare responsible for supervising everypony that signed in. Neither did the wizards (evaluators) have any clue where the sudden surges of tainted magic were coming from. They were somewhat worried that it could cause problems with their evaluation of coin compositions and worth at first, but after they could detect no change after the surges, were now fairly confident that they were unaffected. The bank’s bells rang several times while they were inside, and it was after midday when they left. Going through the exit line, they had to sign out and then could reclaim their weapons before they headed out, filling out more paperwork in the process.
No sooner had they exited the bank than another chaos surge washed over Twilight and Arnwulf. The sorceress was the quicker of the two this time, throwing a top on the ground that spun for only a moment before toppling over and pointing toward the meeting hall across Kings’ Square. Judging by the lack of a crowd in front of the meeting hall, the Hill Kings had either opened up the Kingsmoot or ruled emphatically against doing so. A few ponies trotted in and out through the doors and the guards posted didn’t stop them, however, so it was probably the former.
“They must have left while we were inside,” Twilight Sparkle said, concocting a plan, “Baldavin, I need you to go back through the bank and get a copy of the exit logs from when we entered to when we left. Take this letter from Celestia with you.”
“I doubt it will do me much more good than it did you, but thanks,” the Cant’r Laht soldier said, taking the letter before trotting back toward the bank’s entrance.
“The rest of us will see if we can find them at the Kingsmoot,” Twilight Sparkle announced.
She led the way until Arnwulf trotted up next to her, determined not to be her shadow, even if she was an impressive sorceress and Celestia’s personal protégé. The guards at the entrance to the meeting hall let them in, and though they eyed Rainbow Dash’s collection of weapons, they didn’t do anything to stop her. For that, Twilight was thankful. She didn’t think the Hunter would put up with having her weapons removed twice today, which was one reason she’d sent Baldavin to get the logs.
A stern-faced guard directed the ponies and dragon up to the second floor, where the observers of the Kingsmoot would be gathered. It wasn’t crowded, though there was a fair crowd of ponies seated up in the tiered seats surrounding a circular hole in the floor. The Brave Companions looked around the audience, but they couldn’t pick out anypony as being possessed by Discord. Did their eyes glow in the dark? Nopony could remember.
Down below, the Hill Kings and their entourages were also arranged in a circle. Most of the perches that traditionally had been used by the pegasus kings had been replaced by chairs, except for Guthram’s. Though he looked on the verge of losing his balance, he stubbornly stayed on the roost and looked disdainfully at the others’ chairs.
“I was only just-crowned when I made my vow to Celestia,” King Vanic was saying when the Brave Companions took their seats and began examining the ponies down below, “Should that hold me through my life and deny my crown to my children who were not yet born when I made it?”
“Yes,” King Guthram said gruffly, “We all made that vow, knowing what it would bring for our heirs. Yet, it was a better bargain than we would have gotten from Hadish.”
“You don’t know that,” Vanic accused, “He was merely crown prince of Manehattan then, and his father was a weak king.”
“Your lands do not border those of Manehattan!” Guthram bellowed, “Hadish crossed over into my lands then, burning as he went! He vowed to burn all of us if we didn’t throw down our crowns!”
“What about Stalliongrad?” King Magaphete asked, “Things are much better now under Braid than they were under Bann back then. In the Principality of Stalliongrad, we could have some measure of independence again, like the Haelds and the hordes.”
“Yes, if not us, then our heirs could swear fealty to Prince Braid instead of Celestia when the time comes,” King Roan added.
“Of course, that works for the two of you. Your domains border Stalliongrad and you already trade with them, but what about my fief along the mountains? What’s in it for me but to be pummeled by Celestia from one side and Hadish from the other?” King Eritas said spitefully, “No, Manehattan is the way to go. King Hadish is the only one to stand against Celestia.”
“He also holds a deep hatred for any non-earth ponies, and last I checked, that includes all of us,” Guthram said, nearly falling as he gestured to the other kings, “This talk is madness!”
“Twi’, I think I found him,” Applejack said, leaning forward to speak to the sorceress, “Th’ red-coated one down there by Guthram.”
“What makes you think so?” Arnwulf asked.
“I noticed ‘im leavin’ th’ bank—‘e’s got th’ same coloration as Big Mac, though none o’ th’ stature—only ‘e was wearin’ a clerk’s uniform then, not th’ livery o’ Guthram.”
“The anti-Element of Deceit,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“I think so,” Applejack commented, feeling for the Element of Trustworthiness in her saddlebags.
“Where are you going?” Twilight asked as Arnwulf rose.
“The Kingsmoot could go on for some time,” he answered, “I’m going to investigate Guthram’s manor while they’re here, and try to confirm that this is truly our target.”
“Are you sure that is a good idea?” the sorceress said.
“Celestia may command me, you may not. Not yet,” Arnwulf said gravely before his expression lightened, “And yes, I am sure that this is a good idea.”
***
The Kingsmoot went on, and the discussion eventually shifted from abandoning Celestia and the Dominions of Cant’r Laht to more mundane matters like border disputes, taxation rates on crops, and upkeep of Trotstagor. Baldavin arrived with a copy of the Bank of Trotstagor’s exit logs only shortly before their quarry excused himself. The Brave Companions leapt into action, departing the meeting hall and covering all exits. They might have a better chance with another mage here, but they couldn’t squander this opportunity just to wait for Arnwulf; besides, they’d dealt with possessed ponies before.
“Get him!” Twilight commanded as the Big Mac lookalike, dressed again as a clerk, sauntered out through the front doors of the meeting hall.
Rainbow Dash shot down from above, pinning the possessed pony to the ground. Ream and Baldavin held back the meeting hall’s guards who tried to intercede, and tried to explain the situation. Applejack rushed over with her Element of Trustworthiness and Twilight prepared to extract Discord’s soul fragment. The possessed pony looked up at the sorceress, an eye flashed, and chaos magic permeated the air.
From behind Twilight Sparkle came the sound of splitting stone, and she reluctantly looked back. Ponies screamed and ran as the statues of the eighteen original Hill Kings separated themselves from the fountain in the center of the square and began trotting toward the Brave Companions. A few of them tried to fly, but their stone wings couldn’t support their stone bodies and they fell back to the ground, pieces chipping off of them.
“Hurry, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
The Hunter rolled to the side as an oversized spear flew past her, taking the possessed pony with her. She was thrown off of him as a massive tentacle burst through the cobblestones before turning into a tree and blossoming loaves of bread. He took off, trying to escape down a side street, and the other Brave Companions took off after him.
Ream and Baldavin were trying to fight the statues of the kings, the guards they’d been holding off before having fled, but it was a losing fight. The statues were larger than life, about twice as large as an average pony, and composed entirely of stone. Their weapons (except for the ones they’d broken off) were fused to their bodies and also made of stone.
“Onon’r nof bei’r magia’i acca Ye’r accael![1]” Twilight chanted, and one of the statues began to glow with fire from the inside, cracks forming along its body as molten stone seeped out, “Leya![2]”
The glowing statue lifted into the air as Twilight levitated it. She hurled the long-dead king toward a cluster of other statues, where it exploded in chunks of fiery rock, smashing apart five others in one go. That still left twelve more, and Twilight levitated another, swinging it around to smash the others to pieces, including one that had pinned Baldavin down with the sword forever clutched in its mouth. Rainbow Dash also struck out toward the statues, bringing a couple down with bombs. The possessed pony wasn’t through yet, though.
As Twilight wheeled toward him, a pillar burst up out of the ground beneath her hooves, propelling her upward. She teleported back to the ground, only for another pillar to shoot her up again. Again and again she did this, while her friends closed in on the possessed pony. With a wicked grin, he shot pillars up beneath Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkamena, who would not be able to teleport away. Torn between capturing the possessed pony and saving her friends, Twilight teleported up to Rarity’s pillar. Grabbing hold of the blacksmith, she teleported them both to Applejack’s pillar, then Pinkamena’s as they neared the clouds, before teleporting them all back down to the ground.
The entire square seemed to be spinning, the Bank of Trotstagor upside-down, when they landed. A flash of light at the bank’s door caught Twilight’s eye just before Arnwulf appeared behind the possessed pony and knocked him to the ground. Applejack rushed up and placed the Element of Trustworthiness against the pony’s flesh, returning everything to normal (except for the fountain, which was totally ruined now).
“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya[3],” Arnwulf incanted, and the Deceit fragment of Discord’s soul was drawn out into a diamond he held in one hoof.
“Where were you?” Rainbow Dash asked as she landed and Arnwulf set down the unconscious stallion.
“After investigating our friend’s rooms in Guthram’s manor, I thought to do some further investigating in the Bank of Trotstagor. I had no idea you would stage a fight in the middle of Kings’ Square,” Arnwulf said accusatorially, “I figured out his plan, if you would care to know. He had a whole heap of Manehattan coins, and he tricked the evaluators into thinking the Celestia had debased her currency so that he could trade in and cash in once they realized that they’d been deceived. It could have worked too, if we hadn’t been here.”
“That’s it?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well, he also deceived Guthram into believing him to be a trustworthy advisor and the bank into believing him one of their clerks, and who knows how he got all that coin, but yes,” Arnwulf said.
“That soul fragment, was it larger than the one in Onon’r Laht?” Twilight Sparkle asked apprehensively.
“Not really,” Arnwulf answered, “Why do you ask?”
Twilight had personally extracted the other four soul fragments, and as far as she could tell, they and the one from Onon’r Laht had all been nearly identical in size. That meant that Count Arnwulf had been right in his observation back in Onon’r Laht. There were seven soul fragments, not six. She was almost certain now that the last one existed somewhere in the Principality of Stalliongrad, but where? That wasn’t the biggest question on her mind, either. All the other soul fragments had been the exact opposite of an Element of Harmony, but they were all accounted for now. There was another soul fragment out there somewhere, but what was it?
Twilight Sparkle paced anxiously in a circle in Golden Oak’s laboratory. She did this so frequently that Spike was beginning to worry she’d wear down the floor faster than the laboratory could regrow it. He could swear the last time he’d swept it out there’d been a groove here. Despite Celestia’s admonition earlier in the year for Twilight not to worry or overexert herself, Twilight Sparkle was a worrier at heart. At least this time she wasn’t determined to juggle umpteen topics of study at once, then try to open a gateway to Tartarus when she couldn’t pursue any of them. If Spike could’ve, he’d have stashed the books on the Great Ones and Tartarus away anyway just to be safe, but given the sorceress’s current area of focus, that wasn’t possible.
They’d only returned from Trotstagor two days earlier, and during the whole trip back and all the time since, Twilight had been obsessed with the same worry. She needed to know where the seventh fragment of Discord’s soul was and what to expect from it. Most of what she did was just theorize or guess. If she could ascertain an answer from the tomes she had, then she gladly would have turned to them again, but sadly, they were not forthcoming on any practical advice for her situation. The way Discord had split his soul was unprecedented, such that it was not mentioned in any of the books about the Great Ones, even the ones that mentioned instances where they possessed other “lesser” creatures. She’d had Spike send a letter to Celestia requesting books from the Cant’r Laht Archives on soul splitting but hadn’t received any response yet. That kind of research was probably restricted, and for good reason, though Twilight wouldn’t see it that way.
“You may just have to wait it out, Twilight,” Spike suggested as she trotted past him, “Just like the other ones.”
“This one is different, Spike,” Twilight insisted, “I am worried. It may be in the Principality of Stalliongrad now—at least I hope it still is—but Celestia’s second summit in Cant’r Laht is only a few weeks away. What if the pony carrying the soul fragment comes to the summit and Awakens there? Can you imagine what kind of damage they could do with all of Equestria’s leaders assembled together? If I can find it before then, I will, and if I cannot determine some way to find the soul fragment before the pony carrying it Awakens, then I will just have to hope that they Awaken before the summit.”
“Okay, fine,” Spike yielded for now, “Don’t spend all day worrying about it, though. Remember, Mayor Mare wants to meet with you.”
“What would she want to meet about?” Twilight asked as she continued her pacing.
“She didn’t say. Or, rather, the courier she sent didn’t say,” Spike said drily, “I think she thinks you’re snubbing her.”
“That is probably because I am,” Twilight said, stopping her pacing at last, “I have nothing to say to her. She seeks to use one hoof to manipulate me and acquire some of my prestige for herself while working behind my back with another hoof.”
“That’s true,” Spike admitted, “But were things any different in Cant’r Laht.”
“I suppose not,” Twilight sighed, “At least there is only one of them here. Fine; Spike, find out when it will work for her to meet.”
As Spike hurried off to do the sorceress’s bidding, she resumed her pacing. She couldn’t get the feeling out of her head that something bad was going to happen around this last soul fragment and around the summit. The former was due to experience with the other fragments, which fortunately hadn’t caused irreparable harm yet. The latter, well … last year’s summit hadn’t gone off without a hitch, what with Blueblood’s murder and everything else. At least the leaders of Equestria had agreed to meet again this year, and in Cant’r Laht, too. There’d been no invitation yet to another Grand Galloping Gala, but Twilight was sure that Celestia would host one again. The effect of a pony possessed by Discord’s soul and wielding chaos magic at either of those events would be catastrophic.
So lost was Twilight in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the fluctuations of magic and unnatural wind blowing within her study until her pacing brought her face to face with an emerging spell. A glowing, crackling ball of energy was growing on the floor, throwing off sparks in all directions. Twilight rushed to save her books and notes from being incinerated before she realized that the motes of magic just bounced along harmlessly, sometimes through the walls. The ball of energy grew larger before resolving itself into a pony with a blinding flash and discharge of lightning that arced along everything metal in the laboratory.
Twilight was worried who this interloper was—possibly an enemy sorceress or the seventh Discord-possessed pony—but gasped when she realized the stranger was none other than Twilight Sparkle. Somehow, some way, it was her crouched in front of her. Only, this other Twilight seemed a little worse for wear. The pitch-black cloak she wore was tattered and torn. A half-healed cut angled across her left cheek, and her mane was singed and ragged. Her right eye was covered by an eyepatch, and a bandage was wrapped around her head. The new Twilight looked around to get her bearings as she stood before spotting the one previously in the room and trotting over to her.
“Twilight, I know you have many questions, but you must listen to me!” the ragged Twilight said urgently.
“Who are you?” the pristine Twilight demanded of her doppelganger, “You are me, I think, or some version of me. But how could that be? This is not possible, yet here you are.”
“Please, Twilight, I have an important message for you from the future!” the ragged Twilight pleaded as her counterpart paced around her and tried probing her with her magic.
“The future!” present Twilight exclaimed excitedly.
“Yes, but that is not important right now—” future Twilight said, only to be cut off by her past self.
“What happened to you? Or … me?” Twilight asked, lifting the ragged cloak with a hoof before suddenly dropping it and staring herself in the eyes—the one she could see, anyway, “Is there some cataclysmic war or disaster years in the future?”
“No, I am from much closer than that—” the other Twilight waved her off.
“Does this have to do with the seventh shard of Discord’s soul?” present Twilight asked before her doppelganger could get a word in edgewise.
“What? Yes. No! You do not need to worry about that right now. I am only from a week away, next Honday morning,” future Twilight said, growing exasperated.
“I simply cannot believe that time travel is possible,” present Twilight said, circling her future counterpart once again, “How did you—I—figure it out?”
“Time spells are in the Cant’r Laht Archives, but that is not what is important—” future Twilight said.
“Where? You would know how often I have been there, and I have never seen them before.”
“In the restricted section of the Star-Swirl the Bearded Wing,” future Twilight answered, getting fed up with herself, “Now, please listen to what I have to say—”
“If you could travel to any point in time, why would you come now?” present Twilight asked, “Is this some important decision point?”
“Sure, whatever,” future Twilight said frantically as her body began to glow and motes of magic drifted off of it, “I only have a few seconds, so be quiet and listen! Whatever you do, do not—”
“Do not what?” Twilight Sparkle wondered aloud as her future self vanished in a flash of light, leaving four hoofprints burned into the floor.
What kind of disaster could have befallen her in the next week that would compel her to jump back in time to warn herself about it? Twilight Sparkle wished she hadn’t interrupted herself so much in trying to get information that she’d missed out on the real information she’d come back in time to relay to herself. It must have been something terribly important and devastating. Well, even if she hadn’t heard everything her future self had to say, she had gotten the warning and she was determined to prepare for this disaster now.
“Spike!” she called to her page, wherever he was in the laboratory. The meeting with Mayor Mare would have to wait. She had more important things to attend to.
***
By the time Spike returned from the Mayoral Keep, Twilight had a plan drawn up. She couldn’t keep an eye on all of Equestria, but she could try to protect Ponieville. Since her future self had suffered whatever catastrophe had compelled her to come back, whatever it was would likely strike the small town. The greatest protection she could provide for the hamlet would be what had already saved Equestria twice: The Elements of Harmony. Thankfully, all six of the Brave Companions kept the Elements nearby since the shards of Discord’s soul had begun to surface, but now they had to keep them especially close. She also gathered them all together in Ponieville so that they could respond to threats at a moment’s notice.
Once they were there, though, she realized how difficult it would be to keep them around for a full week. Everypony had their own responsibilities, and they’d also just returned from being gone for nearly two weeks. She was about to tell them to head home but remain vigilant when a ferocious growl sounded over the town. Leaping Ponieville’s palisade and houses, a cottage-sized hound bounded through the village. Its enormous size was not the only peculiar thing about the hound. It also had three heads, as well as a long, serpent-like tail. Ponies scattered screaming in its wake, especially as it bounded through the square around Golden Oak’s laboratory, crushing wagons as it did.
“What is that?” Spike asked.
Twilight quickly teleported to the study of the laboratory behind the group and returned a moment later with two books. She rapidly flipped through them before finding what she was looking for and passing them to Spike for him to hold.
“As I thought, that is Cerberus, also known as Kerberos. He was a creature of the Conjunction who roamed free and terrorized ponies until he was tamed by Yliiena the First and her companions, and bound to Tartarus,” Twilight Sparkle explained as Cerberus uprooted a tree and began gnawing on it, “He is supposed to be guarding the gates of Tartarus, that one permanent link between the shadow realm and our own and prevent the Great Ones from escaping their prison!”
“What is he doing here?” Spike asked as he perused one of the books Twilight had shoved his way, “It says here that he is unable to leave his post.”
“Well, about that,” Twilight said sheepishly, “I suppose it is possible that when I opened a gate to Tartarus of my own last summer that I may have inadvertently weakened the seal on the shadow realm and allowed Cerberus to break free.”
“You what?” Rainbow Dash said with concern, though everypony looked just as worried as the Hunter.
“I believe, darling, that what Rainbow Dash is trying to say is that aren’t the Great Ones able to escape Tartarus now?” Rarity asked after clearing her throat.
“Yes, is it not great?” Twilight asked excitedly, leaving everypony even more shocked than after her revelation of the stakes, “This must be the disaster that future Twilight was trying to warn me about! Now, all we need to do is return Cerberus to Tartarus. Fluttershy, what …?”
While Twilight had been speaking, the druidess had wandered her way over to the gigantic hound. Cerberus looked down on the pegasus, dropping his tree. Fluttershy rose into the air in time to avoid being struck by the flying branches and bark and looked the center head in the eyes. She swallowed hard before speaking.
“Now, Cerberus, what are you doing here?” she asked, her voice resonating in the air as she used her talent for speaking to animals, “Shouldn’t you be back home?”
Two of the heads loudly whimpered while another yipped. Given the size and ferocity of the creature, none of the utterances sounded particularly meek or nonthreatening, but apparently Fluttershy could understand that the three-headed dog meant no harm, as well as understand what he was trying to communicate to her.
“I see,” Fluttershy said once the yipping stopped, and she hovered back down to the Brave Companions, “He can’t return to Tartarus; the way is blocked.”
“Well, I suppose there is nothing else for it, then,” Twilight said after a pause, “We will have to return Cerberus to Tartarus.”
“You’re not goin’ t’ … open another portal, are y’?” Applejack asked worriedly. That last attempt had not gone well and had apparently also compromised Tartarus’s security.
“No. The gates of Tartarus are located in the White Mountains on the other side of the Everfree Forest,” Twilight said, just as Spike found the same information in one of the books, “Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Spike, the four of us can make it to the gates of Tartarus with two days travel, more than soon enough to prevent the disaster that future Twilight came to warn me about. Once Cerberus has been returned to his post, then no disaster will occur.”
“Unless one of the Great Ones escapes before then,” Rainbow Dash commented.
Twilight Sparkle’s face fell as she considered the possibility.
***
Like the journey to the Three Palaces of the Two Queens nearly two years earlier, the trip to the gates of Tartarus was urgent and made nearly without stopping. There were no traps set by Nightmare Moon to hold them up, but there were the usual monsters that filled the Everfree to overflowing. Fortunately, most of them were scared off by Cerberus and didn’t attempt to attack the ponies and dragon traveling alongside the mighty beast. A few were not so wise, and were either cut down by Rainbow Dash’s sword or devoured by the three-headed hound. The ponies had to be mindful of Cerberus as much as they did their surroundings. Though the hound harbored no ill will toward ponies (despite the fact that they’d imprisoned him in Tartarus just as surely as the Great Ones he watched over), he wasn’t always fully aware of his surroundings. More than once, the ponies had to scatter to avoid being crushed under a tree whose trunk had been severed by the sharp edge of his wagging tail.
At last, they reached the gates of Tartarus, alongside where the White River poured out of the White Mountains and into the Everfree Forest. A massive gateway the height of ten ponies covered in ancient runes was carved into a cliff face beside a roaring waterfall. The doors within the gateway were of the same stone, and more runes were carved along the seam that ran straight up to the gates’ peak. Along that seam were three crystals, each the size of a pony’s head, glowing dully green, orange, and white.
“Tartarus is on the other side?” Fluttershy asked nervously as they approached the doors.
“Not exactly. Tartarus is another realm entirely, but here it is easy to open and close a gateway to Tartarus. Yliiena the First had it built to make it safer to transport Great Ones to their imprisonment there,” Twilight explained as she sidestepped a great globule of drool that fell from one of Cerberus’s mouths, which belonged to a head who’d started panting happily upon spying the gates.
“You mean so they wouldn’t weaken the seal on Tartarus by opening other gates?” Rainbow Dash asked, still a little upset about what Twilight had done.
“Yes,” the sorceress admitted sheepishly, “Now, I am going to open the gateway. Fluttershy, you let Cerberus know.”
As the druidess spoke to the three-headed hound and Rainbow Dash watched, still curious how she was able to communicate with animals, Twilight Sparkle started her spell. She already had some experience with opening gateways to Tartarus, and she found it to be incredibly easy to do here, even without any physical aids. Cerberus’s heads jerked toward the gate as soon as the gateway was opened behind it, but there were no visible signs that anything had changed, other than the crystals glowing the slightest bit brighter. The crystals all served as locks, and Twilight believed she’d deciphered how to unlock them through her research on the way here. First the emerald, then the citrine, and finally the diamond all ceased glowing. Lastly, she reached out with her magic and pulled the gates aside.
Slowly, with a grinding sound, the gates each slid into the cliffside, revealing the gateway to Tartarus. The world dimmed as soon as Tartarus was visible, though there was no apparent source for the shadows other than the gateway itself. Tartarus was the same barren and terrible wasteland she’d viewed before, the cracked moon she’d last seen overhead now hovering in the distance and staring down like a bloodshot eye. The shapes of wardens wheeled about but did not try to come near the gateway like last time. The shadowy figures of the imprisoned Great Ones were visible, but now nowhere near the gate. A long crumbly stone bridge stretched across the endlessly deep chasm between the gate and the terrain that housed the shadow realm’s prisoners, flames that had burned for millennia flickering along its length. Tortured screams sounded in the distance, one especially loud followed by the distinct sound of massive chains being snapped.
Cerberus rushed the gates as soon as they slammed all the way open. As the three-headed hound bounded through, his tail swung around and caught Twilight Sparkle across the face, cutting to the bone. The sorceress screamed and fell to the ground, her spell immediately releasing. The gateway to Tartarus slammed shut, slicing off the end of Cerberus’s tail, and revealing a blank cliff face. The gates sealed up and the crystals resumed their glowing as blood gushed from the gash in Twilight’s face. She tried to focus her magic on the wound but was having difficulty. When she finally managed to focus, the wound still resisted her efforts and she was only able to heal the gash partway.
“Twilight, are you okay!” Fluttershy asked anxiously as she and the others rushed to gather around the sorceress.
“I am now,” the sorceress said as she rose to her hooves unsteadily, knees shaking, “It could have been worse. At least now Cerberus is safely gone, and the disaster will not happen.”
Twilight Sparkle felt completely drained from the days of travel followed by intense use of magic, and she walked slowly toward the nearby river. Her face and robes were covered in blood from her wound, and she sought a place to wash it off. Finding a calmer part of the river, she cleaned herself up a bit, to be a more presentable Cantr’ Laht sorceress. Any further repairs to her face or her clothing would have to wait until after she’d had some time to recover.
“What is it?” Spike asked with concern when Twilight gasped in surprise upon seeing her reflection in the river.
“This! Do you not see it?” she demanded as she spun around, pointing at the half-healed cut with a hoof.
“I see it, but I was expecting worse,” Spike admitted.
“This cut on my left cheek is exactly the same as the cut on future Twilight!” Twilight said in exasperation, “That means that things are still playing out as they did for her and the disaster is still coming! We need to get back to Ponieville!”
***
After another day of travel, Rainbow Dash insisted they rest, despite Twilight’s protests. The sorceress saw impending doom coming closer with every second, but that was often how she reacted to any troubling situation, so Rainbow put her hoof done. Other than Spike, who’d dozed some on Twilight’s back, none of them had gotten sleep in three days. The Hunter could probably have gone another few days before it seriously affected her, but the others needed to rest, especially Twilight.
The sorceress had become more and more frustrated as they retraced their steps through the Everfree Forest. She’d repeatedly tried to fully heal the cut on her cheek without success, and she grew more worried with each failed attempt. Something about Cerberus had gotten into the wound and rebuffed her magic. It was healing on its own, but any attempts to force it to heal faster by spell failed completely. Given that the end of Cerberus’s tail had turned to a noxious sludge that blackened the ground and killed the nearby plants after it was separated from his body, Rainbow thought that Twilight should count herself lucky the cut was healing at all.
The three ponies and dragon were camped on a bluff in the Everfree for a few hours of mandatory rest. Even Rainbow Dash slept, though it was done sitting upright with her sword drawn in front of her and facing away from the camp. She had set some traps before going to sleep that would deter or kill anything that might sneak up on them, but you could never be too careful.
Twilight tried to sleep, but had great difficulty allowing her mind to relax. What sleep she got was fitful, and she tossed and turned. Eventually she admitted the futility in keeping her eyes closed and arose, intending to make more plans to prevent whatever disaster was coming. It was then that an idea came to her that could fix everything. Rainbow Dash had some healing potions in her saddlebags that might be able to cure the cut on her cheek, where everything else had failed. Supposedly such potions were fatal to anypony who hadn’t gone through whatever secretive process was used to make Hunters faster, stronger, and all-around better at fighting monsters, but Twilight’s magic could probably counteract those ill effects. It was a risk she was willing to take, but she also knew Rainbow would never let her take. So, she crept over to the Hunter’s saddlebags in the dark, or at least she tried to. Her hoof slid against a loose rock and she pitched forward, stepping on Spike’s tail as she tried to regain her balance.
“Wah!” the dragon yelled as he awoke suddenly, and he involuntary spewed fire directly upward and into Twilight’s face.
The sorceress pitched back from the blast, and everypony awoke from the commotion.
“Twilight! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Spike asked when he realized what he’d done.
“Oh no. No no no no no no no!” Twilight cried as she ran her hooves along the charred edges of her mane, “This is just like future Twilight! I have only made things worse!”
***
The rest of the journey was not pleasant for anypony. The longer they were away from Ponieville, the more Twilight worried, and the more her worrying affected her behavior. She’d been right about Rainbow Dash not going along with her plan to use one of her Hunter potions. In fact, after finding out what Twilight had been trying to do, the Hunter made sure to keep her saddlebags out of what she thought was Twilight’s magical reach, flying most of the time. The sorceress, of course, could have teleported the potions out of her saddlebags any time if she’d wanted too (and had known where they were in them), but she wouldn’t do that to a friend, even if she thought it might be a way to prevent the disaster that had afflicted future Twilight.
“Pinkamena, I sure am glad to see you,” the sorceress said as she trotted through Ponieville upon arriving and confirming that no disaster had befallen it in her absence, “Have you had any premonitions lately?”
“Nu-ope!” the part-time bard, part-time baker said as she shook her head vigorously.
“Not one?” Twilight asked desperately, “Not even a little one?”
“No, nothing,” Pinkamena said, shaking her head again.
“Oh, I was hoping that you might have some clue about this disaster that is coming,” Twilight said, crestfallen.
“I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I find out,” Pinkamena promised.
It wasn’t much, but at least it was something. Twilight nodded sadly and started to trot away. She considered asking Pinkamena to stay with her at all times at Golden Oak’s laboratory so that she would know immediately, but that wouldn’t work; she had work to do for Master and Mistress Cake. Maybe I could stay at Sugar Cube Corner? No, then I wouldn’t have access to any of my research materials. Knowing that Tartarus is open, I need to find out more about the Great Ones, since that’s probably what the disaster will involve.
“Wait, wait! I’m getting one!” Pinkamena said excitedly.
“Yes?” Twilight asked with excitement, turning around so fast that she nearly threw Spike off her back. The dragon climbed down while frowning at the sorceress.
“Something … something will fall!” Pinkamena announced with her eyes closed.
“Something … like Cant’r Laht?” Twilight asked as she imagined the city falling both figuratively to a Great One or an invading arm,y and literally plummeting off the side of the Titan’s Horn.
“No, something like that horseshoe,” Pinkamena said just as one plunged out of the sky and hit Twilight on the head.
“Sorry!” could be heard from a pegasus overhead, but Twilight was already out cold.
***
“Twilight, are you feeling better?” Pinkamena asked as she entered Golden Oak’s laboratory later that day.
The ground floor of the laboratory was empty, but Twilight’s study on the second floor had books and parchment strewn everywhere. Spike extricated himself from the mess as Pinkamena arrived and pointed upwards. A scroll bounced down the stairs, unrolling as it did, as Pinkamena ascended to the small balcony atop the laboratory. Twilight Sparkle was frantically rushing back and forth between a writing desk and a telescope, murmuring things to herself as she did. A bandage was wrapped around her head after the run-in with the horseshoe earlier, and she hadn’t missed that it matched the one she’d seen wrapped around future Twilight’s head. The telescope she’d had since shortly after she’d first moved to Ponieville, but she hadn’t used it in a while. Stargazing seemed to have little value other than recreational since Luna had taken over managing the night sky and arranged it in patterns different than the ones scholars had studied and charted for a thousand years. It was a more pleasing sky, but not to those who studied celestial motion.
“Hi, Twilight,” Pinkamena said, a little worried for her, “Are you okay?”
“Of course, or I will be after I figure out what this disaster is that future Twilight tried to warn me about and how to prevent it,” Twilight spoke quickly as she continued her work, “I realized after yet another component of future Twilight—the bandage—appeared, that my chances of predicting and preventing the disaster are slim. Thus, I have endeavored to be ready for every possibility and to spot the disaster as soon as it arrives so that I then have ample time to react. This has led me to the conclusion that to be able to do so, I must monitor everything in our surroundings, and record and compile the results of my monitoring. What I would give to be able to speak to those Twins of the Tower from the College of Eyes right about now, but alas, I have no means of communicating with them.”
“Uh-huh,” Pinkamena said, “Listen, Twilight, maybe you should take a break.”
“Take a break? I have no time to take a break,” Twilight said, “I must be prepared for the disaster that my future self came to warn me about! I can take all the breaks I want after the disaster is passed!”
Pinkamena examined Twilight’s telescope, trying to compare how similar it was to her own spyglass. It looked to be pretty much the same, except more powerful. There were some knobs on the base that didn’t seem to do anything when she spun them, but they had an effect when Twilight rushed back to use the telescope. In moving it, it spun far more quickly than she’d anticipated, and she found herself staring directly at the sun.
“Aieee!” the sorceress yelled as she jumped back and clapped a hoof over her right eye.
“What is it? What happened?” Spike asked as he hurried up the stairs.
“My eye!” Twilight moaned before pulling her bandage down over it, “The same eye that future Twilight had injured.”
“But, she had an eyepatch, right?” Spike tried to cheer the sorceress up.
“It does not matter, Spike,” Twilight bemoaned her fate, “It seems that whatever I do, I am destined to go down the same path as the Twilight that encountered disaster some time in the next three days. That leaves me with only two choices.”
“What are those?” Spike asked nervously.
“The answer was staring me in the face the whole time. Time spells are the answer. Either I must travel forward in time, find future Twilight, and ask her directly what the disaster is, or else I must stop time completely so the disaster can never occur,” Twilight said, causing Spike’s eyes to widen significantly with her second suggestion, “Either way, we need to travel to Cant’r Laht.”
***
Spike wasn’t sure exactly why Pinkamena was coming with them, but he was glad to not be the only one there trying to talk sense into Twilight, at least at first. Pinkamena wasn’t much help in deterring her after she gave up and went along with the plan to retrieve spells from the Cant’r Laht Archive to stop time. The dragon felt like giving up as well, especially as Twilight became more enamored with her plan the closer they got to Cant’r Laht. At least he was able to convince her that traveling to ask her future self for more information first would be a better plan than trying to stop time entirely. If doing so didn’t work, though, she was sure to try to pull off such a harebrained scheme. Spike hoped that the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht had never come up with a spell that could stop time, but was worried that they could have.
Travelling without stopping, they arrived in Cant’r Laht Abonday night, just hours before Honday morning. While the city slept, they crept through the streets, avoiding patrolling guards. Twilight Sparkle, Pinkamena, and Spike were all cloaked in black to help them blend into the shadows better, but Spike found it ridiculous. There was no reason the personal protégé of Celestia couldn’t march through Cant’r Laht and demand entrance to the archives. If anything, all this sneaking around was slowing them down, but he was kind of okay with that. If they failed to reach the Cant’r Laht Archive before her disaster occurred, then she wouldn’t attempt to stop time. He was beginning to think that maybe there was no disaster at all, and she’d misunderstood her future self. Twilight wasn’t keen on this idea, though, so he kept quiet about it.
Among Cant’r Laht’s many manor houses and not far from the Lodge of Sorceresses stood the Cant’r Laht Archive. The structure was like a manor all on its own and housed the largest collection of books in Equestria, most of them magical treatises and grimoires. Technically, the books of the archive belonged to Celestia, but ever since they’d been moved out of Cant’r Laht Castle many centuries ago when the collection grew too large, she gave the Lodge much freedom in administrating the Cant’r Laht Archive. The sorceresses of the Lodge had expanded the archive greatly with their own contributions and encouragement for others to add books to the growing collection, adding on new wings or digging out sublevels whenever the building seemed it would burst. They’d also built up a bureaucracy nearly as complex as the one that administered the Bank of Trotstagor. Speaking to numerous clerks and filling out just as many forms was required for somepony to gain access to the contents of the archives, unless you were Celestia. Occasionally, Twilight could get by on Celestia’s authority as her prized student and could cut through the bureaucracy as well, but with little time left for the disaster to occur, she didn’t dare risk it.
In a city of mages, teleporting into the library wouldn’t work, so the trio climbed over the wall that surrounded the archive grounds to gain access. As Pinkamena hoisted Twilight over, her cloak caught on the spikes topping the wall and tore. As the sorceress looked up at the edge of her cloak, Spike came flying over—thrown by Pinkamena—and she rushed to catch him. He seemed none the worse for wear, and Pinkamena bounded over a second later, grabbing the tattered scrap of Twilight’s cloak in her teeth as she did. At least the guards wouldn’t find any evidence of their intrusion.
They hurried through the dark and past leafless trees to the building. Twilight lost some more bits of her cloak to branches and brambles as they ran, but Pinkamena retrieved them all and tucked them away in her saddlebags. At last, they reached the archives, and Spike used his claws to pry open a window. Twilight jumped through as soon as there was a way in and looked around for guards. All she saw were rows of books and locked doorways.
She had been to the Cant’r Laht Archives many times, and the sorceress tried to create a map of them in her head. She thought she knew how to get to the Star-Swirl the Bearded Wing, but where the entrance should have been, she instead met a wall. Her anxiety was getting the better of her, and she found herself reevaluating her position multiple times until at last the trio reached the wing named for one of the greatest sorcerers in history. Star-Swirl the Bearded may never have never attained alicornhood, but he’d still been an extremely powerful wizard and created so many spells that most of the books in this wing had been written by him personally. Twilight’s future self had told her that the time spells were in the restricted section of this wing, so she headed for the center, where the way was blocked off by a sturdy gate of dimeritium with closely woven bars. Her magic would be useless in breaking through or taking anything out of the room, so she had to find some way in.
“Twilight,” Pinkamena whispered to her, tapping the sorceress on the shoulder.
She nearly screamed when she turned to see a pony in the polished armor and conical helm of the archive guard trotting right toward them. What to do? What to do? What to do! Do I knock him out and take his keys? Wait, aren’t the archive’s guards warded against magical attacks? Could I subdue him physically? Probably not without alerting the other guards. Tell him I’m here on Celestia’s authority? What do I do!?
“Hello, madam sorceress. I did not expect to see you here tonight,” the guard said while she was still thinking, “How long have you been back in Cant’r Laht?”
“Oh … not long,” Twilight said uncertainly.
“Do you need to get in?” the guard asked, pointing at the locked gate, and Twilight mumbled an affirmation.
She watched with disbelief at how easy it had been as the guard unlocked the gate and opened it for her.
“I’ll be sure to … keep quiet about your presence here,” the guard said with a smile, “I’m sure the archivists wouldn’t be too pleased to know you brought Spike here among their incredibly ancient and incredibly flammable books.”
“Yes, of course, thank you,” Twilight said unsteadily.
She waited for him to trot out of sight to be sure this wasn’t some kind of trick before she dashed into the restricted section. Scrolls and tomes were stacked in shelves from the floor to the ceiling, too many to go through in the little time they had left. Still, they had to at least try. Twilight Sparkle divided the section into pieces and assigned Spike and Pinkamena to look through two of them while she was already searching her own. There were some incredible spells here, many of them in the restricted section for good reason, but she only cared about the time spells. She searched and searched, throwing out scrolls that Spike would put back in their places later, but none of the time-related spells she could find would help her out now. Many of Star-Swirl’s writings on the subject had to do with differing progression rates of time among parallel planes of existence, and not with actually being able to travel to a different point in time.
“Um, Twilight,” Spike got Twilight’s attention after what seemed like hours of fruitless searching.
She followed the direction of his pointing claw to the window outside the restricted section. It was no longer dark outside; the sun was rising in the east over the White Mountains. Twilight rushed around the restricted section like a madmare, convinced that whatever disaster had befallen her future self would come down upon them any second now. However, nothing happened.
For the first time in a week, she paused and really stopped to consider her situation. It was Honday morning, the point in time that her future self had said she’d come back from. She had had something to tell her past self, but she hadn’t specified the nature of the information she had to disclose, only that it was important. She tried to think back. Had her future self ever really mentioned a disaster, or had she just assumed one based on her appearance? Speaking of appearance …
Twilight Sparkle examined her reflection in the large hourglass that stood in the center of the restricted section, sand slowly slipping from the top to the bottom. She looked exactly like the future version of herself she’d seen a week earlier, and she hadn’t been through any major disaster. Could it be? Was she now future Twilight? Had she worked herself up for nothing?
“What is it, Twilight?” Spike asked, staring at her as she was lost in contemplation.
“Spike, I think I may have made a mistake,” the sorceress replied slowly, “I do not believe there was ever going to be a disaster at all. I do not know what future Twilight was trying to tell me, but it was not to waste this entire week looking for a catastrophe that was not coming.”
“Finally,” Spike breathed a sigh of relief, “If only you could’ve known that a week ago.”
“Maybe you can!” Pinkamena said as she emerged from a pile of scrolls, “Twilight, look at this! It’s a spell that’s supposed to let you travel back in time, for a few seconds at least.”
“That is perfect, Pinkamena,” Twilight said as she took the scroll and examined it, “I can go back and let myself know not to worry.”
If Twilight had been thinking straight and not still coming down from a week of worry and panic, she’d have realized what a poor idea this was. Spike had a bad feeling, but he couldn’t place why. Pinkamena had never studied causality, so she had no objections to the plan. So, there was nopony to stop Twilight Sparkle as she cast the spell on herself and was engulfed in light, immediately traveling back one week and into her study in Golden Oak’s laboratory.
“Twilight, I know you have many questions, but you must listen to me!” she said as soon as she saw her past self’s stunned face.
“Who are you?” the past Twilight demanded as she looked her future self over, “You are me, I think, or some version of me. But how could that be? This is not possible, yet here you are.”
“Please, Twilight, I have an important message for you from the future!” Twilight said, mindful of her time as her past self paced around her and tried to examine her with her magic.
“The future!” her past self exclaimed.
“Yes, but that is not important right now—” Twilight Sparkle said as she tried to get her message across to her past self.
“What happened to you? Or … me?” past Twilight asked, examining her cloak torn from her dash through the archive grounds before staring her in the eyes, “Is there some cataclysmic war or disaster years in the future?”
“No, I am from much closer than that—” the Twilight from future Cant’r Laht waved her off, beginning to get annoyed with herself.
“Does this have to do with the seventh shard of Discord’s soul?” past Twilight demanded.
“What? Yes,” Twilight said, considering how that was how this whole business had started before realizing that her past self could easily misinterpret that answer, “No! You do not need to worry about that right now. I am only from a week away, next Honday morning.”
“I simply cannot believe that time travel is possible. How did you—I—figure it out?” her past doppelganger asked as she circled her.
“Time spells are in the Cant’r Laht Archives, but that is not what is important—” Twilight explained to herself wearily.
“Where?” past Twilight demanded to know, “You would know how often I have been there, and I have never seen them before.”
“In the restricted section of the Star-Swirl the Bearded Wing. Now, please listen to what I have to say—”
“If you could travel to any point in time, why would you come now? Is this some important decision point?” past Twilight asked, irking her future self even more with each question.
“Sure, whatever. I only have a few seconds, so be quiet and listen! Whatever you do, do not—” Twilight said as she was engulfed in light and found herself standing once more in the Cant’r Laht Archives, “—waste your time … worrying … about … the future.”
“Did it work?” Pinkamena asked.
“No, in fact, I just traveled back and did exactly what I saw future Twilight do,” Twilight answered, “I gave myself a vague warning that is going to make her spend a week worrying about a nonexistent disaster and end up looking like this.”
“Can you try again?” Spike asked.
“No, it says the spell can only be used by a pony once,” Twilight sighed as she gestured to the scroll, “It would not make any difference, anyway. It has already happened, just like the future will happen. No use worrying about it.”
“Does that mean no more freaking out about things?” Spike asked hopefully.
“I do not think it is fair to make a promise I cannot keep, but at least I will not worry about the seventh shard of Discord’s soul more than is sensible. It will surface someday, just like all the others, and there is no point bending myself out of shape until then.”
Ponies dove for cover as another dragon soared overhead, momentarily blotting out the sun. Twilight and Pinkamena were among the ponies on the road to Ponieville, but the sorceress never dove for cover. Mostly leafless trees wouldn’t provide any protection from a dragon if they decided to rain down fire on the ponies below. She had some spells that should protect her and her companions should the need arise, but she was hoping that it wouldn’t.
Dragons had been passing over for several hours now as Twilight Sparkle, Pinkamena, and Spike made their way back from their misadventure in Cant’r Laht. The sorceress had been so obsessed with preventing a nonexistent calamity that she’d been deaf to news that a group of dragons was traveling through Equestria. They’d started by traveling along the western coast of the Eastern Continent before crossing over north of the Grittish Isles and traveling through the Kingdom of Manehattan and the Principality of Stalliongrad. Now they were headed south through the Equestry Valley. Nopony quite knew why, but it was hoped that they would complete their circuit and return to Tyrannus, the sooner the better. Though they’d had no direct confrontation with ponies, plenty of livestock had gone missing, only charred bones left in their place.
Some ponies had taken to calling it a dragon migration, but dragons didn’t migrate like birds or butterflies. No, this was a dragon incursion, though one so far without blood. For what purpose are they here? Twilight couldn’t puzzle it out. Surely, as the most dominant dragonlord of Tyrannus, Ingrirtireth was somehow behind this, or at least knew of it. The question was what he was trying to accomplish. Was he attempting to test Celestia as he had with the incursion of a single dragon last year to Mount Caradrhorse? Or did he have some other plan? With so many dragons in Equestria at once, he could do considerable damage if Tyrannus opted for war, which it would if Ingrirtireth gave the word.
Spike looked up wistfully as another dragon flew overhead. This one didn’t block out the light like the last one, because it was considerably smaller. There were quite a few young dragons in the migration, more than three times as many as the adults so far, according to Twilight’s counts. Just how old these “young” dragons were was a mystery to Twilight, since dragons didn’t much care to share information on their life cycle with outsiders. In fact, the most comprehensive books that ponies had on dragon maturation were probably the notes Twilight herself had taken by observing Spike. Clearly these dragons flying overhead were older than her page, but by how much? A year? A decade? A century? Spike was still quite small for a dragon (though he took pride in that Twilight’s withers were now even with his eyes instead of his spines, as they had been when they’d first arrived in Ponieville), so how long would it be until he grew to the size of some of the adolescents flying overhead?
Spike fiddled with his doublet and felt along his back. All the dragons up there had at least two things he lacked: wings. Did he wish to be up there with them, soaring in the sky? Flight was something that Twilight had no inclination to learn, nor did she expect that she’d ever have the opportunity to, but she wasn’t a pegasus or a dragon. Thirteen years, and Spike had no wings. She was beginning to think that maybe he was of a breed of dragon that didn’t have wings. If so, that must have come from his mother, since his father definitely had wings, as Celestia could attest.
“Twilight, darling! Wherever have you been?” Rarity greeted the trio as they arrived in Ponieville.
“Personal business,” Twilight replied quickly as Pinkamena took a deep breath and prepared to spill everything.
“Welcome back,” Rarity said as Rainbow Dash trotted over, a practice sword tucked under her wing and her coat soaked with sweat from training, “I’m sure that all of Ponieville will sleep easier knowing the resident sorceress is here, what with all these ghastly dragons about.”
“Ghastly … dragons?” Spike said dishearteningly, the first thing he’d said in a while.
“Oh, of course I don’t mean you, Spike,” Rarity tried to comfort him, though her tone seemed to be having the opposite effect, “You’re nothing like those dragons.”
“I’m not?” Spike asked.
“Of course not,” Rainbow Dash said, “They’re fearsome, formidable creatures who live their lives taking orders from nopony. They’re all claws and teeth and fire. You know, real dragons.”
“But … I am a real dragon,” Spike protested sadly.
“That’s not what I meant, Spike. I was just teasing you,” Rainbow Dash said, her brow furrowing in concern.
Twilight had rarely seen Spike so distraught before. Usually he was the one who came through when she was in a bind, but now he was struggling with something. He looked both on the verge of tears and ready to tear down a building at the same time. Something was warring within him, but before the sorceress could speak up, a calm came over his face and his body. He shut his eyes and clenched his claws defiantly before opening his eyes back up again with a determined look to them.
“That settles it,” the young dragon said, “I need to know who I am and what it means to be a dragon. I need to join the migration.”
“What?!” Rarity and Rainbow Dash exclaimed at the same time.
Twilight Sparkle would be lying if she said she hadn’t expected something like this at some point. She’d hatched him and raised him, but inevitably Spike would have important questions about his fellow dragons that she couldn’t answer. She had hoped that day was still years off yet, but at least he wouldn’t be journeying all the way to Tyrannus. She hoped. If he could be among dragons, that would hopefully be enough for him for now. She wasn’t ready to let him go yet.
“That’s crazy,” Rainbow Dash said, “Those dragons really do mean business. They’re nasty and powerful and scary—”
“And I’m not,” Spike said, “That’s the problem. I don’t know who I am, or what I am.”
“Oh, Spike, we know who you are,” Rarity said as she tried to stroke his spines, “You’re Spike, and we like you just how you are, nothing like those other dragons.”
“See, even you think so,” Spike said as he brushed away Rarity’s hoof, “I’m nothing like a dragon. I can’t help thinking that I’m missing out on something.”
Spike turned to Twilight and looked up her nervously, the pony with whom he’d spent his entire life thus far. Her upbringing had made him what he was, more pony than dragon, but he felt no resentment toward her for that. She’d raised him and been like a mother, sibling, and friend all rolled into one.
“Twilight, please, I need to do this,” he pleaded with her, “I need to go on this quest to discover who I am.”
“Go, with my blessing,” Twilight said.
“R-really?” Spike asked disbelievingly.
“Of course,” Twilight Sparkle said, “I did the best I could, but there are some things—many things, really—about dragonhood that I just cannot answer for you. You will need to answer them for yourself, and if joining these dragons is what it takes to do so, then I want you to do it.”
“Thank you, Twilight!” Spike said enthusiastically as he embraced her, steamy tears evaporating off his cheeks.
“Are you serious?” Rainbow Dash asked as Spike began jogging away in the direction the dragons were flying, “He’ll be torn apart by those dragons!”
“Oh, I hope you know what you’re doing, darling,” Rarity whimpered, “I would hate to see Spike hurt by those ruffians.”
“Of course I know what I am doing,” Twilight said as she looked around for Pinkamena, who’d already headed off to do something else after she hadn’t been allowed to tell the tale of how Twilight had attempted to stop time, “The three of us are going to go after him.”
“Oh, thank Faust!” Rarity exclaimed as she wiped her brow.
“So, all that about him needing to go off on his own to find answers?” Rainbow asked with a smirk.
“It is true that he may feel the need to learn more about who he is, but there is no reason for him to truly do it alone,” Twilight said, “Of course, there is no reason for him to know that he is not alone either.”
“I like the sound of that,” Rainbow said, “So, what’s the plan?”
***
For days, Spike followed the dragons in the sky, falling ever farther behind since he was restricted to walking. Ponies on the road were puzzled to see the young dragon walking along on his own, asking directions, and only a few ran him off in what they saw as an act of revenge against the beasts flying overhead who ate their livestock. Eventually he caught up, when the dragons came to a halt to roost in Ghastly Gorge.
As Spike reached the edge of gorge, he surveyed the vast array of dragons. Scales of a hundred hues decorated the creatures that bathed in the sun or snapped at the quarray eels, some of them succeeding in catching one for a meal. Those dragons were all adults, many, many times the size of Spike, and very intimidating. A group of smaller figures caught his eyes halfway down the cliffside: teenaged dragons. Thinking that they would be much better companions than the adults, Spike headed down the cliff to meet them.
As Spike descended, another dragon arrived on foot. Some of the nearby dragons sniffed at the air but decided they were imagining things. So long as none of the dragons looked too closely at the new dragon, they wouldn’t notice that anything was amiss, but really the dragon was an illusion created by Twilight Sparkle to hide her, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. It was difficult to keep up a glamour around three moving ponies, but so far, the sorceress was managing. Having found a good spot to observe Spike without being too obtrusive, the dragon-that-wasn’t-a-dragon sat down and folded its foreclaws over each other.
Spike wasn’t sure what he should say to these dragons now that he was approaching them. Should he just introduce himself? They were larger than him, so probably older too. Would they even want to be around him? He was second-guessing himself so much that he did what Twilight Sparkle often got in the habit of and failed to notice his surroundings. A stocky dragon with mud-colored scales was thrown down by one with red scales, and the victor turned to look at him.
“¿Zheh nar patang jhâk?[1]” the red dragon demanded.
“Um, I’m Spike,” Spike introduced himself nervously, hoping at least some of these dragons spoke a language he understood.
“Rûr sén kudrâg Har Dîkan[2],” the red dragon said derisively, and the others laughed.
“Spike, you say?” one of the other teenage dragons, a purple-scaled one whose brow-spines currently had the unfortunate habit of curling over his eyes as they grew, addressed Spike in Low Equestrian, “What kind of name is that?”
“Sounds like a name a pony would give,” an albino dragonet huffed.
The dragonling swallowed hard as the others sized him up, though most of them seemed to accept the dragon-name he’d been given after his hatching by Celestia, close enough to the one Twilight had given him, but also proper enough for a dragon.
“I don’t know,” the red dragon said as he rubbed his claw under his chin, “You sure you’re not just a pony in disguise? You wear clothes like them.”
“Oh, these,” Spike said as he looked down at his outfit and decided in that moment that he had to be like these other dragons, “Who needs ‘em.”
Using his claws, Spike tore every scrap of clothing off his body and threw them into the gorge. With little hesitation, he threw the backpack with his supplies over the edge as well. He’d find some way to pay Twilight back later, whenever later was.
“Huh, at least you look a little more like a dragon now,” the red dragonet sneered, “Maybe you can fly with us.”
“Good one, Gharbel,” the brown dragon who’d lost the fight with the red one (Garble?) laughed, “He hasn’t got any wings!”
“Yeah, thanks, Culumup,” Garble said sarcastically with a frown, “I hadn’t noticed.”
“How’d a hatchling like you end up in the Flight?” the purple dragonet asked Spike, “I don’t remember seeing you before.”
“Well, I’m not exactly from Tyrannus. I live here in Equestria,” Spike said.
“That explains it,” Garble said, “No wonder you’re more pony than dragon. We only want real dragons here.”
Spike had been about to tell them about how he’d come here to try to learn how to be a dragon but thought better of it. It seemed a tough crowd to him, one he’d have to be tough to impress.
“I am a real dragon,” Spike said defiantly.
“Well then, why don’t you prove it?” the purple dragonet said as he thrust a claw at Spike.
“Good idea, Füm,” Garble said, “Prove you’re one of us. If you fail, we toss you in the gorge. Deal?”
“Deal,” Spike said as he mimicked Garble’s actions of clutching his tail in a foreclaw.
***
“A real dragon can breathe fire,” Garble lectured as he looked at Spike with a wry grin, knowing full well that a dragonling of his age probably couldn’t breathe fire very well yet, “Fezel! Füm! Culumup! Show him how it’s done!”
The dragonets had assembled themselves into a line, with Spike at the end, looking quite puny next to the others. The albino dragonet released a long stream of blue flame. Fizzle, Spike thought. Fume went next, expelling green fire from between his jaws. Last came Clump, his orange-tinted flame expanding outward as he opened his jaws wide. Spike gulped nervously as they each easily did more than he was ever capable of.
“Let’s see what you’ve got, peewee,” Garble addressed Spike.
Spike prepared himself to breathe fire and let loose with everything he had. He didn’t have much experience with breathing fire, since Twilight wouldn’t let him try it out in their highly flammable home, but he did practice every opportunity he’d gotten. He reached down deep, then felt the involuntary need to breathe fire. The heat rose through him before erupting in fire from his mouth and not a small bit of smoke. From the flames materialized a scroll affixed with Celestia’s seal.
“What’s this? ‘My most faithful apprentice, I write to you with heartening news,’” Garble said as he picked up the letter and began reading it, “Tch! More pony stuff.”
Garble breathed some fire of his own and turned the letter from Celestia into nothing but ashes. Spike almost tried to reach out and retrieve it but stopped himself. I have to be hard for these dragons—these fellow dragons. It can’t be that important. Up from her vantage point on the cliff, Twilight Sparkle also longed to retrieve the letter.
“Twilight, we can’t go down there right now,” Rainbow Dash whispered to her, “It’s gone.”
“Yes, I know, I know,” Twilight said as she tried to calm herself, and a nearby dozing dragon’s ear flickered, “But, what if that letter was something important? I cannot believe that that dragon just threw it away.”
“Whatever it was, it’s not more important than keeping an eye on Spike,” Rarity whispered, and the dozing dragon’s eye slid open so she could observer the dragon that seemed to have multiple voices coming from it.
“You are right, of course, but I cannot stop thinking about it,” Twilight said.
While she prepared spells to save Spike should the need arise, the dragonets had moved on. Spike’s fiery mail delivery had failed to impress them, and any further attempts to show off his fire-breathing ability didn’t have much of an impact. The fact that he hadn’t done anything about Garble destroying the letter had helped some, though he didn’t know that.
Garble led the dragonets down the cliff face to a more ragged span. While they flew, Spike had to make his own way, climbing and at some points dangling out over the river. Some of them had started throwing rocks around by the time Spike caught up to them. Garble got them quickly assembled into a line like before. Even from the distance they were at, Twilight could clearly identify him as the self-proclaimed leader of the group.
“Listen up!” Garble yelled, his voice echoing up the gorge and disturbing some of the older dragons from their contented naps, “Dragons need to be strong, strong enough to break through anything, even stone!”
To demonstrate, Garble threw the rock he’d been tossing up and down in a claw into the air. As it came down, he struck it with his tail, and it cracked before breaking apart when it struck the ground. The other dragonets followed, smashing apart rocks with their tails or claws, or with a blow from the head in the case of Clump. At the end, only Spike remained, and Fume pushed a rock in front of him.
He stared hard at the stone. He knew there was no way he could break this rock with tail or claws even if he went all-out. Worse, he was sure the others knew it too, especially Garble, based on his smirk. Still, he had to try, and he sized up the rock. Some of the knowledge he’d learned from Twilight might actually be useful, if he could use it. He thought he’d identified a fault line in the rock that if he struck it right, he could crack it in two. There was only one way to find out if he could follow through on his observation. As the other dragons were beginning to chuckle, he struck out at the stone with his tail. It didn’t break apart, as he’d hoped, but he did manage to crack it, which was surely more than the others had expected.
“Huh, not bad,” Garble said as he picked up the stone.
“Not bad?” Spike asked hopefully.
“But not good either,” Garble said, dashing Spike’s hopes as he threw the stone over the cliff edge, “Can’t even break a stone. I’m starting to think that maybe you’re just a pony disguised as a dragon.”
“No, I’m not, I swear!” Spike said.
“Well, we’ll soon find out, won’t we?” Garble said, “Let’s see how good you are at brawling.”
“B-brawling?” Spike asked.
“Free-for-all!” one of the dragonets yelled as he tackled another.
The young dragons were quickly all going at each other, clawing and biting and tail-swatting. Garble tried to grab Spike, but he ducked under the older dragon’s legs and avoided a swing from his tail. As Garble turned, he was tackled by another and began clawing at him instead. Spike searched all around for something he could do to be part of this but also avoid getting hurt himself. As a gray dragon threw Fizzle to the ground, Spike snuck around behind him and knocked his legs out from under him. Spike took a shot from that dragon’s tail to the gut as he fell, but the other dragon didn’t pursue since another was thrown on top of him.
“Is Spike okay?” Rarity asked worriedly.
“I think so,” replied Twilight, “But I cannot tell for sure. We need to get closer.”
“We have to help him,” Rainbow Dash whispered.
Twilight Sparkle didn’t want to interfere in what Spike would surely consider his own business unless she had to, but there was a real danger that he could be seriously injured in this fight, so she begrudgingly agreed. The false dragon hurried down the cliff face as best it could while the fight still went on, Spike trying to stay low and out of other dragonets’ sight as much as possible while striking any blows he could. Once the trio of ponies was close enough to see well, Twilight gave his opponents a magical nudge whenever he seemed to be in danger.
From Spike’s perspective, he had been incredibly lucky in this fight. He wasn’t used to fighting in general, but when he did, he had used pony weapons and pony styles. He was quickly figuring out how to make use of his limbs and other pointy bits. If the dragons he was brawling with occasionally lost their footing or pitched forward for no discernable reason, well that was just their bad luck. He thought he was doing pretty good, having obtained only a few bumps and scratches from the fight.
Fume was thrown over his head by a pale green dragonet with a considerable tail. He spotted Spike before he could slip away back into the melee and swung his tail at him. Spike dodged left and right from the strikes, drawing closer to his opponent. He was nearly in position to tackle him, though he wasn’t sure what he’d do after tha,) when the other dragon spun himself around and Spike found himself clinging to the tail. His grip slid off as the other dragon came to a halt and flicked his tail up, and Spike went flying over the group of brawling dragonets. He fell over the edge of the cliff, but managed to catch ahold of the craggy stone and began to pull himself up.
“Spaaku, here,” Garble said as he reached down an offered a claw.
Spike took it, but as soon as he released his hold on the cliff face, Garble also released his grip. Spike fell, but not far, and he landed on a slightly lower outcropping. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he might have screamed in the split-second he’d dropped.
“Not so hot, are you?” Garble laughed, and the other dragonets joined in, the brawl finished now that the real target of it had fallen over the cliff.
Spike just stared up at the red dragonet, determined to convince him that he was a real dragon like them and to learn more about how to be a dragon. No matter the cost. No matter the cost.
***
“What’s the matter, peewee, you scared?” Garble asked.
“Of course not, why would I be scared?” Spike replied.
He had ample reason to be frightened, given the next trial that Garble had thought up. They had ascended to the top of Ghastly Gorge and headed downstream a bit until they found a place where there were few ledges between the cliff edge and the South Equestry River far below. Garble had proposed a leap off the edge into the water, which was fine for the dragonets with wings, since they could redirect their fall if they were going to splatter against a ledge, but Spike had no such fallback. It was also quite a descent even without needing to avoid hitting stone on the way down.
Garble was first to jump, and Spike watched as he streaked downward, almost wishing for him to splatter. Instead, he made it to the river, only slightly opening his wings to guide his fall. The others followed, most of them needing to use their wings at least somewhat, even if it was only to slow their fall. In the end, Spike was left alone at the top the gorge.
“Something wrong, peewee?” Garble’s voice carried faintly up the gorge to where Spike was standing, “You wanna run back to your pony home?”
Spike clenched his claws in determination. He hadn’t come here to be humiliated, but that was all this day had been so far. He couldn’t allow it to go on, but how could he stop it? If he pulled something off that impressed the other dragons, that would do the trick, but he wasn’t sure if he had it in him. He was still too young to do the same things as the others, but that wasn’t the reason at the forefront of his mind. I’ve spent too much time around ponies. I need to be a dragon! He could easily run away now that he was on his own, but that wasn’t something a dragon would do. Dragons faced their problems without fear! Backing up, Spike took a running leap off the cliff.
Down he fell, the walls of the gorge whipping by faster and faster. The river grew wider in his vision as he neared it, though he didn’t have a whole lot of time to take it in as it expanded. Into the icy water he plummeted, nearly striking the bottom before bobbing back up. When he surfaced, the dragonets were all looking at him.
“What? Was I … bad?” Spike asked, expecting the worst.
“No way!” Clump said, “That was a gutsy move!”
“Shut up, Clump,” Garble ordered, and the other dragon stood down reluctantly, “Yeah, that was pretty daring, jumping without wings. I didn’t think you were going to go through with it.”
“So?” Spike asked hopefully.
“I guess you’re a dragon. You’re alright,” Garble admitted, “You can hang around with us for the rest of the Flight if you want.”
“I do,” Spike said excitedly. Finally.
***
“Aren’t you stoked for this, Spaaku?” Clump asked later as they slinked between trees.
“Yeah, of course,” Spike said, hoping the older dragon couldn’t read the uneasiness in his voice.
Things had been going well for Spike after Garble decided that he could be part of the group. He still got picked on, but no more than any of the others. Well, at least not much more. He was beginning to think that it was just part of how dragons acted, and he attempted to mimic their behavior, with varying degrees of success. Communing with other dragons had been enjoyable for the most part, and he tried to put his thoughts of Cant’r Laht and Ponieville aside.
After a while, the gang of dragonets had decided to leave Ghastly Gorge for a little fun nearby. When he’d first left with them, Spike hadn’t realized just what kind of fun Garble had had in mind. One of the others had spotted a pair of phoenixes during the flight in, and the goal was to find their nest and swipe any eggs that might be there. Spike didn’t really want to steal phoenix eggs, but now that he was along, he had no choice.
“Hey, you two stones-for-brains,” Garble said in hushed tones as he crept out of the trees with Fume, “Füm and I found the nest.”
“What about the others?” Spike asked as they followed Garble’s lead.
“Forget about them,” Garble said disdainfully, “They didn’t find the eggs, we did, so we get to take them.”
Garble pulled to a stop behind a stone and pointed over it. Spike peeked over the top, standing on another rock to get the height needed. Up ahead were a few trees that had been turned to stone, probably by some mage experimenting with what they could do. Nestled in the granite branches of one was a nest of stone twigs, the perfect home for a creature whose body could burst into flame. Two phoenixes sat in the nest, the pair that had been seen earlier.
“Okay, Spaaku, you go lure them away from the nest,” Garble ordered.
“What? Why? We’re dragons, aren’t we? Why are we sneaking around?” Spike asked something that had been bugging him for a while.
“You ever fought something that’s immune to flames?” Garble asked, “If you’re so brave, why don’t you just do what I say and distract them?”
Spike had no choice and no excuses, so he waddled out from behind the stone and approached the nest.
“Hey! Uh, hey, you!” Spike yelled, and the phoenixes looked at him but didn’t show any inclination to leave the nest, “Hey, birdbrains! You going to do anything or just sit there?”
At the end, he picked up a rock and threw it at the nest. It missed both phoenixes, but still got them riled up. Squawking noisily, they dove from the nest toward Spike, flames appearing along the trailing edge of their feathers. The dragonling booked it, running off through the trees and weaving to keep them from catching him.
While he was successfully distracting the phoenixes, the dragonets hurried up to the nest, only to find it devoid of eggs. There were bits of shell, but the eggs they’d hoped to find here had all hatched. Five tiny phoenixes peered up at the trio.
“What do we do now?” Fume asked, at a loss.
“We take the hatchlings, of course!” Garble said, and he reached out for the nearest one with a claw.
Though they were small, the baby phoenixes were fast, and they scattered. The three dragonets tried to catch them, but ended up crashing into each other instead and falling into the empty nest. Stone twigs fell to the ground as the nest crumbled under them.
“Get them!” Garble ordered as the hatchlings began to flap away.
The nest fell apart completely as they took off, and it slipped from the branches of the petrified tree to strike the ground below. As it disintegrated, the unhatched egg that had been tucked carefully into it rolled out, but none of the dragonets saw it. They were too busy unsuccessfully trying to catch the hatchlings.
Meanwhile, Spike was still running from the adult phoenixes and was surprised when he turned back to see they were no longer following him. He hadn’t heard the screeches of the hatchlings, but they had, and were hurrying back to save them. Spike doubled back himself, keeping a lookout for the phoenixes and the other dragons. He saw no sign of them before he returned to the destroyed nest. Spotting the egg on the ground, he picked it up and examined it, running a claw along the smooth and slightly warm surface, bing careful not to crack it.
“What happened?” Spike asked as the other dragons reappeared, scorch marks on their hides in some places.
“Nothing happened,” Garble said as he shot looks at the others, daring them to disagree with him, before spotting the phoenix egg in Spike’s claws, “Hey, you found an egg? Huh, I guess at least something came out of this. Good job.”
“Thanks,” Spike said, though he didn’t feel especially proud.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Clump asked, “Go on and smash it!”
“Smash it?” Spike asked in horror.
“Yeah, you earned it,” Fume said, “Smash it on the ground!”
Spike stared at the egg, considering what to do. He couldn’t smash it, he just couldn’t, but if he didn’t do it, wouldn’t one of the others? He had no wings, so he couldn’t escape them no matter how hard he ran. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
“Well, we’re waiting,” Garble said with a frown, “Smash it already, or do I have to do it?”
“No! I won’t smash it!” Spike yelled as he cradled the egg protectively, “It’s just a defenseless egg! Is that what being a dragon is about? Destroying things that can’t fight back.”
“Are you going soft? Or maybe you’ve been soft all along,” Garble said as he stepped toward Spike.
“It’s not soft to care about other creatures! It’s not soft to protect them!” Spike proclaimed, his confidence growing even though his fear was growing apace, “I’m going to protect this egg! I’m not going to let you hurt it!”
“I don’t know how it is with ponies,” Garble said as he stepped closer and blew smoke out of his nostrils, “But among dragons, the strongest rules, and that means that no one can tell me what I can or can’t do.”
“Well, if you want the egg, then you’re going to have to come and take it!” Spike yelled.
“If that’s what you want,” Garble chuckled, “You don’t stand a chance against me.”
“We do,” Twilight Sparkle proclaimed dramatically as she teleported herself, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity in front of Spike, so dramatically that Rainbow Dash shot her a look.
Twilight had several spells prepared and Rainbow Dash had her sword drawn, having assumed a combat stance. Rarity wasn’t sure exactly how she was going to help, but she was ready to protect Spike however she could. Spike was shocked to see them. He was relieved, but also a little upset that they’d followed him here. Being mad would have to wait until later, though.
“Oh, how terrifying,” Garble said mockingly, “You know these ponies?”
“I do. They’re my friends,” Spike said defiantly, “I came here because I wanted to learn how to be a dragon, but if I learned anything today, it’s that I’d far prefer the company of ponies to you, especially these ponies.”
“Whatever,” Garble said, rolling his eyes, “Get ‘em!”
The three dragonets charged the ponies and ran straight into a barrier Twilight had erected. They went flying backwards, lightning coursing over their scales. Undeterred, they struck against the barrier again and got back up a little more slowly the second time. Garble directed a stream of fire at the ponies and the others followed his lead, but Twilight spun the flames up with a stream of air magic and directed the flaming cyclone back at them, scattering the draconic teens. Garble growled as he picked himself up again.
“Forget it! You’re not worth it, peewee!” Garble yelled, “You’ll never be a real dragon!”
“If you’re supposed to be a real dragon, I think maybe I’m okay with that,” Spike said.
“Let’s get out of here,” Garble said, and the others followed him as he flew off into the night.
“What are you all doing here?” Spike asked after the dragonets were gone.
“Oh, Spike, we couldn’t just let you face these scary dragons on your own,” Rarity said.
“Are you cross with us?” Twilight asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe a little,” Spike said after considering, “Mostly I’m just glad you showed up when you did. I still want to know more about being a dragon, but I guess I shouldn’t forget all the good stuff about living with ponies either. I don’t think I’m ready to live with dragons. Can I come back home with you, Twilight?”
“Of course, Spike,” the sorceress said lovingly, “I understand that one day you may leave to be with your own kind, but I hope you will remember that you will always have a home with me.”
“Thanks,” Spike said, “You’re the only real family I’ve got, as far as I’m concerned.”
***
The dragons didn’t linger at Ghastly Gorge for long. Soon they were flying again, down through the Equestrian south and back across the Shimmering Sea to Tyrannus. They didn’t all travel together, though. Not long after Spike left, one dragon, an adult with pearly scales, flew straight to Tyrannus. It wasn’t a trip he’d hope to have to make, but it was his duty. Worse, his death was assured if word got out that he hadn’t done so, and it was certain to spread because of how much some of the younger dragons liked to hear their own voices. Maybe one day they’ll learn discretion. They’ll have to if they want to survive.
Over the forests, mountains, and fiery planes of Tyrannus, Biriktirame flew, dreading the meeting that lay ahead of him. Into the mountain-turned-fortress he flew, other members of the clan Tir watching him as he approached the throne room. He could turn back, could not hesitate, so he flew directly in and landed before the throne, giving a long bow that craned his slender neck to the ground.
“Rise, Biriktirame,” the voice of the greatest dragonlord boomed from overhead, “What news do you bring? Did my son join the Flight?”
“Yes, my dragonlord, just as you predicted,” Biriktirame replied. If dragons could sweat, he surely would have been, and not just from the heat of their surroundings.
“How was he?” Ingrirtireth asked.
“He … sought companionship with the dragonets on the Flight and proved himself to them,” Biriktirame said hesitantly, “However, in the end he left them to return to life among the ponies. He said that he preferred them.”
A growl so intense sounded in Ingrirtreth’s throat that it shook the throne room, causing a few of the less-well-secured parts of the dragonlord’s massive throne to slough off. Biriktirame crouched frozen in place, though he longed to flee. To do so would only ensure his death, though it may well be coming anyway. Ingrirtireth’s temper was legendary, and woe be to any dragon in his way when it erupted.
“I should have brought him back long ago,” Ingrirtireth said once the growl had faded away, “Now I can only wait for him to return to me of his own will.”
“My dragonlord, could you not exchange him for the Lady mi Amore Cadenza?” Biriktirame ventured, hoping to soothe his master, “I am sure Celestia would consider it a worthwhile trade.”
“That is impossible. I have already sent the Lady Cadence back with no demand for Spaaku’s return in exchange,” the dragonlord rumbled.
“What? Why would you do that?” Biriktirame spoke before considering his words.
“Events are in motion that you do not comprehend!” Ingrirtireth boomed as he descended the throne, a claw crushing one of the skulls melted into it, “Do not dare to question me!”
“Forgive me, my dragonlord, forgive me!” Biriktirame groveled as he realized the murderous intent in Ingrirtireth’s eyes, even though he knew it would be of no use.
“Pitiful! You must prove you could be a threat to me to beg for mercy!” Ingrirtireth growled, “You are no threat! You are no use!”
Biriktirame roared as Ingrirtireth’s jaws clamped down over his neck, the massive teeth slicing through scales, flesh, and bone. The smaller dragon’s body continued to spasm, but it was already over. As the dragonlord tore him apart, the involuntary screams of pain echoed through the fortress, and no dragon in the mountain dared to intervene.
Chapter 2:25 - The Cant'r Laht Wedding, Part the First
Chapter 2:25 – The Cant’r Laht Wedding, Part the First
Spike rushed through the busy (relatively speaking) streets of Ponieville. Spring was nearly here, the vernal equinox just days away, and everypony was preparing for the labor to come as the Equestry Valley would grow lush with crops. Some of them gave the young dragon sidelong looks or grumbled as he ducked under their carts, but they knew better than to interfere with the page of the town’s resident sorceress. Everypony had begun to think of her as such now, since she’d been here for nearly two years and didn’t seem to be planning to return to Cant’r Laht any time soon. At least she didn’t interfere with their business … much. This past year, she’d seemed to be away from Ponieville on journeys more often than she’d been home, which suited the residents of this tiny hamlet just fine, except for when the town came under threat from fantastical beasts or otherworldly invaders. Then they were glad to have her around.
Whether some of them realized it or not, Ponieville had changed since Twilight Sparkle’s arrival. More ponies travelled here, with the purpose of seeing Celestia’s apprentice, something they’d have to travel to Cant’r Laht for previously, and Filthy Rich kept more inns open than usual to accommodate them. In two short years, the town’s permanent population had grown as well, and new homes had been built within and without Ponieville’s palisade. Motions had come before Mayor Mare to expand the town’s walls, and perhaps even plan for some sturdy ones with watchtowers like larger towns had. It wasn’t hard for her to see the benefit: more ponies in her lands meant higher taxes, as well as greater prestige.
That was her key goal, since the lands weren’t really hers. Technically, the lands were part of Celestia’s demesne, and she was little more than a glorified steward, but she intended to be much more. A larger Ponieville would make her son seem more attractive as a marriage prospect to a noble house. Her daughter might do as well, though she still had several years before she could be seriously considered as a candidate for mayor, even if Silver Spoon were old enough to marry. She saw the benefits that Twilight Sparkle was bringing to her town, but she wasn’t sure they outweighed the detriments to herself, since she’d had to be more careful with her scheming now that Celestia’s prized pupil was almost always watching. At least this past year she’d been gone so much that she hadn’t had much time to interfere with the mayor’s plans, and she’d taken her cohort of friends with her as well. She might have even been able to seize part of the Apples’ land if it hadn’t been for the sudden zap apple harvest and the utter failure of those two foreign wizards she’d hired. At least there was always next year.
Spike hurried past the mayor’s residence: the Mayoral Keep. The large shutters on the eastern end of the great hall were open today, to let in the warmer-than-usual air. The primary purpose of the shutters was to display the sunrise at the summer solstice ceremony held here every four years, but they needed to be maintained every year to keep the hinges from rusting. It wouldn’t do one year for Celestia to raise the sun only to have the view blocked because the shutters wouldn’t move.
The Prancynge Ponie was Spike’s destination, and he picked up the pace as he spotted it. Twilight and here friends were seated at one of the outdoor tables, enjoying the pleasant weather, alcoholic beverages, and each other’s company. He hoped they weren’t talking about him and his foray to Ghastly Gorge, but he knew the details would come out sometime. Running up to Twilight, he presented her with the scroll he’d tucked into his satchel.
“What is this?” the sorceress asked as she broke Celestia’s seal and unrolled the scroll.
“Celestia … just sent it,” Spike panted, “I came … as soon as I got it.”
It wouldn’t have taken him quite so long to reach her had he been in Golden Oak’s laboratory, where Twilight expected him to be. Instead, he’d been out by the river, practicing his fire breathing, when the letter had arrived.
“What’s the rush, Spike?” Rainbow Dash asked, “I’m sure Celestia wouldn’t mind if Twilight read it when she got home.”
“She used … the blue wax,” Spike said as he continued to try catching his breath, “She only uses that when the message … is urgent.”
“Yes, thank you, Spike,” Twilight Sparkle commended him before reading the letter aloud, “My dearest apprentice Twilight Sparkle, I am relieved to see that you have not yet left for Cant’r Laht.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Applejack asked.
“I am not sure,” Twilight said uncertainly before continuing to read, “When you depart, I pray that your friends will accompany you. Their aid for the upcoming wedding will be greatly appreciated.”
“Wedding? What wedding?” Pinkamena asked.
“I am not sure,” Twilight repeated herself, wrinkling her nose when she did so, “I wish for you all to reprise your roles from the summer solstice ceremony last year, which was so memorable.”
“I’m pretty sure the event being memorable had less to do with us and more to do with Nightmare Moon returning,” Rainbow Dash said snarkily.
“I look forward to seeing all of you in Cant’r Laht soon. Please make all haste to Cant’r Laht to arrive before the wedding on the 5th Day of the 10th Month. All the leaders of Equestria assembled for the summit are also invited to witness the marriage of the Lady mi Amore Cadenza and—” Twilight broke off her reading with a gasp, “Lord-Captain Shining Armor … my brother!”
“I suppose … congratulations are in order?” Fluttershy asked while Twilight was still frozen in surprise.
“I … suppose,” Twilight said as she let the letter slide down on the table, “How could this happen? How could I not find out about it until now? How is this possible?”
“Is something the matter, darling?” Rarity asked.
“Yes … I mean, no … I mean, maybe?” Twilight vacillated, “This took me by surprise, I guess. I never expected to learn that my brother was to be wed through an urgent missive from Celestia, of all things.”
“Who is this … mi Amore Cadenza?” Pinkamena asked as she read the letter upside-down.
“Celestia’s heir. Though, she has been a hostage of Dragonlord Ingrirtireth for many years, sent there in exchange for Spike’s egg,” Twilight replied, “Could she have returned? If so, why, and why was I not notified? Unless …”
Her thoughts flew to the letter from Celestia that Spike had received in Ghastly Gorge. The letter that another dragon had destroyed without a second thought. Spike claimed that he had been unable to read any of it and only knew what the other dragon had said. They’d only returned to Ponieville from Ghastly Gorge a couple of days ago, and she’d completely forgotten to send a letter to Celestia asking about it. Cadence’s return had to be the “heartening news” that Celestia had wanted to share with her.
“Anypony can make a mistake,” Rarity comforted the sorceress after she’d explained her theory to them.
“Yes, I just hope there are no ill consequences other than arriving in Cant’r Laht at the last minute,” Twilight said, “Assuming that Celestia communicated news of the wedding in that lost letter, it still does not explain why she was the one to inform me instead of Shining Armor himself. We used to be so close when I was still living in Cant’r Laht. He was probably the pony I was closest to until I met all of you.”
Spike lowered the objecting claw he’d raised when he realized that he wasn’t a pony and didn’t fit into the ranking system she’d referenced.
“I’m sure he ‘as ‘is reasons,” Applejack reassured her.
“He had better, because when we get to Cant’r Laht, he is going to have some explaining to do.”
***
Twilight had been to Cant’r Laht so recently, albeit in secret, she wondered if Cadence had been there already then. Shining Armor had, for certain, but she had been too embarrassed to seek him out. Whenever she’d visited Cant’r Laht, she’d tried to visit him … except, now that she thought about it, she hadn’t tried very hard the last few occasions. She’d grown closer to her Ponieville friends, without a doubt, but had she also grown farther apart from her elder brother in the process? Still, she wasn’t willing to accept all the blame. Distant or no, he should have been kind enough to inform her of his wedding plans, especially since he was marrying Cadence.
The Lady mi Amore Cadenza was Celestia’s declared heir (even if there had been rumors circulating for over a year that Luna would soon jump into that position), but that wasn’t how Twilight had known her as a foal. She’d understood better as she grew older just who Cadence was, but for a time she had just been a kind sorceress who’d wanted to help a struggling filly learn how to practice magic. When she’d gone away, it wasn’t because she no longer wanted to teach Twilight, who at that time demonstrated all too little magical potential, but because an exchange was necessary to maintain peace with Tyrannus. How strange that Twilight had swapped Cadence for Spike, just as Celestia had.
She had never thought that her brother and Cadence would one day wed, though the signs were all there. Oh, how they’d once mooned over each other, but even that was no guarantee of marriage for Cant’r Laht nobles. Marriages were for alliances with other houses, seldom for love. Because Cadence was who she was, however, nopony could rightly refuse her decision, maybe not even Celestia (though a truly egregious choice could get her disinherited, perhaps). Twilight wondered if some arrangement had been made before Cadence’s departure, for not once during those thirteen years had Shining Armor ever been pressured to marry and father sons to carry on the Haltrotsun name. Twilight had been spared that pressure after she’d become Celestia’s apprentice, but why Shining Armor had remained unwed had always been a mystery. She considered the mystery now solved.
The gleaming white walls of Cant’r Laht loomed ahead as the Brave Companions trotted toward the city, the spires of palaces rising in the distance dwarfed by those of Cant’r Laht Castle, clearly visible even from this distance. A large camp was set up outside of Cant’r Laht’s gate, tents pitched on both sides of the path that led to it, filling the few fields that the city had. Cant’r Laht’s city watch trotted along the road in full armor, keeping vigilant and attempting to prevent any mischief. If the red and black livery worn by the servants and soldiers in the camp wasn’t enough to say who was encamped here, the banners waving from the posts driven into the ground on either side of a massive crimson pavilion were. One was the flag of the Kingdom of Manehattan, the True Faith’s tower on Fiery Isle over five horizontal stripes, and the other bore the two-headed dragon of House Vas-Elutria.
“This is Hadish’s camp, alright, but what’s it doing outside the walls?” Rainbow Dash wondered aloud.
“King Hadish,” one of the Manehattanite soldiers corrected her, “Y’d ‘ave t’ be crazy t’ enter that city right now wi’ th’ Ol’ Witch castin’ ‘exes all around it.”
Cant’r Laht was always surrounded by magical protection, though Celestia had dismantled many of the enchantments last year during the summit to prevent foreign mages from getting a peek at the defenses. The second Equestrian summit was due to begin tomorrow, and the delegations from each of Equestria’s nations had arrived, but when Twilight trotted below the city’s gates, she found that the magical defenses were very much intact. Not only that, but they seemed to be bolstered by additional protections. No wonder the Manehattanite delegation was afraid to enter the city; the amount of magical energy surrounding it was enough for even their crude devices for detecting spells to go haywire. Knowing Hadish, he’d probably attend the summit tomorrow wearing chainmail whose links were made from dimeritium to protect himself from witchcraft.
Once within the Ivory City, the streets were filled with locals mingling with and trying to sell things to foreign ponies. They were easy to pick out, since there were really only two kinds of ponies who came along for the summit: elites and soldiers to protect them. The elites trotted about in fine silks, though some of them wore heavy cloaks to protect against the last bite of winter here in the mountains. Nobles and sorceresses and merchants they were, each seeking their own agenda in the city. The nobles and merchants sought out their own kind to make arrangements and alliances. Some of the sorceresses did the same, but most kept to themselves and maintained a keen eye on this city of sorceresses, trying to acquire every bit of knowledge they could on their fellows, and especially on Celestia. The soldiers, when they weren’t commanded to follow the others around and act as muscle, sought out taverns, gambling dens, and other places of ill repute. Still, no matter what their reasons were for coming, all these ponies were here. Celestia’s dream of a united Equestria was not dead, even if it seemed far away.
Twilight only partly recognized the large number of guards patrolling Cant’r Laht’s streets as she led the way to the castle. The summit required increased vigilance, and she’d heard that the City Guard had been stretched thin last year. Judging by appearances, Shining Armor had increased the number of guards two or threefold since then. As Captain of the Guard, it was his responsibility. She wouldn’t find him walking the streets as she once had before his promotion, but she still had a good idea where he was.
“… and make sure to keep the Commons clear,” Shining Armor ordered as he exited the Cant’r Laht Castle grounds, other guards in armor trailing behind, “That means no nosy sorceresses, I don’t care if they’re from Cant’r Laht. Keep the beggars clear of the place as well. I don’t want any unfortunate side effects.”
“Yes, Captain, but some of our own sorceresses can be quite insistent,” one of Shining Armor’s inferiors complained as Twilight spotted them and picked up her pace, “Why, just yesterday, Countess Violet Laxe-Surele—”
“Tell them what I said,” Shining Armor said firmly, “I am under direct orders from Celestia herself. If they have a problem with me, they can take it up with the Matron of Sorceresses. Understand, Markis?”
Markis didn’t seem entirely satisfied with Shining Armor’s orders, but he nodded his acceptance nevertheless. The sorceresses of Cant’r Laht were often troublesome, but they were also the power that drove the city. Sometimes they just needed reminding that they were subservient to Celestia, and any guard who had to remind them of that was in for a rough time.
“Shining Armor Haltrotsun!” Twilight called out to grab his attention.
“Twily!” Shining Armor exclaimed when he spotted here, and he motioned the group of guards to halt, “So glad you could make it!”
“Do not call me that,” Twilight said testily, in no mood for pet names, which she thought he would have picked up on by her addressing him by his full name, house and all, “How dare you not tell me yourself that you were getting married! I am your sister!”
“Twilight, I—” Shining Armor started to apologize before one of the other guards cleared their throats and looked to the sky, “Yes, of course. Can we walk and talk?”
“Why? Are you still too busy to tell me about it?” Twilight asked, but she joined him and trotted alongside as the guards resumed their trip.
“Actually, yes,” Shining Armor said with a sigh, “I wish I had more time, Twilight, but I have been incredibly busy with my duties lately. I have been increasing Cant’r Laht’s protection ever since somepony made a threat against it. We do not know who, but it was somepony with powerful magic, and we cannot afford to take any chances, especially with all of Equestria’s leaders gathered here for the summit.”
“Discord?” Twilight asked, fearing that the Lord of Chaos might have chosen this moment to reveal the last elusive shard of his soul. The Brave Companions had brought the Elements of Harmony with them, but she’d left them with the others to bring to Celestia for safekeeping during the summit. Not that that had stopped Discord before.
“We do not know,” Shining Armor said with a shake of his head, “We intend to be ready for anything, however. This, you need to see.”
Their walk had taken them to the Cant’r Laht Commons at the center of the city. No camp for the visiting monarchs had been set up here, even though the open space would be perfect for one, though there were some tents erected. Guards surrounded the commons, keeping curious ponies at bay, low barricades doing the job between them. They let Shining Armor and his retinue through, including Twilight, and they trotted to the center of the Commons, where the largest tent had been set up.
“Open the top,” Shining Armor ordered, and ponies hopped to pull on cords that were currently hanging limp.
The structure was less of a tent and more of a makeshift pavilion with canvas stretched between iron rods pounded into the ground. The peak above it blossomed open as the cables were pulled taut, turning the pavilion into a nonagonal prism of canvas. Shining Armor pulled a tent flap aside and beckoned Twilight in. Perplexed, she preceded her brother into the pavilion. An apparatus had been set up inside with the largest crystal the sorceress had ever seen suspended overhead. A smaller one surrounded by an array of mirrors hung down below, and various other items used for complex enchantments were nestled in sconces fastened to the rods that gave the pavilion structure.
“Stand back against the wall, and … try to block sorcery from touching you,” Shining Armor said, “Technically, only I am supposed to be in here when I do this.”
Twilight did as she was told and observed carefully. Shining Armor trotted around the central crystal slowly, taking care to step over the lines carved into the ground and mumbling softly as he did so. He came to a halt where he’d started and lowered his head toward the small suspended crystal. Without warning, a bright beam of light suddenly shot from his horn into the crystal and bounced back and forth through the array of mirrors, feeding back into the crystal and causing it to glow until it was nearly blinding. Twilight Sparkle squinted as the beam ceased to flow from Shining Armor’s horn and a new beam shot up from the small crystal to the large one. Nine globules of light with fiery tails shot up from the large crystal into the sky before arcing back downwards.
Shining Armor had his eyes squeezed shut and he was rubbing his head, but he motioned for Twilight to exit the pavilion. She stepped outside just as the globules of light returned to the elevation they’d started at, ringing Cant’r Laht now. Nine magic circles suddenly bloomed into existence around Cant’r Laht, clearly visible though quickly fading. For a moment, there also appeared to a visible dome over the city, though that vanished much more quickly than the magic circles.
“What was that?” Twilight asked as Shining Armor exited the tent, rapidly blinking his eyes and shaking his head, “Is it your enchantment protecting the city? I had no idea you had that kind of power.”
“That’s kind, but it’s only partly my enchantment,” Shining Armor admitted, “Many sorceresses and sorcerers are contributing to Cant’r Laht’s protection, by Celestial decree, and it is my spell that binds all the enchantments into one and allows them to work as a single shield. I am the … keystone, so to speak. But the spell doesn’t last forever, so I need to refresh it every few hours to keep the shield from falling apart.”
“Every few hours,” Twilight said, following her brother as he retrieved his helmet from Markis, who’d taken charge of it before he’d entered the pavilion, “The kind of magical energy you are expending, that must be exhausting. Are you eating and resting enough to keep up?”
“I’ve already got one mother in Cant’r Laht telling me to eat right, I don’t need two,” Shining Armor said with a wry smile, “But yes, I am. I thought you were mad that I was too busy to inform you of my wedding.”
“Well, yes, I suppose I still am,” Twilight said, feeling foolish now that she knew what he’d been going through, “I do understand that you are busy, though. I just … hoped that you would still have time for me.”
“I am sorry that I didn’t tell you myself, Twily,” Shining Armor said, and he smiled when she snorted at the name but didn’t correct him, “I didn’t mean to hurt you, and I see that I should’ve made time for it. Can you forgive me?”
“Of course I can,” Twilight said, as most of her frustration melted away, “Do not think that this gets you off the hook in the future, of course.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Shining Armor said innocently, “Just so we’re clear, your forgiveness does mean you’ll agree to be my best mare, right?”
“Me?” Twilight asked in surprise. Just what all was in that lost letter?
“No, Saint Cassius,” Shining Armor said sarcastically, “Of course you!”
“I would be honored,” Twilight said, not knowing what else she could say.
“Good, that settles that, then,” Shining Armor said, “I am glad to see you here, and not just because I’ve been too busy preparing for the summit and Cant’r Laht’s defense that I haven’t had time to plan my own wedding. I’m sure Cadence will appreciate you and your friends’ help.”
“Of course! Cadence!” Twilight exclaimed, kicking herself for having forgotten, “Where is she?”
“Back at the castle, of course,” Shining Armor said, gesturing ahead as some of the guards accompanied them back to where they’d started, “That is one thing I wasn’t worried about. I knew you’d approve of her.”
“Well, why would I not?” Twilight asked, giddiness overcoming her earlier frustration, “Cadence is the best. She is kind and wonderful and powerful. When I decided I wanted to be a sorceress, she is the one who helped me learn. I could barely believe it when I learned that not only has she returned after being gone for so many years, but she will soon be my sister-in-law!”
“I know what you mean. I can hardly believe it either,” Shining Armor admitted, “I almost believed I was dreaming when she trotted into Cant’r Laht. And then, when she insisted that we wed right away, it was like a dream come true. I only wish I could focus on this instead of Cant’r Laht’s protection.”
“Do not worry, we will take care of everything for you,” Twilight assured him, “How did she manage to return? I cannot believe that Ingrirtireth gave her up willingly.”
“That’s just it. He did,” Shining Armor said as he beckoned her through the gates to the castle grounds, “Cadence doesn’t understand it either, but he just let her go. He said he wouldn’t learn anything else from her, and it was more work to keep her there than let her return, so she was free to go.”
“What about the treaty between Celestia and Tyrannus?” Twilight asked, worried that it would now be considered invalid since Ingrirtireth had lost his hostage.
“Still in place. Ingrirtireth even sent assurances that he would uphold his end of the bargain even without a hostage,” Shining Armor explained.
The bargain that Celestia had struck with the dragonlords of Tyrannus years earlier had managed to prevent dragon attacks not only on the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, but also all of Equestria. Cadence, Celestia’s heir, had been traded for Spike’s egg, an egg laid by Ingrirtireth’s chief consort, Olénûnthar. With hostages, neither side would dare attack the other, but now Ingrirtireth had given up his hostage. Why would he do such a thing?
“There you are!” called out a voice from Twilight’s past, though it seemed a bit shriller than she remembered it, “The Grand Galloping Gala will be starting soon, and you still aren’t dressed for it.”
Cadence hurried down the garden path toward her fiancé and her future sister-in-law. The pink alicorn looked quite severe, even in a creamy dress that seemed all ruffles and bows. Of course, simply being an alicorn came with its own standing and intimidation factor. Cadence was only the fifth pony ever to achieve alicornhood, which was why she was Celestia’s heir. That, and the fact that she’d been Celestia’s first apprentice, under the elderly sorceress’s tutelage long before Twilight had been. Still, even knowing all that, Twilight Sparkle still remembered her most as the kind sorceress who’d come all the way from Cant’r Laht Castle to Haltrotsun Manor to teach a young filly who at the time knew nothing about magic but had a great hunger to learn.
“Cadence!” Twilight exclaimed as she bounded toward the alicorn, giddy as a foal again.
“Fire, Water, Air, and Earth,”
“Present at the world’s rebirth.”
“Speak their names, they come again:”
“Bei, Ill, Caen, nof Eren![1]”
As she sang the foalhood rhyme that Cadence had taught her, she performed the hoof-motions, but Cadence didn’t follow along. Twilight didn’t mind, though, at least not until she finished, and Cadence continued to look confused.
“Cadence, it is me, Twilight Sparkle!” the sorceress said.
“Oh, yes, of course,” Cadence said with an insincere smile and trotted right past her to Shining Armor.
“Sorry, dearest,” Shining Armor said, “I had to renew the enchantment over the city.”
“You work too hard,” Cadence cooed.
“It’s my job. We all do our part to protect Cant’r Laht,” Shining Armor said, “Cadence, Twilight and her friends are going to help you prepare for the wedding while I’m away.”
“Lovely, I’m sure with your help we’ll get things whipped into shape in no time,” Cadence said, though her enthusiasm sounded fake to Twilight. But that can’t be, can it? Did her time in Tyrannus change her so much? “For now, dearest, you need to get ready for the gala.”
“Okay, okay, I’m coming already,” Shining Armor said as he trotted off with Cadence, “I’ll see you later, Twily. Thanks for coming again!”
“Do not mention it. I am sure everything will be just … fine,” Twilight said with a puzzled frown.
***
Unlike the year before, the Brave Companions were totally unprepared for the Grand Galloping Gala. Well, maybe not totally unprepared. When Rarity had realized they’d arrive just before the gala was to start, she’d brought along supplies on their journey and thrown together something for all of them. She never claimed it was her best work, but it was still quite nice, more than nice enough for the gala. This year, they even got the chance to enjoy themselves without looking like fools in front of the Equestrian delegations.
Twilight tried to enjoy herself at the party, but her mood was spoiled whenever she spotted Cadence. She knew it was unfair to judge a pony based solely on a short interaction, but she still had the irksome feeling that she didn’t like this new Cadence who’d come back from Tyrannus. She certainly didn’t seem like the sweet pony she’d known long ago. Eventually, though, she had to admit to herself that she was being unfair to Cadence. After all, she’d been gone a long time, and she’d only spoken to her briefly. Celestia’s heir was dealing with the stress of the gala, the summit, and her wedding all at the same time; she had every excuse to be curt. Once Twilight convinced herself of that, she found it easier to enjoy the gala. It was especially easy to enjoy herself once they left the gala and sought out other celebrations on the streets.
There were some differences from last year, besides the Brave Companions running around trying to pursue their own goals and failing horribly. For one, the Griffon Free Companies were absent, a fact that would be reflected in the summit tomorrow. They were currently off engaged in a contract on the Eastern Continent, dealing with some dispute between Banner and Noya Varon. The Manehattanite delegation was also missing, which hopefully wouldn’t be reflected in the summit tomorrow. Something would have to be done to convince King Hadish that it was safe to set hoof inside a city surrounded by “witchcraft,” but Celestia surely had something planned.
This year, the Brave Companions weren’t invited to the summit, but they also had no mystery to solve about the death of the Prince of the City, something Twilight was incredibly thankful for, since her father now bore that title. All of the Brave Companions were at work preparing for Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding in other parts of the castle while the summit was held in the great hall. Celestia wanted them all to reprise their roles from the summer solstice ceremony in Ponieville, which meant everypony else worked while Twilight supervised. Even Rainbow Dash, who had nothing to do until it was time to clear the clouds on the wedding day, pitched in helping others.
Currently, she was checking in with Applejack, who was whipping the castle’s kitchen staff into shape. Having just catered the Grand Galloping Gala and still busy feeding those at the summit, they didn’t much appreciate her showing up and ordering them around at first, but gradually she was earning their respect. She was going to need it to pull off the feast she had planned. She didn’t have her extended family to help her out this time, so these strangers would have to do. Everything seemed to be running smoothly and Twilight was about to move on when Cadence stepped into the kitchens, and the kitchen staff hopped to make their bows.
“Welcome, Miss Cadence,” Applejack greeted her with a bow.
“Please, address me as Lady mi Amore Cadenza, or ‘my lady,’” Cadence told her, and that irksome feeling resurfaced in Twilight’s mind. Cadence was never prickly about her title before.
“Welcome, milady mi Amore Cadenza,” Applejack said, unfazed, “Did y’ come t’ sample what we’ll be preparin’ for th’ weddin’?”
“Of course,” Cadence said with a smile showing too many teeth, and Twilight watched her skeptically. I want to give her a fair chance, I truly do, but she’s not making it easy.
Cadence followed Applejack around the kitchens, Twilight discreetly shadowing them, and she sampled the different dishes that had been prepared. Some she liked and others she had criticisms of, but her praise sounded hollow in Twilight’s ears. Applejack didn’t seem to notice, going along with everything that Cadence said and promising that some of the dishes were still works-in-progress. When they finished their rounds, Applejack gave her some of the food to take with her and Cadence accepted, though she seemed reluctant to do so.
“All finished ‘ere, Twi’?” Applejack asked as the sorceress watched Cadence leave, and she nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise.
“Yes, I think so,” Twilight said as she pretended to check her checklist, “I … should probably see how the others are getting on.”
“Yes … something,” Twilight said as she headed for the door Cadence had exited through, sure that she didn’t mean the same thing her friend did.
***
Twilight’s foul mood that had plagued her on the way to Cant’r Laht had returned by the time she checked up on Rarity later. After leaving the kitchens, she’d found some castle servants devouring the food that Applejack had given to Cadence. They claimed they’d found it thrown out, and Twilight believed them. Maybe it was just her desire to see her suspicions about Cadence justified, but it fit right in to what she’d expect. She hadn’t liked the food Applejack had been preparing at all.
“You should have heard her,” Twilight complained to Rarity, “‘Please, address me as Lady mi Amore Cadenza.’ Really?”
“Did somepony call me?” Cadence asked as she entered the room at that moment, “Oh, Twilight, it’s you.”
“Milady!” Rarity exclaimed as she hurried to bow before Cadence, “Might I just say what an honor it is to have been given this opportunity.”
“I think you just did,” Cadence said drily.
“Oh, of course,” Rarity giggled, “Would you like to see what I have so far?”
Cadence nodded curtly, and Rarity led the way through her mess of scattered fabrics and supplies to the center of the room. On it was the beginning of a wedding dress with sketches and designs pinned to a board next to it. Technically, this had not been Rarity’s job at the summer solstice ceremony, but after she’d been offered the chance to design the attire for the wedding, she’d leapt at it. Such a task would gain her prestige in Cant’r Laht that she wouldn’t obtain even with years of working for Hoity Toity or selling her gowns on her own. It was a dream come true for Rarity.
“Well, it’s a start,” Cadence said after examining Rarity’s work, and Twilight couldn’t help grinding her teeth, “It needs a larger ruff, a shorter veil, and a longer train. The scrollwork here will need to be more complex and I’ll need a shawl for my wings.”
“Of course, I should have thought of that,” Rarity said after writing everything down, “I’ve never had to design a wedding dress for a pegasus before.”
“I’m an alicorn,” Cadence said firmly, eyes narrowed confrontationally.
“Yes, of course, I just meant I wasn’t accustomed to the wings,” Rarity said, gesturing to the nonexistent ones on her own back, “Shall we look at the dresses for the bridesmares?”
Twilight Sparkle fumed while Cadence picked apart the rest of Rarity’s designs one by one. Rarity didn’t seem to care at all and took everything in stride, writing down all of Cadence’s complaints. There was no doubt in Twilight’s mind now that Cadence had changed during her time in Tyrannus. Nopony else seemed to notice, but she knew that Cadence had changed, and she didn’t think she cared for this new Cadence much. In fact, she wasn’t sure that she much cared for this new Cadence marrying her brother.
***
The rest of the day had been much the same for Twilight. As she toured the castle and checked in on her friends, Cadence always seemed to be right behind. Since Rarity was busy designing clothing for the wedding, Pinkamena had stepped into the role the blacksmith had played for the summer solstice ceremony: decorating. The wedding was to be held in Cant’r Laht Castle’s grand hall, so she couldn’t begin decorating at the moment since it was currently occupied by the attendees of the summit, but Celestia had offered her use of the south ballroom to try things out. When Twilight checked in on her, she’d thought the decorations a bit eccentric and had some suggestions for how to appeal to Cant’r Laht tastes. She promptly changed her mind, however, when Cadence began tearing apart Pinkamena’s ideas and suggesting new ones, some the same as Twilight’s. Somehow hearing her say them made Pinkamena’s original plan sound better. It was much the same no matter who she visited.
At the end of the day, the Brave Companions and Spike were assembled at Joachim’s Castle to rest and talk about their day. As Twilight understood it, the second Equestrian summit had wrapped up in a single day again, and there had still not been much motion in the direction Celestia wanted. There was no agreement this time to assemble again at the next vernal equinox. There was no agreement not to ally with the Zebrikaanian Empire, whose new Padishah was now firmly established. Not only had there been no agreement on a Conclave of Mages again, but the Council of Mages had been disbanded. At least there was no looming war this year, and though they hadn’t agreed to a date, the monarchs of Equestria were open to assembling for another summit in the future, more open than they’d been before Celestia had announced hers last year for certain. What hadn’t been said in the summit, the Matron of Sorceresses was sure would be said during the time between now and the upcoming wedding. All of Equestria’s leaders would still be in Cant’r Laht, except for King Hadish, who wanted to spend no more time near the city than necessary and was departing this very night. All this was in the back of Twilight’s head as she mulled over the problem that seemed more significant to her at the moment.
“I am sorry for bringing you all into this,” she apologized to her friends.
“Why would y’ be sorry?” Applejack asked in puzzlement.
“I did not except Cadence to be such a terrible bride,” Twilight groaned in frustration.
“Whatever do you mean, Twilight, darling?” Rarity said, “Cadence has been just fine.”
“How could you say that?” Twilight asked, “She was so demanding with you and dismissive of your designs.”
“Well, of course she was,” Rarity said matter-of-factly, “It’s her wedding, and I’d rather she tell me what she wants than be disappointed with the results when she didn’t speak up. I assure you, I have dealt with far more difficult ponies.”
“Well, what about you, Applejack?” Twilight asked, and the farmer’s eyebrows rose in surprise, “After she left the kitchens, she got rid of the food you gave her. I found some servants eating it.”
“Well, wasn’t that nice o’ her, givin’ a treat t’ th’ servants,” Applejack said.
“No, it was not ‘nice,’” Twilight said in frustration, “She was just being rude and dismissive, just like she has been ever since she got back from Tyrannus!”
“Twi’,” Applejack said, clearing her throat as she tried to figure out how to proceed nicely, “Is it maybe possible that y’ don’t like Cadence b’cause you’re a li’l too possessive of your brother?”
“No, I am not,” Twilight said angrily.
“I think what Applejack is trying to say is that maybe you’re finding faults with Cadence because nopony will ever be good enough for you to marry your brother,” Rarity suggested.
“No!” Twilight insisted, “I am not in the wrong here! Nopony else seems to be able to see it, but I can! Cadence has changed! I do not know how you can all be so caught up in wedding planning so as not to realize that maybe there should not even be a wedding!”
With that, the sorceress slammed her drink down on the table and left, leaving the others wondering what they should or could do to help her.
***
Twilight tried to sleep that night in her old bed in her old tower, but couldn’t rest well with everything weighing down on her, and especially not with all the partly-assembled dresses waiting in the next room. The next day was sure to bring even more involvement with the wedding as the castle servants shifted their focus from the summit to the upcoming nuptials. Shortly before dawn she arose and tried to read, but even perusing her old tomes couldn’t quiet her worry.
She decided to trot around the castle, a place that had been a home to her for years. She still remembered all the chambers and corridors, all the stairs and spires. Golden Oak’s laboratory was a fine enough place for her to live now, especially since it allowed her to live close to her friends, but she still had fond memories of this place. Some things had changed since she’d left. Blueblood’s chambers were now empty and under renovation, by the look of things. Though her father, Night Light Haltrotsun, was now Prince of the City, he refused to move into the castle, preferring Haltrotsun Manor and its far humbler comforts. Twilight wondered if he’d ever move in here. Probably not, and the chambers would be occupied by Cadence and Shining Armor instead. That thought spurred Twilight to walk faster.
Cadence wasn’t living in Blueblood’s chambers yet, but she’d returned to her old rooms that had been vacant for years. Candlelight peeked out from under the door as Twilight trotted past, so Cadence must’ve been up as well. She was in such a hurry to avoid the sour alicorn that she nearly ran into a servant carrying pails of hot water. After apologizing and getting a quizzical look from the servant, the sorceress heard raised voices ahead. Eavesdropping wasn’t usually in her repertoire, but she recognized the voices and trotted forward quietly. She peeked carefully around the corner and caught sight of Shining Armor and Cadence standing just down the corridor.
“She is going to be my best mare, and that is final,” Shining Armor was saying argumentatively, his words reaching Twilight’s ears faintly, “It is Cant’r Laht tradition for the groom to choose the best mare and the bride to choose the stallion of honor.”
“Tradition or not, she has her back up over me for some reason,” Cadence said, “She doesn’t like me, Shining Armor, pick somepony else.”
“She is my sister, Cadence,” Shining Armor hissed, “My only sister. And I don’t believe that she has anything against you. She has only fond memories of your time together.”
“I don’t want her in my wedding,” Cadence insisted.
“And I do. It’s bad enough that I let you convince me Celestia should be the one to tell her about the wedding. I have to make it up to her. She is going to be my best mare, Cadence.”
“Are you really going to take this stand against me?” Cadence asked menacingly (at least Twilight heard it that way).
“Yes, I am,” Shining Armor said before crying out in pain.
Twilight had looked away after confirming the conversation was between who she thought. Now, she quickly peeked back around the corner, worried about Shining Armor. Her brother was on the ground, eyes squeezed shut, while Cadence towered over him. Runes in a script that Twilight couldn’t recognize flickered around Shining Armor’s head as Cadence cast some sort of spell on him. Twilight could sense her magic, but it felt wrong somehow, not like with Discord’s magic, but more like that of the White Procession. Either way, it was bad news for Shining Armor. She was using some kind of spell on him, mind-related by the look of things, to either punish him or make him obey her commands. Was that why nopony stood up to her?
Twilight considered rushing in to save her brother, but this was too much for her. To face an alicorn was far beyond her abilities. She hurried away, teleporting once she was far enough that Cadence wouldn’t sense her do it.
***
Twilight agonized over what she ought to do as night turned to dawn turned to morning. Surely Celestia could help, but how to ask her for it? If only she had some evidence other than observation to prove that Cadence was abusing her sorcerous powers to take advantage of Shining Armor. But of course! If they are both present, it should be a simple matter of identifying if she has done anything to him recently, and Celestia can deal with her right away as well.
Twilight now had a plan, and she also knew how to do it. The sorceress had a memory for schedules, and she could recite the timelines of the wedding preparations flawlessly if needed. That morning, Celestia, Cadence, and Shining Armor would all be in the castle’s great hall to run through the wedding schedule and placement of the various parties. What’s more, Twilight was supposed to be there as well, so it wouldn’t be like she was intruding. When the time came, she hurried down from her tower, taken aback only a moment by the fact that Rarity wasn’t there working on the dresses.
When she arrived at the great hall, she was surprised to see the rest of the Brave Companions there. Pinkamena was working on her decorations while the others made sure they understood the plans for the wedding day, laid out by Celestia with occasional comments from her page. Other ponies involved in the wedding milled around the room, including Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor’s parents, her father uncomfortably shifting the crown on his head from time to time. At the head of the room, on the raised section that was home to Celestia’s throne, stood the wedding party and Celestia, standing in the place of the priestess who’d perform the ceremony. Cadence was to the left with her bridesmares (all Cant’r Laht sorceresses) and Shining Armor to the right with his groomstallions (all Cant’r Laht guards). Directly to the right of Shining Armor was the stallion of honor, some obscure noble that Cadence knew, and the spot to the left of Cadence was empty, left for Twilight.
“Twily, there you are!” Shining Armor called out to her, “Come on up, right next to Cadence.”
“I am not going to stand next to her,” Twilight Sparkle said, putting her hoof down at the foot of the stairs, “And neither should you.”
“See?” Cadence said pitifully to her fiancé as several ponies in the room gasped.
“I’ll handle it,” Shining Armor told her before addressing his sister, “What is the problem, Twilight?”
“She is!” Twilight exclaimed, jabbing a hoof at Cadence, “She is despicable!”
“Twilight!” Shining Armor barked.
“No, something has changed while she was away!” Twilight plowed on, “She has been horrible to my friends, though nopony seems to notice, and this morning I saw her casting a spell on you that brought you to your knees because you disagreed with her!”
“Why are you doing this?” Cadence asked plaintively.
“Twilight! That’s enough!” Shining Armor yelled.
“No, she has put you under her spell! You, and who knows who else, so you are blind to how she is acting! I know what I saw!”
“Why? Why do you hate me?” Cadence sobbed, the urge to weep that had been mounting ever since Twilight began her accusations finally bursting to the surface.
“These are serious accusations, Twilight,” Celestia said gravely, “Do you have any means to back them up?”
Shining Armor was trying to comfort Cadence, but she pulled free of his embrace and ran out of the great hall crying.
“Stop her!” Twilight Sparkle yelled to the very uncomfortable guards.
“Don’t bother!” Shining Armor countermanded the order as he angrily made his way down the steps to speak to Twilight face-to-face, “I don’t know what has gotten into you, Twilight! I didn’t want to believe it, but Cadence was right! Why would you accuse her of something like that unless you hated her?”
“But I saw—” Twilight tried to object before being interrupted.
“Cadence hasn’t been using her magic to hurt me or influence my mind! She has been using it to heal me, because ever since I began performing the spell to shield Cant’r Laht I’ve been getting terrible headaches!”
“I—” Twilight said.
“And if she hasn’t been the nicest to your friends, it’s because she’s been trying to plan this wedding without me and is completely stressed out! I hoped you would help, but you only made things worse! She’s been worried about my health and worried about the wedding, and now she has to worry about her sister-in-law hating her for no reason!”
“I was just trying to—”
“Maybe Cadence was right about other things too! If this is how you’re going to act toward her, you can forget about being my best mare!” Shining Armor shouted, “In fact, it might be best if you don’t show up for the wedding at all!”
“I … I …” Twilight stammered as Shining Armor stalked off.
Those who hadn’t already fled during the confrontation began to leave as well, none with any kind looks for Twilight, and that included her friends. Soon she was alone in the great hall with Celestia, who strode up to her. Twilight looked up at the ancient alicorn sorceress who towered over her.
“Celestia, I was—”
“I am very disappointed in you, Twilight,” Celestia cut her off before trotting out of the room.
Twilight Sparkle had no idea what to do, so she sat down where she was, alone in the great hall, the beginnings of wedding decorations all around her. How could things go so wrong? I was so certain that I was in the right. Could I really have been horrible to Cadence instead of the other way around, judging her harshly because I don’t want to let Shining Armor go? As she thought back, she realized that she had perhaps been too harsh to Cadence in some places. She had jumped to conclusions and thought the worst of her when Cadence was under tremendous pressure. So, Cadence was curt and dismissive sometimes. So was I before I moved to Ponieville, and I didn’t have the excuse of planning a royal wedding on my own. What have I done?
Twilight had been so worried that she and her brother had grown apart during her time in Ponieville, but that hadn’t been the case until she’d spoiled everything. She had adored Cadence once. Had she built up an unattainable fantasy Cadence who would satisfy her criteria for a sister-in-law? Had she judged Cadence unfairly? I could have gained Cadence as a sister, but instead I have lost Shining Armor as a brother! What have I done? How can I make this right?
Twilight shivered as she felt a wing stroke her mane. Wiping her eyes—she hadn’t even realized she’d been crying—she looked up. Cadence stood over her, looking down with compassion. That was the Cadence she’d once known. She wasn’t gone or changed at all, and if she was, then it didn’t matter.
“I’m so sorry,” Twilight said, her voice breaking as she did so.
“Oh, rest assured, you will be,” Cadence said.
Twilight felt all her muscles stiffen in place and her voice died in her throat. Cadence was casting some sort of enchantment on her! She tried to cast a spell, but her thoughts were all fuzzy; if felt like her head was stuffed with cotton. Emerald flames leapt up around her in a swirling pattern as her mind deadened even further until she lost consciousness.
Chapter 2:26 - The Cant'r Laht Wedding, Part the Second
Chapter 2:26 – The Cant’r Laht Wedding, Part the Second
Drifting … floating … dream … cold …
It was wrong. It was all wrong. Twilight Sparkle knew she should be doing something, but her mind was completely unfocused. So was her body, suspended and barely able to sense anything. She should be breathing, but her lungs hadn’t taken a breath in hours. Something was wrong, but she had no way to place what it might be.
Wedding … trap … Cadence … imprisoned …
Clarity struck her like a shower of ice water down the back. Her suspicions about Cadence had been true, perhaps even underestimated. The alicorn sorceress who’d once taught her the fundamentals of sorcery had subdued and imprisoned her … somewhere. She didn’t remember anything after the throne room except the conflicting feelings of being unfocused and free while being trapped at the same time.
She tried to snap her eyes open, but her lids slid slowly, mired in slime. A green ooze surrounded her on all sides, cushioning her, suspending her … upside-down. She wanted to hyperventilate, especially when her lungs realized they should be functioning again, but she’d barely sucked in the slime before she had to hold her breath. She would suffocate quickly. She had to get out.
Her sorcery failed her. Though she could remember her spells now, which was an improvement over when she’d been captured, no effects manifested. It was the ooze that surrounded her, still damping her magic even if it no longer dampened her mind and senses. The ooze wouldn’t be necessary soon to keep her unconscious, since in failing that it had also ceased to eliminate her need for breathing. She struggled in the ooze as her vision narrowed from oxygen deprivation. Her hindhooves were secured above her, but she was able to move through the slime slowly, until her face pressed against the membranous wall of her prison. Jerking her head around, she managed to puncture it with her horn and tear open a slit. The membrane fell apart and the slime poured out, leaving Twilight alternating between coughing up ooze and sucking in air.
By the time she could breathe with some semblance of normalcy, blood was beginning to pool in her head. Her magical abilities were returning, and she reached out with them to break the chitinous shell around her hindhooves. The sorceress fell heavily to the floor, her hindhooves still stuck together but no longer to the ceiling. She shivered wet and naked on the ground, and cast up a magical fire to help warm herself.
Now that she was no longer fighting for her life, she was able to get a good look at her surroundings. She was in a cavern, lit dimly by luminescent mushrooms. Other pods like the one she’d been in hung around the cavern. The few that she could vaguely see the ponies within didn’t seem to contain anypony she knew. She had no idea where she was or how long it had been since Cadence had subdued her. Her strength was quickly returning, but her knees were wobbly as she trotted around trying to get her bearings.
She had no inkling of where she might be until she came across a strangely diagonal column in the next cavern over. It was overgrown with moss, but scraping some away revealed a gleaming, white, and almost perfectly smooth surface. There was only one place she knew of where such a thing existed; this was one of the supports that held up Cant’r Laht, built magically by sorceresses shortly after the Conjunction introduced magic to the world. She was under the city in the crystal mines that had been exhausted several centuries ago. Almost all the gems used by sorceresses in their experiments and enchantments today used crystals harvested from these mines. They’d been cleared out centuries ago and the shafts that connected them to Cant’r Laht had been closed up, but Twilight was counting on there being another way out. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure what she’d do.
She didn’t know exactly what she would do when she escaped, but she was determined to escape. If she could have been certain where she was, she would have teleported her way back up into Cant’r Laht, but that was a dicey decision when she had no idea how far above her Cant’r Laht was. She didn’t want to end up teleporting inside of a cave wall or the Cant’r Laht sewer system. Twilight conjured up a light and began making her way through the caves, searching for an exit. Through marking the walls to make sure she didn’t loop back on her path (which she did several times) and following the fresher air, she finally found a way out of the mines.
The caverns and tunnels came to an end at an opening in the side of the Titan’s Horn. The Equestry Valley was spread out before the sorceress, shadows covering much of the land as the sun set in the distance. Off to the right, Twilight could barely see the White River cascading over the edge of Cant’r Laht as it began its journey to Onon’r Laht far below. She had a better idea where she was now, south of Cant’r Laht and far enough down that the entirety of the hemispherical platform the city was built on was above her.
Stepping back from the ledge, she concentrated on teleporting away. The distance it would take to teleport all the way into Cant’r Laht would stretch even her abilities, and arriving in Cant’r Laht Castle was practically out of the question. She certainly wasn’t going to teleport into the middle of the street naked, so she instead focused on the small collection of houses outside of Cant’r Laht’s walls where the ponies who farmed the land lived. It had been mostly abandoned while the Manehattanite delegation had set up camp nearby anyway. Hoping she wouldn’t materialize in front of some peasant, she cast the spell and winked out of existence.
Twilight Sparkle reappeared among the cottages and quickly ducked out of sight. Nopony seemed to have seen her, so she calmed down a bit. In fact, the only pony in sight was a young stallion dragging a sack filled with items the Manehattanites had left behind when they’d broken camp into a home, and he left a few minutes later with an empty sack ready to be refilled. Twilight considered teleporting from here to her chambers in Cant’r Laht Castle, but Rarity was likely to be there, as well as any number of other ponies getting fitted for their wedding attire. Cadence might even be there, and Twilight didn’t think she could stand against the alicorn. What she really needed was to find Celestia and somehow convince her that she was telling the truth, but she also didn’t want to appear before Celestia without any clothes.
She had no idea what Cadence had done with her sorceress robes, so she prowled around the village looking for something to wear. Clotheslines were strung between some of the buildings, and she quickly located items hung up to dry. A skirt was a necessity, but she also found a soldier’s shirt forgotten by a Manehattanite. The shirt wasn’t technically required, but she had lived so long with sorceress robes that she felt as naked without her front half covered as she did were it her back half. Twilight also found a cloak and pulled it on over herself, which probably wouldn’t be required, but it would help hide the oddity of her outfit from the casual observer.
Focusing on her bedchamber in the castle’s north tower, she teleported away from the village. Normally, teleportation seemed instantaneous, but this time Twilight almost felt that it lasted some non-zero amount of time. There was also never a sensation of being between source and destination, but she did feel like she was suspended over Cant’r Laht for an instant. When she rematerialized, she was not in her bedchamber, but standing in a copse outside of Cant’r Laht. It took her a moment to realize what had happened. Shining Armor had told her a threat had been made against Cant’r Laht. A city of sorceresses would assume that that threat would be of a magical nature, so of course the protective spell that her brother had erected around the city would prevent somepony from simply teleporting inside. She should have known that already, but her mind was so inundated with worries about what Cadence would do that she wasn’t thinking straight.
I suppose I will have to walk in through the front gate before I can teleport to the castle. A snapping branch ahead caught Twilight’s attention, and she ducked behind the fresh growth in case it was somepony she didn’t want to meet right now. Two creatures that Twilight Sparkle had never seen the like of before trotted between the trees. Their bodies were shaped like that of a pony, but there was no hair covering their flesh. Instead, they were covered with a shiny black carapace, segmented to let them move freely, like the body of a beetle. Insect-like wings were tucked against their backs, and one of the creatures fluttered its wings briefly. Their manes and tails were webbed and membranous, their eyes were without visible pupil or sclera, and both had a curved horn on their foreheads. Wings and horns, but surely not alicorns. Their mouths had an upper and lower jaw like a pony, but they also had two mandibles that met in the middle. As they trotted around and investigated the area, they went back and forth with a series of clicks, buzzes, and hisses intermingled with sounds that were almost distinguishable as words, speaking in a language Twilight had no comprehension of.
What are they? Why are they here? Are they looking for me? Perhaps Cadence was in league with these creatures and had discovered Twilight’s escape. If so, she didn’t dare reveal herself to them. Neither could she risk trying to fight them off until she knew what they were capable of. She was a Cant’r Laht sorceress, Celestia’s personal protégé, but she wasn’t foolish enough to rush headlong into this engagement even with her incredible power. What if they could restrict her magic as Cadence had? Then she would really be in trouble. Two other ponies approached from the west wearing Cant’r Laht City Guard armor, and the two creatures retreated back behind some bushes themselves, mercifully not the same ones Twilight was hiding behind.
“They’re probably gone by now,” one of the guards, the shorter of the two, a unicorn stallion with a beige coat, said, though it sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
“If they are, that just means more walking,” the other, a cream-coated earth pony, replied, “This was definitely where the attempted teleporter was ‘bounced’ to.”
Twilight considered presenting herself to the guards, but with those creatures lying in wait, she worried she might put the duo in danger by exposing herself, so she stayed put for the moment.
“If it turns out to be … her, then shouldn’t we have brought back up?” the shorter guard asked as he looked around nervously, “She’s Celestia’s apprentice. Shouldn’t we at least have another sorceress with us?”
They’re looking for me? Why?
“A sorceress that stands a chance against Twilight Sparkle? Sure, you go ask Celestia or Luna to do it,” the larger guard harrumphed, and the shorter flinched at each of the names, “Or, better yet, you could ask Lady mi Amore Cadenza. I’m sure the Captain would love to send his bride-to-be out after the pony who tried to kill her.”
They think what? That I tried to kill Cadence? Cadence had slandered Twilight’s good name by accusing her of such a thing! She would never have done anything like that! Still, her behavior toward Cadence didn’t reflect well on her, so it must have been an easier lie for some ponies to swallow. Twilight had to make it to Celestia and clear her name. Cadence had to be stopped before she did any more damage than she’d already done!
“I can’t believe it was Celestia’s own pupil that made the threat against Cant’r Laht. Does she intend to make herself Matron of Sorceresses, do you think?” the larger guard asked.
“I don’t want to think about it,” the smaller guard said, “Let’s just get this over with.”
From where Twilight was, she could see what the guards could not. The two creatures she’d been keeping a watch on transformed before her eyes. Their bodies metamorphosed until they appeared to be two stallions in City Guard armor. The shorter of the real guards drew his sword frantically before seeing two other guards standing in front of him.
“What are you doing here?” one of the creatures said, its voice matching the body it was now in perfectly, “We were sent out to investigate the disturbance in the protective shield.”
“So were we,” the larger of the real guards said, “Should we … join forces?”
“Not necessary,” the second creature said, “It must’ve been a mix up. We can take it from here.”
“Oh, thank Faust,” the smaller of the real guards breathed a sigh of relief.
The two true guards departed, headed back toward Cant’r Laht. By the time they were out of sight and the creatures transformed back into their true forms, Twilight was gone as well.
***
The sorceress didn’t know what to do now that she was a fugitive. She approached the gate to Cant’r Laht in the hope that she could slip through somehow, but it was futile. Guards were abundant, and even if she could slip past them, there were sorceresses and sorcerers present as well, probably compelled to come here by Celestial decree, judging by the looks on their faces. If they didn’t detect spells used to hide her as she entered, there was still the matter of Shining Armor’s shield. There was no telling what they’d do to a pony who tried to pass through while using sorcery. She had to abandon the plan of slipping into Cant’r Laht, at least for the moment, and put some distance between herself and Cadence.
When she’d learned how to detect the location of ponies, she’d also learned how to keep oneself from being located. It was one of the first spells she cast after learning that she was being sought after for attempting to kill Cadence. She had done no such thing, but a guard or another sorceress wouldn’t be likely to believe her. Besides, many of Cant’r Laht’s sorceresses would love to see the Golden Filly hang, jealous of all the years she’d spent as Celestia’s pupil, so they might turn her in even if they did believe her.
She headed the only direction she could to get away from Cant’r Laht by hoof, east along the path that wove around and through the White Mountains. At one point where no path could be carved and maintained, there was a tunnel through the Titan’s Horn itself, stretching straight as an arrow nearly half a league. What made it even more impressive was that it had been carved before the Conjunction, without the use of any sorcery. Although magic had been used later to smooth and reinforce it, it had originally been carved using only unicorn engineering and determination, much to the annoyance of the pegasi who’d lived where Cant’r Laht was today and only wanted to be left alone by the invaders of their land.
On the Cant’r Laht side of the tunnel was an inn where travelers could rest before or after making the long trek through the dark. Twilight entered the inn as the crescent moon rose above the mountains. The establishment was moderately busy, with about half of the tables occupied by ponies eating or drinking, most of them hangers-on of the Equestrian delegations still in Cant’r Laht who’d left early since they had no reason to stay, not being invited to the wedding and all. A stodgy mare, the innkeeper for sure, stood behind the bar in the center of the room.
“How can I help ye tonight?” the innkeeper asked as Twilight approached, skeptically eyeing her mismatched attire.
“I need a room, as well as maps of Equestria and Cant’r Laht, a silver coin, and something to eat,” the sorceress said.
“That’ll be two Bits,” the innkeeper said, “One and ten shillings for the map, six shillings for the room, and four shillings for the meal. You can use one of your own shillings for the silver coin.”
“I do not have any money on me right now, but I can return and pay you later,” Twilight Sparkle said desperately, and the innkeeper snorted, “I am Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s personal protégé, and I need your help urgently.”
“I’ve never heard that one before,” the innkeeper said sarcastically, “Pay or leave me alone. I won’t turn you out—you can sleep by the fire—but if you want a room, a meal, or a map of Equestria of all things, you’ll have to pay.”
“Leya,[1]” Twilight Sparkle said, and instantly everything on the bar rose into the air.
“Okay, I believe you now,” the innkeeper said as one of her patrons swore and fell off the stool he’d been sitting on to get away from his hovering beer.
Twilight lowered everything back onto the bar, and the innkeeper retrieved what she’d asked for. The fugitive sorceress took her hot meal into her room and locked the door. For good measure, she also placed wards over the door and propped the little furniture there was in the room against it. There was no telling if royal guards or those creatures she’d seen in the woods might come after her.
After her meal, she began to plan. Maybe in a few days she could reenter Cant’r Laht, but it might be too late by then to stop whatever Cadence had as an end goal. When she did enter Cant’r Laht, she’d have to know where Cadence was so that she could either avoid her or unmask her for the despicable pony she was, if she could figure out some way to do so by then. She cast an enchantment on the silver coin she’d been given so that it could be used to locate Cadence. Out of curiosity, she checked to see where Cadence was at the moment. Unrolling the map of Cant’r Laht, using her mug and bowl to hold the edges down, she spun the coin atop it. It spun and spun, circling Cant’r Laht Castle before meandering through the rest of the city and eventually over the Titan’s Horn. Strangely, it did not stop spinning, which meant that the pony it was attuned to was not at a location on the map.
Where in Equestria could she be? Had Cadence left Cant’r Laht? Was she waiting outside the inn? No other magic-users were nearby, as far as Twilight could sense, but it was possible that the alicorn had found some way to conceal herself. Twilight pulled out the map of Equestria and rolled it out on top of the Cant’r Laht map before spinning the coin again. This time, the coin spun around Cant’r Laht before jaunting off toward Vanhuv’r and then reversing course to swing back southeast. It passed Cant’r Laht and continued on past Balte-Maer and across the Shimmering Sea. The spinning of the coin slowed, and it came to a stop on end at the very corner of the map, in the middle of Tyrannus.
What was Cadence doing there of all places? One would think she’d never want to see Tyrannus again after her long “visit” there. Unless … during her imprisonment, she’d somehow been turned and sworn allegiance to Ingrirtireth. That didn’t seem likely, but neither had Cadence imprisoning her in the mines beneath Cant’r Laht, or the existence of strange shapeshifting bug-ponies until very recently. Based on what Twilight recalled from the times she’d studied the sketchy maps of Tyrannus that ponies were able to produce, the coin had stopped above the mountain that served as Ingrirtireth’s stronghold. Could it be?
A washbasin sat next to the room’s bed, and Twilight poured out the pitcher beneath into the basin. Images appeared in the basin as she scryed for Cadence, swinging her magical gaze far to the southeast. Across the Shimmering Sea, the forests of Tyrannus, and the island’s lava plains, her gaze swept until it reached Ingrirtireth’s mountain. She let herself be drawn in, past dozing dragons and through caverns until eventually passing through a wooden door. Chambers here were carved out of rock, and the image froze as Twilight spotted Cadence sleeping in them. So, she was in Tyrannus; but, why would she travel to Tyrannus just to sleep, and how would she have gotten there so quickly?
Twilight pulled her magical gaze back and swept back across the sea and over the mountains. Cant’r Laht was beginning to go to sleep, but guards still patrolled the streets, searching for Twilight Sparkle. The water suddenly grew foggy before clearing up again. The moment it was pristine, Twilight swept her gaze over to the Cant’r Laht Commons. Shining Armor staggered out of the pavilion there, having just renewed his spell and rubbing the side of his head with a hoof. Cadence approached him as he did so.
Cadence! Two Cadences? It didn’t seem possible. Cadence could not be sleeping in Tyrannus while simultaneously trotting around Cant’r Laht. Unless … one of them wasn’t really Cadence at all! Perhaps neither were, but Twilight would prefer the one that hadn’t imprisoned her until she knew better. Could the Cadence in Cant’r Laht be a fake? She had seen those creatures in the woods take on the appearance of ponies; could one of them be impersonating Cadence? The change in personality, the strange magic, the evilness—it all seemed to make sense now.
She had to get to the other Cadence. That would prove to Celestia what was happening for sure. However, there was one small problem. It would take Twilight weeks to reach Tyrannus, and that was assuming she could find a ship captain who’d take her there, and that she wouldn’t be eaten by a dragon the moment she arrived. Even with all the travel across Equestria this past year, she’d never longed so much to be able to simply open a portal and step from one place to another anywhere in the world in an instant.
“Twilight Sparkle! We know you’re in there!” a gruff voice called from the inn’s common room as the door rattled, “Don’t cause any trouble! Come on out!”
The guards had found her. Perhaps it hadn’t been a good idea to reveal to the innkeeper who she was. She couldn’t go with them; there was no telling whether they were real guards or those creatures in disguise, or which option would be worse. She was wanted for attempted murder of Celestia’s heir, and she had no hard evidence to convict Cadence. Nothing could link her to the other ponies imprisoned in the mines beneath Cant’r Laht except for Twilight’s word.
“I am innocent!” Twilight Sparkle called back. It probably wouldn’t do much good, but maybe it would buy her some time.
“Break it down!” the guard on the other side of the door ordered. So much for that plan.
Twilight Sparkle had to get out of here, but simply escaping for a moment wouldn’t do her much good. She could teleport out of the inn, but there was only one direction she could go, away from Cant’r Laht, which meant heading into the tunnel. Despite how this year’s long journeys had better conditioned her body for traveling, she would not be able to outrun or outlast the guards, especially if there were pegasi in their midst, who could loop around and cut her off. Even she couldn’t teleport indefinitely.
The first blow against the door was stopped by her wards, but they began to unravel a few seconds later. They’d brought at least one sorceress along with them; smart for the guards, but bad luck for Twilight. She had to find another way out, even if it was a long shot. The wards had weakened enough by the next blow that the door budged and some of the planks splintered.
Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath to calm herself before facing the wall away from the door. It was now or never. She concentrated on everything she’d studied, and performed the mental incantations. She felt the magical energy flowing out from her body toward the far wall, mounting as the door behind her splintered and a chair propped against it toppled. The chambers she’d seen Cadence in firmly in her mind, she completed the spell.
A magical doorway appeared in the far wall, only a slit at first, but quickly widening. The edges wobbled and pulsed with energy, but eventually stabilized. Through the doorway, she could see a dark room with bare walls of volcanic rock. Twilight laughed raggedly as she realized she’d done it; she’d finally managed to conjure up a portal. If only it had happened within happier circumstances and she could tell Celestia about it right away.
The room’s table flew away from the door, dinnerware and maps scattering off it, the coin rolling under the bed, and it nearly hit Twilight in the hindquarters. She ran toward the portal without looking back, jumping through to the sound of splintering wood. She did look back as the portal snapped shut behind her, catching a glimpse of guards shoving themselves into the room and pushing furniture out of the way. None of them seemed to have seen her portal.
The chambers she’d entered were pitch-black, so the sorceress prepared to conjure up a light. Before she could, a strangely melodic hum sounded, and Twilight found herself unable to move. She squeezed her eyes nearly shut as a bright light appeared in the room. As they adjusted, she saw that the light was balanced on the tip of Cadence’s horn, who looked very surprised.
“Twilight?” Cadence said as she released her, “What are you doing here? And what in Equestria are you wearing?”
“It is a long story,” Twilight said wearily, before stiffening, “I want to trust you, but I have made that mistake already.”
“What are you talking about, Twilight?” Cadence asked with concern.
“Prove you are who you claim to be,” Twilight demanded as she prepared protective spells in case this was a trap.
Cadence looked thoughtful for a few seconds before giving a slight nod.
“Fire, Water, Air, and Earth,”
“Present at the world’s rebirth.”
“Speak their names, they come again:”
“Bei, Ill, Caen, nof Eren,[2]” Cadence and Twilight sang together.
As Cadence named the four elements, a tiny sphere of each appeared in front of her, and all four spun in a circle before dissipating. When she had been a filly, Twilight had been enthused by that trick, something she’d never been able to pull off herself. Now she was certain it had something to do with the musical way that Cadence performed magic, and that this was truly the pony who’d once tried to teach her sorcery.
“Cadence!” Twilight cried excitedly as she embraced the alicorn.
“It’s okay, Twilight,” Cadence comforted her, “Now, what is going on that brought you here?”
Cadence lit some torches, and Twilight relayed to her in detail everything that had happened in the past few days, from the invitation to the wedding to being pursued out of Cant’r Laht. Cadence was very concerned, especially about Shining Armor, interrupting Twilight’s story several times to ask if he’d been hurt. Perhaps a wedding would still be in order once this fiasco was over, but they had more important things to worry about right now. Cadence took the news that somepony or something was impersonating her rather well, though that was why she was Celestia’s heir. She wouldn’t let anything shake her.
“This explains why Ingrirtireth does not want me leaving my chambers. He probably knows all about this plot,” Cadence said more calmly than Twilight would have expected.
“We have to stop your doppelganger,” Twilight Sparkle said, “I do not know what plans she has, but they cannot be good for anypony, least of all Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, or the Equestrian monarchs in Cant’r Laht at this moment.”
“We can’t go in without a plan, though, Twilight,” Cadence said after nodding in agreement, “We need to know more about who we’re up against. You said you saw some creatures outside of Cant’r Laht able to mimic other ponies. I think that would be a good place to start. It’s a shame we won’t be able to research them in the Cant’r Laht Archives.”
“I have an idea where we might be able to do some research,” Twilight Sparkle said.
***
“Just what did you think you were doing, opening a portal on college grounds?!” Summer Blossom demanded angrily of Cadence and Twilight Sparkle, who were ringed by the College of Eyes’ guards and not a small number of mages, “You think that being apprentices of the ‘great Celestia’ gives you the privilege to intrude anywhere you wish?!”
“My apologies, magister, but it is an emergency,” Twilight said anxiously, “I will speak with the archmagister and formally apologize for this intrusion if need be, but we need access to your archives immediately.”
“Your impertinence is legendary, if nothing else. To think I once stood in your defense before the other magisters,” Summer Blossom said sourly, “You presume too much, Twilight Sparkle. To demand access to our archives!”
The sorceress had every right to be angry. Twilight had transgressed against the College of Eyes in what she’d done, but she was willing to pay the penalty. Opening a portal to outside the College’s territory would have been proper, but she and Cadence had no time to wait around while messages were passed back and forth and the college’s magisters deliberated over whether to let them in, possibly sending a letter to Celestia to ask her intentions and unwittingly notifying the false Cadence of their location. Entering the college’s grounds directly was risky and dangerous, but it would help cut right to the heart of things. Given that Cadence and Twilight were still alive, the risk had paid off.
“Archmagister Mendetheles accompanied Duchess Seaspray to Cant’r Laht, and left me in charge while she is away,” Scalai said as she trotted up, “You ought to know that, Lady Cadenza. After all, your wedding is the reason she is still there.”
The blind sorceress looked much better than she had four months ago. Being possessed by the Chaos shard of Discord’s soul and forced to conjure up a tower beneath the Tower of Inner Sight had taken a toll on her, but she’d recovered. Twilight wondered if the other victims of Discord’s possessions had been so fortunate. She realized that she and her friends had mostly just left them and had heard no further news about them. Discord wasn’t the threat in front of them today, though.
“A wedding I had no part in,” Cadence replied, “The pony in Cant’r Laht using my name is a fake, a fraud who has found a way to impersonate me perfectly.”
Scalai went stiff, and her eyes widened behind her blindfold.
“Changelings?” she whispered under her breath.
“What was that?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Come with me,” Scalai commanded, and Twilight and Cadence followed.
“Scalai, what are you doing?” Summer Blossom protested as she followed, some of the guards and sorceresses coming along as well, unsure what to do, “They have intruded in the College of Eyes. They must be punished, or at the very least expelled from the grounds!”
“I am in charge while the archmagister is away,” Scalai reminded her, “They may stay, at least until after I have learned more from them.”
Most of the followers fell away, only Summer Blossom staying and fuming at her fellow magister’s decision. The trek across the dark college grounds brought them to one of the buildings the Brave Companions had visited before. Up they went into the highest point of the tower. The Twins of the Tower were as they’d been last time, Amaelia watching her crystal balls and Amaury with his muzzle buried in a massive book.
“Oh … hello,” Amaury said as he looked up.
A small wooden figure of Cadence was sitting next to Amaury’s book, and he picked it up and deposited it atop the building they were currently in within the College of Eyes’ miniature. Models representing Twilight, Summer Blossom, and Scalai were already there. Twilight Sparkle recognized that her figure was completed now, as was the model of Ponieville that now sat on the ring surrounding Equestria.
“I told you it was Cadence,” Amaelia said without looking away from her crystal balls.
“I know you did,” Amaury shot back.
“I thought you said it was impossible for her to be here and in Cant’r Laht,” Amaelia replied with a hint of satisfaction.
“No, just unlikely, and especially unlikely with Twilight Sparkle at her side,” Amaury defended himself, “Must be another duplicate.”
“So, it’s true, then?” Scalai asked, not even trying to contain the worry in her voice, “It’s changelings?”
“Yes, there have been several sightings in the past few days that can only be explained as such,” Amaury said as he flipped through the book in front of him, searching for the notes he’d made on such occasions, “There has especially been an increase in number in and around Cant’r Laht.”
“Magister Scalai, you mentioned changelings before,” Cadence said, “Who or what are they?”
The blind sorceress sat down on a bureau shoved against the wall and beckoned for the others to take seats of their own. The Twins of the Tower continued at their work, Amaelia calling out to her brother the movements of important ponies in Equestria and Amaury marking them down. Scalai visibly steeled herself before continuing.
“Changelings are a plague, a pestilence that has the potential to worm its way into all of Equestria, yet usually contents itself with nibbling at the edges,” Scalai said, “They did not exist in Equus prior to the Conjunction, and they did not arrive here during it like earth ponies, gryphons, and the like. Fragmentary records from the Long Winter indicate that once they marauded with the White Procession, but why they stayed here when the centaurs and bat-ponies haven’t, we may never know. They reside in the Broken Lands for the most part, but have been known to venture out to hunt. To do so, they take on the appearance of another creature and feed off strong emotions directed toward that pony. As you can imagine, stepping into the place of somepony as well-known as Celestia’s heir, especially if she were a bride-to-be, would be an ideal situation for them.”
“And with nearly all of Equestria’s leaders in Cant’r Laht …” Twilight Sparkle said, and Scalai nodded glumly.
“You seem to know a lot about these creatures,” Cadence commented.
“Magister Scalai is the foremost authority on the changelings,” Amaury commented, apparently having been listening in even while marking things down in his book and adjusting his maps.
“When I was a young sorceress, I sought to study them. In their natural form, they look enough like ponies to fool you only from a distance. They are as if insect and pony were merged, while also possessing the essential traits of both unicorns and pegasi, but they only tend to appear that way when no ponies are around,” Scalai said, and Twilight nodded as she explained exactly what she’d seen outside of Cant’r Laht, “I ventured into the Broken Lands to search for their home, and they did not take kindly to it. Some of them can spray acid. They took my sight from me.”
“I’m so sorry,” Cadence said with sincerity, and Scalai hesitated before accepting it.
“Is there any way we can stop them?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“I know some spells that will help in fighting, unmasking, and protecting against changelings,” Scalai said, “I will teach them to you.”
“Thank you. We will not forget this,” Twilight Sparkle promised.
***
The sun rose and fell and rose again before Twilight and Cadence departed the College of Eyes. Scalai taught them everything she could in the time given, and though they learned more quickly than she’d expected, she couldn’t impart on them all of her knowledge. If they could have stayed another day and rested more than a few hours, they would have, but they were out of time. Twilight had thought she had more time, but she’d underestimated how long she’d been in that chrysalis beneath Cant’r Laht. The wedding was today, and there was no way she was going to let her brother marry a changeling, or let other changelings leave with the Equestrian monarchs back to their home countries, disguised as powerful figures, perhaps even the monarchs themselves.
Within Cant’r Laht Castle’s great hall, the most important ponies of Cant’r Laht and all of Equestria were gathered. There were few here who actually liked Celestia or knew enough about the bride or groom to make a fair judgement on them, but this was an important event. It wasn’t every day that an alicorn was married. Celestia’s heir and House Haltrotsun would be bound together, increasing the prestige of that nearly-dead house even more than inheriting the title of Prince of the City had. With the marriage came questions among some of the monarchs if Celestia intended to set up a hereditary monarchy after her death. Those in the Lodge of Sorceresses kept their mouths shut; they already knew what Celestia had planned.
At the front of the hall stood the wedding party, Shining Armor and mi Amore Cadenza facing each other. The groomstallions and bridesmares were lined up on either side, the best mare position occupied by Fleur de Lis, a sorceress who had been friends with Cadence before her time away. Behind the couple and to the side stood a priestess from the Church of One who would officiate the ceremony, unhappy that the wedding would not be held in Cant’r Laht Cathedral but satisfied that at least it would be performed by a priestess, which was more than some sorceresses thought was necessary for the marriage to be legitimate. Celestia stood directly behind the couple, dressed in regal splendor, and advanced to address the hall.
“Mares and gentlestallions, we are gathered here today to witness the union of the Lady mi Amore Cadenza, sole member of her house, and Lord-Captain Shining Armor of House Haltrotsun,” Celestia announced.
Shining Armor grunted as he felt a buzzing in the back of his head. Odd, that’s never happened before. Cadence reached out a hoof to steady him, and he felt her sorcery work its magic on him to whisk away those aches and pains and put his mind at ease. Everypony gasped as a portal suddenly opened in the middle of the great hall, near enough to the bridal party that nopony was hurt, but still surprising. Chatter arose in the hall as two ponies trotted out of it and it snapped closed to reveal them to everypony in the room.
One of them was Twilight Sparkle, not looking as bedraggled as the rumors spread by a certain innkeeper had described her. She was clad in sorceress robes again, gracefully donated by a sorceress at the College of Eyes, and she’d been able to have a bath and groom her mane. Guards around the hall nearly forget their orders before some of them tried to press through the guests. Twilight Sparkle had tried to kill Lady mi Amore Cadenza once already, and she might try again. The guards quickly came to a halt, however, for Twilight Sparkle was not the most shocking sight.
A second mi Amore Cadenza was standing next to her, looking ready to kill … well, herself. Everypony had something to say, mostly expressions of wonderment, and noise in the hall grew to a din. How could this be? Two Cadences? What was happening?
“Twilight Sparkle, explain yourself!” Celestia demanded, “What manner of trick are you attempting?”
“The only trick here is the one she’s been playing!” the Cadence next to Twilight cried as she pointed at her doppelganger, “She is an imposter, a changeling sent her to take my place while I’ve been imprisoned in Tyrannus!”
A gasp went up, and many of the sorceresses in the room began to conjure up shields to protect themselves.
“I don’t know who you are, but you’re not me!” the Cadence with Celestia said, “Twilight Sparkle has clearly caught you up in her schemes to seize my position. She’ll kill you too, once your usefulness to her is at its end!”
Twilight Sparkle directed a spell at this Cadence while she was still ranting and let loose. Celestia conjured a shield and Shining Armor stepped in front of his bride, but neither stopped the spell; it wasn’t meant to cause damage. Emerald flame writhed over Cadence, burning away her wedding dress as her true form was revealed. Somepony screamed as the illusion of a pink alicorn melted away to reveal what was beneath. The imposter was a changeling all right, but she didn’t look exactly like the creatures Twilight had seen outside of Cant’r Laht or Scalai had observed in the Broken Lands. She was nearly as tall as Celestia, and her eyes had visible slitted pupils and sclera, her irises the same emerald green as the other changelings. Instead of a simple curved horn, hers was long and crooked, and looked as if it had had several chunks taken out of it. Her legs bore similar divots, with no discernable purpose. Her mane and tail were longer than that of the other changelings, and more pony-like in appearance, though still made of the same webbed material. She hissed as her mandibles clicked together, a sound that made many ponies want to climb the walls.
“Well done,” the changeling said, her voice buzzing and vibrating as she spoke, “I should have killed you instead of imprisoning you, Twilight Sparkle. I, Chrysalis, Queen of the Broken Lands, vow not to make the same mistake a second time.”
As she spoke her name, several other ponies in the room transformed into changelings and hurried to block the exits. Amaury had said that duplicates had been seen frequently in and around Cant’r Laht recently. How many of the ponies in the city were actually changelings in disguise? Somepony bravely cast a lightning bolt at Chrysalis, but she contained it with her own magic and hurtled it back at them, leaving them writhing and screaming on the floor. Scalai had taught Twilight and Cadence spells that would be effective against changelings, but how effective would they be against their queen?
“How did you get past Shining Armor’s protective shield?” Twilight Sparkle asked, playing for time, as she spotted Celestia’s mouth moving.
“It was simple,” Chrysalis bragged, more than happy to monologue, “In fact, his spell made it easier for us to enter Cant’r Laht. I have been in control of it from the start, poisoning it, sabotaging it, and all without any of you so-called sorceresses noticing! All it took was a vague threat and a suggestion to my darling fiancé to convince you to put it in place. A few magically induced headaches later, and Shining Armor was more than willing to let me cast any spell I wanted on him. Right, dear?”
Shining Armor nodded dreamily as she asked, though he looked pained, as if he were struggling and failing to resist. Cadence looked pained as well, at seeing Shining Armor like this. At least that is still true.
“I had hoped this would be a quiet takeover of Equestria, slipping into your positions during tonight’s festivities and on the way to your homes, but it seems we’ll have to do this all at once,” Chrysalis said, “Fear not, the rest of my army will arrive shortly, and there is no shortage of space for you in the mines beneath Cant’r Laht.”
“I believe you’ve forgotten something,” Celestia said as she approached Chrysalis from behind.
Astral chains sprung up around Celestia and lashed out at Chrysalis, tying her up. As the other changelings jumped to assist their queen, Celestia glanced at them, and spikes of silver jumped out of the ground, impaling them. They hissed and squealed as their sticky green blood flowed down the spikes and they tried to flap free. Fire was burning in Celestia’s eyes as she stepped closer to Chrysalis to stare her in the face. A small drop of blood fell from one nostril and sizzled on the floor, a fact nopony but Chrysalis saw, but one she could not forget.
“You were a fool to reveal your plans, especially in my presence,” Celestia said as the chains tightened around Chrysalis and began to burn her flesh, the stench of burning exoskeleton drifting away from her.
“Oh, Celestia, I could never forget about you,” Chrysalis said with a grin that was made exceedingly unnerving by her mandibles.
Emerald flame burst from the floor around Celestia, and the ancient sorceress quickly summoned a shield around herself. The divots in Chrysalis’s flesh seemed to glow as she forced the astral chains away. As she cocked her head swiftly to the side with a sickening sound, the chains shattered, though the magical energy still hung in the air. Chrysalis directed it toward Celestia, who dodged out of the firestorm.
“Mi Amore Cadenza was just the opening act,” Chrysalis said as she trotted toward Celestia, “You were always the prize. We changelings must feed off strong emotions to survive by taking the place of the pony they are directed at. Nopony has such strong emotions directed at them and in such abundance as you, ‘greatest living sorceress.’ Shall we put that title to the test?”
Not oft-used muscles beneath Celestia’s flesh tensed as she withstood the indignation of being forced back. Nopony had stood against her seriously in centuries. Steam coiled off her body, and the tiles beneath her hooves began to melt.
“Bei,[3]” the ancient sorceress said softly.
A pillar of flame engulfed Chrysalis, and the wedding guests tried to jump back farther. Some of them took advantage of the dead changelings ringing the great hall to flee, but they found more changelings waiting for them outside, rushing to Chrysalis’s silent call. Twilight realized with a start that she couldn’t sense Celestia casting any spells. Something Chrysalis had done with Shining Armor’s shield was blocking her ability to sense others using magic, perhaps blocking everypony’s ability. A battle was raging between Celestia and Chrysalis, and it was likely none of the other mages in Cant’r Laht were even aware.
Emerald flame began to peek through Celestia’s yellow as Chrysalis conjured up her own pillar of fire. Tongues of fire in both colors fanned out in all directions as Chrysalis’s pillar broke free. Twilight conjured up a shield to protect the wedding guests, and was surprised to see some of the other sorceresses in the room doing the same (though they may just have been protecting themselves and saving others’ lives was merely a coincidence). Windows shattered and their frames warped as the flame hit them.
A blizzard hit Celestia in the face, flakes of snow turning to raindrops before they struck her. Lightning crackled in the air between the changeling queen and the ancient sorceress, the only indication that they were trying to cast a nastier sort of spell on each other but were being countered. Some of the mages in the crowd took the initiative of striking out at Chrysalis themselves, but she easily swatted their attacks away or redirected them at Celestia. Some of the mages in the crowd would undoubtedly have liked for their attacks to hit Celestia on any other day, but today the changeling queen took priority.
Celestia was holding her own at first, but began to fall back, defending more than attacking, erecting a shield to absorb attacks instead of dissipating or neutralizing them. She’d expected to be able to dispatch this interloper without much difficulty, but instead she was struggling just to stay on her hooves. The only reason blood wasn’t dripping from her nostrils as it tended to do these days when she overexerted herself was because it had been singed and plugged her naval cavity early in the fight. She tried to entrap Chrysalis again, but her chains failed to latch on.
While she was defending against frontal attacks, she missed noticing her throne suddenly flying across the great hall. The head of the throne struck Celestia across the back of the head, and her sight blurred more than it already had. Her legs gave way and she fell to the floor. Celestia tried to push herself up, but collapsed again. A silence fell over the room as the shock of what had just happened settled. The undefeatable Celestia had just been defeated.
“A valiant effort, but you are just a pony,” Chrysalis gloated over Celestia, who was slipping in and out of consciousness.
“Twi’, what are we goin’ t’ do?” Applejack asked at Twilight’s side.
During the events of the last few minutes, the Brave Companions had made their way across the great hall to her and Cadence. Twilight Sparkle was glad to see them, but also worried about what might become of them and everypony else in this room. Chrysalis seemed to be planning for the changelings to take everypony’s place, but she doubted she’d also go to the trouble of imprisoning everypony in the mines beneath Cant’r Laht.
There was no fighting the changeling queen, not if she could defeat Celestia on her own. Without Celestia, fighting back was futile. No, we’ve faced more fearsome foes without Celestia’s help before. Celestia hadn’t defeated Nightmare Moon and she hadn’t been the one to return Discord to his stone prison. The Brave Companions had been the ones to do that, and though Celestia couldn’t express it at the moment, surely she’d want the Brave Companions to help again.
“The Elements of Harmony,” Twilight said, “They may be our only hope.”
Rainbow Dash nodded affirmation and started to clear a path out of the great hall.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Chrysalis asked, and Twilight was sure the jig was up.
“I won’t let you get away with this, and I won’t let you hurt Shining Armor anymore!” Cadence said defiantly.
Looking behind her, Twilight could see the young alicorn standing up to the changeling queen, occupying all of her focus. Small balls of flame circled Cadence’s head as she hummed to herself. Suddenly they all spun away and toward Chrysalis, where they exploded. The changeling queen was singed by the blasts, but shrugged them off and swung a hoof around, beckoning for a spell that threw Cadence across the great hall. Cadence spread her wings before striking a wall or pillar and pointed her horn at Chrysalis, using it to direct a beam of vibrating energy. She glanced at Twilight and gave her a look telling her to go. Thank you, Cadence. Please don’t die.
The Brave Companions took advantage of Cadence’s distraction to flee the great hall. Applejack bucked a changeling blocking the door in the face as they left, the impact of her hindhooves making an audible crunch. There were more changelings in the hallways of the castle, some trotting along the floor, some buzzing around overhead. Twilight Sparkle used one of the spells she’d learned from Scalai, directing beams of it at the changelings. Wherever it impacted, their shiny black exoskeleton became mottled and red and they squealed in pain, either diving toward Twilight or withdrawing.
“Rainbow!” Fluttershy yelled as the Hunter flew away from the group down the hall.
“I’m sure she’s just getting her weapons, darling,” Rarity assured her.
“I sure wouldn’t mind havin’ a weapon o’ m’ own right now,” Applejack admitted.
Pinkamena had a weapon, a halberd that had been dropped by one of the dead guards in the hall, but she wasn’t wielding it correctly. Correctly or not, she was managing to trip some of the changelings up, making it easier for Twilight to strike them with her spells or for Applejack and Rarity to buck them. In some places, other guards were fighting changelings, and the Brave Companions tried to help where they could. Rainbow Dash appeared up ahead, skidding out of a chamber as she just finished pulling on her gear, but a second later, a second Rainbow Dash emerged from a different chamber, pulling on her sword belt.
“It’s me!” the second Hunter yelled, “I mean, I’m me! That’s not me!”
“She’s lying!” the first Rainbow Dash yelled, “She’s the changeling!”
The two were exactly identical in every way, but fortunately Twilight had a spell to identify who was real and who was false, the same spell she’d cast on Chrysalis. She cast it on the nearer Rainbow Dash, and nothing happened. The other was the fake, and she jumped into the air before diving toward the Hunter. They clashed in midair, tussling with each other, but the real Rainbow was victorious, stabbing her doppelganger in the neck until she transformed back into her true form.
Twilight led the way ahead, cringing as she stepped over the dead changeling whose webbed mane was still transforming in color back from Rainbow Dash’s spectrum. The Elements would be in her old chambers in the north tower, and the quickest way to get there would be to cut through the castle grounds. The Brave Companions galloped outside, only to stop after several paces. An army of changelings was assembled on the grounds, rapidly transforming into Twilight and her friends. Twilight prepared to teleport them up into the tower, but the changelings attacked before she could, and they were soon intermingled so that the sorceress had no idea who was real and who was a fake.
While the other Brave Companions struck out at their doppelgangers or defended against attacks from their friends, Twilight tried to unmask as many of the changelings as possible. She alternated between her spells, using the attack spell only when the unmasking one had already revealed that the pony she was attacking was not a pony at all. The attack that Scalai had taught her and Cadence was not to be taken lightly; it was more effective at harming changelings than traditional sorcery, but it hurt ponies just as much, if not worse.
A pile of burned changelings began to take shape around the sorceress as she defended against all attacks. Smaller piles of changelings who’d been chopped up instead of magically burned lay around the battlefield, the victims of Rainbow Dash’s sword or Pinkamena’s halberd as she swung it around. Applejack jumped atop a changeling’s head, crushing it, and bounded up to Twilight.
“‘Tis me!” Applejack promised as she guarded Twilight’s back, “There’s too many o’ ‘em, Twi’.”
“I know,” Twilight said as she blasted a changeling that tripped over Fluttershy, who was cowering with part of her body under a bench, “We need to get to the Elements, but I need to know who is who.”
Rainbow Dash shot down out of the sky and zipped along a line of other Rainbow Dashes, gutting them with her sword. A Twilight Sparkle attacked her from behind and she lopped her head off before darting over to the real Twilight and Applejack.
“What’s the plan?” she asked, sheathing her sword in a changeling’s head to allow her to speak normally for a moment.
“Once I know which one of us are genuine, I will teleport us to the tower, but I do not know where Rarity is,” Twilight Sparkle said, after casting the unmasking spell on Rainbow to be sure.
“She’s the one over there with the statue in her mouth,” Rainbow Dash pointed her out.
“How can you be sure?” Twilight asked. She was too far away to use the unmasking spell on.
“She’s holding it like her blacksmith hammer,” Rainbow Dash said.
The Hunter’s perception was good enough for Twilight. She focused her magic on the two ponies with her, the druidess cowering under a bench, the blacksmith using a statue of a fish as an improvised weapon, and the bard spinning around with reckless abandon with a halberd in her mouth. The six of them were instantly transported from the grounds outside Cant’r Laht Castle to Twilight’s chambers.
Her chambers were crawling with changelings, not as many as down below, but in a smaller space it certainly seemed like there were more. Twilight Sparkle felt something tighten around her ability to work sorcery, somewhat like what Chrysalis had done to her before when she’d imprisoned her, but not as strong. Maybe I can break free. That plan was put to an end as the pressure grew stronger and she was sure she wouldn’t be able to cast any spells.
“Get off of me!” Rainbow Dash demanded, three changelings standing on top of her and pinning her down.
The other Brave Companions were likewise being restrained. A pair of changelings forced the sorceress to the ground. Her chambers had been torn apart by the changelings. Ahead of her, Twilight could see some of them looking in the chest that contained the Elements of Harmony. They’d failed.
***
The great hall was swarming with changelings by the time the Brave Companions were led back under guard. Celestia was standing at the head of the room, but it only took Twilight a moment to realize that it was merely Chrysalis in Celestia’s body. The real Celestia was still lying on the floor, but now she was covered in green ooze contained under a membrane fastened to the floor. Was Chrysalis afraid she might wake up? Cadence was lying nearby, beaten and bruised but still breathing, and she hadn’t been contained in such a way.
“You’re quite troublesome, you ‘Brave Companions,’” Chrysalis said as she transformed back into her true form, her voice jarringly shifting from Celestia’s to her own in the middle of the sentence, “Not a problem I can’t deal with, though, as you all can see. I will have to find some very special members of my hive to take your places. With your names and appearances, they could do almost anything and nopony would question them.”
“I hate to disappoint, but that is not exactly how it works,” Twilight said.
The sorceress had noticed that though Cadence appeared out for the count, she was slowly moving toward Shining Armor. Did she have a plan? Twilight had no idea what it could be, but she hoped it was a good one. Unless … she just wants to be closer to Shining Armor in the end. Yes, that seems more likely. Still, better to let her be with the pony she loves for however long she has left. I can keep Chrysalis’s attention long enough for that.
“Many ponies do not want us interfering in their business and see as a nuisance wherever we go and whatever we do,” Twilight continued to address Chrysalis, who was beginning to trot toward the Brave Companions, her wings fidgeting.
“It’s true,” Rainbow Dash said, “We don’t get many warm welcomes.”
“Hatred and distrust are just as powerful emotions as love and adoration. Why else would I seek to take Celestia’s place?” Chrysalis said, “Still, I see your point. Perhaps I ought to just kill you now and nopony would care?”
“Oh, ponies would care, alright, but if y’ don’t know enough about us t’ impersonate us, then ponies’ll figure out we’re gone anyway and discover your plot,” Applejack said, thinking on her hooves, “Y’ didn’t fool Twi’ wi’ that impression o’ mi Amore Cadenza.”
“But I fooled everypony else, and Twilight was part of my plan,” Chrysalis said.
As the changeling queen and the Brave Companions continued to go back and forth, Cadence had pulled herself over to Shining Armor and placed a hoof against his foreleg. Magic surged across the contact as Cadence carefully reached into his mind and gently undid the shackles that Chrysalis had placed upon it. As the last of her control was removed, Shining Armor groaned and squeezed his eyes shut before blinking them rapidly.
“What’s going on?” he asked, “What are all those creatures? Cadence, what happened to you?”
“Quiet, my love. We’re in danger still,” Cadence said after shushing him, but tears glistened in her eyes as she saw that he was fine, “I need you to cast your spell to protect Cant’r Laht.”
“What good will that do now?” he whispered back, looking at all the changelings in the room, his eyes widening as he spotted Celestia, “Besides, I have to be in the Cant’r Laht Commons to cast that spell. I don’t have the strength to do so from here. In fact, I don’t know if I have the strength to cast it at all.”
“Don’t worry, I will help you,” Cadence assured him.
Shining Armor wanted to protest that it was impossible, but plenty of impossible things had happened recently, foremost among them Cadence returning to him after so many years away. With her at his side, he could believe that the impossible was possible, and not just because she was an alicorn. He prepared the spell, foregoing the motions he would have taken around the crystal in the pavilion—they would do no good here. Cadence lent him her strength, as well as adding something to his protective spell. Just as Chrysalis had poisoned the spell, she healed it and incorporated the spells Scalai had taught her. Weaving them together, the attack spell would only affect changelings, provided she’d done it right.
Chrysalis, wrapped up in her conversation with the Brave Companions, was taken completely off guard when a bright beam of light shot from Shining Armor’s horn in the direction of the Cant’r Laht Commons. When Twilight Sparkle had witnessed him casting the spell before, the light had been pure white, but now there seemed to be a touch of pink in it. Outside the broken windows, the shield over the city was briefly visible again.
“What did you do?” Chrysalis asked as she slapped Shining Armor to the floor and picked Cadence up in her magic.
Hissing came from some of the other changelings in the room, and Chrysalis looked around. Most of them had fallen out of the air, the ponies giving them a wide berth where they’d landed, and were scratching at themselves with their hooves. Cadence fell out of Chrysalis’s magic, and the changeling queen looked at her with astonishment. She struggled to pick her up again but failed; her magic had ceased working. Smoke rose from the flesh of the other changelings as their exoskeletons began to burn on the outside now, becoming bubbled and pockmarked in patches.
“What did you do?!” Chrysalis demanded as her own flesh began to burn.
She stepped toward Cadence, but flinched in pain as the effects of the spell spread. Giving a banshee-like scream, the changeling queen flew out of the nearest window and fluttered away from Cant’r Laht as quickly as she could. Other changelings tried to follow her lead, but many were dead before they reached a window or before they could leave the shield around the city. They curled up and their bodies quickly began to flake away as ash. Celestia’s prison was the same way, hardening before crumbling away, and the ancient sorceress coughed as she returned to consciousness.
“Celestia,” Twilight Sparkle cried as she trotted up to her mentor.
“Forgive me, Twilight Sparkle, for doubting you,” Celestia said, quietly enough that nopony heard except for Raven, who was hurrying up to check on her mistress.
“There is no need,” Twilight assured her, surprised that Celestia had offered, “Chrysalis fooled everypony; I just happened to get lucky because I was looking.”
“I remember!” Shining Armor yelled as his memory of everything he’d done under Chrysalis’s sway returned, catching the attention of all the traumatized wedding guests, which wasn’t great for his next awkward interaction with the pony next to him, “So, um, Cadence, I guess it wasn’t really you who asked before, but do you still want to get married?”
“Of course,” Cadence said, grinning happily.
“Well, Twilight Sparkle, it seems you have a wedding to plan again,” Celestia said with a mischievous smile, “This time, less damage to the great hall might be a good idea.”
***
This time, preparations for the wedding went off without a hitch. Cadence acted exactly as Twilight had expected her to before, though perhaps she’d also become less critical herself of her future sister-in-law’s actions. Of course she would have suggestions for her own wedding and wouldn’t be immediately satisfied with how things were, but she was much easier to work with than the snide, dismissive fake Cadence.
Cadence agreed with Celestia that it would be important for the various rulers of Equestria to witness the wedding, so preparations were made swiftly. The delegations remained an additional two days, something the sorceresses who’d come along were especially pleased about because it gave them an opportunity to study what was left of the changelings, the shield over Cant’r Laht, and the spells Twilight and Cadence had learned. Many ponies were also too shaken to travel after learning the extent of the changeling plot. Some had seen their councilors transform before their very eyes, and some Cant’r Laht residents had seen the same thing happen to friends. Many of them had been retrieved from the mines beneath Cant’r Laht, but many others were still missing and presumed dead.
The true wedding between Cadence and Shining Armor was held in Cant’r Laht Cathedral, both because Cadence insisted on it and because the great hall was in no state for an important ceremony at the moment. High Priestess Rubius herself presided over the wedding, which was practically unheard of; however, Cadence was Celestia’s appointed heir, and Celestia was the closest thing to royalty in Cant’r Laht. It was a tremendous honor to be wed by the pontiff of the entire Church of One, an honor that Cadence was exceedingly grateful for and would be aware of always. Nearly all the important ponies in Cant’r Laht and Equestria assembled in the cathedral to witness the wedding, Twilight with a close view of things next to Cadence, best mare once again.
“You have made your vows to each other. Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor Haltrotsun, in the sight of Faust and these witnesses, I now pronounce you mare and husband. If you wish, you may seal the union with a kiss,” Rubius announced at the end of the ceremony.
And just like that, Twilight’s brother and the mare who’d taught her the basics of magic were married. Both of Celestia’s apprentices were now related, something that the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht would surely speculate on when it came to discussing succession. Twilight was happy for them, and happy to see Cadence back, even if the circumstances around her return hadn’t been ideal.
While the wedding had been moved to the cathedral, the feast afterward was still to be held at the castle, and the wedding party and guests both began moving in that direction. They didn’t move very quickly, all these powerful ponies who took every opportunity to shake hooves and talk to each other. As they were exiting the cathedral, Celestia pulled Twilight aside.
“Twilight Sparkle, I have a request of you and your friends,” Celestia said as she gave the ponies around them looks that told them to move on.
“Of course, Celestia, what is it?” Twilight asked.
“In two weeks’ time, I want you are your friends to return to Cant’r Laht to be present for my coronation,” Celestia.
“I am sorry, I think I misheard you there,” Twilight said. Celestia couldn’t have just said what I thought.
“I want the Brave Companions to be at my coronation,” Celestia said, “Mine and Luna’s, that is. I vowed long ago never to wear a crown again, but my sister has convinced me it is in the best interest of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht that they be no longer a disparate collection of dominions bound to me alone in various ways and not to a singular title.”
Celestia nodded to Luna, who looked very uncomfortable surrounded by prominent ponies asking questions of her. She’d been more active ever since the Night Festival and had made her debut before the monarchs of Equestria at the Grand Galloping Gala and the summit this year, but she was still uneasy with public appearance.
“I-I do not know what to say,” Twilight admitted, “You have taken me by surprise.”
“It is important to me that you be there, my most faithful apprentice,” Celestia said, “I will need you and your friends’ help to improve the Dominions of Cant’r Laht—indeed, to improve all of Equestria. I am counting on you.”
“Of course, we will be there,” Twilight Sparkle promised. Just what is she planning?
Hundreds of ponies were packed into Cant’r Laht Cathedral, arrayed in neat lines and groups. Assembled here were all the important ponies of the Dominions of Cant’r Laht, summoned by Celestial decree. The Cant’r Laht nobility had the preeminent position in the crowd, unicorns in finery that displayed both their wealth and the magical abilities the vast majority of them possessed. At their head were Night Light and Twilight Velvet Haltrotsun, Prince and Princess of the City. All the Cant’r Laht nobles coveted that title, but as long as Celestia reigned, they would have to be content with their own lots, and judging by today’s ceremony, Celestia intended to continue reigning for some quite time.
To the left of the Cant’r Laht nobility stood the nobility of the Hill Kingdoms. Five of these ponies were still allowed to call themselves kings, but the rest were the sons and daughters of Hill Kings, who had to be content with lesser titles after Celestia had absorbed the Hill Kingdoms into her dominion. She seemed to have done a lot of that, binding nobles to her, and her alone. Today, however, all that would change.
Even farther left stood the nobles of the White and Blue Mountains. These were pegasus lords whose fine clothes seemed to have a militaristic styling. Bracing in the legs on one lord, the hint of pauldrons in a lady’s dress. It was strange when one considered how pacifistic the pegasi had been before the unicorns came to Equestria, but these were ponies who knew fighting intimately. They had to deal on a daily basis with the beasts that lurked in the mountains and attacked their roosts; Hunters in all but name. Most of the lords of the mountains seemed pleased that Celestia would finally be coronated properly, though there was one among them who was consistently upset. His ire was not directed at Celestia, though, but at the new Prince of the City. Many of those who stood behind Night Light thought they might find an ally in this pegasus.
To the right of the Cant’r Laht nobility stood the lords of the White Tail Woods. Duchess Periwinkle, Duke Stellar, and Margraves Tristan and Brekka stood at the front, as was their right as the most powerful nobles of White Tail. Nonetheless, Tristan stood apart from the other three; though he’d protested his innocence, there was distrust of the margrave since the discovery of documents following the Los Pegasus invasion that would grant him titles in Queen Helianthus’s kingdom. Nothing stipulated that he’d betrayed the Dominions of Cant’r Laht or intended to, but his behavior prior to the invasion had been very suspicious. Close watch had to be kept on him, and the other White Tail lords had taken it upon themselves to do so.
Past the White Tail lords stood the local lords and governors of the Equestry Valley, those few who didn’t have their seat in Cant’r Laht. Mayor Mare of Ponieville was at the front of them, as well as Thane Silver Star of Appleoosa. Chief Strongheart, Warden of the South, was not in attendance, though that was something that would be remedied after the coronation ceremony was over. With the two special municipal governors of the Equestria Valley stood the Brave Companions. Twilight Sparkle had taken advantage of her newfound ability with portals to transport herself and her friends back to Ponieville after the wedding of Cadence and Shining Armor, and given them plenty of time before bringing them back for the coronation.
Besides these hundreds inside the cathedral, thousands more milled outside its doors in a disorderly crowd, waiting for their newly coronated monarch to emerge. These ponies were commoners: peasants and townsponies. They had no oaths to swear to Celestia, so they were not needed nor invited inside the cathedral. Ever since word had been sent out about the ceremony, more and more ponies had begun showing up just to catch a glimpse of something that hadn’t been seen in over a thousand years: a properly crowned Celestia. When she’d taken over Cant’r Laht a millennium ago, she’d conquered it by force without any pretense to legitimacy or title other than to accept the Lodge of Sorceresses’ proclamation of her as the new Matriarch of Sorceresses. Now, however, she would be a crowned ruler, just like every other monarch in Equestria. Just what her title would be, however, only a select few knew.
“Do you, Celestia, solemnly swear to rule rightly, and to dispense justice and mercy in fairness to all your subjects?” High Priestess Rubius asked as she stood before the ancient sorceress.
“I do,” Celestia vowed.
Luna stood next to her, already coronated, and looking truly at ease for the first time since her return. Beside that ease, Celestia could still see some nervous tension in her sister, though it was not directed at herself as it so often was; it was directed at Celestia. If only I could have read her emotions so well a thousand years ago. Luna was nervous that her sister would not go through with the ceremony properly. It had been Luna’s insistence that the coronation was held in Cant’r Laht Cathedral, administered by the High Priestess herself, and that ceremony be as close to orthodox as possible. It grated with Celestia, who’d never gotten along well with the Church of One, but she had seen the great value to legitimacy that such a ceremony would bestow, so she had complied. The cost is more than worth it for what I will gain, what Equestria will gain.
“Do you, Celestia, solemnly swear to uphold the rights of your vassals, to protect them, pursue their good, and respect their rule?” Rubius asked.
“I do,” Celestia vowed.
Later, all her vassals would reswear their fealty to her in this public ceremony. If she was to be held accountable to them by her oaths, then they had to agree to be held accountable to her by their own. She wondered if some might take this opportunity to test her resolve and refuse to swear. It would mean civil war as she brought the unruly nobles back under her control. Some were undoubtedly thinking that this coronation meant their old oaths to her were null and see this as a chance to break free, but she would seek to disabuse any who thought that way of such a notion. They all would swear to her, one way or another. Whether they wanted to or not, it wasn’t likely, especially among the Cant’r Laht nobles (who were usually the most troublesome). Celestia’s defeat to Queen Chrysalis just weeks earlier had oddly had the opposite effect that Celestia had expected. Celestia had been defeated, but she’d also displayed her power in its fullness, and many of the nobles were sufficiently intimidated by the massive gap between their own abilities and the Matron of Sorceresses’ that they were willing to go along with her schemes.
“Do you, Celestia, solemnly swear to bring honor and glory to the crown of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht and do all in your power to enrich the lives of those in the realm it represents?” Rubius asked.
“I do,” Celestia replied.
After today, the Dominions of Cant’r Laht would be no more. From now on, ponies would speak of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. As well they should, for the two realms were not the same. The Dominions of Cant’r Laht, though named after the city in which Celestia ruled, were truly dominions that belonged only to Celestia herself. Oaths were made to her, not to the Lodge of Sorceresses or the Prince of the City. This was a realm that depended on Celestia so thoroughly that it could never survive without her. Now, things would be different. Celestia still ruled, but the many lands that had sworn to her over the years—the White and Blue Mountains, the Equestry Valley, the White Tail Woods, the Hill Kingdoms—were now part of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, a realm that didn’t assume Celestia as its head of state. She had spent this year drawing up the document that would fundamentally transform her realm and getting approval from her vassals for its execution. All it was waiting for now was her and Luna’s post-coronation signatures.
“Do you accept these vows?” the High Priestess turned around to address the assembled nobility.
“Aye!” they answered, as was expected. Celestia thought she could pick out who had hesitated, but that wasn’t important. Her vassals had done the first part of their duty, and there’d be no problems as long as they followed through with their own oaths later, which they’d be foolish not to after accepting her oaths that had been directed to vassals and subjects.
Celestia kept her face impassive, though she almost felt like smiling. She had gotten away with one less oath than the script called for, an oath that Luna had sworn but she had not. High Priestess Rubius would have been a fool had she thought that Celestia would be willing to submit to the discipline and guidance of the Church of One and to its High Priestess. Perhaps, though as Celestia considered it, what would she have done had the High Priestess called her bluff and asked her to swear in order to be coronated? Did she want this so badly that she would utter such an oath? No matter, things hadn’t transpired in that way, and Celestia had won herself (in her own mind at least) a small victory. Indeed, the victory would be small as it was overshadowed by what came next.
“I accept your vows on behalf of Faust and your righteous subjects,” Rubius said after she’d turned back to Celestia, “I will now anoint you with holy oil.”
An assistant wheeled over the tube of oil that had been used previously for Luna’s anointing until it stood between Celestia and Rubius. The assistant removed the cap from the tall, golden cylinder before backing away. Celestia stared at the tube as Rubius said some words in the Language of the Horns over it. Apparently, it had been specially constructed for this ceremony since Celestia and Luna’s horns were far longer than the average unicorn’s. Images and script were engraved into the gold, though none that were specifically meant to represent Celestia and Luna. Good. So she did listen.
As Rubius finished her blessings, she motioned for Celestia to proceed. The alicorn placed her head over the oil before craning her neck downward until her horn was lined up with the tube. She continued to lower her head and dip her horn in the oil until the cylinder butted against her forehead. It was the traditional coronation, but Celestia hated how it looked like she was bowing to the High Priestess by doing this (which was probably the point). She also seemed to be bowing to all the vassals arrayed before her, and she couldn’t look up to see their reactions. To do so would mean overturning the tube of oil and ending her coronation then and there. She was not going to ruin things now. Slowly, she drew her horn out of the tube and straightened. Nothing seemed amiss, but surely some of the ponies in that crowd had taken pleasure at seeing her bent so. She looked over to Luna, who gave her a smile. Her sister’s oil had run down her muzzle by now, and Celestia tried to leverage her sorcery to keep the same from happening to her. It didn’t work, and she tried not to cross her eyes as it ran down.
Rubius gestured, and Raven hurried up with Celestia’s crown. To call it a crown would be generous. It was certainly nothing like what Celestia had worn back when she and Luna had ruled Equestria together. No, a circlet would be a better name for it. It was plated in gold, with two peaks that would sit on either side of her horn adorned with fire-rubies, gifts from Saddle Arabia. Her circlet offset that of her sister, which was plated in silver and adorned with sapphires.
Rubius passed off her staff to a waiting assistant and took the circlet between her hooves. Again, Celestia had to bow to the High Priestess so that she could be crowned. She was careful not to impale Rubius on her horn, and the head of the Church of One placed the crown upon her head. It had been over a thousand years, more than half of Celestia’s life, but the weight of the crown was all too familiar. The last time I failed. I cannot fail again. Celestia stood, towering over the High Priestess.
“In the sight of Faust and these witnesses, I now proclaim you, Celestia, Regent of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht,” Rubius said after reclaiming her staff.
Among those who hadn’t known exactly what was coming, there was whispering and shuffling about. The most common assumption before the ceremony among the uninformed had been that Celestia would be declared a queen. Then, when Luna was thrown into the mix, they assumed a revived diarchy was in order with two queens. But Luna hadn’t been crowned as a queen, she’d been crowned as a regent. The assumption then was that it was a lesser title to Celestia who would be crowned queen herself. However, they’d just seen two regents crowned, an odd beginning for the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. Celestia would uphold that oath she’d made to herself, never to become queen again, and Luna had seen fit to follow it as well. After they were gone, however, then it would be up to another to rule as queen, and Celestia had a good idea in her mind who that would be.
“Lords and ladies of the realm, I present to you Celestia and Luna, Co-Regents of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht!” Rubius announced after turning around, “Long may they reign!”
“Long may they reign! Long may they reign! Long may they reign!” the call was echoed thrice by the assembled nobility.
Long may we reign? I would be content with enough time to prepare our successor. There’s still so much to do.
***
Vows to serve the regents of Cant’r Laht from the vassals followed, but while that was going on, the announcement of the coronation’s conclusion was made to the crowd outside of the cathedral. The peasants and townsponies had plenty of time to think on what it meant to have two new regents instead of Celestia ruling alone by the time the monarchs were presented to them. For most ponies, it wouldn’t mean much of a difference except that the chance of being called to fight in a civil war in the unlikely event that Celestia died would be lessened. That was reason enough to cheer as High Priestess Rubius presented Celestia and Luna, on top of the week of celebrations and exemptions from work throughout the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht following the coronation.
The royal procession—Celestia and Luna in front and their freshly sworn vassals following behind—wove through the streets of Cant’r Laht on their way to the castle, cheered the whole way by subjects that the city guard kept to the sides of the streets. Fresh flowers were thrown down from balconies toward the regents, some of them woven into wreaths. Whenever these landed in front of Celestia or Luna, they were required by tradition to drape them over their necks. Old traditions of Equestria revived for the sake of a new Equestria.
At last, they reached Cant’r Laht Castle, where the first of the coronation feasts was to be held. Before the feast could begin, though, Regents Celestia and Luna had to sign their names to the document that officially consolidated the Dominions of Cant’r Laht into the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht and established that title. Celestia and Luna were the current regents holding that title until the first queen was ready to ascend. After both of their deaths or abdications, Cadence was next in line, followed by Twilight Sparkle. One or both of Celestia’s apprentices would be crowned Queen of Cant’r Laht someday. They would inherit a unified kingdom, not a disparate collection of regions sworn to follow a sorceress who’d compelled their loyalty most often with threats of force. Celestia would give them that, if she was not able to give them a united Equestria. With each passing year, it seemed more and more likely she would not see that dream in her lifetime.
Today was a day of celebration, though. While the lords and ladies of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht feasted in Cant’r Laht Castle, the commoners were allowed to feast to their hearts’ content free of charge in the Cant’r Laht Common, where castle servants would be serving food all day. Other feasts would be held across the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht today as well, and again when the vassals returned to their homes, to celebrate the accession of the new monarchs. For a few days at least, peace and prosperity would be seen throughout the kingdom.
Elsewhere, things were not as sunny. Celestia hated to let her mood be darkened on a day of joy and triumph, but she could not keep her thoughts from what had compelled her to move to this point so swiftly. Padishah Ulm of the Zebrikaanian Empire had held his throne securely for a year now and had spent that time increasing his strength. He had expansionist ambitions, and would soon turn his eye to the few realms on the Eastern Continent that his empire had not yet conquered. Saddle Arabia was ripe to fall and would need all the help that Equestria could give to stand against the Zebrikaanians. But, splintered as Equestria was, and mostly unconcerned with the goings-on across the Shimmering Sea, would what they could give be enough?
There was also troubling word from the south of Equestria. The satyr who’d crowned himself Storm King had actually been able to keep his crown, unlike so many of the would-be kings of the Storm Isles before him. What’s more, the pirate kingdoms along the southern coast that so often fought among themselves that they were more an annoyance than a real threat to Equestrian shipping, were beginning to fall to the Storm Isles. There were even rumors that the hippogriffs of Mount Eris were stockpiling food and preparing for a siege in case the Storm King turned his eye toward them next. To lose Mount Eris would mean losing the only safe port between Balte-Maer and Los Pegasus, an increasingly important thing to have with the Storm King’s territory and control of the seas growing.
Then there was the west. Beyond the Westerlands lay the continent of Stygra. As unstable as Equestria had been for the last thousand years, Stygra had been far worse for far longer. Kingdoms rose and fell with the seasons, and ponies moved about as crops failed and plagues spread regularly. Celestia had to begrudgingly admit that the Church of One did at least provide some sense of stability to the residents of Equestria. It was not so with the Western Church, which was splintered into a dozen pontificates, each claiming sole authority and whose actual territory changed just as frequently as the Stygran kingdoms. Something had to be done about Stygra, but Equestria came first for the ancient sorceress.
There was a more immediate issue closer to home than any of the other three threats. As luck or destiny would have it, the other threats were to the east, south, and west, and this problem was in the north. During Prince Braid’s visit to Cant’r Laht for the summit and wedding, rebels in the Principality of Stalliongrad had chosen to rise up against his rule and proclaim it illegitimate. Normally, this was an issue that Celestia would try not to get directly involved in but nudge in the right direction; such would have been her course of action this time, too, had it not been for the Stalliongrader prince’s behavior. Against all expectation or convention, Prince Braid III Stalanokov had sent Celestia a letter requesting the help of her and her court in finding a resolution to this uprising. At first, Celestia hadn’t known what to make of the letter. Is Braid seeking to ally with my own realm? Whatever it was that Braid was seeking, Celestia had her own plans, and they would fit in with this call for aid nicely. He sought help finding a resolution to the conflict, did he? Well, she would dispatch the very same ponies that she had sent last year to stop the Seventeenth Trade War. True, they hadn’t been successful then, but maybe they would be this time. They have succeeded in so many other things, and events then were out of their control. Everypony deserves a second chance; I have begun to believe that more and more. It would also be a great opportunity to build the relationship the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht had with Stalliongrad, which had looked at the Hill Kingdoms and the Equestry Valley as potential conquests far too often for Celestia’s tastes.
“You wanted to speak with me, Celestia?” Twilight Sparkle asked at the feast as she caught Celestia between rounds of speaking with her vassals.
Ah, my prized apprentice, you still look at me as your mentor first. Ever since you became my protégé, you have had difficulty reconciling your instructor and the Matron of Sorceresses. There is something different in your eyes now, though. You do see me as a queen, or something very much like it. It is good that you recognize both, the pony and the title. It will be vitally important to you in the future.
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle, I trust you and your friends are ready for a journey?” Celestia asked.
Originally, Celestia had intended for the Brave Companions to attend only the coronation before being allowed to return to their homes. So much of their lives this past year had been spent hunting down the surprises that Discord had left scattered throughout the land. If only they could live more normal lives . . . but that was a fantasy when they were so needed. Celestia knew that she would continue to use them for her purposes, but she would not wear them down to nothing. After the message from Prince Braid, the sorceress had sent two letters: one was a response to the prince informing him of her plans, and the other was to Twilight Sparkle, asking her to undertake a quest for her.
“Yes, as instructed, we have all brought supplies for traveling. Everything we need is stored in my chambers in the castle,” Twilight Sparkle replied before scrunching up her muzzle slightly, “I do not understand why such supplies are needed when I can now travel anywhere I wish in an instant.”
“I am proud of your newfound abilities, my most faithful apprentice, but be careful not to rely too wholly on portals,” Celestia cautioned, “In certain cases, it is prudent to make use of one’s hooves instead. That said, you will wish to travel by portal to your destination. The supplies are for what may come after.”
“I understand, Celestia,” Twilight said, thinking she understood, “What I do not understand is where we shall be going or what we shall be doing.”
“After the feast, I want you to take the Brave Companions, as well as Cadence and your brother, to Stalliongrad. There will be an entourage waiting to greet you in the fields outside the city,” Celestia explained, “There is a rebellion in the Principality of Stalliongrad. Prince Braid has asked me for aid in resolving it, and I believe that you are the correct choice.”
“The Brave Companions and … Cadence and my brother?” Twilight asked, certain she’d misheard something.
“Correct,” Celestia said, “Prince Braid did not share much information in his message to me, but I have gathered that the rebellion has something to do with the House Stalanokov. It is a large family, and having three ponies who know something about noble houses is better than one, don’t you think.”
“Of course,” Twilight admitted.
“I have complete faith in you, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said.
“I will do my best,” Twilight promised before taking her leave and trotting away to let the next set of vassals approach their regent. Yes, my young apprentice. I know you will, as always.
***
“Is everypony ready?” Twilight Sparkle asked the ponies and dragonling assembled in the Cant’r Laht gardens.
It was quite a large party assembled, Twilight realized as she looked out at them. In addition to her ever-present page Spike, there were all five of the other Brave Companions, Cadence and Shining Armor, and Ream and Baldavin, who’d insisted on coming to Cant’r Laht with the Brave Companions in case Twilight decided to slip off on an adventure. The sorceress was actually getting used to having them around, even if she was still uncertain if they were required now that her magical abilities had increased to the point where she could create portals on her own. They also seemed to be getting used to following her. They were more insistent in their duties to her and were less likely to slip away to a tavern or brothel at the first chance, even if she often made use of them more as errand-colts than the soldiers they were. Eleven creatures in total would pass through the portal she’d make and spend the next spell of indeterminate length in Stalliongrad. Hopefully Prince Braid would provide more details so that Twilight could develop a solid plan.
“Let’s see it, Twily,” Shining Armor urged her on.
Shining Armor was not wearing his city guard armor, but a fine coat and breeches, something he’d probably be seen more in now that he was married to Cadence. He was still the current Captain of the Guard, but that title would likely pass to a subordinate in time. Being married to the heir to the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht meant that his role would have to change. Celestia had other plans for him than as guard captain, indicated by his role in this mission to Stalliongrad. Shining Armor would always be a guardpony at heart, though, no matter what anypony else tried to make him.
Twilight Sparkle concentrated on their destination, a hilltop where the Stalliongrader entourage was waiting for them. The sorceress had scried out the location earlier and seen the preparations to erect a canopy over the spot where her portal was to appear. Usually such honors were given only to Celestia, and the gold-and-white style of the canopy betrayed that, but she’d been one of the very few able to create portals in the last millennium. Apparently, Prince Braid wanted to afford the same honors to ponies sent in her name. That, or his entourage just wanted to know where the Cant’r Laht party was going to appear. Nopony liked sorceresses suddenly emerging from a hole in the air behind you, something Celestia had once been quite fond of doing to unnerve her guests.
The spell materialized, and a sliver of light appeared in the air before broadening into a doorway. Twilight continued to stretch the portal’s width so that ponies could easily pass through side-by-side, before stabilizing it. From one side of the portal, all one would see would be a foggy surface, but from the other, it was a doorway to another place entirely. Instead of the Cant’r Laht gardens, the assembled ponies could see a hilltop where the wheat had been hastily harvested for their arrival, leaving a large, open area. Twilight had managed to place the portal in the center of the canopy, and canvas flapping overhead in the wind. Despite the portal having appeared where expected, several of the ponies on the other side looked around to see if Twilight might pull a fast one on them and sneak up from another direction.
The Brave Companions et al. passed through the portal, Twilight Sparkle bringing up the rear and closing it behind her. Banners flapped from posts driven into the ground among their welcoming party bearing the standard of House Stalanokov: a knight with a lance riding down a drake upon a golden field outlined in black. Another banner stood a little lower than the others, bearing a different standard: two red boars on either side of a white tower, set against a field of blue, the entire banner edged with gold and black. Two stallions trotted out ahead of the rest of the entourage, several servants following behind them.
“Welcome, honored dignitaries of Cant’r Laht, to the Principality of Stalliongrad,” the one with a pointed beard and moustaches said as he drew near enough to the group to address them without shouting, “I am Lord Ebban Andretokov, and this is my brother, Lord Ivor Andretokov.”
“It is a pleasure to have you here,” Ivor said with a sweeping bow, drawing his cap down with a hoof as he did so, “Please, allow our servants to take your saddlebags. I did not realize we would have the honor of hosting so many fine ladies.”
“Ivor, these are our honored guests,” Ebban said, his voice tight.
“Of course, my dear brother. I would not presume to do anything to harm our relationship with the Dominions of Cant’r Laht,” Ivor replied, “Shall we make our way to Stalliongrad?”
“The city is not far,” Ebban told the foreigners, “Come; this way.”
The Cant’r Laht entourage met up with the rest of the Stalliongrader entourage, and they made their way down through the fields to the road leading to Stalliongrad. Servants tore down the canopy and carried it behind the group, along with their saddlebags and the banners. While they trotted along the road, they got to meet some of the other members of the Stalliongrader entourage. They were all minor nobles or members of Prince Braid’s guard, loyal ponies to the prince one and all. Twilight Sparkle tried to put together who was who and how they were connected, but she was not familiar with Stalliongrader politics and hadn’t had much time to research between Celestia and Luna’s coronation feast and their departure.
The city of Stalliongrad was visible from a long way off, a hulking pile of stone that stuck up from the relatively flat land around it. Stalliongrad was built in the middle of a plain, atop a hill that stuck out from its surroundings like an ugly wart. The Crystal River could be seen in the north, glistening in the dusky sunlight, and any spot along it would have been ideal to build a city, but the founders of Stalliongrad had decided to build atop this lone hill instead, over a league away from the waterway and the trade the city needed to grow. In defiance, Stalliongrad had grown anyway, and grown into the most formidable city in Equestria. The architecture was crafted with a fortress mindset, so much so that many called it a fortress-city, feeling that one term or the other wouldn’t do it justice. As the Brave Companions neared the outer gates, they got a sense of why this city had never fallen to a siege.
The outer walls were so incredibly thick that it took them nearly half a minute to walk through, passing multiple gates and portcullises and under plenty of murder holes. It felt a bit like passing under a mountain, with all those tons of stone overhead, though this mountain was filled with ponies trained to kill anypony who tried to pass through. All of the newcomers involuntarily looked back and up after passing through, marveling at how high the walls climbed. No siege engine could be conceived of that could break those walls.
Inside the walls, the buildings were constructed with the same defensive mindset. All were made of stone, with slate roofs—nothing that could be set on fire. The streets didn’t seem to want to go straight, always bending and turning in such a way to give disadvantage to whoever was moving deeper into the city. Likewise, the staggering of the buildings, which had little to no space between them, left no cover for an invader, but plenty for a defender. The street they were following climbed up the hill and back and forth, eventually curving around the circular city and under another wall with more gates and defenders.
Still higher they climbed past terraced buildings, until they passed through the wall the separated the upper city from the lower city. The buildings here were larger, homes of the rich and the noble, but each of them seemed to be a fortress more than a manor. Every building seemed to be able to hold out against assault for several days at least, and those were just the buildings that really were homes. The Brave Companions had spotted actual fortresses scattered throughout the city as well.
At the very top of the hill was the seat of Prince Braid: the Royal Stronghold. This was the most impressive fortress of all. Its walls were nearly as thick as the city’s, but were even easier to defend, thanks to a ditch filled with spikes ringing it and convenient emplacements atop it for defenders to rain down all sorts of nasty things. Sturdy towers climbed over the walls from within, many of them home to trebuchets, catapults, and ballistae. A double set of drawbridges led across the ditch to the main gate. Banners bearing the standard of House Stalanokov hung to either side of the arch, the sheer weight of them keeping them from flapping in the wind.
Ebban and Ivor led the group across the drawbridges, through the gateway, and into the fortress’s courtyard. Since dusk was falling, the servants hurried off to bring the Brave Companions’ traveling supplies to their rooms, but returned their saddlebags when requested. Twilight intended to have everything she might need easily available. The rest of the entourage said their farewells, and the two Lords Andretokov led their guests to the entrance of the main keep.
“Excuse me, but where are we going?” Rarity asked as they climbed the stairs to the heavy wooden doors. None of the entrances were at ground-level here, though most of them had only a wooden staircase instead of the grand, yet blocky, double stairs to the main doors. A pair of guards pushed the doors open for them to enter.
“Prince Braid still wishes to speak with you tonight,” Ivor answered, “Our uncle is not a stallion who wastes time or words.”
So, that’s the connection. Ebban and Ivor are Braid’s nephews, sons of his sister, judging by their given House. Eudos? Was that her name? Twilight tried to recall what she had read. If only she could have brought those books along.
“Excellent,” Twilight Sparkle said aloud, “I was hoping to speak with the prince yet tonight so that we can make a plan for the morrow.”
“He will appreciate that,” Ebban said with a nod, “Please, this way.”
It was an easy walk to the great hall, and from there to the audience chamber. Like everything else in the Royal Stronghold, the room was practically a fortress by itself, built sturdily as a saferoom from which the Lord-Protector of Stalliongrad could hold out against all odds. The only visible entrance was the one they’d come in from, and the only other breaches were the tiny windows set high in the walls, so small that only a raven could squeeze through but still fitted with sturdy iron bars.
Several ponies stood or sat around the chamber, many of them lords and ladies of Stalliongrad, some of whom the Brave Companions could recognize from the summits held in Cant’r Laht. There was Halath Prokoyikov, Boyar of Prokoya and Count of Rainbow Falls, and beside him stood Ceres Urukikov, Boyarina of Urukiya, both powerful vassals in the Principality of Stalliongrad. Prince Braid sat in a chair that was made of simple wood, though it was elaborately carved. Not quite a throne, but more than a simple seat, as befitted the oft-plainspoken prince.
“Everypony apart from my family, leave now. I wish to greet my new guests,” he announced, rising and gesturing to the Brave Companions as they entered.
The other lords and ladies hurried out of the audience chamber, and a pair of guards shut the door behind them. Besides the newcomers, that left five ponies including the prince. A mare who appeared a few years younger than Braid wearing a blue dress fringed with red and white stood beside a stallion with a coat of the same style, likely the parents of Ebban and Ivor. Grigor, Braid’s heir, sat nearby, watching the ponies from Cant’r Laht with a thoughtful expression. Another young stallion trotted over from where he’d been speaking to an officer in Braid’s guard, another of Braid’s sons, perhaps, or maybe a brother to Ebban and Ivor.
“Thank you for coming,” Prince Braid said, with only the slightest indication of a bow, “I am surprised, though not displeased, that Celestia sent so many. You are the Brave Companions, of course, and you are the Lady mi Amore Cadenza and her new husband. Shining Armor, you are the brother of Twilight Sparkle here, if I am not mistaken, and your father is Prince of Cant’r Laht. You must understand family ties; that will be important if you are to help me.”
Twilight Sparkle had expected to introduce herself and her friends (though she’d gladly have let Cadence take the lead, as her senior). Instead, Prince Braid had done all the introductions for her and seemed to be launching directly into everything he had to say. He was as straightforward as she had heard, maybe more so, but it seemed to be so only when face-to-face. From what Twilight had gathered, his message to Celestia had been extraordinarily vague about the situation.
“These are my sons, Grigo and Band,” Prince Braid continued, gesturing to the youngest two stallions in the room, “My sister Eudos and her husband Hodd, and you have already met Ebban and Ivor. Missing only is my son Vasil. I did not want word to spread, which is why my message to Celestia did not speak of it; he is the one leading the rebellion against me.”
“I still say somepony else is using him or his name,” Band spoke up in defense of his brother, “Vasil would never betray us like this.”
“I too did not think it possible, but I must act as if it is true until we know otherwise,” Braid said sternly, and his son was forced to acquiesce, “Vasil has raised forces against me, challenging my legitimacy as prince. With rumors of what happened in Cant’r Laht spreading, he accuses Grigor and me of both being merely changelings.”
If Queen Chrysalis had had her way, then those accusations might well have been true. Changelings had existed in Equestria for a very long time (as Twilight had found out through research after the attempted coup), but they were hardly on anypony’s minds. They appeared infrequently, and usually such occurrences were attributed to other superstitions that remained from the times when the pegasi had ruled Equestria. Now, with such a bold move by the changelings, word would spread, and they’d be on everypony’s minds. Would suspicion also creep through Equestria that one’s neighbor wasn’t really themselves?
“Well, that’s easy then,” Pinkamena said gleefully, “Twilight here can just use her sorcery to prove you’re not a changeling!”
“And what if she is a changeling?” Eudos asked sagely as she sipped from a goblet.
“What if everypony is a changeling?” Rainbow Dash grumbled.
“So, you see our problem, then,” Eudos said, “There is no way to prove somepony is who they claim to be without somepony else to verify, and the verifier could always just be accused of impersonation as well. Around and around, with no end in sight.”
“You say that Vasil would never betray you, yet he did,” Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully, “Throughout this year, we have seen sudden changes in behavior before.”
“You think he’s possessed by Discord?” Rarity asked.
“It is possible,” Twilight said, “After all, a shard of his soul was found in every realm in Equestria except for the Principality of Stalliongrad. But … no, I never felt him Awaken.” Unless it happened while I was unconscious and cocooned beneath Cant’r Laht, which would line up with when the rebellion began.
“Well then, seems the best way to resolve this would be for Twilight to open a portal to wherever Vasil is and test him,” Rainbow Dash said.
“No,” Prince Braid said firmly, “We do not know enough yet to act. If my son truly is … possessed, then I will do all I can to save him and his soul, but you yourself admitted that it is only a slim chance. I will face him when the time is right and will count on your support if I feel it is still necessary, but I have another matter to deal with first. Before I go off to deal with my son’s rebellion, I must know its extent. I will not march off with an army only to find traitors in its midst willing to tear it apart from the inside. I must know who is with me and who is against me.”
“And y’ want us t’ figure that out for y’?” Applejack asked skeptically, “No offense, y’r highness, but how are we s’posed t’ do that if w’ know nothin’ about Stalliongrad politics?”
“Family,” the prince said plainly, “The House Stalanokov is the most powerful family in Stalliongrad, but it does not always act in concert. Each piece of the house pulls along with it the other great families and forces of the principality, but we are often at cross-purposes. I can deal with those that lie outside the influence of my royal house, but I need your help to determine which of my own blood are with me. Everypony in this room is loyal to me, but I have my doubts about the other branches of the house.”
“It is true. The questioning of my royal brother’s legitimacy is nothing new,” Eudos remarked, “Sephas has been doing much the same for years, and though she’s never acted so openly, this reeks of her schemes.”
“I don’t think she’s ever gotten over you killing her husband,” Hodd said to Braid.
“My brother Bann the Terrible was a tyrant that needed to be put down,” Prince Braid said firmly, “I did it for the good of the realm, not for my own power, something Sephas can never understand.”
“So, determine who in the House Stalanokov will side with you and who will follow your son in rebellion; that is a place to start,” Cadence said, turning the conversation away from fratricide, “We’ll need to know more about your house to know what we should be doing, though.”
“Of course,” Prince Braid said, “Speak to my scribe Quillon; she’ll be able to answer any question you have. Grigor, would you show them the way?”
“Of course, father,” Grigor said, giving a nod.
The heir to the throne of Stalliongrad led the Cant’r Laht emissaries back out through the great hall and through the passages of the Royal Stronghold. Their path eventually took them downward, into the fortress’s foundations. They passed barracks, armories, and dungeons before they came to the entrance to Quillon’s study. Grigor rapped thrice on the door and waited a few seconds before it opened.
“What do you want?” an elderly mare wearing glasses with octagonal lenses asked as she poked her head out of the partially opened door, and inhaled sharply when she spotted Grigor, “Oh, your lordship, what can I do for you?”
“Quillon, these ponies need to know about the House Stalanokov, specifically the current factions in the royal family,” Grigor told her, “Please, help them however you can.”
“Oh, of course, of course. Come in,” Quillon said as she pulled the door open the rest of the way, and several books and scrolls that had been stacked up behind it fell over.
“When you’re ready to bed down in your chambers, have Quillon call a servant,” Grigor said before giving the traditional Stalliongrader nighttime farewell, “May your comrades guard your slumber well, and if they be not up to the task, may the Holy Chargers serve in their stead.” It was a rather long way to say “goodnight.”
As he trotted away down the corridor, everypony else entered Quillon’s study. It seemed that her study also served as the Stalliongrad archives; that, or she just had a lot of books and scrolls. There was no organization or method to them that any of the Brave Companions could make out, just piles of writings strewn everywhere on the floors, atop furniture, or in bookcases and cubbyholes on the walls. The walls were plastered with pinned-up documents and tapestries in multiple layers. For Twilight Sparkle, it was both a delight to be among so much knowledge and also a nightmare to see it so poorly arranged. For Spike, it was what he imagined Twilight’s study would look like if he wasn’t around to clean things up for her.
“So, you want to learn about House Stalanokov, do you?” Quillon asked as she trotted over and moved a candle away from some papers it was very close to turning to ash.
“We’ve been tasked with helping Prince Braid determine who is behind them and who will support his son’s rebellion,” Cadence said.
“Well, then, all you need to know is the members of the family in the trunk, those descended from Prince Band II, the current prince’s grandfather,” Quillon said.
She tottered over to a set of hanging tapestries and began to shove them out of the way until she revealed the one she was looking for. The Brave Companions gathered around to examine a family tree of the House Stalanokov that depicted all members descended from Band II that had reached adulthood. The ponies they’d met tonight made up only a sixth of the tree, though they comprised more than a fifth of the living members.
“The House Stalanokov is currently divided into four ‘columns,’” Quillon explained, taking up a stick to draw lines along the tapestry, before setting it back down so she could speak again, “I take it you’ve met those loyal to Prince Braid already. They consist of the prince’s children—excluding Vasil, it seems—and Lady Eudos’s family of Andretokovs.”
“They mentioned Lady Sephas. She certainly seems to have been busy,” Shining Armor commented as he pointed to a portrait connected by marriage lines to three other portraits in the tree.
“Yes, Lady Sephas is Prince Braid’s biggest adversary in the family,” Quillon said, “Before she married Prince Bann the Terrible, she bore three children to Lord Vitali Richreg: Khosor, Pellas, and Bram. No children came from her union with Prince Bann, but after his death, she married his cousin Grigor and had three more children with him: Rezas, Khoras, and Taniz.”
“Has she tried to claim the throne before?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she searched through her saddlebags for a quill and parchment for taking notes.
“Never through direct rebellion,” Quillon said with a shake of her head, “She has made suggestions of it, though. After Prince Bann’s death, she claimed he had adopted her children with Vitali, but there was no proof, and she didn’t have enough support to press the claim back then. Bram’s family was opposed to her, and she hadn’t yet married Grigor and pulled him away.”
“Her son Bram’s family was opposed to her?” Pinkamena asked in confusion.
“No, that would be Bram, son of Vitali. The family against her was that of Bram, son of Band, Prince Braid’s uncle,” Quillon explained.
“And Sephas married Grigor, but not Grigor, son of Braid, Grigor, son of Bram,” Rarity puzzled out as she examined the tapestry.
“Correct,” Quillon nodded.
“So many names are repeated,” Fluttershy commented as she also examined the family tree, “It’s confusing.”
“Such is the way of things in the House Stalanokov. You should see the extended family tree,” Quillon said, “Now, where was I? Yes, those are the first two columns. The third is that of the prince’s younger brother Lord Khosar. It consists of his lordship, his wife Whisper, and their three children: Salas, Eudos, and Pokor. That concludes the columns related to Prince Braid through his father, Prince Ivor IV.”
“The final column is composed of the descendants of Prince Braid’s uncle, Lord Bram, excluding the family of Grigor. He has passed on, but his children—Rogar, Grigor, Brand, and Weald—still live. Lord Rogar and his lady-wife Auburn have two children: Feodor and Silik. Lord Brand and his lady-wife Katas have two children as well: Brand and Braid. Finally, Lady Tannes and her husband Lord Weald Nakareg have three children: Carn, Ake, and Katras. Lord Rogar is the leader of Bram’s column.”
“I think we are going to be here for a while,” Twilight Sparkle commented as Spike tried to recreate the family tree on a sheet of parchment with notations from what the scribe had said.
***
The next morning, three parties left the Royal Stronghold and headed out into Stalliongrad. There were three major fortresses in Stalliongrad besides the Royal Stronghold, and each of them was home to one of the columns of the House Stalanokov. Twilight Sparkle led the group headed to the Scarlet Palace, though it was really Braid’s son Grigor that was doing the leading at the moment. Each group from Cant’r Laht would be accompanied by a member of Prince Braid’s family to show them around and introduce them, but the point of the foreigners was to provide an outside party’s mediation, so the Stalanokovs were to do no more than assist in the process. Besides Grigor, Twilight also had Spike, Applejack, Ream, and Baldavin with her.
The Scarlet Palace was named for the color of the bricks used to build its walls, fired from clay found on the bank of the Crystal River. It paled in comparison to the Royal Stronghold, but it was still an impressive fortress. Wicked-looking turrets and barbican greeted them as they neared the palace. Whatever this fortress had once been used for, it was now the seat of Sephas, abundantly clear by the massive banners that hung to either side of the gate. On the left was the standard of House Stalanokov, though there were purple and yellow stripes around the outside. On the right was a banner divided in quarters with the standard of House Stalanokov in the upper right and lower left, and the standard of House Richreg (a yellow halberd head on a purple field) in the other two quarters. Together, they formed the standard of House Richreg-Stalanokov, which was claimed by Sephas’s children with Vitali Richreg, created when Prince Bann had supposedly adopted them as his own offspring.
The guards at the gate didn’t give the party much trouble. Lady Sephas may have wanted the crown of Stalliongrad for herself or her children, but she wasn’t willing to detain the heir to that crown in broad daylight. Ream and Baldavin were forced to stay behind, however, which they were not happy about. Twilight couldn’t say she was all that happy about being surrounded by unfriendly guards inside this fortress, either, but Sephas’s guards were unwilling to budge. Better they complete their quest here and get out quickly than not be able to complete it at all. Twilight Sparkle, Grigor, Spike, and Applejack were led to the Scarlet Palace’s great hall, where they had to wait.
“She is doing this on purpose to waste our time, you know,” Grigor said after several minutes had passed, “My aunt believes that the ability to make important ponies wait is a sign of power.”
It was, in a way. Twilight knew that Celestia often used the same method on her own subjects to reinforce her supremacy. She’d even made the Lodge of Sorceresses wait from time to time, just to drive home whose city Cant’r Laht really was. Celestia had always told her that this alone was not enough and had to be backed up by real power, though. Simply making others wait on you could be seen as merely pretending to hold power while expending any goodwill you had with the offended parties if you didn’t truly have the necessary authority. It seemed that was what Grigor thought of his aunt, though given the importance Quillon had given to keeping Sephas’s column from opposing Braid, it was perhaps not all just for show.
“Presenting Grigor Stalanokov, Knyaz of the Black Forest, and Lady Sephas Stalanokov!” a herald called out as the doors to the great hall swung open and the two ponies who made the Scarlet Palace their seat entered, “As well as Lord Taniz Stalanokov, Lady Khoras Stalanokov, and Lords Khosor and Bram Richreg-Stalanokov!”
Two thrones stood at the front of the great hall, with three seats on either side. Husband and wife took the thrones and their children sat to the sides, the Richreg-Stalanokovs next to their mother. Lady Sephas examined the Cant’r Laht party critically, trying to divine their measure or their purpose here.
“Who are these, then?” she asked the herald, nodding toward Twilight, Spike, and Applejack.
“Grigor Stalanokov, Count of Frosthorn and Lord of Begen Rock!” the herald introduced the pony he knew first and hesitated for a moment as a servant rushed up with a sheet of parchment, “Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun, personal protégé of Celestia! Her page, Spike, son of Dragonlord Ingrirtireth of Tyrannus! Applejack of the McIntosh Apples of Ponieville!”
“Why are you here?” Sephas asked bluntly, “I don’t suppose Haltrotsun is looking to form a marriage alliance with Stalanokov? If so, you should have invited us to your wedding, though maybe it is for the best that you did not.”
“If you are referring to the rumors about Prince Braid, then I have to assure you that all changelings in Cant’r Laht were accounted for,” Twilight Sparkle said, “No, we are here to talk about the rebellion I am sure you are aware of.”
“No, I completely failed to notice my brother-in-law calling his banners and all the levies gathering outside the city,” Sephas said sarcastically, “Of course I’m aware of the rebellion. So, young Vasil decided to stand up to daddy, did he? Well, it wouldn’t be the first time a Stalanokov usurped the throne from a blood relative, not even in recent memory.”
Grigor, son of Braid’s face tightened, but he kept his silence.
“It’s none of my business what happens anymore, is it?” Sephas asked coyly, “The descendants of Ivor IV are no longer my concern.”
“You will refuse to raise the levies Prince Braid has demanded as your sovereign, then?” Twilight Sparkle asked, probing for something definite.
“As Knyaz of the Black Forest, I will provide what is required, of course,” Grigor, son of Bram replied instead of his wife, “To refuse to do so would be treasonous, if you accept Braid as the rightful prince, which I must as long as I reside in Stalliongrad.”
Grigor was not as skillful in intrigue as Sephas, and though he hadn’t given everything away, he had answered Twilight’s question and revealed an additional hint. As long as I reside in Stalliongrad. And if you decide to leave Stalliongrad to join the rebels, Grigor? Will you disband your levies, or will they cross over to the other side? There’s also the matter of the levies not being the main force you have available.
“What of the hordes?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
Prince Bann the Terrible had been the one to finally bring the barbarian hordes of the north under the protection and control of the Principality of Cant’r Laht. Theoretically, this protection and control had passed to Prince Braid upon his brother death, along with the title Crown-Protector of the Hordes, but the truth wasn’t so clear-cut. It had been Bann who’d brought them into the fold, and despite Prince Braid’s efforts, most of the hordes were still more loyal to Sephas’s column than their crown-protector. The threat of the hordes was the major reason that Sephas was as powerful in Stalliongrad as she was.
“They will do whatever their hetstalans think is best, which is probably nothing,” Sephas answered, “Why should they get involved in a dispute for the throne?” Unless they thought the new prince would be better to them than the one that currently rules.
“Why indeed?” Twilight Sparkle replied.
Grigor, son of Braid cleared his throat, and tried to communicate something to Twilight, but she wasn’t able to pick it up and he was forced to speak the question himself.
“I can’t help but notice that Pellas and Rezas were unable to join us,” Grigor said, nodding to the empty chairs on either side of the thrones, “Are they engaged in other important duties?”
“I’m afraid so,” Sephas said, “A pity you couldn’t meet them, but that is how it is.”
“Our visitors are interested in meeting all members of the House Stalanokov,” Grigor said, “Perhaps we could see them on our way out.”
“Unfortunately, they cannot spare the time. As you are the one who suggested leaving, perhaps it is time for you to depart the Scarlet Palace,” Sephas said icily.
“Of course, Lady Sephas,” Grigor said with a slight bow affording her only the slightest respect.
Guards led the ponies and dragon out of the fortress quickly, careful not to let them stray from the shortest path so they couldn’t snoop around. Grigor examined his surroundings carefully anyway, hoping either to pick up some information Sephas had concealed or find a weakness in the fortress’s walls. Ream and Baldavin rejoined the group as they left the palace and trotted away down the heavily fortified streets of Stalliongrad.
“What was that about?” Twilight asked, keeping her voice level and assuring herself that Grigor had had a reason to break his silence and antagonize his aunt.
“She managed to avoid lying, but just barely,” he said with a frown, “Pellas and Rezas were seen leaving Stalliongrad a few days ago and heading west, possibly to join the rebels.”
Within the walls of Stalliongrad, lying to the prince or his heir was considered an offense so serious that the perpetrator’s tongue would be cut out. It was one of the reasons that Grigor had come with them, to keep Sephas from uttering flat-out deceptions. It was tricky how to interpret that law, however, so she might be able to get away with lying to Twilight, Applejack, and Spike, so long as she was not addressing Grigor. There wasn’t a large number of magistrates who would accept that interpretation, but they did exist, and Sephas controlled most of them. To play it safe, one wouldn’t have lied in Grigor’s presence at all, which meant the word on the Black Forest levies and the hordes could probably be considered trustworthy.
“Why them?” Applejack asked.
“Marriage ties,” Grigor grumbled, “Sephas probably hopes to marry one of her daughters to Vasil so that if he does manage to usurp the throne, her descendants will one day rule as well. I would say that Vasil would never accept such a marriage, but until lately I’d never have thought he’d rebel against father.”
“When Prince Braid decides to confront Vasil, he will need to keep a close eye on them,” Twilight Sparkle said, and Grigor gave her a look as if to say that was obvious, “As long as they do not feel they can get away from him, then the Black Forest levies will remain loyal. Perhaps they should be divided throughout the camp so they cannot rebel together.”
“This was a waste of time,” Grigor continued to grumble, “At best, Sephas’s column will remain neutral and do the bare minimum required to aid us. Even if the hordes really will be left behind, we could surely use them on our side. Without them, Sephas’s position is greatly weakened. It would have been more productive to meet with them directly, but it would have taken too long to reach their camps.”
“Maybe not,” Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully, “Where are the hordes encamped?”
***
While Twilight Sparkle and Grigor’s group sought an audience with Lady Sephas, Cadence led another party to speak to Prince Braid’s younger brother, Khosar. Lady Eudos would fill the same role that Grigor held in the first group, providing introductions to the head of this column of the House Stalanokov. She had assured the others that she maintained a good relationship with her younger brother, so she would be a good fit for the role, but apparently it was not good enough to keep Khosar’s column from being separate from her and Braid’s own column. Rarity and Fluttershy represented the Brave Companions in the group, the druidess especially chosen by Twilight Sparkle for this task in case Khosar’s (confusingly named) daughter Eudos was present, since she too was a druidess.
Khosar’s seat of power was in the upper city, just like the Scarlet Palace, but located on the opposite side of the Royal Stronghold from Sephas’s seat. Talgan Fort was a more sprawling complex than the compact Scarlet Palace, encircled by a low stone wall topped with a slanted tile roof. Towers jutted over the wall in several places, including an impressive belfry of recent construction. There was no moat around Talgan Fort, but it did sit atop a raised layer of earth, and Lady Eudos led them up a ramp in order to reach the gates. As was typical in Stalliongrad, banners of the house that ruled here hung on either side of the archway. Khosar’s column was entirely of House Stalanokov, so the standard depicted on the banners matched that of Braid, though there was a burgundy stripe around the edges that marked it as being separate from the princely family.
Ponies rushed in and out of the fort, carrying messages to and from the levies nearing Stalliongrad. So far, Khosar’s levies had refused communication with the other armies assembling outside the city, which worried Prince Braid. Stalliongrad had never fallen to a siege, but no wise ruler would wish to put that to the test, especially against somepony who knew the city intimately like Khosar, a pony who’d spent his whole life within the walls apart from occasional trips. If the armies that arrived didn’t obey Braid, then they might very well go over to Vasil.
The visitors were expected, thanks to a message that Eudos had penned earlier that morning, and the guards let them pass, though their eyes lingered on Cadence. She was one of only three living alicorns and only the fifth one ever to exist, so it was natural that she should be the subject of curiosity and attention, especially here. Stalliongrad was not Cant’r Laht, where Celestia was an everyday part of life. There was an awareness of the ancient sorceress throughout all of Equestria, but out here in the north it was far less pronounced than it was nearer to her seat of power.
Buildings were scattered throughout Talgan Fort, their construction over time having created a maze of sorts, intentionally or not. Prince Braid’s sister knew exactly how to get where she was going, though, so Cadence, Rarity, and Fluttershy followed her as she trotted one way and then another in order to weave through the fort. The great hall resided near the center of the fortress, resembling an ancient warrior’s lodge reimagined in stone. The sweeping roof was covered in tile that matched the exterior walls, and turrets had been added to the corners; otherwise, it was a larger version of the timber construction that had once existed in this fort back when its wall had been a wooden palisade. As impressive as the great hall was, it was not where Eudos led the others. She took them right past it to the chapel that had been constructed alongside, differences in stone showing where it had been grafted onto an existing structure and then expanded over time. The belfry atop it was the one that had stood out from outside the fort, only just finished in the last year or two, judging by how new and unweathered its stones looked.
Down the main aisle of the chapel trotted two ponies: a stallion and a mare. The stallion was Lord Khosar, his distinctive mustaches waxed to points. He wore a very fine tunic that was nevertheless simple in style, the only ornamentation confined to gold and burgundy embroidery on the black fabric, matching the banners that hung outside Talgan Fort. A pouch hung at his side, out of which poked several vials and grimoires. In addition to being a lord of Stalliongrad and its prince’s brother, Khosar was also a sorcerer and alchemist. The mare trotting along next to and talking to Khosar was wearing the robes and stole of a priestess of the Church of One. Beside the door the newcomers had just come through, a servant held a bishop’s mitre and staff. Her robes’ burgundy color wasn’t out of the ordinary, as it was a color commonly associated with the Church of One, but its association with Khosar’s banner made it noteworthy.
“Bishop Cairnus, you already know my noble sister. This, I hear, is Lady mi Amore Cadenza and two of the Brave Companions: Rarity and Fluttershy,” Khosar introduced them to the bishop as they met.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Khosar. Please, call me Cadence,” Cadence said and looked around the chapel, “I wish that Cant’r Laht Castle had a chapel so nearby.”
Like Cadence, Lord Khosar was an oddity among mages, in that he was a fervent follower of the Church of One. Most sorceresses either spurned the Church, were ambivalent toward it, or paid lip service alone in order to get what they wanted. Not Cadence, who’d been overjoyed on meeting Luna to learn that her mentor’s sister felt the same. Khosar’s (some might say overzealous) faith was why Cadence had been chosen to speak with him, though it hadn’t taken any convincing for her to agree to meet with a fellow soul.
“But you can worship at Cant’r Laht Cathedral, the seat of the High Priestess herself,” Khosar said, “What I would give to visit such a holy place. Alas, it was not to be.”
Khosar’s column had rarely marched in lockstep with Braid’s, but generally the two brothers had a friendly relationship. The current tension (so much as Quillon had been able to tell the Brave Companions) was due to Khosar taking an unintentional slight harder than expected. During neither of the summits held in Cant’r Laht had Prince Braid brought any of his siblings along, and that included Khosar, who longed to visit the heart of the Church of One. He had taken it into his head that Braid had intentionally left him out of the journeys in order to snub him, and wasn’t letting it go after it had happened a second time.
“Prince Braid is worried about where you’ll fall regarding the current rebellion,” Cadence said bluntly.
“Is he now?” Khosar said with a snort, “I don’t know why my royal brother should be worried. I’ve called up my levies as commanded, have I not?”
“Yes, but who will they fight for?” Rarity asked.
“For the rightful prince, of course,” Khosar said, “My brother and I may have our differences, but he was coronated properly, unlike Bann.”
Cadence’s mind wasn’t nearly as much of a steel trap as Twilight’s, but she could have sworn that in all the family history of the House Stalanokov they’d gone over the night before, she had heard that Bann had been coronated. Like Celestia and Luna the day before, Bann had gone through the coronation ceremony that was nearly identical across Equestria. He’d made his vows to Faust and his vassals and subjects, and had been anointed with holy oil (smeared on his forehead since he had no horn to dip with). What about his coronation hadn’t been proper?
“Cardinal Chorus was Bishop of Stalliongrad back then and presided over Bann’s coronation,” Bishop Cairnus answered Cadence’s unspoken question upon seeing the confusion on the foreigners’ faces, “Chorus is a dreadfully debased and debauched pony who should never have been allowed to don a bishop’s vestments, much less those of a cardinal she wears today.”
“She should be removed from her position,” Khosar said as he gritted his teeth, “I have petitioned my brother many times to send word to High Priestess Rubius asking her to expel Chorus from the clergy, but he refuses.”
“Whatever you may think, Braid does not hold back because he condones Chorus’s actions or is trying to protect her,” Eudos said sharply, “The cardinal has many powerful friends, within the Church and without. It takes a careful touch to bring such a network down, and it’s not helped by you acting so aggressive toward her or demanding that Braid give her yet more land from which to glean wealth.”
“The eighteenth is the Church’s right,” Khosar said passionately, referring to tradition in Stalliongrad of a prince giving one eighteenth of the land and wealth they gained upon ascending to the throne to the Church of One.
“When he took the throne, he couldn’t afford to give anything away without risking losing everything,” Eudos replied, “The princely demesne he inherited from Bann was nowhere near enough to stand against the lords of the realm if they all banded together. He will make his donation when he is able, not when it could throw the realm into chaos.”
“Yet he does not consider my own difficulties in this matter,” Khosar fumed, “My own demesne is too insignificant for serious control of my vassals. Only the strength of the House Stalanokov keeps them in line, but that may pose a problem now that Braid’s son is the one in rebellion, won’t it? I have summoned my vassals’ levies—as ordered—but I don’t have nearly as much control over them as I’d wish. I told you they will fight for Braid, and that is how I would have it, but if any of them decide to go over to Vasil instead, there is not much I can do without support.”
Things were not quite as dire as Khosar made them out, but they were close. The lands that Khosar had direct control over were tiny compared to what those who owed him fealty had. It was a problem, but not one that Prince Braid was prepared to address, especially in the midst of a rebellion. Perhaps the rebellion has provided a way to alleviate his worries, though.
“When this rebellion is over, there will doubtless be forfeiture of land and titles by those who were in revolt,” Cadence said, and Eudos looked to her, “Provided they default to the crown, then there’s an opportunity for you—and the Church—to gain the land you need.”
“No offense, but what good are your words when you do not have the authority to back them up?” Cairnus asked as Khosar considered Cadence’s offer.
“Because I will speak to Prince Braid about it, and will not cease doing so until he is convinced of your need or I am expelled from Stalliongrad,” Cadence vowed.
“Well, that is quite a promise,” Khosar said, taken aback, “Do you truly intend to stay here, in a foreign land, until you manage to budge my obstinate royal brother?”
“I do,” Cadence said earnestly.
“Well, I will consider what you’ve said,” Khosar said before nodding to Eudos, “Tell Braid what I’ve said. So far as it’s within my power, my forces will march with him to put down Vasil’s rebellion.”
“Thank you for your time, Lord Khosar,” Cadence said with a bow, and Bishop Cairnus watched her with interest.
The bishop beckoned for her attendant as the visitors left, who rushed over with staff and mitre while Cairnus took Khosar aside to talk in private. Eudos led the way out through the twisting paths of Talgan Fort, even though two of the members of the party were able to just fly over the walls.
“Don’t trust her,” Eudos said once they were outside the fort’s walls.
“Who?” Fluttershy asked, even though the question had mostly been directed at Cadence.
“Bishop Cairnus,” Eudos answered, “She may not be steeped in sin like Cardinal Chorus is, but she is a schemer. Make no mistake, the biggest reason she wants Chorus removed is because she is next in line for her seat. Khosar’s heart is in the right place, but he is naïve and doesn’t see that she’s using him. He’s under no obligation to give the eighteenth, but if he receives more lands, he’ll surely do so, and his offering will end up with Cairnus one way or the other. If you intend to stay here in Stalliongrad as you claimed, then you’ll need to keep an eye on Bishop Cairnus just as much as you would on Sephas.”
***
One more group of ponies departed the Royal Stronghold that morning to speak to a column of House Stalanokov. Prince Braid’s youngest son Band led the way, the remaining ponies from Cant’r Laht following him down through the streets of Stalliongrad. Shining Armor had been chosen as the leader, with Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena accompanying him. He was a little out of his element here, and not just because he didn’t really know his sister’s famous friends. House Haltrotsun had until recently been a family with very little political influence in Cant’r Laht. He’d been raised by two ponies who cared more about sorcerous studies than the interaction of Cant’r Laht’s great houses, so he hadn’t received much training when it came to interacting with powerful members of the nobility. All that had changed very quickly, or at least it had seemed to happen very quickly to him. He’d been captain of the city guard for a few years and had been part of the guard for longer, so he’d been around Celestia and the politics that continuously swirled about her, but that was nothing compared to the more recent rise. Shining Armor had expected that one day he’d take up his father’s title of earl, but now the title he’d take up would be Prince of the City. Not only that, but if anything happened to Celestia and Luna, then Cadence and he would be Queen and King of Cant’r Laht. It was all bizarre to a stallion who’d wanted nothing more than to command the guard of the city he’d grown up in.
Now he was supposed to diplomatize with the leader of a segment of a great house so powerful that it controlled the entire Principality of Stalliongrad. At least Twilight had considered which of the three column leaders he’d be most useful with. The leader of Bram’s column, which included the descendants of Braid’s uncle (except for Sephas’s third husband Grigor) was led by Rogar Stalanokov, who aspired to emulate his father Bram, who was known as the “Sword of Stalliongrad.” He’d earned that title with his skills as a swordstallion and in commanding soldiers, things that Shining Armor had in common with him. From what Quillon had said the night before, Rogar possessed those qualities as well, so hopefully Shining Armor could find some common ground with him.
Bram’s column lived within Oldhome, a fortress in the lower city. Of the three forts that the visitors from Cant’r Laht traveled to, it was the farthest walk from the Royal Stronghold, but also the nearest as the pegasus flies. The upper city was at its thinnest between Oldhome and the Royal Stronghold, only holding the royal gardens and cemetery; Oldhome spanned almost the entire distance between the outer and inner walls, its wall’s height staggered as it climbed the slope of Stalliongrad’s hill. Oldhome matched the city’s walls in age and style perfectly, probably having been built as part of them. As if to testify to this, its walls abutted Stalliongrad’s outer wall at the point where the long raised road to the Crystal River began, the only entrance into Stalliongrad other than the main gate on the opposite side of the city. Oldhome was nearly as large and grand as the Royal Stronghold, though not quite as defensible, thanks to its susceptibility to attacks from the latter looming above it. If somepony ever managed to hold it in rebellion of Stalliongrad’s prince, it would be easily retaken.
Three banners flew from the walls, flapping above the gate. The first two bore the standard of House Stalanokov and the third featured a black eagle on a white background. Around the edges of each banner were blue and white stripes to differentiate that these families were the descendants of Bram, not his brother Prince Ivor IV. The first Stalanokov banner would represent the family of Rogar and the second his brother Brand. The last banner was of House Nakareg and represented the family of Rogar and Brand’s sister, Tannes.
“Come on, this way,” Band beckoned the foreigners onward as they entered the fortress.
Prince Braid’s son knew the way well to where Rogar would be. Apparently, the young stallion spent a lot of time here with his great-uncle’s family. Like Rogar, Band had an inclination toward combat, be it personal or not. What time he didn’t spend here, he spent training with his father’s guards and had become quite the swordstallion himself.
Rogar was found sparring in front of the Stalliongrad shipyard. Stalliongrad had been built a full league away from the Crystal River, but the ponies of the city hadn’t been willing to give up on river trade. A raised road had been built all the way from Stalliongrad’s walls to the river, matching the full height of the walls. Additional guard towers that looked extra sturdy had been erected here to deter invaders from entering the city via the road, and more sets lined the road all the way to the river where a fortress had been constructed around the lift used for raising and lowering goods to and from the boats on the river. The Stalliongraders would do everything they could within Stalliongrad’s protective walls despite these precautions, so the city’s shipyards were part of Oldhome instead of being built down by the river. Ships for Braid’s river fleet were built here before being dragged down the road and lowered to the river. There was one under construction now, only the frame currently completed.
On the open stone between the shipyard and the river gate, Rogar practiced his swordsmareship. A few traders stopped to watch as their wagons were inspected for the second time after loading up at the Crystal River docks. There were also members of Rogar’s court gathered around but giving him enough space. After swinging his sword around at nothing for a minute, practicing forms, he beckoned a pair of guards forward to spar with him. It took him less than a minute to lay them both out on the ground and secure their surrender. They both arose on command and started the fight again.
“Halt!” Rogar shouted out as he spotted the newcomers to the crowd.
He and the guards bowed to each other in respect before he trotted toward them. Rogar wore a very plain and practical tunic, suitable for practicing his swordsmareship, though Quillon had led Shining Armor to believe that that was how Rogar always attired himself. The scion of House Haltrotsun glanced over at Band and couldn’t help noticing that Braid’s son’s attire was very similar. As a Cant’r Laht guard himself, Shining Armor could appreciate the sensibility. Perhaps he would have some luck with this stallion.
“Uncle Rogar, this is Lord Shining Armor, and the Brave Companions Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena,” Band introduced them as Rogar neared.
Rogar came to a stop in front of them and eyed the trio up and down. Sweat drenched his coat and some of his mane had pulled free of the long tail he’d tied it in, but he appeared calm and collected. A mare in the crowd of spectators glided over as Rogar examined them. Not his wife Auburn, judging by the livery of the servant who followed her at a distance, but his sister Tannes.
“I thought there were more of you,” Rogar said bluntly.
“Don’t be rude, Rogar,” Tannes said, “Obviously Braid sent the others to speak to Sephas and Khosar.”
“Of course, I am sure no disrespect was intended,” Rogar said, “It makes one wonder what a precarious position our royal cousin is in if he must call in help from Cant’r Laht to deal with his own family, though.”
“I do not believe that Prince Braid acts out of weakness,” Shining Armor spoke up, “A rebellion within the royal family can be disastrous to a realm, and there’s no telling who’s on your side and who’s already a traitor, so he sought out a strong ally outside his own realm.”
“Indeed,” Rogar agreed, “One could do worse than the Brave Companions, who grow in fame as they seem to travel across Equestria with free rein to go wherever they wish. Likewise with Celestia’s heir, even if she’s long been in exile, but who are you? Captain of Celestia’s guard, but what else? Who is Shining Armor?”
Who am I? In his frantic rise, Shining Armor had often thought such thoughts. His status seemed determined to continue to grow, but that wouldn’t change who he was. No title did he desire but one. Many in Cant’r Laht would call him an unambitious fool for this, but he didn’t care.
“My father is Night Light Haltrotsun, Prince of the City. My wife is Lady mi Amore Cadenza, heir to Regents Celestia and Luna,” Shining Armor said, and Tannes seemed taken aback by that latest bit of news, “But you did not ask who my father or beloved were, you asked who I am. I am just as you said, captain of the Cant’r Laht guard. That is the path I chose and whether I’m allowed to retain that title or not, that is who I choose to be.”
“Well said, though a bit dramatic,” Rogar laughed, “Very well, Shining Armor, captain of the guard. You may well prove to be good allies of House Stalanokov. You and your companions, though I can’t make out this one.”
“I’m a bard … and a baker … and I put together celebrations!” Pinkamena said, answering Rogar’s wondering statement, though not exactly satisfactorily.
“If you say so,” Rogar said before moving on to Rainbow Dash, “Now, you are clearly a Hunter, if I did not know that already. I would very much appreciate the chance to spar with a Hunter.”
“Sorry, but our code doesn’t allow us to spar with non-Hunters,” Rainbow said.
Not that she always followed the Hunter code. In point of fact, she’d indeed sparred with non-Hunters. Just last year, she’d gotten in a great deal of trouble for sparring with Applejack. The Grandmaster of the Order of the Falcon didn’t seem to care that there really hadn’t been much sparring since Applejack had been incredibly out of sorts that day. Rainbow Dash had no intention to be punished again, even if the likelihood of any bouts here in Stalliongrad were unlikely to reach Ponieville.
“Well then, the captain of the guard will have to do,” Rogar said, “Let’s see what you’re made of.”
“Uncle Rogar, we came here to speak about Vasil’s rebellion, not to duel,” Band objected as Rogar trotted away, leaving Shining Armor and the Brave Companions flabbergasted.
“Yes, but I must know the pony I’m speaking to,” Rogar said as if it were obvious, “Shining Armor has told me who he is; now I must know who he is.”
“Rogar, surely there’s another—” Tannes objected.
“No, it’s okay,” Shining Armor said as he began stripping off his cloak.
If Rogar wanted to fight, then he would fight. He hadn’t become captain of the guard for no reason, and despite some rumors, that reason hadn’t been that his sister was Celestia’s protégé. It hadn’t slipped his notice that Rogar had never spelled out what the point of this fight was, and it was all too likely that even if Shining Armor won, he’d end up supporting Vasil’s claim to the Stalliongrad throne anyway. He’d just have to hope that this fight meant something and wasn’t just Rogar testing him for no reason. One of the guards offered Shining Armor his sparring sword and he took it in his teeth, swinging it around to get a sense for it. He was surprised to find that the sword’s blade had not been dulled down entirely. It wasn’t sharp by any means, but it still had the ability to cut with the right thrust or swing.
Rogar came at Shining Armor without any warning other the sound of his hooves on the stone and brought his blade in a downswing. Shining Armor jumped back, bringing his own sword up to deflect Rogar’s next swing. The blades clashed, but Shining quickly extricated himself and strafed around his opponent. Rogar swung low, and Shining jumped, nearly managing to bring his hooves down on the other sword, before swinging toward the top of Rogar’s head. Rogar fell to the ground and rolled out of the way, deflecting Shining’s sword as he did.
As Rogar returned to his hooves, Shining Armor thrust toward him, keeping a close eye on his opponent as he was forced to crane his neck. Rogar swung for his neck, and he was forced to alter his course, jumping back. He was only rocking back on his hooves for a moment before throwing himself forward again. Rogar swung at him and he brought his front hooves down and twisted his body. Grateful for the iron shoes nailed to his hooves beneath his boots, Shining bucked at Rogar’s sword and managed to dislodge it from the Stalanokov’s mouth.
Gasps arose from the spectators and Rogar grinned as he tumbled after his clattering sword, Shining Armor’s follow-up swing missing him entirely. Rogar retrieved his sword and jabbed it at Shining Armor rapidly, forcing him back as he deflected or dodged the strikes. One thrust grazed him, the blade tearing at clothes and nearly managing to scrape flesh, as Shining moved forward. His blade struck Rogar’s crossguard, the edge fogging with his opponent’s breath. Rogar couldn’t break free of this without dropping his sword or exposing his face and neck to a strike. Unless …
Keeping his head mostly in place and blocking Shining’s blade, Rogar twisted his body and jumped onto his opponent’s back. Shining Armor rolled to the side, pinning Rogar under him momentarily before continuing to roll free of his blade. Rogar crept toward him on the ground, and their blades met. They continued to exchange blows as both arose. Back and forth, left and right, it seemed almost a dance as each continued to gain an advantage over the other.
All things considered, Shining Armor had had a slight advantage at the beginning of the fight, since he’d seen his opponent sparing beforehand and had some idea of his style. Rogar was getting a grasp of how Shining Armor fought now, though, and was more easily able to anticipate and counter his attacks. He was an impressive swordstallion, maybe the best Shining Armor had fought in years. Still, he’d held out for longer than Rogar probably expected him to, and he could see the crowd of spectators growing at times, though he didn’t acknowledge them. It reminded him of when he’d been a young recruit in the guard. Their instructors had trounced everypony, but it took some time for them to beat him. Thoughts of that time naturally also recalled thoughts of Cadence, since that’s when he’d first met her. What had that beautiful apprentice of Celestia seen in him, an awkward stallion trying to extricate himself from the rosebush beneath her window?
Shining Armor realized a moment too late that he’d let his attention slip from the fight. Rogar’s blade cut across the side of his muzzle before pulling the sword from his mouth. He stood there unarmed for a second with Rogar standing before him, blade to his throat, both of them breathing heavily and drenched in sweat from their bout. When Shining made no move to retrieve his out-of-reach blade, Rogar sheathed his own sword.
“Impressive, and you didn’t even use your sorcery against me,” Rogar complimented him, “Yes, I think you will be good allies of House Stalanokov. A pity Braid had the idea before any of the rest of us. So, here’s what you can tell my royal cousin. I will fight for him, but he must vow to allow me to take part in attacks and in any of his future conquests. Those are my conditions.”
“That’s it?” Pinkamena asked as Rogar’s court began to close in on the duo.
“That’s it. I think he’ll find them reasonable,” Rogar said, “Well fought, Shining Armor. May our blades only cross as friends.”
“Well fought, Rogar. May our blades only cross as friends,” Shining Armor echoed the friendly Stalliongrader expression.
But would it be possible? One of the places Prince Braid had his eyes on conquering was the Hill Kingdoms, part of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. If Rogar intended to be part of any conquests, then surely he’d be involved in such a campaign. Whether Shining Armor remained captain of the guard or not, there was a high likelihood that he’d end up in such a war as well. He hoped only to face Rogar as a friend, but could such a relationship exist between high-placed ponies from two realms of Equestria that shared a border? Shining Armor just didn’t know.
***
The northern hordes were currently encamped on the northern bank of Lake Illien. Most ponies would require a four-day journey from Stalliongrad to reach this location, but Twilight Sparkle simply sliced a hole in the air for she and her companions to step through. The sorceress knew she had to maintain a professional air, but she couldn’t quite suppress that giddy feeling she got now every time she managed to create a portal. Applejack, Spike, Grigor, and Twilight’s guards followed her, and she allowed the portal to close. Forgetting themselves, everypony looked around at their new surroundings, marveling at how they’d been able to cross the distance so quickly.
Across the lake rose the mountains that marked the border with the Kingdom of Manehattan. A town was visible to the west on the lake’s shore. More prominent, however, were the hordes’ camps, which dominated the land between where Twilight had opened her portal and the lake. Tents stretched off into the distance, grouped by the color of the canvas they were constructed from. Dun, golden, sage, coral, cerulean, indigo, and umber; colors matching the names of the hordes they represented. Here and there banners stuck up above the tents, held stiff by lines fastening them both to their vertical posts and crossbars. The color of the fabric always matched that of the tents it had been erected among, but different symbols called out the different clans within the horde.
With all seven hordes gathered together, the tents formed a city of canvas. Its residents watched the newcomers warily as they trotted into camp—all except for the foals, who ran around between the tents and past the visitors, not letting anything interrupt their play. The sentries at the edge of the camp had let them pass without much in the way of questioning, though they had been surprised to see Prince Braid’s heir all the way out here without a larger entourage. They hadn’t asked many questions, but Twilight Sparkle was dying to ask some of her own. She wasn’t sure when the last time was that all the hordes had gathered together in one place. They had to have come together for some purpose, but what?
It was easy to get directions to the leaders of the hordes, but it would have been easy to find them even without directions. As one could easily guess, they were located at the center of the camp, near a gigantic tent made of faded and patched crimson canvas. The seven hetstalans sat around a campfire, smoking pipes and chatting among themselves while some members of their entourages stood around them or played card and dice games. Twilight recognized Rhikkit, hetstalan of the Dun Horde, from last year’s summit. Honestly, it would have been difficult not to recognize him once she knew which horde he belonged to, as each of the hetstalans wore a different color. He seemed to recognize her as well, for he rose as her entourage approached.
“Welcome, witch,” Rhikkit said with a deep bow.
He meant no disrespect by calling her a witch, as some would. The barbarian hordes of the north called all sorceresses witches and all sorcerers warlocks. Perhaps it was “civilized” ponies’ fear of barbarian mages that had led to such titles having negative meanings, but Twilight didn’t know for sure. She filed it away in her mind as something to research later.
“And the uncrowned prince,” the leader of the Sage Horde said once all the hetstalans had greeted Twilight in the same way as Rhikkit, nodding to Grigor to make his intentions clear, “What brings you here?”
“Haven’t you heard of the rebellion?” Grigor asked.
“Of course, but that doesn’t answer my question,” the Sage hetstalan replied.
“What are you doing here?” Grigor asked.
“Yes, that’s the one,” the Sage hetstalan replied glibly.
“Erritt, there is no need to antagonize him,” the Coral hetstalan rebuked him, “We are here because the Great Rada is meeting.”
Each horde was led by both a hetstalan and a council known as the rada. The hetstalan served as the horde’s military leader and representative while being advised by the rada, which even had the power to overrule his decisions in some cases. When a hetstalan died, the title did not automatically pass to his son, though it often did if both were well-respected warriors, which all in the hordes tried to be. Instead, the rada would choose the next hetstalan. Diplomacy between the hordes was almost always conducted by the radas, though such a meeting wouldn’t be considered a Great Rada unless all hordes were involved, as they were here. The worn crimson tent that matched none of the hordes was reserved for a meeting of the Great Rada, and the Coral hetstalan gestured to it as he spoke.
“They are deciding what action we are to take regarding Vasil’s rebellion,” Rhikkit added.
“And how are they disposed?” Grigor asked.
“It is not for the hetstalans to know the business of the rada,” the Umber hetstalan laughed as he blew out smoke, “Rumor says they may call for the hordes to break all ties with the Stalliongrad crown, plunder the lands from here to the Agate Ocean, and hire or capture boats to take us to Stygra, but that is just a rumor.”
“Enough! I want an answer to my question for the uncrowned prince,” Erritt said, his face hard, “Berheir, Rhikkit, and Terren may be pets of Prince Braid, but not all of us are his slaves.”
“Watch what you say!” the Coral hetstalan (Beiheir, judging by Erritt’s disparaging gestures) said as he and Rhikkit rose, “We are no slaves!”
The guards scattered around the campfire were suddenly attentive and all looking in at their hetstalans. Hetstalans were forbidden from carrying weapons around other hetstalans when meeting peacefully, so all the leaders around the fire were unarmed. Their guards, however, weren’t, and would step in if things got ugly.
“You asked why I am here,” Grigor said, attempting to keep the situation from escalating, “I think you know. My father would appreciate your help in putting down Vasil’s rebellion.”
“I’m sure he would, but what has Prince Braid ever done for us?” Erritt laughed, “He forbids us from raiding into Manehattan or the Hill Kingdoms, and once the Haeldmark was brought under control, he forbade us from raiding there as well! What are we supposed to do? Settle down, build towns, and tend farms? That is not our way.”
“What about y’r oaths?” Applejack asked.
“We made our oaths to Bann, a strong pony and warrior, and thought that in making them to the stallion who killed him and seized his throne we would find an even stronger ruler, but that has not been so,” Erritt disparaged Braid, and a few of the other hetstalans nodded in agreement, “He does not treat us as the warriors we are, and I doubt your brother would act any differently.”
“What about me, then?” Grigor asked boldly, “I cannot pretend to know everything about you and your ways, but I have not been given the chance to learn them. You accuse those who my father has tried to build a relationship with of being his slaves, but there are those among you who heed the commands of Lady Sephas instead. Does that not make you hypocrites? Your devotion to Bann’s widow when my father didn’t give you everything you wanted is the reason that relationship has broken down. You have nopony to blame but yourselves for the distance that’s grown between you and the crown.”
“Bold words for the uncrowned prince of Stalliongrad to speak while in the midst of our camp,” the grizzled hetstalan of the Sage Horde rumbled.
The guards around the circle had abandoned their games and were all looking inward now, ready to grab their weapons and cut Grigor down if their hetstalans demanded it. Ream and Baldavin seemed to be aware of this and were favoring their own weapons in case they were needed for defense. Twilight prepared to open a portal in case things went south and they needed to get out quickly. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to it, but it might if Grigor kept antagonizing the hordes’ leaders.
“I speak only the truth,” Grigor said obstinately, “You have soured things with my father, but I do not believe that all is lost. Sephas has made it clear in these past years that she cares not for you other than as a political weight, so abandon her and honor your oaths to Prince Braid III Stalanokov, Lord-Protector of Stalliongrad, Crown-Protector of the Hordes. In exchange, I, the future prince, will do all that is necessary to earn your trust and respect. I would learn your ways, take any reasonable vows of my own, even take a wife from your numbers if that is what it takes to gain your loyalty. I will speak on your behalf in my father’s ear, and when I am prince, will take full advantage of your unique abilities to expand the realm and gain you glory and plunder in the process. What say you?”
The hetstalans stared down Grigor, some scowling, but their eyes looked thoughtful. Perhaps such brashness was exactly what was needed with the hordes, and perhaps Grigor knew that. Perhaps he was just being his father’s son and getting straight to the point of what he meant. Either way, it seemed like it might work. Even the hetstalans’ guards seemed to be considering the future prince’s proposition.
“The Iron Oath,” the hetstalan of the Golden Horde said after a few long minutes of silence.
“Trigrid, such an oath has never been made with one outside of our people,” the hetstalan of the Cerulean Horde rebuked the suggestion.
“And never before Prince Bann did the hordes agree to fight for a landed leader,” the Sage hetstalan said, “We had the wisdom then to take the offer given, but not the foresight to ensure our future. This could change things.”
“The Iron Oath, huh?” Erritt considered, “Yes, I would agree to this.”
One by one, the hetstalans expressed their willingness to make the Iron Oath.
“As I said, I will do whatever is necessary,” Grigor said, “What is this Iron Oath?”
“It is a bond of brotherhood for those who do not share a natural father or mother,” Rhikkit explained, “A rod of iron is turned into two rings inserted in the ears of those swearing the oath as a permanent sign. They represent an unbreakable bond between the two to seek each other’s honor, glory, and betterment. To remove the ring is a grievous insult done only if one intends to break the oath or believes that the other has already broken their oath, and there is no recourse other than war. If you make this oath, then you agree that not living up to it to our satisfaction will result in war you cannot dispute the validity of and will mar you forever as an oathbreaker and a traitor. Do you still wish to make this oath, uncrowned prince?”
“I do,” Grigor said without a moment’s hesitation.
“Then let it be done,” Terren, the Umber hetstalan said.
The hetstalans who weren’t already standing from the earlier confrontation rose and emptied their pipes into the fire. Their guards hurriedly cleaned up their dice and cards and prepared to move out. Now that the Iron Oath had been explained, Twilight Sparkle noticed that several of the hetstalans had iron rings in their ears or puckered holes where they’d once been. She looked over at Spike, who’d already anticipated the sorceress and taken down everything Rhikkit had said, as well as a few rough sketches of the different hetstalans’ ears.
“Is this something the Great Rada should agree to?” Twilight Sparkle asked as the leaders prepared to leave.
“They have no say in ponies making Iron Oaths,” Tigrid said haughtily, “This is something they cannot overrule.”
“But this will change their decision about the rebellion, will it not?” Twilight asked.
“Undoubtedly,” Tigrid replied, “Once the Iron Oath is made, we will go with the uncrowned prince. Anything else would be to abandon our oaths and shame ourselves immediately. The decision is no longer theirs to make.”
The hetstalans seemed to feel that there was nothing more to say on the subject and set off through the camp, their guards tagging along but keeping their distance. They marched through the Indigo portion of the camp, the ponies they passed pointing out the procession of hetstalans and strangers to their fellows, wondering in hushed tones what was happening. The Indigo hetstalan directed them straight to a smith, who’d set up a whole smithy in and around a partial tent using only gear that could be easily transported. Twilight was sure that Rarity would be interested to see such a thing, but she had another of the Stalanokovs to help deal with.
It took only a mention of the Iron Oath from one of the hetstalans to set the smith quickly to work. He called for assistants while drawing out iron into a long, thin rod. The smith directed the ponies making the oath on where to go, and Grigor and Erritt both lay their heads down on a rough wooden table facing each other. Once the end of the iron rod was white-hot, the smith snipped off the end before splitting it in two. Quickly, his assistants took the short rods over to the future prince and the Sage hetstalan. Grigor gritted his teeth as the rod, still incredibly hot, was driven through his ear and bent into a ring, the flesh sizzling as it went through. Once the rings had cooled sufficiently, he and Erritt were allowed to sit up.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Grigor said as he carefully reached up to his ear and drew his hoof away as he caused the still-warm ring to shift in the tender flesh.
“Good,” Erritt said with a wicked grin, “Because you’ve got six more to do.”
***
That night, the visitors from Cant’r Laht and Braid’s column were assembled again in the prince’s audience chamber. Twilight Sparkle and her brother had already relayed their experiences, and Cadence was just finishing up on Khosar’s demands and her promise. Prince Braid didn’t look happy, but neither did he seem displeased. It seemed to Twilight that it would be hard to take joy in assembling an army to put down a rebellion raised by your own offspring.
“All of House Stalanokov is yours,” Eudos remarked as Cadence finished her explanation.
“And we have secured the independent loyalty of the hordes, greatly weakening Sephas’s position,” Grigor added.
“Yes,” Braid said drily, looking dubiously at the new ornaments running up the side of his heir’s ear, “My forces are nearly assembled outside the city. Once they are, we will march with all haste to put down this rebellion. The Lady Cadence has made it clear that she does not intend to return to Cant’r Laht until this is through, but the rest of you are free to return to your homes if you wish. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.”
“If I may, your Highness,” Twilight Sparkle said, “We would like to stay and investigate if Vasil is under the influence of Discord before we return home.”
“Very well,” Braid said, “However, understand that whether you find what you seek or not, I must deal with my son.”
“Does that mean … killing him?” Fluttershy asked nervously.
“If that is what is necessary, then yes,” Braid said forthrightly, “When I killed my brother Bann, I expected it to be hard, but it was not. He needed to be removed, and I knew what had to be done. I did it without feeling any hesitation before or remorse afterward, nor guilt that I felt no remorse. It was necessary, so I did it. It will be the same with Vasil. If he has rebelled against me, then I cannot allow his continued existence. I will pray every morning, night, and noon that it will not be necessary to take the life of yet another of my kin, but if it is, then I will do it without a single shred of hesitation or regret. I am Prince Braid III Stalanokov, Lord-Protector of Stalliongrad, a city of stone that does not sway or give way, and I must be just as unmovable and unmoved. If Vasil must die for the sake of Stalliongrad and for the sake of House Stalanokov, then die he shall.”
Twilight Sparkle scowled at Castle Garland from behind the earthen bulwark and lines of sharpened stakes that surrounded Prince Braid’s camp that encircled the castle. Braid hadn’t wasted a moment after his army was gathered in setting out to crush Vasil’s rebellion. After two days of marching, they’d encountered some of the force that had defected to Vasil. A short battle had ensued that left the rightful prince victorious and the rebels scattered or retreated to Vasil’s keep. Another short battle had been fought upon reaching Castle Garland, and the majority of the rebels had retreated inside the castle’s walls. There were some that had escaped the encirclement and either fled to their homes or roved the countryside, launching attacks on Braid’s army whenever the opportunity arose. Once the hordes joined Braid’s army, the latter had been mostly curtailed, the barbarians quickly hunting them down.
Castle Garland was now the last site of the rebellion that mattered, and it had been put under siege. That siege had begun nearly a month ago, and it still continued as the attackers tried to undermine the defenses and starve the defenders out. Sometimes assaults on the walls were attempted, but none so far had succeeded. Castle Garland didn’t hold a candle to Stalliongrad or any of its fortresses, but the Stalliongraders certainly knew how to create a castle that could outlast a siege. Archers constantly stalked the walls of the castle, driving back anypony who tried to approach the walls directly. One landed several paces from the earthworks that Twilight was behind, both a test shot to gauge the wind and a warning to the sorceress to stay where she was.
The siege itself was an annoyance that kept her from her goal, but her scorn was mostly focused on one of the towers that poked up above the castle’s protective walls. It tipped back and forth at several points and the stonework was crumbling, yet still it stood resolute, propped up by an ancient enchantment. Once, long ago, that tower had been the home of Yliiena the First, the very first sorceress to achieve alicornhood. Understandably, many sorceresses of the time had longed to learn her secrets and had swarmed her tower in droves to request or demand the enchantments she’d used or the chance to be her apprentice. Yliiena was not fond of unannounced visitors and had enchanted her tower and its surroundings so that portals could not be opened here, an enchantment that persisted to this day. If only Twilight Sparkle could have stepped into the keep and located the pony possessed by Discord’s soul … but that would not be possible. Is this what Celestia meant when she said I should not rely too wholly on portals? It was not the first time during the siege that such a thought had occurred to her.
Scowling at Yliiena’s tower would not change anything, so Twilight trotted away from the castle and into Prince Braid’s camp. If she got far enough away, to a spot outside the ring of tents, she could create portals at least. That had been essential as the siege wore on. Her friends had duties in Ponieville and couldn’t stay here indefinitely, so she had devised a schedule for transporting them back and forth as needed. She couldn’t ask them to stay here in the camp forever, but neither could she let them leave entirely. Their Elements of Harmony might yet be required here.
As if to prove the point, picks and shovels suddenly broke up through the ground near Twilight. A trio of sappers poked their heads out before cursing colorfully. They’d expected to be beneath the walls of Castle Garland, not within the camp, and there was nothing wrong with their maps or their tunnel. It simply emerged where it shouldn’t have. This was not the first time this had happened. There was chaos magic afoot, though so subtle or so well hidden that neither Twilight Sparkle nor any of the sorceresses in camp could detect it. She was certain, though, that chaos magic was to blame for the strange occurrences during the siege and it wasn’t the work of an unwise sorceress. Somepony within Castle Garland was possessed by Discord. All the more reason to keep the Elements of Harmony and their bearers close. The first six shards of Discord’s soul that the Brave Companions had found were the opposite of their Elements and had been weakened by the presence of their corresponding Element. There was no telling what the seventh shard could be or what might weaken it. Perhaps one of the Elements of Harmony or perhaps none, but better to work with what one had than dive headlong into a confrontation wholly unprepared.
Twilight Sparkle met Rainbow Dash as she returned to the camp. Unlike some of the others, the Hunter could take her work with her wherever she went in Equestria. She’d only returned to Ponieville once, to pick up some additional equipment and drop off some of the coin she’d earned from monster bounties. Ahead and behind the pegasus’s saddlebags hung grotesque stone heads fully resembling neither pony nor beast, with jagged breaks at the necks. Rainbow waved at her and Twilight trotted over to join her friend as she made her way to the quartermaster, who had begun to handle most bounties now that the camp was a semi-permanent fixture.
“More gargoyles?” Twilight asked rhetorically.
“Yeah, there’re plenty of them around here,” Rainbow said as she trotted along, and Twilight noticed she was favoring her right hindleg, no doubt due to some wound sustained in fighting that she wouldn’t allow to fully heal until the job was done, “I’m amazed they haven’t all been cleared out already. Most of them aren’t even guarding anything.”
Once upon a time, it had been popular among sorceresses to create gargoyles to guard their homes and secrets from overcurious or downright hostile peasants. The practice had never totally died out, but it hadn’t been the norm for a long time. Most of these gargoyles had likely been created by the sorceresses who’d swarmed to the area because of Yliiena, which made them truly ancient. The first alicorn had lived during the Age of Uncertainty, the aftermath of the Conjunction, when magic and monsters had entered the world. Records going back to any time before the Long Winter were shaky on dates, but based on available data, Yliiena had lived between eight and nine thousand years ago. That made these gargoyles only slightly younger, if not equally as old. No wonder they had nothing to guard; those mages’ laboratories would have been demolished and worn away simply by natural forces over time. Like Yliiena’s tower within Castle Garland, the gargoyles had survived only because they were enchanted to resist the decay of time. Judging by the state of some of the heads strapped to Rainbow Dash, they were showing their age as much as the tower was.
“I do not like just sitting here, not knowing if we might suddenly be attacked by whoever Discord is possessing,” Twilight complained to her friend.
I’d be just as worried about arrows or enemy sorceresses,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
At least a few sorceresses had joined Vasil in his rebellion, though it wasn’t entirely known who had done so and who just couldn’t be bothered to reply to the urgent missive from their sovereign demanding they declare where their loyalties lay. The Principality of Stalliongrad was not like Cant’r Laht, where one’s sovereign was also the leader of sorceresses, nor like Balte-Maer or Los Pegasus, where mages congregated in and answered to independent organizations like the College of Eyes or Applewood Tower. Every sorceress was on her own, and found support for her work wherever she could. They could be a prickly bunch when it came to loyalty, more likely to stand outside politics (or claim to do so while deftly manipulating things) or to follow whatever local lord they most trusted would provide for them (or whomever they could control the most easily). Twilight considered the number of mages actually within Castle Garland to be considerably less than the estimated figures.
“There are more immediate threats, of course, but I would very much like to know who our enemy is,” Twilight said.
“Funny; I thought it was that castle over there,” Rainbow Dash said glibly.
They had arrived at the quartermaster’s tent during their discussion and Twilight’s long silences as she mulled things over. The quartermaster stuck his head out questioningly, and Rainbow motioned that she’d be in in a minute.
“This rebellion is not our fight. Our true enemy is whoever in that castle is possessed by Discord. Likely it is Vasil, but there is not enough proof to be sure. I do not want to be taken unaware,” Twilight said.
“I know that, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash replied, “Why don’t you see if any of the prisoners know anything? Maybe they noticed something when they were around Vasil that could tell us who we’re looking for. I’m sure they’d be willing to talk in exchange for some leniency in their punishments.”
“A leniency I am in no position to offer,” Twilight said.
“They don’t need to know that,” Rainbow Dash said before laughing, “I think you’ve spent too much time in the company of decent, hardworking ponies, Miss Cant’r Laht sorceress, if you’ve forgotten the ability to manipulate adversaries.”
“You may be right,” Twilight Sparkle admitted, “No, you are right. There is nothing to lose by talking to them. Thank you, Rainbow.”
“Any time,” the Hunter said, and she responded at last to the quartermaster’s increasingly loud throat clearing.
While Rainbow Dash collected her bounty on the gargoyles, Twilight Sparkle headed off to a different part of the camp. Checking the sun’s height, she altered her course and proceeded away from Castle Garland. Prince Braid’s camp was arranged in a giant ring around the besieged fortress, with the militancy of the camp decreasing as one got farther from the enemy. The middle of the ring was earthworks, sappers’ posts, and under-construction siege engines. Beyond that was the camp proper, with the tents of soldiers, professional and conscripted intermixed, with the pockets of professionals denser on the inside of the ring. Toward the outer edge of the soldiers’ tents were the tents of the various lords and ladies who’d come along to command their troops, colorful banners erected over equally colorful pavilions calling out which house they belonged to. None had erected their tents without being surrounded by their grunts on all sides, of course, both for protection and to put some distance between them and the outer ring of the camp.
Ranged around the army’s camp, though within a second, less impressive set of earthworks facing outwards, were the camp followers. An army this size couldn’t fail to attract a large following of ponies both asked for and not, wanted and unwanted, and the distinction often depended upon who you asked. There were those vital to the army’s continuation as well as many others; washermares and smugglers, cooks and prostitutes, they all lived in a poorly ordered camp that surrounded the main body of troops, paths through the tents changing from day to day even when the army was standing still.
At least Prince Braid’s troops were devoted to keeping some avenues clear through the outer camp, and Twilight trotted along one of these to leave. On her way out, she met ponies returning from patrol, couriers with pouches clasped with Prince Braid’s seal in silver, and members of the Sage Horde with their round, fur-covered helms, all heading in the opposite direction as the sorceress. One of the guards at the camp’s exit looked to the sky as he noticed Twilight leaving the camp, confirming for himself that she was on time. There was a hill a little way outside the lines where an open-sided pavilion stood, the canvas roof flapping audibly in the breeze even from a distance. Twilight Sparkle was tempted to take an exact measurement of the time but restrained herself. It was near enough to noon, and her friends certainly wouldn’t expect such precision.
Twilight felt relief as she managed to cast her spell properly, a portal materializing in front of her beneath the pavilion. A thin, shining line cut the air before expanding outward with edges that seemed to spread like flames burning apart the threads of reality. It was a question sorceresses had asked since the Conjunction, whether the mechanics of portals were harmful to the fabric of existence; such debates inevitably turned philosophical, however, and there was no consensus even after eight thousand years of argument. There had been no obvious ill effects in all that time, so that was enough to settle the question in most minds, including Twilight’s. As the portal stabilized into a doorway, Pinkamena waved at Twilight from the other side, where she stood many leagues away in Golden Oak’s laboratory.
“Will it just be the two of you?” Twilight Sparkle asked as Pinkamena bounded through the portal, the top few hairs of her poofy mane sliced off by the portal’s upper edge, and Fluttershy meekly followed her, carefully watching the edges of the portal as if it were likely to collapse on her.
“Yes, Applejack and Rarity won’t be returning until tonight,” Fluttershy explained quietly, pulling her tail in as Twilight closed the portal behind the druidess.
“I did not expect you to return so soon, Pinkamena,” Twilight commented.
Normally, her friend would do the same as Rarity and Applejack, returning to Ponieville for the day in order to do whatever work was needed. For Applejack, that meant helping her brother and sister with the spring planting, for Rarity, it meant working in her smithy, and for Pinkamena, that meant baking at Sugar Cube Corner.
“I asked Master and Mistress Cake to let me leave early,” Pinkamena explained as she hopped up and down, “I want to get some extra practice in with Lilian before the performance tonight!”
Shortly after the siege began, Pinkamena had found that her friend was among the uninvited ponies following after the army. Lilian was a talented troubadour, but not so talented that a stallion of his age and health should have avoided being pressed into service as a common soldier. Given the tales Pinkamena had told Twilight about the bard, it made the sorceress wonder whose bed he’d managed to find himself in to avoid that fate. Whatever Lilian was doing in his spare time, Pinkamena certainly enjoyed his company, and he seemed to return a completely platonic friendship with her. The two of them got on well, and their voices and skills on the lute complemented each other beautifully when they performed ballads and songs. There was supposed to be some great performance tonight that the two of them had been working on for a week or more. Pinkamena was in a rush, and immediately took off for the camp to seek out Lilian.
“Well, Fluttershy, I do not suppose you would want to accompany me in questioning the captured rebels about Discord’s soul?” Twilight asked as she glanced sidelong at the druidess.
Unless Twilight was very much mistaken, that would be Lord Khosar’s daughter Eudos, not his sister. She and Fluttershy had never met in Stalliongrad, but they were both druidesses, and when Fluttershy hadn’t been tending to her duties for the Ponieville Druid Circle, she had mostly spent her time meeting with the local druids, Eudos at her side. Eudos wasn’t the only Stalanokov present here outside of the royal family; all of Braid’s relatives were staying in the camp or kept nearby. He couldn’t let them remain in Stalliongrad while he was here, not with the threat of them seizing the city in his absence. Stalliongrad had never fallen to siege, but to a coup from within … well, that was another story. Understandably, with Braid living in a tent now instead of the Royal Stronghold, the members of the House Stalanokov came to him with their complaints more boldly and more frequently. Sephas was the most vocal, though she probably had the most right to be as seething mad as she was. Her position at court was much-diminished since the hordes now answered to Grigor instead of her. There were rumors that the former prince’s widow was trying to bribe the hordes back to her side, but they simply seized the shipments of gold and jewels as booty, which she couldn’t dispute without admitting her attempts to undermine Prince Braid.
Twilight and Fluttershy parted ways as they neared the outer perimeter of the camp, Fluttershy skirting the edge to avoid going among the mass of ponies for as long as possible. The guards nodded to Twilight Sparkle as she entered and made her way back along the path she’d trod only recently. She knew where the rebel prisoners were kept, but had never had much reason to go there before. The prisoner tents were located as equally as they could be between the inner earthworks and the outer edge of the army camp, so that any rebels would have to pass as many soldiers as possible if they tried to escape. The canvas of the tents was thick and securely fastened to the ground to keep the prisoners from cutting their way out or sneaking under, and guards were posted all around, showing a remarkable level of discipline. Understandable, since they were pulled from Prince Braid’s personal guard and not from the mass of unwashed conscripts.
The guards didn’t much impede Twilight after she explained why she was here, and one of them set about untying the lines that kept the flaps on one of the tents shut. Before they pulled the heavy flaps back, one of the guards yelled inside for the prisoners to get back from the flap before prodding a ranseur through. When nopony cried out in pain at being impaled, the guards pulled back the flaps and let Twilight Sparkle inside.
Within, three ponies stood back from the flap: two stallions and a mare. They were all wearing fine clothes, though any jewelry or ornamentation had been taken from them. On one of the stallions’ tunics, there was a spot where it was clear a family crest had once been sewn on, but it had been removed on his capture. Naturally, all the prisoners here were noble vassals of Prince Braid. It wouldn’t make sense to imprison common soldiers, and all of these that had been captured had been disarmed and sent away. They’d be escorted back to their farms or businesses in town by governors that Braid had appointed to manage the land of their rebellious lords until he could make permanent appointments of loyal subjects to take their places. The rebellion was still ongoing, but the peasant levies would be of better use tending their fields than helping besiege Garland Castle; Braid had a large enough numerical advantage to be sure of this. Nobles, on the other hoof, could stir up trouble if left unattended before they were formally stripped of any titles and punished. It was possible that the vassals who’d raised their flags in rebellion against their liege would be allowed to return to their positions, if they weren’t a serious threat and their relatives could pay a large enough ransom to make the trouble of their continued existence worthwhile, but most of them would be condemned to execution, exile, or forced to take monastic vows. Until Braid could securely enact judgement on these rebel lords and ladies, however, they waited here.
The prisoner tent was rough on the outside, but the inside was nicer than most of the other tents in the camp. Trunks filled with fine clothing were lined up by one wall, along with a table and chairs. The rest of the tent was partitioned off by hanging canvas, with a cot supporting an actual mattress within each of the “rooms.” Most of the soldiers in the camp slept on the ground within a tent that barely held them, but here these noble prisoners had more open space in their tent than even Twilight did. From a peasant’s perspective, it wouldn’t seem fair, but it was the way of things.
“Feodor Istrykov, Ellis Nacellin, Ander Prekiro,” Twilight Sparkle addressed them in turn. She’d been present when they’d been captured, and remembered their names and houses.
“It’s erich-Istrykov now,” Feodor corrected the sorceress.
For some Stalliongrader families, their house and their holdings were inextricably linked. Feodor was Boyar of Istryar, and thus his family was House Istrykov. It was much the same with House Stalanokov (whose proper name was Stalangrod), which ruled Stalliongrad. Stalanokovs had always ruled Stalliongrad, but they were not all related to the current Stalanokovs. Feodor had had the “erich-” prefix added to his house name due to his rebellion, which placed his relatives in a precarious position. If another member of House Istrykov loyal to Prince Braid could rightfully inherit Feodor’s titles, then the current Istrykovs would continue to rule Istryar and only the traitors would be punished. If, however, that was not doable or not Braid’s will, then another loyal family would be raised up to become House Istrykov, and the current members of the house would be forced to abandon the name and find a new one.
“What do you want, witch?” Ander asked.
Ander Prekiro was Count of Prut Pass, which sat on the border between the Principality of Stalliongrad and the Kingdom of Manehattan. He did not mean witch as a respectful form of address like the hordes’ hetstalans, but as an insult, for he had converted to the True Faith. There was no doubt what sentence Braid would pass down on Ander and his family, since he’d been searching for a way to remove the heathen from the crucial border defenses for years. The only reason it hadn’t been accomplished immediately on Ander’s capture was that Braid wasn’t willing to risk war with King Hadish while the rebellion was still ongoing. Ander wore an amulet of dimeritium around his neck, which he doubtlessly and incorrectly believed would protect him from any spell Twilight could wish to cast.
“I wish to ask you if you witnessed any strange occurrences while you were with Vasil. Anything that you would find difficult to explain. I believe that either he or a member of his entourage is possessed by Discord. Proof would manifest as chaos magic,” Twilight Sparkle said, not rising to Ander’s taunt. It wouldn’t do any good to argue with him that sorcery was not an abomination.
“Why should we tell you anything?” Contessa Ellis of Sleeping Crag asked haughtily, “Your very presence here is suspicious. Even if Prince Braid is who he claims to be, consorting with foreigners to put down a rebellion of his own subjects is unworthy of a Stalliongrader prince.”
“I came only to provide an outsider’s perspective and aid where needed,” Twilight Sparkle said, “I am not here to aid in putting down the rebellion, only in discovering the truth. I am sure that Prince Braid will be more lenient toward you if you help me in determining what is to blame for this rebellion.”
To Twilight’s surprise, all three ponies laughed at this.
“You do not know nearly as much about the prince as you might think,” Feodor said, “Nor have you considered the alternative. Vasil could still succeed in overthrowing Braid. Better to be rewarded by Prince Vasil IV Stalanokov than to plead for mercy from Prince Braid III Stalanokov.”
“This is about more than just the rebellion or Stalliongrad,” Twilight Sparkle pulled out her trump card, “If Discord is allowed to return, he could wreak havoc on not just your realm, but every realm in Equestria, every realm on Equus!”
“Bah! Discord,” Ander scoffed, “Do you still persist in that story? Everypony in Equestria knows the truth. The Old Witch is weakening. Celestia has lost control of the sun twice now, and on the summer solstice no less in both cases. No stories about evil twins or old gods can cover up that fact.”
Twilight Sparkle continued to try to get them to tell her anything about chaos magic while in Vasil’s service, but it was useless. She tried the other prisoner tents, but her questioning there was equally unfruitful. It seemed that once these Stalliongrader lords had openly betrayed their sovereign, they were determined to persist in their rebellion up to the end and nothing could sway them. Perhaps less savory methods would be able to loosen their tongues or Twilight could read their minds, but neither were possible. Prince Braid would never allow the former, and the latter would have to be done against the subjects’ wills, something that was strongly frowned upon by the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht. By sunset, when she headed back to the hill outside the camp to open a portal for Rarity and Appleajck, she was back where she started, ignorant of what was going on inside Castle Garland and unable to get inside herself.
***
Twilight Sparkle awoke suddenly in the night to the sound of screams. Spike also arose as she threw a cloak on over her nightgown and ventured out into the night. The sorceress conjured up a globe of light and affixed it to the end of her horn as others also left their tents to seek out the commotion, some carrying weapons. The other Brave Companions emerged from their tents sporadically and followed Twilight as she traced the yells and curses coming from nearby. Several rows of tents down, sappers were dragging themselves out of a hole as quickly as they could. Each and every one of them was covered from crest to hoof in blood, which shone queerly in the light of torches and Twilight’s sorcery. Some ponies tried to help the sappers out, mostly guards for the nobles that were either also gathered around or had sent their servants to investigate for them.
“I want t’ know what in th’ Abyss is goin’ on!” a lead sapper cursed as he pulled himself free of the hole and coughed up blood, “Th’ tunnels goin’ awry, an’ now th’ bloody walls start bleedin’!”
The tunnel had partially consumed a tent as it had emerged in the camp, like so many others that had gone wacky, and now it was filling up with blood so that the sappers still trapped were swimming to the edges now. Suddenly, the blood burst into flame, the poor ponies still paddling in it and one who tumbled in at the flash while helping another out were all consumed by the fire. The other onlookers all stepped back as the massive bonfire went up, muttering fearfully. Some touched hooves to foreheads and pulled them up and away as a sign to ward off evil.
Twilight Sparkle squinted and looked away from the fire. There was no doubt in her mind that this was some manifestation of Discord’s chaos magic, but she hadn’t been able to detect its casting at all; that made her even more uneasy than a tunnel of blood suddenly lighting on fire. With the light from the flaming pit of blood, Twilight Sparkle was able to see what otherwise would have gone unnoticed by any in the night other than Rainbow Dash. Shadowy figures were moving through the camp away from the fire with a purpose. They were zigging and zagging, but undoubtedly were headed toward the royal tents. Possibly assassins, though whether the tunnel of blood had been meant as a distraction or was a convenient coincidence, Twilight was unsure.
“Assassins! They are headed for the prince!” Twilight Sparkle yelled to alert everypony present before taking off after them.
Why am I doing this? Placing herself in danger in order to protect the sovereign of a realm that had a history of hostile intentions toward her home—it didn’t seem rational to the Cant’r Laht sorceress. It occurred to her that assassins sent by Vasil might be more likely to talk than the prisoners she’d spoken to today, since they’d have less to lose, but she knew that wasn’t why she was doing this. She couldn’t just stand by and let somepony be murdered in their sleep like it wasn’t her problem if she could do something to prevent it. Rainbow Dash had been correct that she was no longer who she was: a Cant’r Laht sorceress. She was more a Ponieville sorceress now, whatever that identifier meant or would come to mean, and a Ponieville sorceress would step up, even risking her own life, if it meant she could save a life from being taken unjustly.
Rainbow Dash quickly outpaced Twilight as she too spotted the assassins, and Applejack caught up with her. There was no time to check, but she was sure the others were following as well. As soon as she spotted one of the assassins, she teleported into their path. From how they’d appeared and moved at a distance, she’d assumed the assassins were felii, the bipedal cat people that were even more rarely seen in Equestria than satyrs and minotaurs, but now that she was up close, she saw that this had been an inaccurate analysis. They were bipedal and moved with all the grace of the felii, but their faces were more canine than feline. That was only the first thing she noticed, as it was the easiest to grasp. The assassin before the sorceress was unlike any creature she’d ever seen. Black fur covered its entire body, though the hairs moved more like shadows than actual fibers. There were no eyes on its jackal-like face at all, or else it had them closed, a possibility that Twilight only considered when its mouth suddenly opened where there’d been no hint of a seam before, revealing rows of glistening white teeth and a lolling blood-red tongue.
The assassin paid Twilight no mind and jumped over her, rolling briefly before returning to its feet as if it had never deviated from its course to avoid her. Twilight had a hard time keeping her eyes on it while it moved, as it appeared to rapidly flicker through multiple locations. She teleported out ahead of it again as it kept doggedly on toward the royal tents.
“Ye seni cavan’r doros’i![1]” Twilight incanted, and glowing chains wrapped around the assassin.
The sorceress stepped forward to examine the creature, but quickly jumped back as her spell suddenly unraveled. It wasn’t like when she tried to create a portal within range of Yliiena’s Tower; this unraveling was … different … strange … chaotic. The chains of pure magic were turned into snakes in the blink of an eye and slithered away. The assassin rose from the ground and turned its eyeless face toward Twilight.
“Eren’r oxelle’i soretta Ye’r mathis![2]” Twilight Sparkle shouted, and spears of earth jumped out of the earth and impaled the assassin in several places.
The assassin looked slightly concerned, but otherwise the pillars of earth that had pierced straight through it seemed to have caused no serious harm. Twisting its body unnaturally, the assassin pulled itself free, and its wounds healed themselves rapidly, with dark, wavy fur filling in the gaps. A strangled growl escaped from its throat as it turned its attention to Twilight, annoyed at her inconveniences. The fur on its hands drew back to reveal six sharp claws at the end of each arm.
The assassin lunged for Twilight, and she barely managed to get back in time. She teleported away to get some distance and cast another spell, but the assassin anticipated her somehow and was nearly upon her when she reappeared, forcing her to dodge again. As she fell to the ground, she spotted Rainbow Dash by the light of bobbing torches, slashing at another of the creatures. The Hunter managed to chop off an arm, but it quickly regrew, and claws closed around her sword. Over Twilight, the assassin she’d been facing raised a claw and prepared to strike down at her.
Suddenly, something small and shiny struck the assassin in the face before it could do so. Really, the object didn’t strike the assassin so much as go straight through it, flying out the opposite cheek just as swiftly as it had entered the other. At first Twilight assumed it to be a crossbow bolt, until the string trailing behind it caught in the assassin’s shadowy fur and pulled it up short. Radiating out from where it had been struck, the assassin turned to black dust, some of which drifted away, and the rest of which settled into a pile on the ground before Twilight. The weapon that had killed the thing landed atop the sooty heap, a golden amulet containing a pink gem shaped like a butterfly. Twilight turned her head and spotted Fluttershy standing nearby, a look of shock on her face.
“What did you do?” Twilight asked as she picked herself up off the ground and hastily readjusted her cloak.
“I … I just threw the Element of Compassion to … to distract it,” Fluttershy said, looking at the pile of dust with disbelief.
“They are creatures of chaos,” Twilight said with certainty before yelling out for all to hear, “The Elements of Harmony can defeat them!”
Rainbow Dash understood and swung the Element of Allegiance by its cord toward the assassin in front of her. As the amulet sailed through the shadow creature’s face, it turned into dust. Unfortunately, it looked like only Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had brought their Elements with them from their tents. Concentrating intensely, Twilight Sparkle located the remaining four Elements with her mind. Her magic warped around the Elements as she reached out to them, as it always did, but didn’t fail her like it did when she tried to make portals. With a bright flash and flying sparks, the Elements of Trustworthiness, Mirth, Charity, and Sorcery appeared in front of her. She’d never gone through with trying to teleport the Elements of Harmony before, and a slightly burnt smell reached her nostrils as she caught them in her magic. She hoped that she hadn’t just set their tents on fire, but that would have to wait until later.
Adjusting her sorcery around the warping effects the Elements had, she propelled them through the air to her friends. The Element of Trustworthiness cut through the assassin that Applejack was trying to hold off with a piece of firewood, reducing it to ash. Pinkamena jumped up into the air to catch the Element of Mirth and landed on the back of one of the assassins. When its arms twisted backwards to impale her, she buried the Element it its fur, and she landed heavily on the pile of dust left over. When Rarity caught the Element of Charity, she rushed over to help out a struggling guard who was poking holes into an assassin that kept on coming toward him. Twilight Sparkle settled the Element of Sorcery on her head for safekeeping and teleported to the royal tents.
“What’s the meaning of this!?” Aleksi, Prince Braid’s court wizard, demanded as Twilight Sparkle apparated among the prince’s tents, jabbing a wizened staff at her.
“Assassins sent by the Discord-possessed. Prince Braid is in danger,” Twilight explained quickly as she looked around for any sign of them.
Aleksi didn’t look like he believed her tale, though he didn’t stop the guards who’d been roused by the commotion from running to protect their prince. One of the assassins sprinted around the tents and into view, and the court wizard’s eyes widened.
“Eren uptury![3]” he incanted as he leveled his staff at the creature and a geyser of earth flew up from under its feet, shredding it to pieces.
It didn’t take the assassin long to recover, however, shadows stitching it back together. Before it got much farther, though, Rainbow Dash swooped down and sliced it neatly in the middle with her sword. While it started pulling itself back together, she swung her element through it, turning it to dust. Aleksi’s eyes had gotten even wider in the meantime.
“How …” he asked breathlessly.
“Rainbow, you have the best chance of stopping these things. Help secure the prince,” Twilight ordered, and the Hunter hopped to it, escorting the stammering Aleksi toward Braid’s tent and whistling for the guards who were standing around unsure of what to do to follow her.
Twilight wasn’t sure exactly how many of the assassins there were, so she kept watch in case more showed up. She also tried to experiment with possible ways to detect them but wasn’t successful, unless they’d all been defeated already. It wasn’t surprising, given that she couldn’t defect the other chaos magic of the Possessed either.
The sound of breaking wood grabbed her attention, and Twilight dashed in the direction it had come from. The canvas side of one of the tents in the royal camp bowed unnaturally, and the sorceress teleported herself within. Inside stood Braid’s son Grigor, trying to hold off an assassin with a longsword. The heir to the throne was wearing nothing but his nightclothes, and they had been torn and stained by blood from the assassin’s cruel swipes. He brought the sword down through the creature’s shoulder to its waist, but it quickly pulled itself together and held the blade in place.
Twilight Sparkle removed the circlet from her head and threw it at the assassin, the golden band catching around the wrist of its upraised hand. Instantly, the creature crumbled into dust, and Grigor’s sword tip dropped to the ground. Grigor breathed heavily as he stepped back, nearly dripping over the broken washstand that had drawn Twilight’s attention to the commotion going on inside the tent.
“Thanks,” Grigor told her before he collapsed in a pool of his own blood.
***
The last of the assassins were dealt with while Twilight Sparkle was saving Grigor’s life, all still out in the camp. Not one of them seemed to have been trying to reach Prince Braid; Grigor had been the target. If they’d succeeded, would they have then gone after the reigning prince, paving Vasil’s way to the throne without anypony to legitimately stop him? The only way to know now would be to ask whoever had sent them, who was safely locked up within Castle Garland somewhere, out of the reach of soldiers and sorceresses alike.
Grigor entertained the Brave Companions at breakfast the morning after the attack, not allowing the wounds he’d sustained to impede his duties. He’d lost a substantial amount of blood, but he’d been bandaged up in time and would heal so long as he didn’t have to fight in the near future. It irked him that he likely wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the upcoming assault on Castle Garland, but a pony in his position as well as his weakened condition couldn’t risk it.
“I wish I could thank you more for what you did,” Grigor said as he unconsciously ran his hoof along the ear with seven rings in it, a habit he’d picked up, “Let it be known at least that the Brave Companions will always be welcome in Frosthorn and Begen Rock.”
Though Grigor spent most of his time in Stalliongrad as heir to the throne, he also had duties as lord of two territories within the principality. As Count of Frosthorn and Lord of Begen Rock, these invitations were not empty. Not that the Brave Companions were likely to visit those places, unless their participation in this rebellion stretched on much longer than expected. They had already been here longer than anticipated, and it had taken some talking to convince Applejack not to leave by portal this morning instead of staying at Grigor’s invitation. Though they were all devoted to capturing the last shard of Discord’s soul, Twilight did hope that they would all be able to return to Ponieville soon.
“I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure about my father’s plan to involve you at first, but I’m glad he did,” Grigor complimented the Brave Companions, “Thank you all.”
Grigor winced as he stood to bid them farewell at the end of their meal, clutching at the wound in his side.
“Oh my. Should you be up and moving around?” Fluttershy asked him, and Rainbow Dash smiled knowingly; the Hunter having been in the same position as Grigor on multiple occasions and had often been rebuked for moving too much by Fluttershy as well.
“I must,” Grigor said stoically, “I still have duties to attend to today, the chief of which will require travel over a fair distance.”
“I could shorten your journey, as with the hordes,” Twilight Sparkle suggested, eager to create portals for more than just ferrying her friends to Ponieville and back.
“That is very kind, but I do not wish to take advantage of your abilities, madam sorceress,” Grigor said, “Besides, I will be speaking with the bison, and I doubt anything productive will come of it.”
“Hey! We actually have some experience dealing with bison!” Pinkamena exclaimed, far too loud for anypony’s comfort.
“Well, if y’ mean getting’ in th’ middle o’ a fight an’ piecin’ things back t’gether afterward, then I s’pose,” Applejack said.
“Wait, do you mean to say that the rumors about Celestia bringing the South Equestrian Bison Herd under her control are true?” Grigor asked, “I thought it was all posturing to improve her claim on the south Equestry Valley.”
“Of course it’s true,” Rainbow Dash said, “Twilight here wrote up the treaty herself.”
“Well,” Grigor said, “In that case, I would be pleased to accept your offer and extend the invitation to all of the Brave Companions.”
***
For Twilight, the journey to meet with the North Equestrian Bison Herd wasn’t just a chance to practice her portal-making; it was also an escape from the monotony of her days in camp. Other than Rainbow Dash, her friends frequently returned to Ponieville while Twilight had mostly stayed put. Most of what she’d done in camp had been trying to think of ways to determine who was possessed by Discord, learn about the politics of the Principality of Stalliongrad, and study her normal large variety of subjects related to history and sorcery. The first and last tasks she could have done just as well in Ponieville (especially since she’d sent Spike through to Golden Oak’s laboratory to get the books she was using), and the other wasn’t exactly necessary, but she wanted to be near to the action. Though her mind was often on her portals and she was fully aware that she could travel anywhere in the blink of an eye, she still wanted to maintain proximity to Castle Garland in case the Discord-possessed pony tried something. The bison herd was near enough that she didn’t feel too distant to help if the need arose.
The bison were currently encamped to the south of Castle Garland, in the woods near the town of Prezya, half a day’s trip away on hoof. Twilight Sparkle located them with the reluctant help of Bane Prezakov, the Baron of Prezya, and opened a portal for everypony to pass through. The court that Grigor had gathered around himself looked dubiously at the Brave Companions as the princely heir’s guards passed through the portal first to secure the area. Even after a month of their presence, they still hadn’t gotten used to the idea of these foreigners advising their royals. Twilight knew there had been petitions to Prince Braid to send the Cant’r Laht embassy away, especially with Cadence visiting him to plead Lord Khosar’s case on a daily basis, but so far Braid had seen fit not to grant them. After the Discord-possessed pony was captured, however, things might change.
Grigor’s followers marched through the portal after the heir, and the Brave Companions brought up the rear, Twilight closing the portal behind them once they were all through. Twilight had not wanted to startle the bison, so she’d brought them to the outskirts of Prezya, the residents of which were beginning to gather at a safe distance to investigate what was going on. One peasant yelled about the fence Twilight Sparkle had sliced in half with her portal, but she ignored the shouting as it faded away on their way to the woods. Nopony followed them once it became clear where they were headed.
There were no signs of the bison at first, but before long their yurts came into view, erected among the trees. A pair of young bison lookouts slid down from trees that had had their branches lopped off, using leather strips stretched between their forehooves to slow their descent. The bison in the camp stopped whatever they were doing when they saw the newcomers, some loosening swords in their sheathes or reaching for spears.
“I am Grigor, son of Prince Braid,” Grigor announced himself, to the chagrin of the translator they’d brought along who was supposed to have done so, “I am here to speak to your leader.”
“Ámanti ladde Khan Blaenarratate[4],” one of the young bison said to an elder, who inclined her head in a motion for the ponies to follow.
They followed along deeper into the camp, Grigor’s guards wary of the bison around them. Baron Bane also looked nervous, which was understandable since he’d apparently tried once to speak to the bison and been run off, and also because his town would be the first to be ransacked if things didn’t go well. The ponies were led to a circle of yurts that looked little different from all the others, except for the rather large fire that had burned down in the center of them. Several bulls sat around the dying embers, sharpening weapons ominously. Their guide spoke to one of the warriors, and he returned a few seconds later with an older bull from one of the yurts.
The bison chief held himself boldly, despite his age and how weathered he appeared. His horns were chipped and gouged from battles past and a scar ran over his left eye, which was milky white. The portions of his hide that were visible were patchily covered in hair that had faded and dulled with age, and his face was swathed in a great tangled beard. He snorted as he approached the pony delegation, but still raised his head, exposing his neck and indicating respect and trust. Something about the way he did it seemed mocking, though, as if he didn’t really mean it.
“Chief Bleached Skulls,” Grigor greeted him as he inclined his head, returning the chief’s gesture in the pony fashion.
“You are not Prince Braid,” was all that the chief said in reply, his bushy brow bent in a frown.
“No, my royal father is needed at Castle Garland, but I have come in his place,” Grigor said, “I am Grigor, heir to the throne.”
“Ha! I did not ask for this foal, but his sire,” Bleached Skulls said as he looked accusatorially at Bane.
“In matters that I can, I speak for my father, and can advise him in others,” Grigor said, keeping a level head.
“I did not ask for an errand-colt. That is what he was for,” Bleached Skulls said as he pointed a hoof at Bane, who visibly recoiled.
This is bad. The bison that the Brave Companions had dealt with had been difficult (though no more difficult than the Appleoosans), but they hadn’t dared demand to go straight to the top. What would I have done had they demanded to speak to Celestia? If things didn’t settle down soon, these bison could prove to be a particularly prickly thorn in Prince Braid’s side. He was already dealing with one rebellion; could he afford to take on another? Not that it would be seen as a rebellion. The Equestrian bison were subjects of nopony, which is probably why the chief demanded to speak to somepony else who also had nopony above them to answer to.
“You will speak to me or nopony,” Grigor said firmly as he stared the chief down, “Now, shall we take a seat and discuss this like civilized beings?”
“My hooves can support me, but if you ponies are so weak, then be my guest. I don’t expect this will last long,” Chief Bleached Skulls snorted, “Your cities refuse to trade with us, but then harass us when we take what we need from the land. They must stop this immediately.”
“Who the villages of the realm decide to trade with is up to them,” said a mayor from a town that the bison had terrorized on their way here, “You cannot force us to trade.”
“A royal proclamation could implement a fine if you do not at least provide access to markets,” Grigor told the mayor thoughtfully.
“Ponies talk and quibble over coin to no outcome,” the bison chief snorted, apparently unimpressed by Grigor’s idea, “If you do not trade with us, then we will return to the way things were before the Peace was agreed. We have honored our agreement for twenty years, but the agreement was made with Prince Bann, not this weak prince, or you, a weak prince-to-be.”
“If you resume raiding villages, then you will know that Braid III Stalanokov is no weak prince,” Grigor said passionately, “The full might of Stalliongrad will be brought to bear on you, and you will be crushed.”
“More talk,” Bleached Skulls said derisively, “We will burn every city from Galloping Gorge to Rainbow Falls to the ground, and no ponies will stop us.”
“That will not be necessary,” Twilight Sparkle interceded, “I am sure that a peaceful solution can be achieved. Your counterparts in the south agreed to come under the protection of Celestia and become her Warden of the South. Perhaps something similar could be achieved here.”
“We have no need of ‘protection’ by a pony prince or take a meaningless title and become subservient to a pony, I’d rather see my entire herd wiped out,” Bleached Skulls said, and Twilight backed off, “That is your wish, to control us as you do the hordes, but you will find a bison much more difficult to yoke than a pony. They may have borrowed and stolen our ways, but they are a shadow compared to us. The greatest mistake our herd ever made was helping those pony settlers and teaching them our ways instead of running them off or slaughtering them. Now they are prized by you, so much so that the heir to the throne makes vows in their way.”
Grigor nearly reached for the rings in his ear but stopped himself.
“We will not be subjugated or cowed. We will not become your subjects,” Bleached Skulls continued, “You will command your cities to open their gates and trade with us, or we will raze your lands and turn your rivers red with blood!”
“If you want a war so badly, then so be it,” Grigor said coldly.
“Go then, and tell your people to flee if they wish to live,” Bleached Skulls said before turning his back on the delegation and tramping off back to his yurt.
The warriors sitting nearby stood and began motioning with their spears for the ponies to leave. Back they went through the camp, an even tenser march now that battle lines had been drawn. Twilight itched to create a portal to get them out of there, but she had no idea how the bison would react, so she restrained herself.
“This is just what we need right now,” Grigor grumbled as they crossed the expanse between the woods and Prezya.
“I apologize if I antagonized him,” Twilight Sparkle said. Much to the ire of the Stalliongraders, she’d found herself marching at the front of the procession with Grigor.
“It wasn’t anything you said,” Grigor replied, “I think that even if I’d promised to grant all his requests, that old fool would have attacked anyway. Either that, or he’d demand more and more ridiculous things that Stalliongrad would undo itself in granting them.”
“Will you be able to deal with the bison?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“We will lose some villages. Prezya, for one,” Grigor said as he gestured to the collection of cottages ahead, and Bane looked uncomfortable, “We will get by, though. Until Vasil’s rebellion is done and Castle Garland falls, though, it’ll be like fighting with our hooves all tied together. The siege must end.”
***
Three days later, Castle Garland was assaulted. The bison were true to their word and began to scythe a bloody path through the Principality of Stalliongrad. The residents of Prezya and a few other towns were spared as Twilight lent her portals to help them evacuate, but many villages were razed with their villagers still present. Prince Braid could not tolerate this, but he also couldn’t abandon the siege of Castle Garland. His patience with his son and the rebels who’d banded around him was up. Siege engines were hurried to completion, and in the pre-dawn twilight, they began to move toward Castle Garland’s walls.
Three towers had been constructed to assist with the scaling of the outer walls. Castle Garland’s outer defenses were shaped like a trapezoid with one corner sheared off for a gatehouse, up to which ran a long earthen ramp. One siege tower rolled toward the shorter of the parallel sides and two others advanced on an adjacent side, oxen pushing them from within. The defenders, upon realizing they were under attack, rushed to the walls to fire on the siege engines and advancing troops trying to use them for cover. This action also exposed them to the catapults Braid’s engineers had built, and many rebels fell screaming from the walls as flaming casks set them alight. Meanwhile, others advanced on the gate of the castle, protecting a ram to help break down the heavy doors. Braid was going all-out in his assault. If it failed and his siege equipment was destroyed, it could mean another month of waiting before they were ready to attack again. Still, it would be quicker than waiting for the castle to starve.
An hour after the attack began, a segment of the wall suddenly collapsed. The sappers, it seemed, had finally managed to reach their destination without their tunnels diverting off to the middle of camp. Twilight did worry about what this might mean as Prince Braid’s army stormed the gap. If the Discord-possessed pony was no longer sending things awry, then that might mean they were no longer here. The sorceress wasn’t sure how they could’ve escaped, since portals wouldn’t work here and even teleportation close to Yliiena’s tower was a bit dicey, but chaos magic didn’t follow any known rules.
“It is not him,” Twilight Sparkle announced, and another rebel soldier was led away.
Lightning crackled overhead in a cloudless sky as sorceresses clashed, but Braid had forbidden Twilight Sparkle to get involved in the fighting. That was perfectly fine with her, since the embassy from Cant’r Laht was already more involved in this rebellion than they should have been. However, it did keep her away from any chance to identify the possessed pony before they were hacked to pieces. From their experience in finding the anti-Element of Treachery in Grunstead, the possessed pony’s death wouldn’t be the end. Discord’s soul shard would just find another host, quite possibly whoever had killed the previous host. Discord could be loose within Prince Braid’s army, and there was little Twilight Sparkle could do about it. She’d voiced her concerns to the prince, and he’d allowed her to examine every prisoner that was taken, but he wasn’t willing to go further than that.
“Not him,” Twilight said after examining another.
The shadows were beginning to lengthen as the battle passed into its ninth hour. It wouldn’t be long now before Castle Garland fell. The inner castle was composed of two parts, a square keep with a triangular courtyard abutting it. Through the courtyard was the only way into the keep, and Prince Braid’s forces had already breached it. The battering ram was now hammering on the keep’s gates, Braid’s soldiers massed outside and waiting to rush through as soon as they collapsed.
“No,” Twilight Sparkle dismissed another soldier.
Whatever forces weren’t involved with the final assault were busy mopping up throughout the rest of the castle. Within the space between the inner and outer walls were several buildings, including Yliiena’s tower. That was where some of the sorceresses who’d defected to Vasil were making their last stand against Braid’s own mages. There were a couple other stone structures like Yliiena’s tower (though not standing as precariously), but most of the buildings were made of wood, and Braid’s soldiers set them ablaze to flush the rebels out. Twilight Sparkle could see all of this going on from the gatehouse, where she’d managed to move the Brave Companions in order to be close in case the Discord-possessed pony revealed themselves.
“This is not the one,” Twilight said, and another soldier was led off.
She no longer doubted that the pony possessed by Discord’s last soul fragment was here somewhere. Too many strange and inexplicable things had happened today. As if to reinforce that line of thought, a squid the size of an ox fell from the sky outside the gatehouse. Unless one of the battling sorceresses had decided to summon sea-life, this had to be the work of Discord’s chaos magic. Twilight wondered if they’d run out of prisoners when another wasn’t brought to her immediately, but there were plenty still lined up when she looked around. Guards and prisoners alike were staring outside as more sea-life fell from the sky like rain. Fish and turtles and crabs rained down, as well as a whale that crushed one of the now-abandoned siege towers. There was also freshwater life, like frogs and kelpies. All fell to the ground with wet sounds of death, and Braid’s soldiers sought shelter to avoid being crushed as some of their comrades had been.
Twilight Sparkle stood as she dimly felt the presence of chaos magic. If the Discord-possessed pony had managed to mask it all this time, then they were either very close now or using their magic very strongly. She looked around the gatehouse but couldn’t pinpoint if it was coming from any of the guards or prisoners. The sorceress experimentally reached out for the source of the chaos, and it drew her toward the inner gate. She stared out at the keep as aquatic animals continued to pelt down outside.
The world all seemed to ripple for a moment, radiating out from the keep, and the shower of marine life stopped. The chaos magic, however, did not. The ground under Castle Garland’s western walls bucked up, throwing stone and the bodies of ponies everywhere. The ground continued to rise to a hill and then a mountain as the base spread up to the keep, continuing to crush or launch soldiers, rebel and loyalist alike. Braid’s soldiers fled as a mountain towered up against the keep, whose walls and towers were now beginning to collapse. Several figures leapt from the keep to the slope of the new mountain and ran up its side faster than they should have been able to.
Rainbow Dash took off into the air to get a better look with her Hunter eyes. The ground shook again, and towers crumpled as another mountain rose up on the other side of the first as the fleeing figures crested it and began to ascend. A line of mountains in decreasing height rose up as they fled, hopping from peak to peak with agility far beyond the ability of even mountain goats. Rainbow Dash followed as long as she could, but even she couldn’t keep up with the fleeing ponies. She thought she caught the sight of light glittering off the head of one, however. Vasil, who’d had himself crowned prince prematurely.
One of them turned back to face her momentarily, though at this point she couldn’t see any details. Dark clouds suddenly blocked her path, appearing from nowhere, and they didn’t act like clouds when she tried to fly through them. She became stuck in them, as if they were made of the same substance as a spider web. They were also heavy, or became so as soon as she was entrapped, and began to fall. She barely managed to free herself before hitting the ground. When she broke free, she could no longer see the fleeing ponies from Castle Garland. She had to tell Twilight about this. Vasil had escaped, as had the Discord-possessed pony—perhaps one and the same.
Braid’s armies marched westward across the hills of the Haeldmark, that semi-autonomous region that had been its own kingdom before the prince had managed to force acknowledgement of his overlordship upon it. The army that now followed the Prince of Stalliongrad in pursuit of the rebellious Vasil and his followers was much smaller than what had set out from Stalliongrad originally. Partly, that was because a large army was not needed anymore for this task and another force under his brother-in-law Hodd Andretokov had been split off to slow the bison rampage; mostly, however, it was due to the stunning conclusion of the Siege of Castle Garland. Many had been killed by falling marine life or the mountain that tore through the walls in the end, but more had simply fled in terror. Those that were left should be more than enough to deal with Vasil and the nobles still at his side, but it was still disheartening for those remaining to see the great army whittled down so significantly.
The Cant’r Laht embassy still marched with Prince Braid’s army. It was especially important for the Brave Companions now that they had irrefutable proof that the Discord-possessed pony was among the remaining rebels. Twilight Sparkle had hoped to catch them off guard, but her scrying had been unable to find them during their flight until they reached Galloping Gorge. The reason they were still with Braid’s army and hadn’t simply hopped straight to Galloping Gorge was because Twilight found she was unable to open a portal to it. While it was beyond frustrating, it didn’t take her long to figure out why. Yliiena the First was to blame again, in a way. Galloping Gorge was the result of her sorcerous battle with Tirek, the first Great One to be imprisoned in Tartarus. It had been carved by magic from both an alicorn and a Great One, causing it to inherently interfere with sorcery, including making the creation of portals to or from it and teleportation impossible. So, she would have to wait again for the army of Stalliongrad to bring her target within reach or for them to reveal themselves. She would also have to hope that, when the time came, the spell to extract Discord’s soul fragment would work.
“Halt!” yelled the commander leading the nearby column of troops.
“Um, Twilight,” Spike said, tugging at the sorceress’s mane from his spot on her back in order to draw her attention to the order.
She’d allowed her page to ride on her back during the march after he’d complained about not being able to keep up, but she was beginning to realize that this couldn’t go on forever. Spike was growing, and it wouldn’t be much longer before Twilight couldn’t carry him anymore, not without her becoming too fatigued. That was something that no sorceress could allow, since it would impede her ability to correctly cast spells. For now, though, she didn’t want to give up on being able to carry the dragon she’d raised from a hatchling. She could go on just a little longer.
The Brave Companions had been trotting alongside the columns of Stalliongrader soldiers that ranged over the hills, maintaining some distance between them so that they could go their own way, keep their own pace, and have their own conversations. The columns around them began to halt one by one and the front ranks spread out laconically into lines of defense. There must have been no immediate threat if they weren’t in a rush, or so Twilight hoped. Rainbow Dash launched into the air, abandoning the heated debate she’d been having with Rarity about armor, and Fluttershy followed with a slower ascent. The rest of the Brave Companions (as well as Ream and Baldavin, who’d been hanging back) rushed to the top of the hill they were traveling upslope on to see what was causing the commotion.
The hills descended and flattened out ahead as the Haeldic highlands transitioned completely into a pocket of the Moskyin Expanse, the vast plain that was mostly occupied by the Principality of Stalliongrad. Scouts galloped back toward the Stalliongrader army, their forms small but easy to pick out against the still countryside. Galloping Gorge was visible in the distance, a tremendous rent in the earth carved by no natural force. It was too far to make out details, but there was a dark patch on the near side of the gorge that stood out, glimmers coming from it from time to time as the sun peeked through the clouds overhead.
“Pinkamena, did you bring your telescope along?” Twilight asked.
“Of course I did,” Pinkamena said, producing her gift from Duchess Seaspray and passing it to Twilight.
The sorceress looked through the spyglass down at the edge of Galloping Gorge. It was still too far to make out many details, but it did give her a much better idea of what was down there. There was an army amassed at the edge of the gorge nearly twice the size of Prince Braid’s forces. Banners flapped here and there among the soldiers, denoting different nobles and their levies, but it was the shared highest banners that held Twilight’s attention. The standard was indecipherable, but the colors were easy enough to make out. Blue and gray—the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r’s colors.
***
Prince Braid’s army halted where it was atop the hills, before it had fully revealed itself to the Vanhuv’rite army; it wouldn’t do for them to know that they greatly outnumbered their opponents. Of course, if they had a sorceress among them with the ability to scry out her surroundings, then the Vanhuv’rites would already know. It never hurt to be prudent, though, and to avoid giving a potential enemy any information that you weren’t absolutely sure they already had.
When a messenger from the Vanhuv’rites galloped up the hills, Braid dispatched his own representative to meet them before they reached the camp. The message brought was from King Hyelliff, who was personally leading the army at Galloping Gorge. When two armies each led by monarchs met, it never ended well for anypony. It was not a declaration of war that the messenger brought from his king (not yet, anyway), but an invitation to meet the following morning on the ground between the two armies.
Braid agreed to the meeting, and he set off the next dawn with his entourage down from the hills in the midst of a thunderstorm. With him came his two loyal sons, an assortment of powerful vassals, and the Brave Companions. Twilight Sparkle was unsure why all six of them were invited to the meeting (and why Cadence, Shining Armor, Ream, Baldavin, and Spike were omitted), when she alone would be enough to explain the danger posed by the Discord-possessed, but Prince Braid insisted. He felt that all the Brave Companions together would have a stronger effect on King Hyelliff than a subset of them. And so, they accompanied the party down through the hills in the darkness, cloaks pulled tight around them and the torches carried by Braid’s guards struggling to stay alight illuminating their surroundings.
The Vanhuv’rites had arrived at the meeting spot first and set up a tent in King Hyelliff’s colors. The Stalliongrad delegation entered, soaking wet, to the sight of Hyelliff and his court sitting warm and dry, sipping tea. Twilight wondered how early they’d arrived, or if they’d been here all night, only to be seen comfortable here while the other party was miserable from their march. If King Hyelliff thought that something as trivial as discomfort would put Prince Braid off his game, he was sorely mistaken.
“Prince Braid III Stalanokov, Lord-Protector of Stalliongrad, Boyar of the Haeldmark, Crown-Protector of the Hordes, and Lord of the North!” Braid’s herald announced, breaking the silence that had fallen at the Stalliongraders’ entrance.
“Hyelliff of the House Vattern, King of Vanhuv’r, Prince of the Fellmark, Holy Guardian of St. Epaphrus’s Monastery, Baron of Galloping Gorge, and Warden of the Agate Ocean!” Hyelliff’s own herald announced of his seated sovereign, adding after Hyelliff gave him a pointed look, “And Lord of the North!”
Prince Braid frowned at the addition of that last title, to which he also laid claim; not that it mattered much, practically speaking. The North, or as it was more commonly known, the Frozen North, had been covered in perpetual blizzards for over a thousand years, and that wasn’t likely to change anytime soon. It was merely something to claim and something to provide a casus belli in case of war.
The Stalliongrad delegation took their seats at a table that had been set up between the two sets of chairs. Braid and Hyelliff faced each other, with Braid’s sons and vassals facing off against the King of Vanhuv’r’s courtiers across the table. The Brave Companions were not given seats at the table and sat in the second row with some of the less important Stalliongrader nobles. Accompanying King Hyelliff were many nobles that Twilight Sparkle did not recognize, but a few that she did. Among them was Duchess Flying Saddle of Tall Tale. She also recognized the Brave Companions and didn’t look happy to see them here. While more than a year had passed, she was still bitter about being tricked out of the dragon’s treasure at Mount Caradrhorse. Peculiarly, seated on one side of Hyelliff were two young colts in fine attire, one of them so small he could barely see over the edge of the table.
“I see you’ve brought your sons along—well, some of them,” Hyelliff goaded Braid about Vasil’s treachery, and the Stalliongrader prince’s face grew stormy, “I too have brought my offspring to show them how things are done. Borhold, Ostaff, say hello to your fellow prince.”
“Hello,” the elder of the two colts next to Hyelliff said as he stared at Braid uncertainly.
“If you seek to embarrass me because of my title by comparing me to foals, then you only display your own foolishness,” Prince Braid said as he stared at King Hyelliff, “It is true that you are a king and I am a prince, but I would rather be prince of the great fortress-city of Stalliongrad than king of that heap of fishing shacks you call Vanhuv’r. Standing only on your claim to the crown of a king doesn’t become you, Hyelliff; but what else could you stand on, your own merits? You, who lost the Westerlands to Queen Helianthus, against me, who brought the noble Haelds, whose land we are currently upon, under my command?”
As Prince Braid heaped insults on King Hyelliff and his realm, the king’s face grew increasingly stormy and livid. His courtiers objected audibly to Braid’s speech, especially where it disparaged the city of Vanhuv’r, but the king himself managed to keep himself from interrupting and embarrassing himself.
“Now that that is over, what are you doing in my realm with an army?” Prince Braid demanded before tempers had cooled.
“When I received word that a great army had left Stalliongrad and was marching west, with its own sovereign at the head, no less, what was I to think?” Hyelliff asked, his indignation at Braid’s previous comments only barely detectable in his voice, “I did the same thing you would have done had you received word about an army led by King Hadish. I marched out to defend my lands.”
“You are in the Haeldmark,” Braid objected, “These are my lands.”
“Galloping Gorge is not,” Hyelliff said firmly, “And I can’t very well defend it from the other side of the gorge, can I?”
“You know why I am here. A pretender to my throne hides out in the gorge,” Braid said sternly.
“Yes, your son Vasil, I am well aware,” Hyelliff said without pity, “I heard an interesting story, you know, that he really is the rightful Prince of Stalliongrad. It seems, Braid, that you may not be who you claim to be, but a shape-shifter.”
“You don’t want to go down this path, Hyelliff,” Braid said without emotion, “You were in Cant’r Laht as well and could have the same charge leveled against you. Allow me to retrieve my son, and I will forgive your trespass on my lands. There need be no quarrel between us.”
“That is where you’re wrong,” Hyelliff said, “I am Baron of Galloping Gorge, and as such, I cannot allow Stalliongrader soldiers or their prince to enter.”
“What about us?” Twilight Sparkle said as she stood up, and the rest of the Brave Companions hurried to follow her lead, “We travel with Prince Braid’s army, but we are not a part of it.”
“The Brave Companions. I had heard you had come north. To aid Prince Braid in dealing with his rebellion? Why?” Hyelliff asked.
“At first we came to give aid to the prince, but that is not why we are still here,” Twilight said as she trotted to the head of the table to be better seen, “There is a greater threat in Galloping Gorge than just a pretender to the throne of Stalliongrad. One-seventh of Discord’s soul possesses Vasil or one of his followers, and it has given them incredible chaos powers that could tear apart Equestria if they are not stopped.”
“As if we should believe in an ancient chaos god with the ability to split his soul,” Duchess Flying Saddle scoffed. Twilight was getting exceedingly annoyed with ponies who failed to believe that the disasters averted by her and her friends had really existed.
“Doubt at your own risk, Hyelliff. You have already had one Discord-possessed pony in your kingdom, and they hadn’t had the time this one has to get a grip on their powers. Confirm with Margrave Orion Star if you want,” Twilight said, and one of the nobles behind Hyelliff—likely Margrave Orion Star—looked confused, “Or, better yet, his steward Wettin. He was actually present at Comethold when it happened.”
“No. I cannot allow it,” Hyelliff said after thinking for a few seconds (or feigning to), “If you wish to reach Galloping Gorge, then we must be joined in battle. I cannot allow anypony unimpeded into my lands, not with an army at their backs. I shall not yield a league, a rod, nay, even a pastern of territory to an invading foe.”
“You remain here at your peril,” Braid said stiffly, “You cannot defend well or retreat with your back to the gorge. When battle is met, you would be driven over the edge. Consider, Hyelliff, is this where and why you wish to meet your end?”
“It will not be the end for me,” Hyelliff said confidently.
“We shall see,” Braid said as he rose to leave.
***
“Twilight Sparkle! Madam sorceress!” Grigor chased Twilight down once they’d returned to the Stalliongrader camp and started to go their separate ways.
“Yes, Grigor?” she asked, and the rest of the Brave Companions halted around her.
“I have a plan—or at least the beginnings of one—to reach Galloping Gorge, but I must beg your assistance … again,” Grigor said.
“What is the plan and how might I help?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
The display of chaos magic at Castle Garland had been shocking. To conjure up a storm of marine life and raise up entire mountain ranges with nothing more than a thought didn’t bode well for what the Discord-possessed pony would be capable of in the future were they not stopped. Twilight was willing to do nearly anything to reach them sooner rather than later and stop that progression.
“Actually, the one I have the most need of is her,” Grigor said as he pointed to Applejack.
“What d’ y’ need me for?” the stunned farmer asked before adding, “M’lord.”
“There must be another way into Galloping Gorge that would allow us to bypass King Hyelliff’s army, and if anypony would know of it, it would be the locals,” Grigor explained, “There’s a village not far from here—a Haeldic village, of course—and if I’m not mistaken, there is some Haeldic blood in you.”
“Aye, there is,” Applejack said.
The Apple family had once come from the land of the Haelds, fleeing interminable wars that had wracked the region when it had still been the independent Haeldom. Many of her family had returned to this land just before Prince Braid had conquered it with the hordes and even more had returned later, leaving just a few Apples left to tend the lands in the Equestry Valley.
“The Haeldmark recognizes my father as their boyar, but not gladly,” Grigor admitted, “I feel the Haelds would be receptive if one of their own brought the news instead of the son of the stallion who killed their kin at the Battle of Caignwall.”
“I see,” Applejack said gravely.
“We should all go along,” Twilight announced as Pinkamena produced her lute from somewhere and began to slink away, “If we find a way to Galloping Gorge, it may require all the Elements of Harmony to bring down this last shard of Discord’s soul, as strong as it’s become.”
Haralsonstead was near enough that no portal was required in order to reach it before the day’s end. All around the village were fields and orchards, and the village itself was built atop a hill. A zigzagging path led up to the gates in the palisade that surrounded the village. A few ponies laboring in the fields stopped to watch the strange procession as it proceeded up the path, glances cast especially upon Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, as the sorceress, Hunter, and druidess would have stood out in most any crowd. There were also a fair number who watched Applejack, as if recognizing that her ancestors had come from this land as well, though how exactly they might be able to know that was a mystery.
“I’m not sure exactly what I’m s’posed t’ do, Twi’,” Applejack confided in her friend as they ascended, “I’m not exactly a diplomat.”
“You will do fine, Applejack, I am sure,” Twilight assured her, “All you need to do is speak to the mayor and explain our purpose here.”
“If y’ say so,” Applejack said uncertainly.
The village was abuzz with activity when they entered, ponies filling the streets. Chickens squawked and cattle lowed as they were led down the paths between the sturdy cottages. Gossip flew from the lips of everypony, whether they were simply visiting or conducting a trade in the long, narrow marketplace that ran down the village’s main street. The gossip tended to die down as the Brave Companions passed, ponies stopping to look at them before picking back up, and Twilight repeatedly noticed the words “Braid,” “Stalliongrad,” and “army.” It seemed word of their presence had preceded a formal visit to this village. That, or one of the scouts had been here already, but if that was the case, then Grigor hadn’t shared that fact with his companions. Others mentioned Hyelliff and Vanhuv’r, but evidently that was old news. I did help explain why the town was so packed, though, as ponies living in the surrounding countryside rushed to the safety of the town’s palisade from a nearby hostile army.
“Pardon me, where can I find th’ mayor?” Applejack asked a stallion standing by and munching on a turnip.
“Mayor Lodi be haudin’ court in th’ taun square,” the stallion replied with a Haeldic accent as thick as any Appleoosan, “Gaun doon straight that way an’ take a right at th’ tavern.”
These directions proved to be not quite as useful as the Brave Companions had originally thought, for there were many taverns in Haralsonstead. Eventually they located the right one, however, after following the main street all the way down, and found their way to the town square. The square was just as packed with horseflesh as the rest of the town, most of the ponies here facing the opposite side of the square where a wooden stage had been set up from which the mayor could “hold court.” The mayor of Haralsonstead was not like Mayor Mare, who fancied herself equal to any noble and tried to build an actual court for herself, so what the townspony who’d given them directions meant by saying Mayor Lodi was holding court was that she was dispensing justice.
“Duncan th’ Bastart an’ Fennel, son o’ Igni, ah hereby find ye guilty o’ theft. As these be yer third offenses, ye be sentenced tae be hanged by th’ neck ‘til ye die,” declared a golden-coated mare, the mayor, from behind the table set up on the stage.
Two stallions, one scraggly and one heavyset, were led away from the crowd that hurled insults at them and up to the gibbet set up next to the mayor’s stage. Nooses had been prepared for them in anticipation of the mayor’s judgement, and they were looped around the two thieves’ necks. A priestess offered them a last confession before the wood beneath their hooves fell away and their lives and their fall were cut short at once. It seemed little time passed between judgement’s proclamation and its execution in Haralsonstead.
While the hanging was going on, the mayor seated herself behind the table on her stage and took a swig from the tankard weighing down a stack of papers. It was a long table, with enough room to seat five ponies in a row, which it currently did. The others were all likely aldermares, come here to plead their constituencies’ case before the mayor and also to support her in her decisions where appropriate, such as in the hanging of criminals. If the mayor hadn’t initially been standing to pronounce her judgement, it would have been difficult to distinguish which of the five ponies was in charge. All were dressed very plainly in tartan (as was the custom in the Haeldmark), with no discernable symbols of office. After finishing her drink and pausing for a moment to look at one of the papers in front of her, the mayor waved for the next criminal to whom she would dispense justice to be brought forward. Before that happened, Applejack pushed forward through the crowd.
“Aunt Lodi?” she called, yelling to be heard over the boos from the crowd for the criminal being brought forward.
“Whae said that?” Mayor Lodi demanded as she stood and scanned the crowd, “Whae has th’ gall? If ah told ye once, ah told ye a hunned time; when ah be on th’ stand, ah be mayor, not aunt!”
“Aunt Lodi, ‘tis me, Applejack!” the farmer exclaimed as she made it through the crowd and appeared in the spot where the thieves now hanging nearby had previously stood to receive their judgement.
“Applejack!” Lodi exclaimed with recognition, and others in the crowd cried out as well, “Good ‘eavens, what bro’t ye ‘ere? No matter. We must celebrate! A true Apple family celebration! Cancel th’ rest o’ th’ day’s business! Fill th’ square wi’ tables an’ food! Bring oot th’ casks o’ ale!”
The criminals awaiting judgement looked pleased as they were led away, able to postpone their fates for another day. It wasn’t just they who experienced an improvement in mood, though. The whole town, it seemed, was overjoyed to welcome Applejack, so much so that she was thwarted from speaking to the mayor about why she had really come here. The Haralsonsteaders transformed the square in record time, raiding nearby taverns for tables and benches and soon filling the earthen clearing between buildings with them. Warm food and ale were brought out, and the Haelds found places for themselves where they could eat, drink, talk, and laugh. The only thing that could spoil the mood was the fact that two criminals still hanged nearby, but it didn’t seem to dampen the townsponies’ spirits. Grigor and the Brave Companions were questioned at first as to why they were here, but once it came out that they were with Applejack, they too were warmly welcomed.
“Aunt” Lodi, as it turned out, was not really Applejack’s aunt, though they were more closely related than the Apples of Ponieville and those of Appleoosa. Applejack, Lodi, and most of the town were part of the McIntosh branch of the Apple family. The McIntoshes here had answered the call from Haeldom when it was under threat from Prince Braid and returned to their homeland while Applejack’s family had stayed near Ponieville. That fact only slightly soured the townsponies’ spirits toward Grigor. He was not his father, after all, though some distrust would be inevitable.
The Brave Companions and Grigor had managed to be seated with Applejack, and therefore with the mayor, during the impromptu feast. Thus, they were present as the farmer explained why they had come to Haralsonstead. She did an admirable job of it, though she did rely on Twilight to give a better explanation of Discord and how he’d split his soul.
“Ah see,” Lodi said once everything had been laid out for her consideration, “Well, ah donnae ken ony way tae get ye tae Gallopin’ Gorge wi’out ye gettin’ caught by th’ Vanhuv’rites, unless ye traveled far tae th’ south an’ entered there.”
“What aboot Baldwin?” Red Gala, the Apple sitting beside Lodi asked, “He always be oot explorin’.”
“Call him o’er ‘ere,” Lodi commanded.
Quickly, Baldwin, a young stallion, was fetched from the midst of his revelry and brought to the mayor’s table.
“Baldwin, do ye ken a way intae Gallopin’ Gorge wi’out gettin’ caught by Hyelliff’s soldiers?” Lodi asked him.
“Well, if ye vow not tae get mad a’ me, Aunt Lodi …” Baldwin vacillated.
“Spit it out,” Lodi commanded.
“Sure ah ken a way. Ye can get there through th’ barrows if ye ken th’ path,” Baldwin admitted.
“Th’ barrows, eh?” Lodi said as she squinted at Baldwin, and the young stallion seemed to shrink back under her gaze, “‘Tis settled then. After th’ feast, Balwin will lead ye through th’ barrows.”
“Many thanks,” Grigor expressed his gratitude to the mayor.
“Who am I leading?” Baldwin asked worriedly, “Th’ barrows be a dangerous place, ‘specially after nightfall.”
“Not to worry,” Rainbow Dash assured him, flashing her Hunter medallion after slamming down a recently drained tankard, “We’ll be just fine.”
Baldwin didn’t look so sure, but whether he feared what was in the barrows, losing someone in the barrows, or facing his aunt/mayor was unclear.
***
The sun was dropping toward the horizon and clouds were beginning to garb the sky again in preparation for more storms by the time the feast was done. Baldwin and the town’s visitors did not venture out alone from Haralsonstead; several other Haelds also insisted on coming along to serve as protection. Ream and Baldavin tried not to take it as an insult that they weren’t considered adequate, but the latter also had to deal with answering mistakenly whenever somepony addressed Baldwin (and vice versa). The band of ponies had swelled to fourteen (and one dragonling); not exactly a stealthy number, but Baldwin was sure they could make it into Galloping Gorge without alerting the Vanhuv’rites. Evidently, he’d already done so, and even knew where in the gorge the Stalliongrader rebels were encamped.
The barrows that Baldwin had mentioned were less than an hour’s walk from the village and were lit from behind by the setting sun as the band arrived. They were marked by standing stones of pale white, those that hadn’t tumbled over cracked and broken, all markings upon them worn away by the ages and resembling jagged teeth protruding from the hills upon which they were erected. The adventurous Apple led the way straight to the entrance he’d discovered and used at times to explore the ancient tombs. Once the heath was cleared away, he revealed a gaping doorway set into the hill that opened upon stairs leading downward.
Torches were lit and the group descended into the barrows, letting Baldwin lead the way. Rainbow Dash carefully examined the claw marks on the doorframe before entering with the silver sword at her side partly unsheathed. There were creatures in these barrows that wouldn’t like to be disturbed, and as much as the group would try to avoid doing so, their numbers would make it difficult. When the Hunter asked Baldwin how he managed down here, he told her that he simply moved very carefully and ran when there was danger, but she seemed skeptical that that would be enough to save him from the monsters that dwelt here.
Twilight Sparkle tried to keep her mind focused on the task ahead of them, but she found herself enthralled by her surroundings. She’d been skeptical that the barrows could really lead all the way from where they’d entered to Galloping Gorge, but now that she saw how complex this system of tunnels and crypts was, she could believe it. The barrows were enormous and incredibly ancient. None of the Haralsonsteaders seemed to know exactly, as most of them avoided the barrows, but she had to guess that they’d been built sometime in the Age of the Earth Pony, before the Long Winter and Equestria’s unification. As they went deeper in, however, the tunnels grew even older in style, until Twilight Sparkle was sure they’d been built during the Age of Uncertainty, before the earth ponies invaded Equestria (as the unicorns had before them). These barrows had lasted for hundreds, if not thousands of years, with each generation expanding upon them and laying their dead to rest in new chambers. Where they’d entered was the most recent of the barrows, with the older ones starting at Galloping Gorge. Thinking about it now, it made sense to Twilight, considering there had once been a city built in Galloping Gorge after Yliiena and Tirek’s duel had carved it into the land. They had built these barrows, and those that had followed, including the ancient precursors of the Haelds, had expanded upon them.
“Stop,” Rainbow Dash commanded in a harsh whisper, and the column of ponies shuffled to a halt.
They spread out as the Hunter drew her sword, as the corridors of the crypt were not too wide, enough for three ponies to trot side by side only if they wanted to squeeze against the walls and each other. A ghastly wail echoed off the stone and earthen walls, making it difficult to determine its source. As a ghostly figure appeared down a side hall, one of the Haelds fired his crossbow. The ghost seemed to melt away as the silver bolt pierced it, and it gave an agonized cry as it fell to tatters and vanished.
“Good shot,” Rainbow Dash said, but swiftly went back to an alerted state as more wails came from all directions, “Let’s keep moving.”
Baldwin led the way, even more cautiously now, lest he come unprepared upon a ghost. Twilight Sparkle had a few spells in mind that might do harm to a spirit, but she’d never anticipated the need and wasn’t sure if they would work. It would be easier to simply toss a silver coin through them to dispel them; so long as they weren’t powerful wraiths, Rainbow Dash had assured the group that that would do the trick.
Baldwin had a silver amulet that he swung ahead of him like a sling when two specters appeared in front to block the path. As it swung through them, they melted away just like the first. He began to move more quickly now as other ghosts seemed drawn to the cries of their fallen fellow specters. The Haelds and their crossbows usually did the trick, but from time to time, one of the Brave Companions was required to defend themselves. Grigor had for himself a dagger with a siler-decorated hilt and used it to strike out at the ghosts by means of holding the sheathed blade in his teeth. It was awkward, but it did in a pinch. Spike found that his fiery breath also dispelled the wraiths and took joy after that discovery in torching as many as he could.
“The exit is just ahead,” Baldwin told the group as the smell of fresh air wafted down the corridor, a welcome change from the mustiness of the tomb.
The specters that were presently hovering around the group hissed and turned all in one direction before vanishing.
“That cannae be a good sign,” one of the Haelds observed.
“It’s not,” Rainbow Dash said.
Thumps came from a distance away in the barrows, but quickly grew closer. They slowed slightly just before the beast revealed itself, flying out one of the side passages to halt and stare down the ponies. The beast stood on all fours like a pony, but had long, gangly limbs more like an ape, and a face like one too. Its limbs ended in long claws splayed out on the ground. Its skin was without any hair or fur, and sickly white like a maggot, apart from around the gaping mouth full of needle-like teeth, where it was stained with embalming juices; a corpse-eater. Red eyes stared out from its head, which, although it was near the size of a pony’s, looked small on a body that was twice as large as even a stallion like Big Mac.
“A graveir, and a mighty big one too,” Rainbow Dash said, “Run.”
“But, Rainbow—” Fluttershy objected.
“I said run!” Rainbow Dash interrupted her foalhood friend, “I’ll hold this thing off and join you when I can!”
Baldwin resumed his guidance and the others followed, apart from Twilight Sparkle. She couldn’t leave her friend to face this thing all alone. The graveir bellowed at seeing lively food escape and lumbered toward Rainbow Dash on three limbs, keeping one at the ready to swipe her. The Hunter drew her sword, spread her wings, and jumped over the monster as it swiped, landing behind it and slashing at a hindleg. Twilight Sparkle tried to light the beast aflame, but her magic refused to obey her; she was too close to Galloping Gorge. The graveir seemed to notice her efforts, though, and swung wildly at her. Rainbow Dash jumped and jabbed her sword into the creature’s back before it could reach the sorceress, before yanking it back and pulling her sword free.
“What are you doing? Get out of here!” Rainbow Dash demanded of Twilight as the graveir was disoriented.
Twilight complied and followed after the others. Looking back behind her, Rainbow Dash did exactly what she’d planned a few seconds earlier. The Hunter threw a jar of oil at the monster, dousing it, before tossing down a bomb that threw out sparks and lit it on fire. That was all the sorceress saw before the fight disappeared behind a bend in the tunnel.
She soon caught up with the other ponies as they jogged through the crypts. She was relieved to see that somepony dropped a torch at every intersection where a turn was made so that Rainbow Dash would be able to find her way out. Although the Hunter would probably be able to find her own way without assistance, it would just take a little longer.
Abruptly, they reached the exit of the crypt and found themselves in Galloping Gorge. The huge, unnatural schism in the earth stretched away north and south as far as the eye could see, but it wasn’t all just rocky canyon walls. Many parts of the city that had once stood here still remained, foundations visible on the gorge’s floor, windows and doors on the walls. Many of the dwellings here had been carved out of the canyon sides and were still mostly intact. Turning around, Twilight saw that they’d emerged through a grand doorway carved out of the stone, like the rest of the crypt beyond. In its day, the city must have been quite impressive, but now it was a ghost town, even more so than Onon’r Laht, which at least had hordes of vagabonds to fill its crumbling edifices. Despite King Hyelliff claiming the title Baron of Galloping Gorge, nopony lived here. Not permanently, anyway.
Baldwin pointed to the north, where a glow could be seen reflecting off the walls of the gorge. It was obvious what he meant without words; the rebel camp was over there. To see it from this angle would be different from when Twilight Sparkle had scried it from above. Whether it was Galloping Gorge or chaos magic, she’d had a hard time of it, unable to see more than blurry images, only enough to know that the figures here matched those that had been seen fleeing Castle Garland. Now she’d be able to come face-to-face with the rebels and see which one was possessed by Discord.
“You didn’t have to wait for me,” Rainbow Dash said jokingly as she emerged from the crypt.
She looked a little beat-up and her tail was singed, but no serious harm had come to her. A couple of the graveir’s claws were hanging from her saddlebags. When asked about them, the Hunter shrugged and said she supposed somepony would probably pay a bounty for them.
The group made their way as stealthily as they could toward the camp. There was a fire and a few tents set up, but there were also signs that some of the rebels were in the nearby abandoned buildings. Twilight Sparkle quickly identified the owners of the tents, if not the actually ponies within, by the colored fabric and the house banners hanging pitifully from their peaks. Six nobles who’d backed Vasil had been unaccounted for after the Battle for Castle Garland, and at least four of them were here. If all six were present, that would match what Rainbow Dash had seen and Twilight Sparkle had scried. After the destruction of Castle Garland, the captured rebels had been more talkative about who had fled, though they still didn’t have anything to say about who might be possessed by Discord. Either they truly hadn’t known or the Discord-possessed had used their magic to affect their minds.
Provided they hadn’t acquired additional support or members in the last day, there were only eight rebels here. There was, of course, Vasil, their leader, as well as his servant and friend Lupin. His noble supporters were Boyars Peeg erich-Nalarkov and Burnished Gold, Count Radish and Countess Sephas, Baron Trya Valion, and Lord High Almoner Rund. Discord could be possessing any one of them, but the most likely would be Vasil, so that was who the intruders sought out first.
This collection of rebels had posted a guard, but these well-bred ponies were not used to the duties of their lessers, and the sentry was snoring over a low stone wall, a crude spear fallen beside them. The Haelds subdued Baron Trya, tying him up and gagging him before he could raise the alarm.
“Disgraceful,” Grigor whispered, that a Stalliongrader should shirk their duty, and a lord no less.
Twilight Sparkle examined the baron, checking his eyes for the distinctive discoloration that accompanied possession and delving into his mind to search for traces of Discord’s soul, but he was innocent in that regard; that narrowed the number they’d need to check. Across the doorway of one of the abandoned houses, a banner in the Stalanokov colors had been hung to provide some privacy, and Rainbow Dash pushed it aside as she led the way inside. The front room was empty apart from some baggage, but through another doorway she could see Vasil sleeping upon a bedroll. The group began to creep toward the traitorous stallion and a dark shape flew through the air, tackling Rainbow.
“Leave him be-e-e-e!” the goat yelled after stabbing a knife into Rainbow’s shoulder, taking advantage of a tear that had opened up during her fight with the graveir, “Vasil, awa-a-a-ake!”
Vasil’s eyes snapped open as the Brave Companions et al. tried to pile into the room and seize him. Grigor’s younger brother reached for the falchion beside his bedroll as his eyes flashed and Twilight felt a surge of chaos magic. Vines crashed through the walls, growing into a loose grid of obstacles between attackers and defender. Rainbow Dash managed to throw Lupin off of her and drew her sword to start hacking at the vines as they tried to entangle the attackers. Grigor drew a sword and charged toward Vasil’s last known position, hacking away at the vines and clearing a path for Twilight Sparkle. The gem set into the circlet on her head blazed, the Element of Sorcery reacting to the chaos magic all around.
Meanwhile, Lupin’s shout had awakened the camp, and the Haelds were trying to hold off the other rebels. They knew what was at stake and not to kill them, lest Discord’s soul escape, but that wasn’t an issue anymore. Twilight Sparkle knew who was the possessed now. Vasil was staring at them through the vines, sword at the ready, while the stone wall melted behind him like wax.
Grigor cut the last vine away and Twilight Sparkle plunged forward toward Vasil. She recalled at the last second that teleportation here was more likely to throw her through a wall than to her destination, and physically dodged Vasil’s sword, the blade still slicing off part of her saddlebags. The Element of Sorcery jumped off her head and onto Vasil’s. He gasped and dropped his sword and Twilight Sparkle rushed to his side, extracting a gem from her saddlebags to assist in her ritual.
“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya![1]” she chanted, but nothing happened, no soul fragment was drawn out of Vasil’s head.
But that doesn’t make sense! He responded to the circlet being placed on his head, even if it didn’t cut off his chaos magic. It didn’t cut off the chaos magic. Who is possessed if not him?
“It’s not Vasil!” Fluttershy gasped as Twilight came to the same conclusion, though they were on opposite sides of the room.
Fluttershy was looking Lupin in the eye, and had noticed the goat’s red irises, not exactly an uncommon shade. Nopony would think it odd, especially if his yellowed sclera was invisible unless he opened his eyes extraordinarily wide. The goat smiled, looking in that moment disturbingly like Discord, especially with the beard, and a door that hadn’t been there before opened in the floor beneath Fluttershy, sending the druidess tumbling down the stairs.
“Oh dear, the jig is up, isn’t it?” Lupin said with a peculiar accent. The vines suddenly all turned to ice before melting and flooding the room.
“Ill’r majia acca Ye’r accael![2]” Twilight Sparkle incanted, forcing the water out of the house and keeping it from drowning Fluttershy.
Everypony was thrown suddenly toward the door. Except, as Twilight Sparkle struck the doorframe, she realized that that wasn’t what had happened at all. Lupin had changed gravity, altering the direction in which all things fell. The Brave Companions (except for Rainbow Dash) fell to the broken wall of another house, and all gazed up at the home above them where Vasil and Lupin were. The others outside the house had been affected as well, and were now standing on Galloping Gorge’s western wall. Fortunately, the gorge was narrow at the bottom at this point, and they hadn’t fallen far enough to do serious damage.
“Move!” Grigor ordered, sheathing his sword, as chips of stone fell and the house above them began to creak and crack.
The vines had torn through the walls, and the ancient structure broke free of the now-vertical ground, sending the home plummeting toward the ponies below. The Brave Companions scattered, Spike jumping onto Twilight’s back and clinging to her mane as she jumped across the gap to a short stone wall, her hooves nearly slipping off the edge as she landed. The house crashed down, not crushing anypony, and Vasil emerged coughing from the wreckage, still wearing Twilight’s Element on his head. Lupin confidently trotted down the ground, the air warping around him as he defied logic.
“So which part o’ Discord are y’ s’posed t’ be?” Applejack asked boldly.
“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Lupin asked condescendingly, his voice sounding more like Discord all the time, “I am the essence of Discord. I am his scheming mind! I am the one who sows dissent, the true embodiment of chaos! And, unlike the others, who you snuffed out in their infancy, I was allowed to live and realize myself. I. Am. Discord. Reborn!”
While the goat cackled to himself, the chaos magic increased so much that Twilight felt her head was going to split open. The whole world bent and twisted, reality melting and flowing and twisting into a spiral. In the midst of all this, Fluttershy poked her head out of the cellar that had sprung into existence just for her and peered out over the chaos. She quickly closed her eyes again and shuddered before peeking out. Everything was still mind-breakingly chaotic, but with it confined to a single sliver, it was almost manageable. Lupin was standing on the wall/ground just below her. Just maybe …
“Ach!” Lupin cried out as Fluttershy jumped on him and looped the Element of Compassion around his horns.
The world snapped back to something resembling reality, though gravity was still off, as he threw Fluttershy away and tried to disentangle the amulet from his horns. Rainbow Dash, recovering quickly using a method similar to Fluttershy to reduce the effect of the chaos, dove in with the Element of Allegiance, adding it to the goat’s ensemble. With a cry of rage, Lupin warped the world and an entire sphere of the canyon was yanked forcefully from its place.
The Brave Companions, rebels, Grigor, Haelds, and Lupin all reappeared high in the sky, with the ground, buildings, and bits of the canyon walls still around them as they rapidly began to fall. Pinkamena staggered forward doggedly toward Lupin, and the goat fled using no discernable means of conveyance, disintegrating the ground and fleeing through the cloud of dust that speedily dissipated. Before they were going too fast, Twilight took a look around. Galloping Gorge was visible by the light of the moon in the middle distance, as was King Hyelliff’s camp. In the other direction was Prince Braid’s camp. Both were small from this tremendous height, but easy to make out, and they were falling toward the middle ground between them. Testing her magic, Twilight discovered that she ought to be able to use all her spells properly again and put it into practice by teleporting Pinkamena behind Lupin. She looped the Element of Mirth around his horns and the goat cried out in rage, lightning streaking from his horns.
A snow-covered iceberg appeared below the falling ponies and pieces of Galloping Gorge, abruptly stopping their fall. The ponies were scattered, with Lupin on the other side of the iceberg’s peak from Twilight. Well, that wouldn’t do.
“Bei’r nof caen’r majia’i acca Ye’r accael![3]” Twilight Sparkle called, and a cyclone of fire appeared before her, drilling through the ice and sending streams of water plummeting over the edge of the floating glacier.
As the steam cleared, Twilight espied Lupin through the tunnel, steam rising from his cloven hooves as he tried to remove the Elements of Harmony. Applejack charged toward Lupin, Element of Trustworthiness in teeth, and a flower bloomed beneath her hooves and swallowed her. Rarity was coming from the other side, though, and while the goat was distracted with Applejack, she entangled the Element of Charity with the others.
The iceberg cracked in half and began to plummet, taking all the ponies with it. The fall once again halted as a gigantic coin appeared in the air. Everypony scrambled as soon as they’d landed in order to escape the falling chunks of ice and stone that rained down all around. This coin was not hovering like the iceberg had, but its surface area was slowing the overall plummet. Or, it would have if it remained balanced and didn’t flip over, which it nearly did. Ponies ran around dramatically, trying to balance the coin. Lupin stood apart from all others, including Applejack, who’d burst from the flower, eyes flashing devilishly. From being able to bend the very fabric of reality to holding a mountain of ice in the air, to maintaining an impossible object without holding it in place, his chaos powers were decreasing as more Elements of Harmony were affixed to him. Two remained, but the trouble was how to add them to the goat’s horns without unbalancing the coin and dooming everypony.
Spike showed Twilight a rough sketch he’d made quickly during the standoff, and she smiled. Brilliant, Spike. What would I do without you? Using the dragonling’s diagram as a guide, Twilight teleported four ponies (and some ice) simultaneously to new locations that would maintain the balance and also place Applejack right next to Lupin. The goat was so shocked by the sudden change in positions that he was unable to react before she looped the Element of Trustworthiness around his horns.
The coin turned to cloth, a massive circle of fabric that billowed up in the middle and bucked everypony off along the sides. They were picking up speed again, and still Discord’s soul fragment resided within Lupin. Twilight located the terrified Vasil and teleported over to him, snatching the Element of Sorcery off his head before teleporting to the chunk of stone that Lupin was standing on. He ceased trying to scrape the Elements off on an outcropping as he saw the sorceress approaching, but a few were hanging nearly free. We cannot start over again.
A crack opened in the stone beneath Twilight and attempted to swallow her up, but she sidestepped it and cantered toward Lupin. A hail of mirrors fell toward her, but she managed to avoid the bursting glass and metal as they fell in twisted heaps and neared the goat. Lupin lowered his head and charged with his horns, and Twilight ran past him. As she did, Spike grabbed one of the goat’s horns, yanking his head to the side and pulling him off Twilight’s back. As he fell, he grabbed the Element of Sorcery, and wedged it over the horns with the other Elements of Harmony. Skidding and nearly falling over the edge, Twilight hurried back to where Lupin had fallen. Spike tried to keep him down, but though he and the goat were both smaller than the average pony, the goat was larger.
“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya!” Twilight incanted quickly and was relieved to see a thin mist rise reluctantly from between Lupin’s horns.
She’d lost the gem she’d originally brought to contain the soul fragment, so the shard of Discord’s soul was drawn to the nearest gemstone, a crystal set into the hilt of Vasil’s sword, which was twisting through the air nearby. It would have to do, and Twilight teleported the falchion to her as soon as the deed was done. Lupin collapsed from unconsciousness, looking incredibly weary, as the last of Discord’s soul was removed from his mind.
The battle with Discord was finished at last, eleven months after he’d broken free of his imprisonment, but not everything was over just yet. There were still twenty-one ponies, a goat, and a dragonling falling to their deaths. They were too spread out and too far from the ground yet for Twilight to be confident in teleporting them to safety. Besides, a sudden deceleration from this speed might kill everypony just as surely as hitting the ground would. No, she had to do something else. Steeling her mind for the grueling task ahead, Twilight reached out and teleported everypony close together. Hoping desperately that her calculations weren’t off, she opened a portal below them. It was a pinprick at first, but quickly grew, both from the descent and from its coming into being, expanding into the largest portal Twilight had conjured yet. All the falling beings sailed through, suddenly flying horizontally instead of plummeting, and much closer to the ground. They would still die if they hit the hills at this speed, so though Twilight was reaching her limit, she had to cast one more spell.
“Mrinessen’r paris sola![4]” Twilight Sparkle yelled, though her own words didn’t reach her ears.
A long blanket of snow appeared stretched out in front of the falling ponies. As they struck it, each one tumbled but didn’t suffer any serious injuries, mostly just snow burn. Some chunks of ice and stone had also made it through the portal and tumbled end over end, a piece of a house nearly crushing Grigor before bouncing over him. Twilight surveyed her surroundings as everypony (besides Lupin, who was still unconscious), popped out of the snow. Finally, it is over. The sorceress collapsed in the snow.
***
“Brave Companions, though you were not told to bring the rebels to me, you have done so, and done a great service for the Principality of Stalliongrad. Thank you for assisting my son and helping bring this rebellion to a swift end. You have my everlasting gratitude,” Prince Braid announced.
Though Braid wasn’t one much for grand ceremony and pomp, he had seen fit to hold court in order to wrap up Vasil’s rebellion. His pavilion had been expanded to allow something resembling a throne room to be erected, in which he had a chair (folding and practical) serve as his throne. Stalliongrad’s loyal nobility lined the sides of the tent, leaving an avenue for the Brave Companions to approach and stand before the prince. Grigor stood next to his father, looking understandably proud for having been instrumental in ending the rebellion, and glad that the Brave Companions had been around and willing to assist him in this noble task.
“Thank you, your Royal Highness,” Twilight Sparkle said, and she felt compelled to continue speaking, though her feelings were uncertain on the subject, “Will you not reconsider your decision? Discord was to blame for this rebellion.”
“The blame does not fall on one alone, though the judgement must most heavily fall on one, and it is not Discord,” Braid said, “I have heard that it was Discord, possessing the most loyal servant Lupin Alkios, that advised Vasil to rise in rebellion against me; however, the one who heeds bad council is just as guilty as one who gives it, perhaps more so, for he ought to have had the wisdom to reject such indecent proposals. No, Vasil led this rebellion of his own free will, and he shall be executed for it. There can be no exceptions. My word is final.”
“Yes, your Royal Highness,” Twilight Sparkle said before the Brave Companions turned and left the court.
There was still some business for the prince to attend to, but there was no need for them to be present for it. It was time to return to Ponieville and hopefully stay there a while. The possibility was on Twilight’s mind that something momentous would again befall on the summer solstice, which was only a month away.
“Madam sorceress!” Grigor called as he exited the tent behind them, and Twilight turned back to speak to him, “I just wanted to express my own gratitude again. I will not forget what you have done and who you truly are, whenever tales of the Brave Companions reach me, good or bad. One day, when I am Prince of Stalliongrad, I pray that you will remember me as well, especially you, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Me?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, I have no doubt that you will become an exceptionally powerful sorceress one day. Not to say that you are not currently formidable, for I have seen your magic, but I see you becoming even greater,” Grigor said, adding the second sentence quickly, “Celestia is building a kingdom, and she’s placed you in line for the throne. Have you considered that she’s preparing you to replace her one day, once she’s gone?”
“Celestia has lived for over a thousand years. She is not going to die, not in my lifetime anyway,” Twilight said, partially trying to convince herself.
“Perhaps, but nopony lives forever,” Grigor said morosely, “You are Celestia’s personal protégé, and her last apprentice is now an alicorn. I can see a future like that for you. If you do become Queen of Cant’r Laht one day, I hope you will remember the heir to the throne of Stalliongrad. That is all.”
Somewhat reluctantly, Grigor turned and headed back to the pavilion where the current Prince of Stalliongrad was handing out rewards for loyal service. Twilight rejoined her friends and they made their way toward the outskirts of the camp. Now that she’d recovered from the harrowing adventure the night before, she could summon up a portal anywhere, but it would be rude to do so within the camp itself.
“Well, he seemed awfully taken with you,” Rarity said jokingly, “The heir to the throne of Stalliongrad. I’m jealous.”
Except that Twilight realized it wasn’t really a joke. Grigor had been awfully familiar with her, and given her proximity to the crown of Cant’r Laht, a union between them made more political sense than Twilight liked to think of. Could this have been the real reason that Celestia had sent them to help Prince Braid? They were both unmarried, peculiar for ponies their age who stood so highly in the line of succession for their respective crowns. Celestia would never force somepony to marry (at least, Twilight didn’t think she would), but she could still nudge things in the direction she wanted. She’d managed to get Twilight out of the library and among friends simply by sending her to supervise the summer solstice ceremony, after all. Was this what she could expect now; Celestia arranging potential courtships for her in order to further the power and prestige of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht? She wasn’t sure how to feel about that, or how to address it. Rainbow Dash had been right in her observation back at Castle Garland; in learning how to be a good friend in Ponieville, she’d nearly forgotten how to scheme and navigate the web of Cant’r Laht politics like the sorceress she was. That would have to change in order to keep her from being swept up in Celestia’s machinations, something she’d never thought to worry about before. Twilight Sparkle would have to change once again.
Otto cursed as he lost his grip on the rope and the load of firewood dropped jerkily toward the ground. Leaning toward the hole in the center of the room, he could hear pieces of it that had spilled out clattering down below. He’d have to clean that up later, but there was no point in lowering the load he’d already heaved halfway up the tower in order to top it off. Laboriously, he hauled the remaining firewood up the rest of the way and secured it in place. Matters could have been worse. The door on the side of the box the firewood was in could have opened on its own, and then there would have been hardly any left worth pulling up. Otto unloaded the wood that was piled higher than the box’s sides before opening the door and pulling out the rest. Once it was all stacked up along the wall and he’d thrown some pieces into his cart, he pulled on a thick cloak and thicker cap and hitched himself up.
Nopony at the Cant’r Lahtian outpost in the Frozen North liked their duties, but firewood duty was the least liked of all. Not only would the guard assigned to it have to haul wood up from the base of the tower, where it was delivered by the ponies of the Crystal Mountains, but they then had to venture outside in order to feed the fire at the tower’s peak. Warmth beat against Otto as he pulled the cart up the ramp and onto the top of the tower, but he didn’t dare take off his warm winter clothes. Icy cold swirled against him the next moment, and his mane was caked with snowflakes as the eternal blizzard of the Frozen North fought against the fire that guided ponies to the outpost. Not that Otto could see any reason for ponies to come here unless they were under orders. That strange little bard had come, though, and stayed for a few weeks, but he’d left shortly before the new year.
The blaze at the center of the circular tower’s top was massive. It was rumored to be fed by Celestia’s magic, but if that were true, then why did the guards have to bring firewood up here? Otto trotted as close as he dared to the fire before throwing in the firewood. The flames didn’t appear to be dying out, but he and the others knew from experience how difficult it was to get the fire going again if it began to give way to the snowstorm, so no chances were taken in letting the flames diminish. Otto emptied the cart into the fire as efficiently as he could
On his way back to the door that led down into the tower, he spotted somepony down below through the blizzard. Actually, there were two ponies down there, pushing through the snow to get to the outpost’s door. It was hard to see through the blowing ice, but Otto was able to tell that one of them was a pegasus with her wings outstretched, despite that being a very unwise idea in the Frozen North’s weather. She didn’t seem to be affected, though, and neither did her companion. The snow eddied away in a sphere around them. So, one of them was a sorceress. Why were travelers suddenly interested in coming here?
Otto brought the cart inside and stripped off the heavy cloak and cap, leaving on the rest of the winter clothing he’d been wearing underneath. The stallion cantered down the spiral staircase that ringed the empty center of the tower, and he nearly tripped over a piece of firewood that had fallen onto a lower stair. Otto tossed it over the side to join its fellows and continued on. At the bottom of the stairs were piles of firewood, as well as wagons stacked with it. The pieces that had fallen out of the box during its ascent were scattered around, but Otto decided to leave them where they’d fallen. He’d forgotten to lower the box before coming down, and since he was on firewood duty for the next few days anyway, it could wait until later. He wanted to see who the visitors were.
“Who’s this, then?” he asked as he entered the outpost’s common room while tugging off his scarf.
The guests were a mare and a stallion, both dressed in heavy coats and cloaks that looked very fine, like something Stalliongrad’s royalty might wear. The stallion had a snowy coat that remained white even after he brushed the snow off, and he eyed the guards like a captain might during inspection. His companion was the one that Otto had first seen from the tower, a pegasus with a pink coat and wings. Only, she wasn’t a pegasus. Like the stallion, a horn sprouted from her forehead. She was an alicorn.
“Forgive me, your …” Otto said to her as he realized who she must be, but he was at a loss for how he was supposed to address her. Your grace? No, that’s how Celestia is—was—to be addressed. Madam sorceress? Maybe.
“M’lady will be fine,” Lady mi Amore Cadenza told him gently, “Though if you want to call me by name, please call me Cadence.”
“Yes, m’lady,” Otto said, and he looked to his fellow guards to make sure he didn’t make more of a fool of himself by asking questions for which they’d already obtained answers.
There were signs of a quickly hidden dice game that the stallion visitor was frowning at. Rickert swept up a coin that had fallen on the floor with a wing, and Otto managed to catch his eye.
“Lady … Cadence …” Rickert hesitated, though her ladyship didn’t seem to care about his informality, “… decided to pay us a visit.”
Very recently, Cadence had fulfilled her promise to Khosar Stalanokov to intervene with Prince Braid on his behalf and convinced him to grant Khosar some of the lands that had been taken from disloyal subjects. With that over with, she hadn’t wanted to return immediately to Cant’r Laht. While she was so far north, she wished to see the mysterious outpost in the Frozen North before returning home, something she’d likely never have a chance to see again. She and Shining Armor had set off with Prince Braid’s assistance and guarantee of safety across the Principality of Stalliongrad and through the Crystal Mountains. Cadence regretted that she hadn’t been able to be in Cant’r Laht for the summer solstice ceremony, but she had already missed Celestia raising the sun to usher in the new year the last thirteen years; she would have plenty more opportunities. Next year, it would be held at Cant’r Laht Castle, and as that was her place of residence since her return to Equestria, she would surely to be in attendance.
“Beggin’ your pardon, m’lady, but … why?” Otto asked, dumbfounded that somepony would come here willingly. Though she’s not the first.
“Because I want to see and understand every part of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, and you are as much a part of the realm as Ponieville, the roosts in the White Mountains, or Cant’r Laht itself,” Cadence replied.
Of course. She was the heir to the newly minted Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. If anything happened to Celestia and Luna, then she would be the one to take over as Cant’r Laht’s first queen. If Cadence were queen, would things be better or worse? Nopony understood why Celestia had insisted on building this outpost or why she insisted on maintaining it. Eventually, some began to wonder if the ancient sorceress herself knew the reasons or was just holding onto it in case the reasons may have once been important. Perhaps Queen mi Amore Cadenza would order the outpost abandoned, and the guards here could return to civilization. Even if that were the case, it likely wouldn’t affect Otto, Rickert, or any of the others. They’d be long dead by the time anything happened to Celestia and Luna.
“Do you hear that?” Cadence asked, cocking her head.
“I don’t ‘ear anything,” one of the guards said after a moment of listening himself.
“The wind has stopped,” Shining Armor stated.
“Impossible,” Rickert said, and though Otto agreed, he had to admit that he couldn’t hear it beating against the outpost any longer, “The blizzard of the Frozen North has raged for a thousand years.”
“Or longer,” Cadence said as she strode across the common room to the outpost’s northern door.
Nopony had opened that door in a very long time, perhaps in centuries. There was no reason to when nothing lived any farther north in Equestria than this outpost. A weapon rack filled with rusty swords and draped over with blankets stood in front of the door, and Cadence pushed it aside, making a dreadful racket as it overturned an empty barrel. A couple of the guards helped to remove the crossbar, though neither of them were nowhere near as confident as their lady in thinking that opening the door was a good idea. The latch stuck at first but came undone after Cadence hummed a few notes, and she pulled the door open to reveal a wall of snow.
The alicorn sorceress made quick work of the drift and stepped outside, followed by her husband and the guards, who were stupefied by the fact that they felt overwarm in their heavy cloaks. The storm had ceased and the sky was a bright blue, clear but for a few wispy white clouds that were being carried away by strong winds higher up in the atmosphere. Snow stretched out to the north as far as the eye could see, blinding in the sunlight, but it was beginning to melt away. A town could be seen not far away that definitely hadn’t been there before. Sometimes bored rookies would venture out into the storm and explore the area around the outpost, searching for something, anything, in the infinite whiteness, but they’d never found so much as an old scabbard—definitely never any ruins. This town wasn’t a ruin, though it did look to be in bad shape. On the northern horizon, something glittered and glinted in the sunlight, outshining even the glare from the snow.
“What is this?” Cadence wondered aloud curiously.
Chapter 3:1 - Return of the Crystal Empire, Part the First
Chapter 3:1 – Return of the Crystal Empire, Part the First
Celestia and Luna gazed out over the Equestry Valley, seated side by side atop one of Cant’r Laht Castle’s spires. Celestia had witnessed that view for nearly a thousand years, until it had no meaning for her other than the lines that her mind drew across the land to mark the borders between realms. But Luna had not known it, and through her, Celestia was able to appreciate the vista rolled out before Cant’r Laht with fresh eyes. Luna had not seen Equestria for a thousand years and had spent more than a year after her return cooped up in the castle or Cant’r Laht Cathedral, not able to share her appreciation of the natural world with Celestia.
Luna has always been the one who marveled at the wonders of the world and brought joy to me, the cynic. That was so long ago, when we were young and full of life. Look at us now; two ancient beings whose time has long passed. How long do you have left, dear sister? Your imprisonment in the moon has protected you from the years that have ravaged me, but the effects of Nightmare Moon may have been just as damaging. Oh, to be young fillies again, without kingdoms to rule or the heavens to keep on turning. It wasn’t all good, of course. There was Discord and the treachery of the world he built, and the two of us were all alone. No, best to look ahead, to whatever future’s left for us.
Absentmindedly, Celestia’s eyes turned to the south. The Equestry River below glittered in the sun, winding its way through the countryside like a ribbon. Past where it came alongside the Everfree Forest, within which lurked monsters and Celestia and Luna’s old home, it would meet Ponieville. Celestia might have been able to see the village if she cast a spell, but she had no desire to do that. After her ordeal fighting Queen Chrysalis several months earlier, trying to use any kind of sorcery at all made her feel dreadfully ill and feeble. Somewhere down there is our future, Luna. We just have to guide things along and stay around until then.
“When will you return?” Celestia asked her sister, picking up the thread of their conversation which had unraveled as they admired the lands over which they were now regents.
“I knowest not, mine sister,” Luna replied, “I knowest not how many Children of the Night still dwell ‘cross Equestria. They doth know me as Mother of the Lost, and in that they art in some ways aright. For they art lost in their blasphemous worship of Nightmare Moon, and ‘tis mine duty to see them corrected and lead them to the truth. Fear not, mine sister, I shalt return in time for the night festival.”
Ever since last year’s night festival, Luna had been spending much of her time traveling across Equestria and seeking out the Children of the Night, always in the company of the four immortal captains who’d followed her in her rebellion and oftentimes in the guise of Nightmare Moon. Celestia had heard that she’d requested of the priestesses of the Church of One that this act as penance for her sins as Nightmare Moon, but that didn’t concern Celestia. Her sister was much happier now than she’d been after her return or during the last years of their reign together as queens, and she spent much less time cloistered in prayer and contemplation (though still much more than her sister). Luna had responsibilities as Regent of Equestria just as Celestia did, and she did not try to shirk them. A rapping sounded on the tower’s door and a very bat-like pony stepped out a second later.
“Pardon me, your royal highnesses,” Marvo said with a bow, “I was told to inform thee that Chancellor Midwinter is awaiting thee below.”
“Thank thee, Marvo, we shalt be down in a moment,” Luna promised the stallion who’d once led an army to help her overthrow the pony sitting next to her.
“Oh, Chancellor Midwinter,” Celestia groaned, “I should give the Lodge a piece of my mind for saddling us with so tedious a chancellor.”
“We needst make a few compromises for Equestria’s betterment,” Luna said as she continued to stare out over the Equestry Valley, her mane swaying contrary to the wind.
Concessions had been required in some situations to acquire the agreement of Celestia’s vassals to bring the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht into being. One of these was that the kingdom’s monarch (or monarchs) had to accept the guidance of a council. Celestia and Luna had been allowed to fill most of the positions with ponies of their choosing, but a few of them were selected by their subjects. One of these was the kingdom’s chancellor, which the Lodge of Sorceresses had claimed the right to appoint—from among their own ranks, of course. Count Midwinter of House Heles was a dreadful bore of a chancellor who went on and on with his advice, much of it contradictory as he tried to hedge every bet and please every interested party, and Celestia and Luna were required by law to listen to him. Celestia suspected that he’d been chosen just to slow them down and keep them from having time to get anything else done.
“Best get this over with,” Celestia sighed as she stood, and her sister followed her lead.
Together, the sisters stepped back into Cant’r Laht Castle to attend to their royal duties. As they entered the tower, Celestia involuntarily looked up, spotting Luna’s immortal followers perched among the ceiling arches. Her captains followed her as faithfully as they had when she’d been plotting Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, but now they were simply bodyguards and were never separated from her long. Celestia had been dubious about trusting them at first, but they seemed no threat to her, having been set right by Luna. Evidently, that had been enough to overcome the grudge they surely felt for having been imprisoned by her for centuries in this very castle’s dungeons.
As Celestia and Luna prepared to descend, the door at the base of the stairs suddenly burst open and a mare came huffing and puffing up. Raven, Celestia’s page, appeared before them and gave a breathless bow. Her dress and mane were quite out of sorts from her apparent gallop from the one of the lowest points of the castle to the highest, and her countenance was reddened from exertion.
“Your royal highnesses,” Raven panted when she managed to regain her breath enough to force the words out, “I have news … from the outpost in the Frozen North. One of the … guards … has traveled … all the way here!”
“What news?” Celestia asked at the same time as Luna said, “Regain thy breath afore continuing.”
“The Frozen North is … frozen no more,” Raven said, waving off Luna’s suggestion, “The snow is melting … revealing fields and … villages with ponies still living in them! The guards … have accompanied Lady mi Amore Cadenza … to a crystal city!”
“Couldst it be?” Luna asked hollowly, all the blood appearing to have drained from her face, and she inclined her head to face Celestia, “Didst though knowest?”
“I suspected that the North might one day return after our army reappeared,” Celestia said as she glanced up at Luna’s bodyguards, who were still motionless but were attentively listening. “That is why, for years, I supported an outpost far outside my borders. That preparation seems to have paid off.”
“Dost thou thinkest … he hast returned as well?” Luna asked.
“Perhaps,” Celestia replied, “But he has died once already; in what form might he return? He is no longer the stallion you once loved.”
“I knowest that. After over a thousand years, what couldst remain but Sombra,” Luna said drearily, “Still, I … I knowest not if I couldst face him again.”
“Cadence is there already. There is no reason for us to intervene unless the situation grows more dire,” Celestia assured her sister, “It is no longer our place.”
Cadence cannot face the mad Shadow King on her own, though. My most faithful apprentice, you will face many tests if you are to become the mare I know you are capable of becoming. This will have to be one of them.
“Raven, fetch me quill, ink, parchment, and the dragonfire potions,” Celestia ordered, and the still-breathless page hopped to her task.
***
Twilight Sparkle sat in Golden Oaks’ laboratory, the glass removed from all the knotted window frames and curtains pulled aside to deal with the heat that was afflicting Ponieville. Spike thought it was quite pleasant to lay outside and let the sun bake him until mere contact with his scales could burn a pony, but the sorceress who’d been born and raised in the mountain city of Cant’r Laht didn’t feel the same way. Perhaps she could pop into Cant’r Laht for a visit and escape the dreadful heat, but what reason could she justifiably find for doing so?
Stacks of unread correspondence lay piled up on one of her study’s bookshelves. After concluding that she’d fallen out of practice when dealing with Cant’r Laht politics, she’d decided to have news of maneuverings in the newly minted kingdom’s castle sent to her so that she could keep up. She hadn’t expected it to be quite so substantial, though she should have, given how Celestia had changed everything with her and Luna’s coronations and completely reorganize her dominions.
Part of the reason Twilight hadn’t been able to stay abreast of the goings-on in Cant’r Laht was that she kept getting distracted by other things. Not some dire emergency to save all of Equestria, thank goodness. She’d waited anxiously during the summer solstice, spent in Cant’r Laht with her friends after watching Celestia raise the sun from the Cant’r Laht Commons, for some ancient evil that she’d never heard of to reappear … but nothing had happened. The solstice had come and gone with no catastrophe, and many relatively uneventful weeks had since passed in Ponieville.
Not completely uneventfully, of course. Last week, a spotted wyvern had attacked from the Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash had managed to slay it and collect a handsome reward from Mayor Mare, but not before it had completely demolished a section of the palisade surrounding the town. Mayor Mare had taken the opportunity to announce her plans to build a true wall of stone, with towers and gatehouses, around Ponieville and a fair deal of the surrounding countryside. The scope was optimistic, and perhaps actually not overzealous. In the last two years, word that a sorceress was living in the town again—and not just any sorceress, but Celestia’s personal protégé —as well as tales of the Brave Companions had drawn quite a few ponies to Ponieville, and no small number of new homes had been erected outside Ponieville’s palisade.
No, the things that distracted Twilight Sparkle from keeping up on Cant’r Laht politics were her friends and whatever they might be up to, along with her other studies. At the moment, she was fixated on something she’d noticed in the lost histories of the Equestrian diarchy that Golden Oak had collected. In more than one source, she’d found mention of a “War with the Shadow King in the North” but couldn’t find much more information on such a conflict. Mentions were sparse and without details, as if it had been covered up or remained purposefully unacknowledged even before Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion had led to the repression of all mentions of Luna. By all accounts, this would have been odd, since the ancient Kingdom of Equestria seemed to have won the war. Why would it be a secret? Celestia would know, but would it be proper to just ask her about her life from over a thousand years ago? However, even if she doesn’t answer, it would give me a chance to visit Cant’r Laht … Spike, of course, chose that moment to burst into the laboratory, letter in claw.
“Letter from … Celestia,” he huffed as Twilight Sparkle took the correspondence from him, the little dragon having run across Ponieville in order to deliver it.
A note had emerged with the letter from Spike’s fiery breath, ordering him to deliver the message to Twilight urgently. He’d been outside of town, practicing his fire-breathing and observing as Mayor Mare’s courtiers marked where the new town wall would go and argued with the farmers whose fields they were tramping through, when the message had arrived. He’d heeded Celestia’s orders and come straight here, ducking under a wagon parked in the village’s gate in order to save time. He wouldn’t be able to pull that off much longer; he’d bent over almost double but his spines had still scraped against the cart’s bottom, earning some angry shouts from its owner as he hurried on to Golden Oak’s laboratory.
Twilight Sparkle examined the letter; it was from Celestia, without a doubt. For one, it had her seal affixed to it—her new seal, not the one her mentor had used for years. The ancient sorceress’s likeness now wore a circlet upon her brow, and the sun and moon that had once flanked her had been reduced to only the heavenly body of the daytime. The titles that ringed the seal’s edge had likewise been both enhanced and reduced: Celestia, Regent of Cant’r Laht, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, Guardian of the Sun, and Protector of Ponieville and Appleoosa. For another, the letter was addressed to My most faithful apprentice. Twilight Sparkle pried up the wax seal and unfolded it while Spike caught his breath.
“My most faithful apprentice, Twilight Sparkle,” the sorceress read aloud, “You must come with all haste to Cant’r Laht. You are to be tested!?”
The sorceress allowed the letter to fall to the floor. Tested?
***
Twilight paced nervously in front of the doors to Cant’r Laht Castle’s great hall. ‘Come with all haste,’ but then I have to wait? Celestia has never done anything like this before. What is she doing? How am I to be tested? Did I not come quickly enough? Despite the urgency of Celestia’s message, she hadn’t immediately come to Cant’r Laht. Mention of being tested had unnerved her, and she’d fretted over what it was that Celestia might be testing her on. She gathered all the notes she’d ever made, only to realize that many of her notes were still filed away in her old Cant’r Laht chambers. So, she had been forced to return to her old home, and she couldn’t even pop into her old rooms to brush up because Celestia would know the moment she arrived. Even now she was running through topics in her head. For her own sanity, she’d convinced herself that the test had to be magical in nature; surely her mentor had summoned her here to test her skills with sorcery, both what Celestia had taught her and what she’d learned on her own. Why the urgency, then? No, Twilight, concentrate! Elemental manipulation, conjuration, enchanting, transmutation, warding, summoning, runic binding, scrying, Hearthfire spells, synthesis—.
The sudden opening of the doors cut Twilight’s mental list short. Out of the great hall strode Luna’s guards; Twilight (and most of the castle’s servants, judging by how they scampered away at the first sight) would never get used to their unnatural appearance. Leathery wings and slit pupils outwardly denoted them as other, but there were other reasons that they troubled the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht. The four of them were each over a thousand years old, and most of them had not a hint of magical potential. After Celestia and Luna, they were the oldest living ponies in all of Equus, but they hadn’t ever cast the spell on themselves that slowed aging or achieved alicornhood. According to Luna, they were the way they were because they’d made a pact with a demon, but most of Cant’r Laht’s magical elite, including Twilight, doubted that. The almost-bat-ponies were no help in the matter; they wouldn’t dare contradict their mistress.
Luna herself made an appearance next, her constellation-filled mane waving in a non-existent wind. Celestia’s sister looked incredibly troubled, her over a thousand-year-old yet youthful face lined with worry. Were they talking about my test? A thought struck Twilight. What if this test isn’t about sorcery at all? What if it’s about current affairs in Cant’r Laht or the kingdom? I should have read those dispatches instead of getting distracted reading about a long-forgotten war!
“Twilight Sparkle,” Raven said, appearing in the doorway, and Twilight nearly jumped out of her robes, “Regent Celestia is ready to see you now.”
Twilight trotted into the great hall, giving her thanks to Celestia’s page, who ordered the more natural guards to close to doors as soon as she was through. Is this a royal audience? Twilight hadn’t considered how formal she ought to be at this meeting, which Celestia had decided to hold in the castle’s great hall. That possibility seemed remote once she saw that Celestia was not seated upon her throne at the head of the room, which now had a twin for her sister. Instead, the ancient sorceress was standing halfway down the hall, admiring a tapestry on the wall. It depicted the events of several months earlier when Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army had been repelled from Cant’r Laht in a dramatic fashion.
“Celestia, you wished to speak with me,” Twilight said after she cleared her throat to get her mentor’s attention.
“Yes, my most faithful apprentice,” Celestia replied, turning away from the tapestry to face her student.
“I am prepared to be tested,” Twilight said, “What is the subject? Sorcery, history, alchemy, law, … current affairs?”
“It is not that kind of test, Twilight,” Celestia said with a shake of her head, “Have you ever, in your studies, encountered anything about the War with the Shadow King in the North?”
“I … yes, actually,” Twilight said, taken aback, “But no more than mentions. Information on it is even rarer than records about Luna. Before she returned, that is.”
“Yes, and again it is of my doing,” Celestia said morosely as she led Twilight toward the head of the great hall, “Tens of thousands perished to gain Vanhuv’r, no great prize at the time.”
That would explain why a victorious war had been hushed up; the cost had been too great to accept. How much else has Celestia hidden? If I spend all my life looking into hidden records, will I ever truly know all that went on in the Third Age?
“Over a thousand years ago, the Crystal Empire ruled the North—and Vanhoover. When the mad King Sombra took over and oppressed the empire’s subjects, they came to Luna and me. They entreated us to come to their aid and free them from Sombra’s evil,” Celestia explained. “We succeeded in vanquishing him, but we underestimated the power at his disposal. On his death, he cast a curse upon the North that caused every pony and town within it to vanish, and the landscape to be covered in never-ending blizzard.”
“The Frozen North,” Twilight said.
“Indeed,” Celestia replied, “Only, it is now unfrozen. All that was before the war has returned, it seems … including the great jewel of the North, the Crystal City. A land that has been sundered from Equestria for a millennium has suddenly returned, and its reintegration into our present will not come easily. Furthermore, if the North has returned, then I fear that King Sombra may return in some form as well. Twilight Sparkle, I need you to travel to the North and protect the Crystal City if the mad Shadow King’s evil has returned.”
“Me?” Twilight said, “How am I supposed to defend against something that banished the North for a thousand years? You and Luna defeated him before, can you not do so again?”
“No, Twilight, we must stay here in Cant’r Laht and attend to our new obligations,” Celestia said, thinking of that and so much more that needed doing, “This is your test, but you will not be alone. Cadence and Shining Armor are already in the Crystal City, and you will want to bring your comrades in Ponieville along, I am sure.”
“Yes, I understand, Celestia,” Twilight said. We faced Nightmare Moon and Discord … practically twice for the latter. We can handle this together. And Cadence will be there as well, just like when we faced Queen Chrysalis. Only, we nearly failed there. “But what if I fail?” Twilight asked.
“You won’t,” Celestia said as she took a seat on her throne.
“But what if—.”
“You won’t,” Celestia said more firmly, “I have great faith in you, my most faithful apprentice. But, Twilight, this is your test. In the end, you must be the one who protects the Crystal City and the North. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Good,” Celestia said, “Gather the Brave Companions and make your way to the North. I will let Cadence know you will be joining her.”
Twilight Sparkle left Cant’r Laht Castle’s great hall, feeling woefully unprepared during the entire long walk past pillars and tapestries to the door through which she’d entered. But, Celestia had faith in her; that had to count for something. She also couldn’t forget that Celestia saw this as a test, apparently even more so than the other trials Twilight had been through in the past two years if she saw reason to label it as a test. Twilight Sparkle had never failed one of Celestia’s exams before, and she would not do so now. Only, she wasn’t sure just how she was supposed to protect a lost kingdom from an ancient evil, even with the Brave Companions, Cadence, and her brother. When vanquishing Discord and Nightmare Moon, they’d had the Elements of Harmony, but Celestia had made no mention of the powerful relics that were currently entombed in the Cant’r Laht treasury. Perhaps she was meant to succeed without them, and that was part of the test. If so, that was exactly what Twilight Sparkle would do, even if the prospect seemed unfavorable. She would not let Celestia, her mentor, down.
***
Celestia had said that the Frozen North was no longer frozen, but that wasn’t quite the impression Twilight got when she scouted out where she would be traveling in the North. Her scrying did show a land that was no longer completely covered in dark storm clouds and blizzards so fierce that one couldn’t see their own hooves in front of their face, but there was still some considerable weather hanging over the North. The blizzards were not gone entirely, and storm clouds moved in great patches across the North, constricting in its center. That had to be where the Crystal City was, but Twilight was unable to scry the city itself with her sorcery. She did manage to locate the place where she and her friends were to meet the Cant’r Laht ponies already in the North.
Spike assembled the Brave Companions as soon as Twilight Sparkle returned to Ponieville via portal. Not for the first time, Twilight was amazed by and grateful for how willing they were to drop everything and help her with her test. She remembered Celestia’s words, though; it had to be her that ultimately protected the North. Still, she would not turn aside any of her friends. After sharing with them what their quest would be, they hurried to gather supplies (particularly winter attire) while Twilight and Spike did the same.
Under the summer sun of Poniville, the coat, cloaks, and wraps were unbearable, but they were grateful for them as soon as Twilight Sparkle opened a portal to the North. Snow blew out into the square in front of Golden Oak’s laboratory, startling the small crowd of curious ponies who’d assembled to watch the Brave Companions. Once they were convinced it wasn’t the White Procession opening portals to freeze the town out, their worry was lessened enough that they could gossip with each other and propose where the Brave Companions might be going. This discussion continued long after the eight ponies—Ream and Baldavin had insisted on fulfilling their duties and accompanying Twilight—and dragon had stepped through the portal and it had snapped shut behind them.
The meeting point that Twilight had transported them to was an old stone watchtower. And it was an old watchtower; over a thousand years old judging by the style, but remarkably well-preserved, as if it had been built only a few decades earlier. Around it were some buildings—an inn, a tavern, a cartwright’s shop—also of aged but well-preserved creation. Twilight would love to investigate them, but first she needed to go to the Crystal City and ensure that the group was warm. It wasn’t bone-numbingly cold, as the Frozen North was supposed to be, but it was freezing out and snow was coming down heavily. The layer that had already settled crunched underhoof as the Brave Companions trotted around and examined their new surroundings.
“Twily!” a familiar voice called out as Shining Armor and an unfamiliar guard trotted out of the watchtower, “You made it!”
“Of course we did,” Twilight said as she ran up to greet her brother before dubiously eyeing their surroundings, “This isn’t the Crystal City, is it?”
“No, just one of the surrounding hamlets. The Crystal City isn’t far, though. We should get moving before it gets dark,” Shining Armor said as he peered around at the blowing snow surrounding the watchtower, “There’s something out there in the snow.”
“L-like what?” Fluttershy asked.
“Somethin’ evil, somethin’ powerful,” the guard accompanying Shining Armor said, “We’ve only e’er seen it from afar … or seen th’ aftermath of its comin’. Ponies disappearin’, towns destroyed. It’s not natural.”
“All the towns and ponies of the old Crystal Empire have returned, but they may not be the only thing that’s reappeared,” Shining Armor said as he looked at Twilight knowingly.
“King Sombra?” the sorceress asked.
“Cadence thinks so,” Shining Armor said, “All the more reason we should get to the safety of the Crystal City before we’re trapped out here for the night.”
The guard, whose name was Sven, was clearly happy not to stay at the watchtower a second longer and began to the lead the way northward. Shining Armor and the Brave Companions followed, with Rainbow Dash, Ream, and Baldavin keeping their eyes peeled for trouble; that is, when they weren’t busy blinking away snowflakes. The snow seemed determine to blow directly into their faces no matter which way they turned their heads, and eventually the newcomers grew as resigned to it as the two ponies who’d been here longer. It was difficult to see far through the driving snow, but there were enough discernable landmarks (mostly ancient buildings or walls) that Sven and Shining Armor could guide them confidently forward. Twilight Sparkle trotted up alongside her brother, trying in vain to shake off the snow caked to her books and robes along the way.
“I thought the Frozen North was not frozen any longer,” Twilight said, nearly shouting to be heard over the howling wind.
“It wasn’t,” Shining Armor replied, “The storms have only just returned. Believe me, this is nothing compared to what was here before. Still, the snow has to be the work of Sombra. Cadence tells me he was a powerful warlock before he was overthrown, so it’s unsurprising he’d return once his curse was broken.”
Celestia had said much the same, which was probably because that was how Cadence had gotten her information as well. Quite recently, Cadence had managed to locate a working megascope for communication with Celestia, which was how she’d relayed where Twilight should meet Shining Armor and Sven. Surely Celestia had given Cadence the same update that she’d given Twilight about the vanished Crystal Empire and the meaning of its return. Cadence would be expecting the Brave Companions—and for Twilight Sparkle to prove herself by protecting the North from the returned Shadow King.
“You mentioned the Crystal City being safe,” Twilight said as a thought occurred to her, “It that is true, then why was I sent to help protect it from King Sombra?”
Shining Armor opened his mouth to answer, but whatever he was going to say was drowned out by a roar muffled by the snow. Lightning flashed behind part of the sky while other parts seemed to darken.
“Was that the something?” Fluttershy asked nervously, and Sven to seemed to be unnerved, turning around in circles while he tried to draw back the crossbow at his side.
“The Crystal City isn’t far!” Shining Armor shouted, “We need to run!”
The long shadows cast by a nearby mill suddenly began to darken and thicken, drawing shade from all directions as they grew and began to rear up from the ground. The party of ponies galloped away from the growing shadows, jumping over more that flitted across the ground as the umbral creature continued to grow. All were casting frequent glances behind them as the shadows gave chase, towering up and forming an almost head-like mass at the top of the billowing cloud of darkness. Two eyes opened with red irises and green sclera in the black pillar, purple smoke billowing out from the edges. A growl came from the shadowy mass as it followed the ponies, with noises such as screams occasionally emanating from it when other figures appeared momentarily in the inky blackness, struggling to break free.
“There’s the Crystal City!” Shining Armor called out as a blue glow appeared ahead.
The former captain of the Cant’r Laht guard pulled Sven aside, and they spun around to face the shadow monster pursuing the group. It had been gaining on them and would have reached them before they made it to the Crystal City, but now it pulled up short to loom over the two ponies. Sven fired his crossbow at the umbra, and as the bolt sailed into the shadow, it exploded in a blast of fire that dispelled the congealed darkness momentarily. Shining Armor began to chant some words, and a magic circle appeared in the air in front of him, centered around his horn.
“Go!” he ordered Twilight as he noticed that she’d hung back, “Get to the Crystal City!”
Twilight Sparkle didn’t want to leave her brother here alone to face what was probably King Sombra returned, especially when she had more skill in sorcery than he did, but she had no idea what it would take to vanquish such a foe. The only reason that Shining Armor was hanging back in the first place was to protect her and her friends, so she complied. There were howls and yells behind her, but Shining Armor was still there when she looked back, so the sorceress pressed on. The blue glow was coming from a wall of magical light that curved slightly as it rose and receded on either side, suggesting a dome. In many ways, it was quite similar to the spell that Shining Armor had used to surround Cant’r Laht in the days leading up to the changeling attack, except that this shield was visible.
A tingling ran through Twilight’s body as she passed through the shield, and she nearly tripped on a stone as she made it through. It took her a moment to realize that she was standing in snow no longer and was intolerably warm, both from the recent run and from the fact that the temperature was now nearly as hot as it had been in Ponieville. Around her, the others were taking off their winter attire, and Twilight did a quick inventory to make sure they’d all made it through the shield. Only Shining Armor and Sven were missing, and her brother passed through the magical barrier only a few minutes later.
“Shining! Your head!” she exclaimed as she saw the dark crystals embedded in his skull to the right of his horn.
“I’m okay,” Shining Armor said as he unwrapped his scarf and used it to wipe away the blood running into his eyes from the wound, “I think. I managed to drive it off, but it got Sven and … I don’t think I can do any more sorcery until this is seen to.”
As Twilight examined the crystals further, she spotted shards of dimeritium within them. When she tried to probe at them with her magic, the energy she expended seemed to fall into a bottomless pit, never to be seen again. The crystals weren’t embedded too deeply into his skull—thankfully not enough to cause brain damage—but the dimeritium in them seemed to go all the way down. That close to his brain, it was no wonder he was unable to do any sorcery.
Pinkamena’s oohs and aahs dragged Twilight’s attention away from her brother’s injury and to their destination. A nearby road led to the Crystal City, which, along with a great swath of surrounding countryside, was wholly contained within the shield that provided a pleasantly blue sky overhead, blocking out the blizzard entirely. The Crystal City itself was a spectacle to behold. A solid wall ringed the city, crystalline in appearance though duller than it ought to have been had it truly been constructed from crystal. Several buildings of similar material poked over the wall, but the most prominent one was the castle in the center of the city, a massive structure with four towers at the corners supporting a central spire reaching toward the heavens.
Shining Armor led the way toward the city, past fields and houses. Most of the fields were empty, but there were also a few signs of recent attempts to plant crops that hadn’t grown here in a thousand years. The homes they passed were likewise a mix of abandonment and recent activity. Some were missing windows and their doors hung open, while others were locked up but had been cared for. Everything had an eerie sense over it, as if the ponies who lived here both existed and didn’t at the same time.
“Where is everypony?” Rainbow Dash asked as they trotted down an empty street within the city proper.
“The locals appear hesitant to leave their homes,” Shining Armor explained, “It must be very strange for them to suddenly appear a thousand years from the lives they once led, and they need some time to come to terms with it.”
Glimpses of the locals were few and far between as they trotted deeper into the Crystal City. Occasionally, a curious foal or suspicious mare could be seen peering out from a cracked door or window, but they always disappeared before the Brave Companions made it to their home. Shining Armor led them to the very center of the city, where the Crystal Castle towered up. This was the place where he, Cadence, and the guards from the post at the southern edge of the North had taken up residence. Cadence was waiting for them in the castle’s throne room, seated in a chair at the bottom of the steps leading up to two monstrous crystal thrones.
“Cadence!” Twilight exclaimed as she spotted her.
“Twilight,” Cadence replied as she rose from her throne and rushed to embrace her fellow sorceress.
She was happy to see Twilight but didn’t appear as energetic as she might have. Her movements were lethargic, and dark bags hung under her eyes. The alicorn seemed to hum with magic as she sustained the shield that covered the Crystal City.
“Twilight, one of these days we must get together simply to do so, not because of a quest in which the future of Equestria hangs in the balance,” Cadence said lightheartedly.
“Is it that bad?” Twilight asked.
“Sombra’s power is growing, spreading across the North. I’ve been able to hold it back here, for now,” Cadence said as she gestured to represent the dome surrounding the city, “But it’s meant having to abandon the rest of the North. The attacks are becoming more frequent. There is something that King Sombra wants, I think. If he gets it …”
All of Equestria might fall under his rule. Except, Celestia and Luna would never allow that to happen, would they? They beat him before. Of course, last time they ‘won,’ Sombra banished the North for over a thousand years. What might he take away this time?
“Cadence and I have been able to repel the chill and darkness sweeping over the rest of the North, but now I can help with that no longer,” Shining Armor said as she looked up at where the crystals were embedded in his skull, buried beneath the bloody scarf he’d tied around his head as a makeshift bandage, “Cadence has been doing more than her fair share already, but now she’ll need to bear it all alone.”
“It’s okay, dear,” Cadence said softly, “I’m an alicorn; I can handle it. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not fine,” Shining Armor insisted before addressing Twilight Sparkle and the Brave Companions, “She was barely sleeping before, and now she’ll have to do without sleep entirely. She’s barely eating. She’s exhausted. She can’t go on like this forever. If the spell protecting the city fails … well, you saw what’s out there.”
“That is why Celestia sent me,” Twilight said, trying to put on a brave front.
“Why she sent all o’ us,” Applejack said as she trotted up and clapped a hoof on the sorceress’s shoulder, reminding her that she wasn’t alone. With the Brave Companions at her side, she would surely succeed.
“The Crystal Empire was supposedly once protected against all attacks by the Crystal City, but we haven’t been able to figure out how or by what,” Shining Armor said, “I’d bet that if it is a ‘what,’ then that’s what Sombra is trying to find . The crystal ponies must know something.”
“Crystal ponies?” Rarity asked expectantly.
“It’s not as impressive as you think,” Shining Armor said, “It’s what the locals call themselves. Like I said earlier, they’re hesitant to leave their homes, but they may be the best chance to find a way to protect the Crystal City and perhaps the whole of the North. I need to stay with Cadence, but maybe you will have better luck asking them than we have.”
“It’s nearly nightfall,” Cadence said, “You should get some rest before canvasing the entirety of the city.”
“Not a chance. If you cannot sleep until the Crystal City is safe, then neither will we,” Twilight replied, and her friends, thankfully, voiced their agreement.
***
It was fortunate that the crystal ponies didn’t seem to be sleeping either. They didn’t seem put out when the Brave Companions went door to door asking them questions; then again, the crystal ponies didn’t seem completely capable in expressing emotion of any kind. The most one got out of them was a shudder or a moment of terrified staring, and their speech was laborious and monotone. It matched their appearance—their coats and manes were dull, just like their city—and it was eerie.
“Are you absolutely certain you do not remember anything?” Twilight asked one as she stood on her doorstep.
“I am sorry,” the mare replied, “If I could help thee, then I would. I can nay remember mine life afore King Sombra came to power,, and I wish not to remember his reign.”
It was the same as with all the others that Twilight had spoken to. None of the crystal ponies seemed to remember anything before Sombra’s reign, and they all shared revulsion for his rule. Is this a part of Sombra’s curse, or some way of coping with the disappearance of their realm?
“Hast it truly been a thousand years since our vanishing?” the crystal pony asked.
“Yes,” Twilight answered.
“It felt longer,” the crystal pony said softly and shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut.
“You can remember the time you were gone?” Twilight Sparkle asked. This was something none of the others had said.
“I … I wish not to think of it,” the crystal pony replied, shuddering to herself once more.
“If you do remember anything useful, please let me or my friends know, or take it to the castle,” Twilight told her. Best not to press her too hard to remember things that the pony seemed to wish to repress. Besides, knowing about the time after Sombra had won wouldn’t help her figure out how to defeat him.
“Of course,” the crystal pony said quietly as she retreated back into her home.
“Maybe the others are having a better time,” Spike suggested, stifling a yawn.
Twilight would have to hope that they were, for she had been unable to get any more information from any other of the crystal ponies. The sorceress didn’t give up at her task, though, and doggedly went from one residence to the next asking questions of the occupants until the time came for the Brave Companions to rendezvous. Unfortunately, it seemed that the crystal ponies’ inability to remember their past was universal, as was their unshakable lack of emotion. Even Rainbow Dash’s rather forceful questioning was unable to jostle anything free or elicit a response.
“Sorry, Twi’, but I didn’t have any luck either,” Applejack reported as she joined the group while they were bemoaning their own failures to gather any useful information, “It seems nopony can recall anythin’! Anythin’ about how th’ city is s’posed t’ be protected, that is. I had one tellin’ me all about th’ sights o’ th’ Crystal City: th’ castle, th’ cathedral, th’ archives, th’ imperial mausoleum—”
“What was that?” Twilight asked excitedly.
“Th’ mausoleum? Y’ think one o’ th’ emperors was buried with what we’re lookin’ for?” Applejack asked.
“No—well, maybe—I meant the archives! Surely there must be records there somewhere about how the Crystal City protected itself in the past!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Well, I s’pose so,” Applejack said thoughtfully.
“Come on, everypony, it is time to do some research!” Twilight said, elated at the prospect of digging through ancient tomes that had been lost for over a thousand years.
***
Twilight was speechless for the first several minutes after they entered the Crystal Archives. These, archives, located near the castle and with a convenient underground link to it, put even Cant’r Laht’s archives to shame with their sheer immensity. Aboveground, the stone structure took up about the same space as a Cant’r Laht manor house for a minor noble family, but it stretched underground several times its height above, spreading out as it did. Shelves lined with books and codices and walls of cubbies packed with scrolls stretched out in every direction. Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath, savoring the aroma of ancient parchment.
“Might I help thee?” an elderly crystal pony asked as she wandered out from among the stacks, an archivist if the sorceress had ever seen one.
“We are looking for a book, or even several,” Twilight said as she continued to marvel at the collection. Lost for over a thousand years! What treasures might me hidden away here?
“Well, we do have plenty,” the archivist droned.
“Yes, you do,” Twilight cooed, turning in place to take in the bevy of books at her disposal.
“We’re lookin’ for any books that might tell us how th’ Crystal City used t’ defend itself,” Applejack said when her throat-clearing failed to break Twilight out of her euphoria.
“Maybe something on the city’s history?” Fluttershy suggested meekly, and Rainbow Dash nodded her agreement.
“History, let me see,” the crystal pony pondered as she tapped a hoof against her muzzle thoughtfully, “History, history …”
“Where might we find a book on the Crystal City’s history?” Twilight Sparkle prompted the crystal pony when she seemed to have trailed off in thought.
“I … I can nay remember,” she replied as she clapped a hoof to her forehead, “‘Tis the oddest thing, I cannot even remember if I am meant to be here.”
“Hopeless,” Rainbow Dash said in exasperation as the maybe-archivist wandered off, looking at her surroundings suspiciously.
“Maybe not,” Twilight Sparkle said, “There still may be something in the archives. We will just have to search ourselves.”
The Brave Companions got to work, which was when they realized how daunting the task was that they’d saddled themselves with. There were hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of tomes and scrolls in the archives. Searching through them all to find the few bits of information that they needed would be impossible, even if all seven of them had years to comb through the stacks. Neither was there a good way to find where they should even be looking. Organization was unclear, and after a while, Twilight had to assume the ancient archivists that had worked here had simply remembered where everything was. It was a pity none of them could remember a thing now.
Instead of heading right to a history section, sampling books and scrolls from each section to determine what that section might contain. It didn’t help that many of them were written in archaic languages that even Twilight didn’t know; she was also the only pony who could read the Language of the Horns and the only one besides Spike who could read High Equestrian (and he’d been neglecting his lessons). This meant that any document not written in Low Equestrian, and even some that were written in a particularly old dialect of it, went to her to look over. Still, they kept at it through the rest of the night and the following day, doggedly working their way through the archives searching for something, anything, that might help in defending the Crystal City and the North. Some of them, especially young Spike, spent some stints napping in order to rest before pressing on, but not Twilight. She’d promised Cadence that she wouldn’t sleep until her sister-in-law was also able to do so, and she intended to keep that promise. A few times, Ream or Baldavin appeared with food before returning to patrol with the guards who’d accompanied Cadence here from the Cant’r Laht outpost in the North. They looked worried whenever they did, which only pressed Twilight to work harder.
It was difficult for the sorceress to have to discard lost knowledge simply because it wasn’t the kind they were looking for, but she had to if they were going to save the city and the North. She saw snippets of all kinds of lost history about the 3rd Age, and even some manuscripts about the 2nd Age, when Discord had reigned over Equestria. She peeked at methods for sorcery that she’d never considered and learned the names of great sorceresses she’d never heard of. Ancient agricultural and building techniques passed under her eyes, but she had to cast them aside. When Rainbow Dash discovered a sealed chamber and knocked the wall down into it, Twilight thought they might actually find something useful, but all she discovered were sorcerous diagrams for some kind of arcane lock that used a type of magic she’d never seen before. It certainly wasn’t anything that she could use to protect the Crystal City, so she moved on. When some chronicles of the Crystal Empire were discovered, she thought that maybe they were getting closer, but the chronicles seemed only to cover the imperial family’s actions and held little information on whatever mystical force had once protected the empire, though there were mentions of it. As the hours stretched on and countless candles burned to stubs within the archive’s lanterns, Twilight began to feel that this was a hopeless task. And then …
“This is it,” she said to herself disbelievingly after skimming through far too many texts, “‘… and with the will of every pony focused, the Crystal Empire is protected and kept prosperous for another year.’ This is it!”
***
Twilight Sparkle had found the answer somewhere she hadn’t been expecting, a book entitled Traditions of the Crystal Empire written by a traveler from outside the empire who’d written down all the local customs throughout the realm, including the one that protected the Crystal City and the entire realm by extension. The section where she’d found the passage that had excited her was on the Crystal Faire, a festival held annually to “renew the protection and prosperity of all realms governed from the Crystal City.” The author had been meticulous in recording everything that he’d observed and learned during the Crystal Faire he’d attended, and Twilight was sure that she would be able to recreate the faire and the ceremonies accompanying it. The one thing the author of Traditions of the Crystal Empire hadn’t recorded was exactly how the ceremonies had protected the empire, but he hadn’t been a sorcerer and probably wouldn’t have understood it even if somepony with magical knowledge had explained it to him. It seemed fairly straightforward, and Twilight expected that the Crystal City itself had been enchanted long ago to protect itself; it just needed some participation from its residents in order to renew that protection.
Shining Armor and Cadence were overjoyed to learn that Twilight had found a possible solution, and she set to work immediately preparing the first Crystal Faire that would be held in over a thousand years. It brought a smile to her face when she realized that organizing a celebration was exactly how she’d first met her friends and that they would be here to organize another with her. A full day had passed now since the Brave Companions had arrived in the Crystal City, and they worked all through the night to prepare the faire for the next day, coopting the help of Ream, Baldavin, and the remaining guards from the now-southern outpost to put things together.
The Crystal Faire would serve a dual purpose, if everything went off as Twilight hoped. Not only would the celebration and ceremonies renew the defense of the Crystal City and hopefully vanquish Sombra entirely, it would also remind the crystal ponies of their past. It didn’t need to be a full recovery—just enough that they would be able to do their part that Traditions of the Crystal Empire had specified and focus their wills to activate the protective spells. Everything had to be perfect, and everypony had a part to play for things to be ready in time.
Rainbow Dash, with no clouds to clear due to Cadence’s shield, had taken it upon herself to oversee the organization of the more militaristic aspects of the festival. It seemed, like with any modern tournament, the crystal ponies had included jousting and the mêlée in their entertainment. Just where they were supposed to find knights to compete in the former, Twilight had no idea, but they were prepared in case a few remembered who they were and decided to compete.
Rarity put herself in charge of the decorations for the faire, raiding several material shops for their ancient fabrics. She followed the descriptions given in Traditions of the Crystal Empire precisely, including the descriptions that the author had given for the imperial banners that had flown from the castle’s balconies. Twilight wasn’t sure just how contemporary the crystal ponies would find such banners, which tended to change over time, but through references to earlier traditions, she had been able to establish that her guiding tome must have been written in the 5th century of the 3rd Age or later, which couldn’t be off more than a century from when the Crystal Empire had vanished. This was what they had to work with, and it would have to be close enough.
Applejack took command of the food for the Crystal Faire, and even managed to get a few of the crystal ponies to help her out with the baking and preparation. They still seemed distant from reality, though they seemed to enjoy having something to do, even if Applejack had to remind them what they were doing from time to time. One of the guards from the Northern outpost, a burly fellow named Otto, helped Applejack with the harvesting of fruit from vineyards and orchards outside the Crystal City that had apparently sprung up only in the last few days and the transportation of grains and flour from the stores throughout the city.
Fluttershy enlisted the help of the local creatures, which mostly consisted of wildlife that had wandered out of the Crystal Mountains before fleeing to the sanctuary of the Crystal City when Sombra’s blizzards began to close in. A few of the crystal ponies poked their heads out of their homes to wonder at what was happening when rabbits scampered along the streets with sleighs of decorations and supplies and birds flew around marking which houses had occupants. Fluttershy also sought to form some of the songbirds into a choir as she had for the summer solstice ceremony two years prior, but there wasn’t enough time to teach them more than a few tunes.
Pinkamena made her own contributions to the music scene, trying to recreate some of the songs that had once been sung at the Crystal Faire. They were preserved in Traditions of the Crystal Empire as well as another fortunate find from the Crystal Archives, but only in words. Pinkamena had to figure out how to sing them on her own. With very little knowledge of how songs had been performed a thousand years ago, there was no telling if she was recreating them correctly; at least the words would be right, and they sounded passable. Hopefully that would be enough to awaken the crystal ponies’ memory.
Twilight Sparkle oversaw it all, confirming that everything was just as it had been before King Sombra, or near enough to make little difference. She hurried around the city, helping wherever she could and warily watching the sky as Cadence’s magic fluctuated. By dawn, everything was in place, and she was satisfied that only the crystal ponies of old could have done a better job of putting on the faire.
“Thank you everypony for all your work,” Twilight said to the Brave Companions and the guards who’d been involved in putting the Crystal Faire together, after she’d done one last check to make sure everything was ready, “I think the faire is ready to begin!”
“What’s this, then?” Applejack asked, gesturing to the heart-shaped gem that sat atop a pedestal beneath the Crystal Castle.
“The manuscript mentions a Crystal Heart as the centerpiece of the faire,” Twilight said as she flipped through Traditions of the Crystal Empire, “I found this in the castle’s treasury; it must be what the book was referring to.”
“It is quite a treasure,” Rarity said, admiring it.
“Yes, though just a gem as far as I can tell. I thought that perhaps it might be a part of the ceremonies to protect the city, but it appears to simply be a symbol, a Crystal Heart for a Crystal City,” Twilight said, looking at the hevaens as dark clouds momentarily flickered into view before disappearing behind the false dawn sky, “Let us begin the Crystal Faire.”
Twilight Sparkle and Spike ascended into the Crystal Castle while the others spread throughout the city, knocking on doors as they went to get the attention of the crystal ponies within. Shortly after Twilight’s ascension, she reappeared on the castle’s main balcony that overlooked the city to the south. Along with her came Spike and an exhausted Cadence supported by Shining Armor. Spike held Twilight’s notes copied from Traditions of the Crystal Empire in front of the alicorn as she approached the end of the balcony.
“Subjects of the Crystal City and the North!” Cadence announced to the city, her voice amplified magically by Twilight so that everypony could hear her, “I, the Lady mi Amore Cadenza, and Lord Shining Armor invite you to partake in the Crystal Faire! Come, be merry, for today is an important day of celebration!”
Upon hearing the Crystal Faire mentioned, the crystal ponies began to leave their homes and wander the streets, looking at the decorations. They came slowly at first, unsure of what they were doing, but soon began to come more quickly, more surely. Throughout the Crystal City, the Brave Companions beckoned the crystal ponies onward and heard quite a bit of murmured wonderings as the ancient inhabitants tried to piece together what they remembered and recall what they didn’t. It seemed that many of them were not quite as drab and dull as they’d appeared earlier, either. It was as if the very idea of the Crystal Faire had sparked something in them, lifting their spirits and repairing their memories.
Of course, with only a few ponies in charge of the entirety of the faire, it was nothing like the Crystal Faires of old, but it seemed to be enough. The crystal ponies talked to each other more and more as they traveled through the Crystal City partaking in the festivities. The terror they felt toward King Sombra was dispelled by happier memories of times of peace and prosperity. Gradually, the Crystal Faire came to life and the crowds visibly brightened, once-dull coats now as vivid as those who hadn’t suffered a thousand years of banishment. If the Brave Companions hadn’t been so busy keeping the faire running, they might have noticed that a few words were repeated more and more by the crowds of crystal ponies: Crystal Heart.
“Could it be true? Dost thou thinkest that they truly have the Crystal Heart?” one crystal pony asked her friend as they trotted down one of the Crystal City’s six main thoroughfares.
“Of course we have it,” Rainbow Dash assured them, inserting herself into their conversation and giving them a start, “What would the Crystal Faire be without the Crystal Heart?”
“Twould be pointless,” the same elderly mare who’d greeted the Brave Companions in the Crystal Archives inserted herself into the conversation now, speaking methodically as if she were remembering her own words as she said them, her coat brightening perceptibly with every word she said. “The entire purpose of the Crystal Faire is to lift the spirits of the crystal ponies in order for their joy to be channeled into the Crystal Heart, allowing it to protect the Crystal City and its lands for another year! I do work in the Crystal Archives!”
“What was that about the Crystal Heart protecting the city?” Rainbow Dash asked, worried that Twilight may have made a mistake in her assumptions.
“Twas a gift given to the Crystal City long ago by the alicorn Nostracom the Wise. He didst make many magical artifacts, thou knowest, but the crystal ponies have always treasured the Crystal Heart as his greatest work. ‘Tis a powerful artifact that can channel and magnify the will of the crystal ponies—at the conclusion of the Crystal Faire—to spread protection and prosperity across all lands ruled by the Crystal City,” the archivist explained, “I can nay believe that thou didst manage to find the Crystal Heart. After corrupting the Crystal Heart and bending it to his will, King Sombra hid it and swore that we wouldst never see it again! Bless thee for recovering it, that our safety may be assured once again!”
As soon as the crystal ponies trotted away, chatting happily about the times when the Crystal Heart had protected them, Rainbow Dash took off into the air and darted to the Crystal Castle. No crystal ponies seemed to have centered into the space beneath the castle yet, and Rainbow Dash pulled down one of the banners hanging from a surrounding building before swooping to cover the pedestal with its crystal heart.
“What are you doing?” Twilight Sparkle asked, standing next to the now-concealed heart.
“We may have a problem,” Rainbow Dash said, and explained everything she’d learned to the sorceress.
***
“I had no idea that the Crystal Heart was an actual magical artifact,” Twilight explained the issue to Cadence and Shining Armor a few minutes later on the Crystal Castle’s balcony, “Traditions of the Crystal Empire never mentioned anything about it being a relic, but it never explained exactly how the empire was once protected either. I should not have relied on a single source! I should have looked for more details to be sure everything was correct before beginning the faire! I made a mistake! How could I have missed this!”
“It will be okay, Twilight. You’re exhausted, it’s no wonder you made a mistake. When was the last time you slept?” an incredibly fatigued Cadence asked, right before collapsing against Shining Armor and closing her eyes.
“Twily …” Shining Armor said worriedly as he and his sister both felt Cadence’s magic fail.
The pristine blue sky overhead gave way to dark, roiling storm clouds. Beyond the circle of Cadence’s protection, the fields of snow became visible as well, along with smoke and shadow that moved on its own against the wind toward the Crystal City. Blazing eyes appeared in the black mass, an outcropping of which congealed into the shape of a stallion’s head, complete with a mouth of sharp teeth and a crimson horn in the center of its forehead. King Sombra looked out over the only part of his former realm in which he hadn’t yet returned to power, now unprotected, and advanced.
Chapter 3:2 - Return of the Crystal Empire, Part the Second
Chapter 3:2 – Return of the Crystal Empire, Part the Second
Darkness began to close around the Crystal City as Sombra moved closer, trying to choke the last beacon of light in the North. Some of the crystal ponies noticed the change in the sky, but the advance of the Shadow King was hidden from them by the buildings and walls of the city, not to mention all the temporary structures and decorations the Brave Companions had erected for the Crystal Faire. They didn’t see what those in the Crystal Castle did—the reconstitution of Sombra’s head atop a column of shadow, glaring maliciously at the city.
Cadence regained consciousness with a start and looked around in horror at her fallen shield. Directed by her voice, the alicorn reconstructed her barrier, walls of glowing blue rising to form a dome above the city again. Sombra’s advance had forced her to constrict the area under her protection, though, and this shield stretched barely beyond the walls of the Crystal City, leaving the fields and hamlets outside of it to the mercy of Sombra and his storms. Cadence shuddered as Sombra beat against the wall of magic, trying to force his way in.
“We need the Crystal Heart,” Shining Armor said as he held his wife, “I have to find it!”
“No, Shining, you need to stay here with Cadence; she needs you,” Twilight Sparkle said, “I will find the Crystal Heart.”
“I’ll get the others,” Rainbow Dash said, preparing to dash throughout the Crystal City for the Brave Companions.
“No, I alone will search for the Heart,” Twilight said, “I need the rest of you to keep the Crystal Faire going.”
“What?” Rainbow said incredulously, “With the Crystal City under attack and with Cadence’s magic ready to fail at any moment, you want to keep the party going?”
“Yes; the purpose of the Crystal Faire is to focus the spirits of the crystal ponies into the Crystal Heart. If they find out that Sombra is just outside the city, trying to take over again, then their spirits will be cowed, and their joy will plummet. Whether I find the Crystal Heart or not will not matter, because they will not be able to contribute the power it needs in order to protect them.”
“Got it. Keep the Crystal Faire going and the crystal ponies’ spirits high,” Rainbow Dash said before zipping away.
“Twily, by careful,” Shining Armor said to Twilight as she left the balcony.
“I will,” the sorceress promised.
***
“Twilight!” Spike called later as he ran toward Twilight, “I’m going with you.”
At the moment, the sorceress was beneath the Crystal Castle, examining the crystal heart she’d found in the castle’s treasury, confirming that it indeed was not the Crystal Heart she was looking for. It was a possibility that she’d simply stumbled upon it, since it had by no means been in a place easily accessible to the common subjects of the North. The hoard had even been guarded by a magical lock that she’d had to counter, so only another mage, like King Sombra, would have been able to find it. Her latest inspection of the gemstone, however, turned up no clearer information than her first. It was a massive gem, but no more; it could be used either as proof of wealth or an aid for a sorceress in a ritual, but not for something as complex as the protection of the Crystal City and the whole of the North. Though impressive, this was not one of the artifacts created by Nostracom the Wise, the second pony to achieve alicornhood and the only stallion to do so.
“You cannot help me, Spike,” Twilight said, checking that there were no crystal ponies within earshot before she continued, “I must find the Crystal Heart myself. This is part of the test that Celestia has set before me; I must succeed alone.”
“I know that,” Spike said, having certainly heard it enough already to have it pounded into his head, “I’m still coming along. I promise I won’t lift a claw to help.”
“Not a claw,” Twilight reiterated before allowing the dragonling to climb onto her back, “Come on, Spike. It may not have been in the treasury, but I still think that it is likely King Sombra hid the Crystal Heart somewhere in the castle. While he reigned here, he could count on nopony being brave enough to enter.”
The sorceress and her page trotted off and entered the Crystal Castle, leaving Applejack and Rainbow Dash alone with the fake Crystal Heart, still concealed beneath a banner. While the farmer simply stood by the covered pedestal and tried to direct the crystal ponies away to other parts of the faire, Rainbow Dash was walking a tight patrol circuit, glaring at anypony who dared get too close.
“Um, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said in a hushed voice, tapping the Hunter on her shoulder, “Aren’t we t’ act like nothin’s th’ matter so th’ crystal ponies can enjoy th’ faire in peace?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said before partially drawing her sword while staring down an approaching crystal pony, sending her scampering off back the way she’d come.
“Why don’t y’ let me take care o’ keepin’ th’ crystal ponies away from th’ fake crystal heart,” Applejack whispered, “Y’ go on an’ get th’ joust started?”
“How?” the Hunter asked, “We don’t have any knights, and you know the mêlée is more my style anyway.”
“Maybe some o’ th’ crystal ponies have remembered how t’ joust,” Applejack suggested, “If not, improvise.”
“Well, okay,” Rainbow said, taking off and letting Applejack handle the curious residents of the city.
After a while, Applejack began to question her decision to send Rainbow Dash away. Whether the Hunter’s aggressive approach had been more effective or whether more ponies were just remembering the Crystal Heart, more and more seemed drawn to the space beneath the Crystal Castle. Applejack was beginning to feel quite put out by their curiosity as she had to continually rebuff their advances and attempts to sneak a peek at the Crystal Heart.
“How are y’ enjoyin’ th’ faire?” Applejack asked one as she stood between her and the covered pedestal.
“‘Tis wonderful!” the crystal pony gushed while trying to see around Applejack to discern the false Crystal Heart’s shape beneath the banner, “It seems an eternity hath passed since the last Crystal Faire.”
“I’m glad y’re enjoyin’ y’self. Keep y’r spirits up so that th’ Crystal Heart can be imbued with it when th’ time is right,” Applejack said as she tried to guide the pony away.
“I would so like to see the Crystal Heart before the ceremony,” the crystal pony persisted, “It hath been so long.”
“I hear y’, but that’ll have t’ wait,” Applejack said as she continued to lead her farther from the castle, “Why don’t y’ get y’self some crystal nectar? It must’ve been an eternity since y’ had any.”
“Yes, now that thou dost mention it,” the crystal pony said as she trotted away to find one of the stands where the unique liquor of the North was offered, and Applejack sighed gratefully.
“Y’ look like y’ could use somethin’ t’ put th’ flesh back on y’r bones,” Applejack said as she ran up to stop another crystal pony from lifting the banner to peer at the false heart beneath. Y’ can find food that way. Don’t want t’ show up t’ th’ ceremony half-starved, do y’?”
“Well, it hath been a thousand years,” the stallion admitted, brightening before trotting off.
“A jousting match is about t’ begin on th’ western lawn!” Applejack called out as multiple ponies trotted toward her from multiple directions, causing them to stop as she caught their attention, “Don’t want t’ miss that!”
The crystal ponies all headed in the direction she’d wanted them to, leaving her alone with the false Crystal Heart for a moment. Applejack looked up at the Crystal Castle looming overhead. Hurry, Twi’. I don’t know how long I can keep them away!
***
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was searching the Crystal Castle from top to bottom, Spike trying to keep up. It was the most likely place for King Sombra to have hidden the relic, yet she could find no trace of it. It occurred to her that the smartest place for him to have hidden it would have been far away, perhaps beneath distant Mount Everhoof, but if Sombra had possessed the Crystal Heart, then the battle would already be over. Whoever controlled the Crystal Heart controlled the Crystal City and, by extension, all of the North. No, it had to be here somewhere, but where?
The sorceress again searched the castle’s treasury, even poking around to see if there were any secret passages hidden by magic, but all she found were ancient coins, artifacts, weapons, and portraits. Nothing resembling the Crystal Heart, besides the gemstone she’d already taken from here, existed. She scoured the castle, checking empty rooms, but the keep appeared stripped bare of everything except for what Cadence, Shining Armor, and the guards who’d come with them had brought. She thought she might have found something when she discovered Sombra’s laboratory, but while there were plenty of interesting things for a sorceress like her, there was no Crystal Heart.
“It must be here somewhere!” Twilight said in frustration as she wound up in the throne room for the dozenth time, “Majia nipyei pon’i, kaya se re ost’r’i Ye![1]”
It was a newer spell that Twilight had been learning during the relatively uneventful interim between finding the last shard of Discord’s soul and Celestia’s test that would allow her to visibly see the spells cast by other sorceresses. It had helped her out earlier in breaking the enchantment on the castle’s treasury and when determining that the crystal heart below the castle was not the artifact she was searching for, but it was mostly for convenience. Being able to see spells with one’s eyes was an incredibly useful skill; though a Source as powerful as Twilight could sense all but the most minor enchantments instinctively anyway, it still helped to visualize them.
She hadn’t cast it in the throne room before due to the fact that the chamber was permeated with the magic Cadence had been using to keep the Crystal City under her protection, but now, as frustrated as she was, she decided to give it a try anyway. As she suspected, it became difficult to see anything as soon as she cast the spell. She squinted at the massive column of interwoven threads of light that rose from the chair the alicorn had set up in front of the room’s thrones, reaching up to the shield that covered the city. With that blinding light in the throne room, it was difficult to make out anything else.
Twilight was prepared to release the spell and try some other spell when she realized that there was something in front of the column of light. Thin threads of darkness were woven around the throne room, clearly revealed by Twilight’s spell but unlike anything she’d seen before. It brought to mind the diagrams she’d found in the Crystal Archives, and upon further inspection, it matched them precisely. All the threads eventually found their end at the crystal atop one of the thrones at the head of the room. If this was a magical lock, as she suspected, then the key would be inserted there.
She thought back to the diagrams, trying to puzzle out how to undo the lock. Releasing her spell, she allowed her vision to return to normal, blinking rapidly to clear the spots, before reaching out toward the crystal throne with her magic. She was still unable to sense the magical lock, but as she reached out toward the crystal atop the throne, she could feel something knotted there. It was something dim, pulsating, and twisting with a power beyond anything she’d felt before, and she let herself be drawn in. Twilight Sparkle was unprepared as the spell she was probing snapped back, but she managed to react quickly enough that the trap did not catch her. What’s more, she now understood how to unlock the enchantment. She felt the dimness she’d sensed around the spell trickle within her as she reached out again toward the throne, twisting around but under control. With it, she cast her own enchantment over the magical lock, and the two merged so that the matrix of mystical energy rearranged itself.
“Twilight, are you okay?!” Spike asked worriedly, having seen none of what Twilight had but having witnessed her eyes glow with a dark power and purple mist drifting away from the edges as she unlocked the enchantment.
“I am fine, Spike,” she replied, having no idea what her dragon page had just seen, “What is more, I think I have found where King Sombra hid the Crystal Heart.”
She gestured behind Spike, where a pit had opened in the floor of the throne room. The throne to which the magical lock had been anchored had turned to obsidian, as had a widening swath of the stairs leading down from it and out into the throne room. The transformation stopped where a perfectly square hole had appeared in the center of the room. Twilight Sparkle and Spike approached the hole and gazed down. The sides were dark obsidian, a staircase made of the same black material spiraling down into inky blackness. Well, at least once King Sombra had picked a theme, he stuck to it.
“Are we really going down there?” Spike asked hesitantly.
“I will go,” Twilight said, casting a spell to affix a light to the end of her horn, “You stay here for the moment.”
The sorceress began to descend the stairs into the darkness, soon having only the light of her own magic to illuminate her surroundings. Down and down and down the stairs went, deeper and deeper. She suddenly realized that she’d dropped below what should have been possible long ago, given that the throne room of the Crystal Castle was positioned above the empty space under the castle. There was some wizardry at work here, either to lead Twilight through a portal to somewhere else in the North or into a pocket dimension; she suspected the latter by how the stairs seemed to go on and on without end. She looked up after she’d been descending for what seemed like an eternity and could see only a small square of light above her.
“Spike!” she called, magically projecting her voice and cringing when it echoed off the walls of the shaft.
“Yes?” the reply returned faintly.
“How do things look outside?” Twilight called back.
“Not good!” Spike replied several minutes later after popping out of the throne room to check on things, “Cadence’s magic is fading, and the city walls are beginning to darken like this pit!”
It certainly sounded like Cadence’s magic was failing, if Sombra was able to darken the city’s walls without collapsing her shield. The situation was more desperate than ever, and Twilight hurried her descent. She continued to pick up her pace as the stairs continued on and on downward without end. At this rate, I’ll come out in the Zebrikaanian Empire before I find the Crystal Heart! The corner of the sorceress’s robe caught on the edge of a stair, and she went plummeting over the edge. She furiously incanted and her descent slowed, bringing her to a stop just above the bottom of the pit. So, there is a bottom after all.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike called down worriedly, his voice even fainter than before.
“I am fine, Spike!” Twilight called back up at the pinprick of light.
Twilight trotted around the edges of the pit’s bottom until she found a door set into the wall. It looked just like a normal door, wooden and barred iron, except that there was no handle or hinges. There was small, dark crystal set into the stone over it, however, and this time Twilight recognized the magic bound to it instantly. Repeating what she’d done to unlock the pit, Twilight laid a dark pattern of magic over the lock anchored to the crystal. Handle and hinges appeared on the door, and Twilight joyously pulled it open and darted through.
The sorceress skidded to a halt as she found herself standing in the throne room of Cant’r Laht Castle. Looking behind her, she saw a door mounted to nothing slam shut and then vanish. Had the door been a trap that transported her here? She needed to get back to the Crystal City immediately; she tried to open a portal, only to find that it was impossible. Could Sombra’s magic be blocking portals somehow?
“Celestia!” Twilight called as her mentor entered the throne room and galloped toward her.
“Twilight, what are you doing here?” Celestia asked, completely bewildered.
“I stepped through a door, and it took me here! I need to get back to the Crystal City and find the Crystal Heart!” Twilight said as Celestia stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes.
“It’s too late for that, Twilight,” Celestia said, “The Crystal Heart and the Crystal City were both lost six years ago. It was assumed that you perished with Cadence, Shining Armor, and all of your friends.”
Twilight sat back on her haunches, completely floored by this news. Six years? The door was trapped, but it was even worse than I thought. I was sent forward six years into the future. The Crystal City is gone. Cadence and Shining Armor, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena, Rarity, and Spike … all dead. This is like a nightmare.
“Sombra has spread his darkness over all Equestria; only Cant’r Laht still stands,” Celestia said, and Twilight realized that her mentor was wearing an enchanted set of dragon scale armor, prepared for physical as well as sorcerous battle. “I must go.”
“The city is burning,” Twilight realized as she saw that the light streaming in through the throne room’s windows came not from the sun, but from fire.
“Cant’r Laht has already burned,” Celestia said, stunning Twilight again, “Ingrirtireth was not pleased with the death of his son. I must go, Twilight—if you truly are who you seem and are not another of the Shadow King’s apparitions here to torment me.”
Twilight collapsed in on herself in despair as Cant’r Laht burned and Sombra brought the last city in Equestria to resist him under his hoof. It was all her fault. She’d failed the test that Celestia had set before her, and now the consequences had manifested. All of Equestria had fallen to Sombra, starting with her friends and loved ones. It’s all my fault.
***
“Twilight,” Spike’s voice came faintly but urgently after what seemed like an eternity spent lying on the floor of Cant’r Laht Castle while the city burned around her, “Twilight.”
But it couldn’t truly be Spike’s voice she was hearing. Spike had perished in the Crystal City years ago when it had fallen to Sombra. Twilight had left him alone in the Crystal Castle’s throne room while she searched for the Crystal Heart. Had he followed her into the pit to search and had the castle collapse around him, or had he stood with Cadence and Shining Armor when Sombra finished them off? Either way, his death had drawn the ire of Dragonlord Ingrirtireth, and Cant’r Laht had burned as a result. Unless he’d somehow passed through the door to the future the same way that Twilight had? If he was here now, he was still as doomed as Twilight and the rest of Equestria, but at least she might have the opportunity to see him, the dragonling she’d raised up from an egg, one last time
“Twilight!” his voice grew louder and more urgent.
When the sorceress opened her eyes, she was stunned to see that she was not in Cant’r Laht at all, but sitting in the pit beneath the Crystal Castle. The door that stood before her was still closed, without handle or hinge. Between her and that cursed wooden edifice, however, stood Spike, letting go of Twilight now that he’d shaken her back to reality. A torch he’d lit with his fire breath to illuminate his way down the stairs lay nearby on the floor.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked worriedly. “I waited, but you weren’t answering me, so I followed you down, and I know I wasn’t supposed to help you, but you were gone for so long and you were just staring at the wall and crying, and I didn’t know what to do!”
“It is okay, Spike,” Twilight promised her page as she pulled him close, cutting off his frantic tumble of words, “You were right to come down after me.”
Twilight Sparkle glared over Spike at the door before her. King Sombra had cunningly trapped it, causing her to fall into despair and convincing her that she’d already lost the battle. If Spike hadn’t come after her and shaken her free of the illusion, then she’d have been lost. Sombra had been clever to trap the door with the same lock that had opened the way here in the first place, but Twilight would not fall for that again now that she was free.
She motioned for Spike to stand aside before summoning her strength and striking the door with a beam of pure, white magical energy. The door’s planks splintered into bits while the ironwork melted and twisted away. Above the door, the dark crystal set there shattered into pieces that tinkled as they fell to the floor. With the cursed door obliterated, another was now visible behind it, a normal door with handle and hinges. Cautious of another trap, Twilight pushed the door open and stepped through.
The sorceress blinked her eyes against the brightness as she walked into a cavern of light. She was more convinced than ever that she was within a pocket dimension as the brightness surrounded her from all sides with no sign of walls, ground, or sky. The doorway she’d come through was part of the only feature in the world, a massive cylindrical column of crystal surrounded by spiraling stairs that stretched up and disappeared into the light, just as the previous set of stairs had disappeared into darkness.
“Is the Crystal Heart in there?” Spike asked.
“No,” Twilight replied as she craned her neck, “Just more stairs. Maybe you should stay by my side this time.”
Delighted, Spike skipped through the doorway and followed Twilight Sparkle as she began to ascend the radiant staircase.
***
The sky flickered worryingly as Cadence desperately tried to keep the shield up around the city and thunder sounded through it, drumbeats that would signal the city’s doom. Outside the Crystal City, Sombra continued to take shape, his head fully formed atop a column of shadow now, gradually shrinking to the size it had been when he’d walked Equus as a pony. As the shadow began to congeal behind him, great black wings flapped a terrifying beat. He had pierced Cadence’s shield, though it had taken the sacrifice of his horn in order to get a bit of himself within the protective shell. No matter, for now it was regrown, and the crimson spine glowed as he poured his malice into his spells. The walls that encircled the city were now obsidian and would prove no barrier to his entry. Gradually, he darkened the outer buildings and streets of his once-home, transforming it back as it was during his last days on the throne. There were no crystal ponies under his grasp yet, but their time would come as he constricted his grip on the Crystal City.
The crystal ponies were beginning to take note of the thunder, but none had yet discerned its true meaning and the danger they were in. The Crystal Faire was still in full swing, operating even more smoothly than when it had begun. Some of the crystal ponies had remembered enough of their past that they took up places doing the work that the Brave Companions had been stretched thin to cover. Good thing, too, with four of the six indisposed. Twilight Sparkle was searching for the Crystal Heart, Applejack was guarding the stand-in for that artifact, and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were both at the jousting grounds.
Rainbow Dash had failed to find any knights for the joust, so she’d had to commandeer Fluttershy to fill in as her opponent. Neither of the pegasi were particularly well-suited for the event or comfortable in the armor that adorned them, but the crystal ponies who packed the stands didn’t seem to care. Somepony blew a fanfare, and the two old friends charged each other. Fluttershy locked up in fright before they collided, and Rainbow Dash easily knocked her down. As the crystal ponies cheered, the Hunter trotted over to her fallen opponent.
“Come on, Fluttershy, we have to keep going,” Rainbow said, glancing worriedly at the flickering sky.
“Couldn’t somepony else take my place?” the druidess whimpered.
“There isn’t anypony else,” Rainbow Dash said, “The survival of the North relies on us keeping the crystal ponies distracted. We just have to bear it.”
“Excuse me,” somepony said, and Rainbow Dash turned to see a small group of crystal ponies approaching her, led by a young stallion with a ridiculously curled moustache, “I was told that thou wert the one to speak to about being added to the jousting lists. ‘Tis not too late, is it?”
“Of course not,” Rainbow Dash answered these not-as-amnesiac knights enthusiastically.
***
Twilight had thought it frustrating when the stairs leading down into the earth had seemed to go on forever, but these going up were much worse. During her life in Cant’r Laht Castle, Twilight Sparkle had become accustomed to the rigors of climbing stairs to get around, but she’d already climbed many times higher than she’d ever had to reach her chambers there. She wasn’t Rainbow Dash or Applejack, who had a much higher resilience when it came to physical activity; she was a Cant’r Laht—or Ponieville—sorceress. Her mind was in far better shape than her body, and it showed. She was panting heavily and practically dragging herself up the stairs, only forcing herself to go on because if she stopped, she might not begin climbing again.
“What if this … is another trick?” Spike panted from her back, having only recently climbed on after he reached his own limits.
Twilight had to admit the possibility. Many things were possible in a pocket universe. However, there was no obvious way to break through if it was a trick. An endless staircase could only be possible if chaos magic were involved (and she was certain that she wouldn’t miss that, after this last excruciating year) or the stairs were cleverly disguised so that they repeated themselves. An illusion like that could be overcome by moving more quickly than the repeat could be refreshed, and she half-expected that the same had been true of the pit she’d climbed down, allowing her to break the loop by falling off the stairs. There would be no rapid ascension here to undo the trick, though. Unless …
“Spike, hold on tight,” Twilight Sparkle told her page, and he obediently wrapped his arms around her neck.
If this was a pocket dimension that King Sombra had altered in order to create an endless staircase, then perhaps she could make some modifications herself to her own advantage. Reaching out, she found the laws of reality pliable in a way they weren’t in the universe where most ponies lived. That was because this universe was much, much smaller than reality. It was almost trivial for the sorceress to reach out and twist.
Gravity reversed, and Twilight and Spike fell to the underside of the stairs that had formally been above them. They slid along the smooth surface until their speed overcame the strength Twilight had to hold them to the crystal, and they flew off the edge. The sorceress and the dragon plummeted upward through the bright void, the crystal column and flight after flight of stairs rushing along beside them.
***
Cadence’s magic was fading more quickly. Like unholy tendrils, the dark transformations that Sombra brought spread throughout the Crystal City. Crystal ponies ran, terrified, for the center of the city as they realized what was going on. That drumming thunder sounded like laughter now, the mad cackling of the Shadow King they’d hoped and prayed never to see or even hear mention of again. The faire began to break down as more and more abandoned the festivities and rushed to the one place they felt safe, where the Crystal Heart awaited them beneath the castle.
Applejack was struggling to keep the crowds back now. She was unable to distract them anymore, especially as they sky became consistently overcast and a cold wind blew through the streets. The farmer had resorted to simply telling them to stay back and be patient for the end of the faire, which many in the crowd loudly expressed should come immediately.
“What are we going to do?” Rarity whispered to Applejack after sneaking through the crowd to lend her beleaguered friend some assistance.
“I just don’t know,” Applejack admitted, “Whate’er we can, I s’pose. Th’ crystal ponies have t’ be ready t’ imbue th’ Heart wi’ their spirits when Twi’ returns, so they can’t suspect it’s not here afore then.”
“I hope Twilight gets here soon,” Pinkamena said nervously as she joined the other two, “Cadence doesn’t seem to be doing very well.”
As Rarity turned to reply to the bard, one of the desperate crystal ponies shoved against her, trying to get closer to the Crystal Heart. She stumbled and managed to recover herself, but not before knocking into Pinkamena, who wasn’t prepared. As the bard went down, she fell against the dais upon which the false Crystal Heart was set, tipping it over. Applejack rushed to right it, but it was too late. The gemstone Twilight had found in the castle’s treasury fell off the dais, out from under the banner concealing it, and slid across the ground, eventually coming to rest at the hooves of the startled crowd of crystal ponies.
“This is nay the Crystal Heart,” a stallion said breathlessly, the color seeming to visibly drain from his coat.
Worried murmurs and cries of despair arose from the crowd as the word spread.
“Of course not,” Rarity said, searching for an appropriate excuse that would quell the crowd’s fears, “It’s just a standalone while the real Crystal Heart is …”
“On its way!” Applejack blurted out during Rarity’s hesitation.
“I was going to say being prepared for the ceremony,” Rarity whispered to her friend as the crowd responded unfavorably to the idea that the Crystal Heart had been “on its way” all day.
Panic began to spread through the crowd. The crystal ponies could see the signs of Sombra’s return so clearly now, and the only hope they had to cling to, the Crystal Heart, seemed to have vanished. They felt betrayed, and not without justification. Mass hysteria broke out, and demands to speak to Lady mi Amore Cadenza were voiced. The Brave Companions tried to control the downward spiral, but it was dangerously late for that.
***
“Twilight!” Spike called out, recognizing the patch of whiteness rushing toward them as what it was, not just more of the glow that suffused this place, but a solid surface.
Twilight slowed them to a halt before they splattered against the crystal, managing to set them down gently. She trotted over to the column and stairs before returning gravity to normal and ascending the last few steps. In front of her, hovering in midair, was the Crystal Heart. At least, the luminous turquoise gemstone that slowly spun as it levitated appeared to be the Crystal Heart. It could be just another trick left by King Sombra.
“Twilight, look!” Spike called, having walked in the opposite direction.
The two of them were standing within a hollow spire formed by a ring of pillars that converged above them and allowed one to look out over the Crystal City between the gaps. They had to be atop the Crystal Castle, though it was physically impossible for them to reach it, given the path they’d taken. Twilight would bet that if Cadence or Rainbow Dash had flown up here to get the Crystal Heart, they wouldn’t have found it. King Sombra had been a powerful mage to devise such a hiding place, but Twilight Sparkle had outdone him.
What Spike had been drawing Twilight’s attention to was what was happening outside the spire. Cadence’s shield was fading fast and the Crystal City was rapidly darkening, overcome by Sombra’s magic. She could see his shape moving in the distance, tendrils of shadow now slipping into the city itself and veining their way toward the castle. Whether this Crystal Heart was the real one or not didn’t matter. If it wasn’t, they were doomed, but there was no time left to search for the genuine gem. Twilight Sparkle ran toward where the Heart hovered.
As soon as the sorceress touched the Crystal Heart, it flew away from her, and obsidian crystals grew rapidly in a circle around her hooves. They quickly closed over her, trapping her in darkness. She tried to blast her way out with magic, to teleport, to open a portal, but nothing worked. Sombra had laid one last trap for her, and she’d fallen for it.
“Twilight!” Spike’s voice came muffled from outside, “Twilight?”
“I am here, Spike!” Twilight shouted, and her page ceased his yelling, “Where is the Crystal Heart?”
“It’s out here,” Spike replied, “It’s just lying on the floor. I don’t think it’s trapped anymore.”
Twilight couldn’t see any way out of this. She’d been so eager to get the Crystal Heart, so sure that victory was within her grasp, that she’d thrown herself into a trap. Celestia had been clear, she had to be the one to save the North—but how was she supposed to do so from within this cage? She wasn’t, she realized. There were more important things.
“Spike?” she called.
“Yes, Twilight?” he replied as he rapped against Twilight’s prison, searching for a weakness.
“Take the Crystal Heart to Cadence!” Twilight said, “The crystal ponies have to power it before it is too late!”
“But, Twilight, I thought that you had to do this? Celestia’s test?” Spike objected.
“Forget the test!” Twilight yelled, “Go!”
The sorceress couldn’t see or hear it, but Spike picked up the Crystal Heart and started to leave before hesitating and turning back. He couldn’t just leave Twilight here, could he? But neither could he let the Crystal City fall. He would return, he resolved, as soon as he’d given the Crystal Heart to Cadence. The way they’d come wouldn’t do, so Spike began to climb down the exterior of the castle, Crystal Heart shoved into his satchel and trying not to look down at the drop that would surely kill him were he to fall.
***
Cadence struggled to keep the shield up, but her reserves were scraping their limits. She’d sacrificed her own health to keep the defenses going as long as possible, but she could go on no longer. The last of her magic slipped away, leaving her empty, and the shield collapsed completely. Snow blew into the faces of the terrified crystal ponies as they tried to run for safety, not having any idea where might be safe. Shadows flooded into the streets, snuffing out the light of the Crystal City. King Sombra himself glided up the southern thoroughfare, decapitating the guards who tried to bar his way with a slash of shadow. A red cloak was affixed to his midnight form now, trailing out impossibly behind him.
The Brave Companions looked down at the chaos from the main balcony of the Crystal Castle with Shining Armor and a drained Cadence. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had saved the other three from the irate crowd of crystal ponies and brought them up here. They tried to assure the crowd below that their salvation would be at hand any moment, but it seemed a hollow promise. Twilight had vanished, and unless she reappeared with the Crystal Heart in the next minute, all would be lost.
“Up there!” Rarity called as she spotted Spike clambering down the steep side of the Crystal Castle.
The dragonling slipped and slid down part of the castle before leaping to one of the spires that jutted up from it. He barely made it and pulled himself up, huffing and puffing, before realizing that the ponies below were calling up to him.
“I have the Crystal Heart!” he called out to them and produced the relic, which glowed brilliantly.
It caught the eyes of the crystal ponies, but also of King Sombra.
“Crystal Heart!” he yelled in a booming, gravelly voice, “That! Art! Mine!”
Allowing himself to shift back toward his umbral form, Sombra darted forward, leaving an oily black trail behind him that writhed and drew in the crystal ponies he passed. Dark crystals darted forward and made their way up the side of the castle, nearly impaling Spike. Jumping out of the way, he teetered and fell from his perch, plummeting through the air. Rainbow Dash shot up into the air toward him to catch the dragonling before he splattered.
Crystal ponies were thrown aside as Sombra also shot up into the air on a spire of tainted crystal, shadows billowing around him as he took on fully solid form. He was a unicorn stallion again, dark of coat and mane. Silvery armor covered the ancient resurrected warlock, matched by a cruel crown upon his brow. His tongue ran across sharpened teeth as he hungrily anticipated his victory and fire blazed in his eyes, from which flowed long trails of purple smoke. A red cloak billowed behind him, framing two shadowy appendages to replace his lost wings. Celestia would pay dearly for taking those from him!
Sombra and Rainbow Dash raced for Spike, but the Hunter was clearly set to reach him first. Crystals shot through the air and caused Dash to swerve, but one struck her in the wing. She fell with a gasp of pain but was thankfully caught by Fluttershy. Now there was nothing to stop Sombra as he closed in on the Crystal Heart. Once he had corrupted it again, his power would be unmatched, and all of Equestria would kneel to the Shadow King.
A pink blur shot across Sombra’s vision, and the Crystal Heart and dragonling had vanished. Cadence was gliding more than flying, with little strength to do the latter, but her husband had thrown her true, allowing her to catch Spike and the precious artifact before Sombra could reach him. She swung around while Sombra searched for her and banked over the crystal ponies before making a slightly inglorious landing beneath the castle.
“The day is not lost, not if you have the strength and will within you to defend yourselves!” Cadence called out to the awed crystal ponies, “The Crystal Heart has returned! It is up to you to ensure that the terror of King Sombra does not!”
A wave of solidarity and calm seemed to pass through the crowd, screams of terror giving way to calls of defiance against Sombra. Never again would the Crystal Ponies allow a tyrant to rule over them. The Crystal Heart reminded them that they had the power to decide that. One by one, they bowed before the Crystal Heart, their coats practically glowing as the Heart’s magic manifested itself. Their decision and commitment to defy Sombra imbued the Crystal Heart with that same spirit, and the crystal grew brilliant until it was blinding. All of the attacks that Sombra could throw at it were rebuffed; it was too late to corrupt the Heart. The crystal ponies were also under its protection, leaving the Shadow King surrounded and impotent. As the light of the Crystal Heart and its magic spread out, King Sombra’s essence was shredded, leaving not a trace of corporeal or umbral form.
The Crystal Heart did its work from where it now hovered directly beneath the center of the Crystal Castle, projecting its power outward. The Crystal City returned to its ancient appearance, the dark corrupted buildings of Sombra replaced by something even better than what the newcomers had come to know. The buildings shimmered and shone as if they were made of crystal instead of stone and wood, and so did their occupants. The crystal ponies’ flesh transformed. Not only were their coats colorful and radiant again, but they appeared to be made of gems as well. Even Cadence, Shining Armor, the Brave Companions, and the few surviving guards from Cant’r Laht were transformed, their appearances just as crystalline as those of the city’s permanent residents. All the darkness and corruption of the Shadow King was washed away, including the prison holding Twilight Sparkle, and she looked out in wonder upon the transformed city.
From the Crystal City, the magic of the Crystal Heart continued to spread. All across the North, the darkness brought by King Sombra was banished. So too were the storms repelled, truly clearing the skies across all the land. Snow and shadow gave way to a warm and brilliant day. The fields that covered the North were in poor shape after a thousand years of neglect, but the magic of the Crystal Heart that seeped into the soil ensured that there would be a bountiful harvest this year.
As the light faded and the Crystal Heart’s light dimmed to a comforting glow, Cadence was surprised to see that the crystal ponies were still bowed down toward the Crystal Heart.
“Long live Empress mi Amore Cadenza!” somepony shouted, and the call went up as the crystal ponies hailed Cadence as their new leader. Ah, so it wasn’t the Crystal Heart they were bowing to.
***
Within the span of a week, Twilight Sparkle found herself nervously pacing in front of the entrance to Cant’r Laht Castle’s great hall for a second time. The Crystal City and the North had been saved; but in the end, Twilight hadn’t been the one to do it, and she wasn’t sure what to expect from Celestia. Hopefully her mentor would be lenient since she had managed to find the Crystal Heart, even if it had been with Spike’s help.
She had been putting this moment off by staying in the North when she could have easily returned to Cant’r Laht immediately after the crystal ponies were saved. Instead, she and the Brave Companions stuck around to help Cadence start managing the new realm she’d acquired. While the ponies of the Crystal City were ready to crown her as the next empress of the Crystal Empire immediately, the ponies of the North outside of the capital—although grateful for her defeat of King Sombra—were not so enthusiastic to set up this interloper in such a position. Cadence herself had no desire to become empress either, and she had plenty of excuses that let her seek a compromise and wheedle out of being immediately coronated. One of those problems was that King Sombra had banished all clergy of the Church of One from the North, so there was nopony that she considered fit to crown her, and she put off any talk of coronation until after High Priestess Rubius appointed a new archbishop to occupy the Crystal City’s abandoned cathedral. There was also the matter that the Crystal Empire no longer existed, nor had it even existed at the time the North had been lost. While the crystal ponies felt great disdain for King Sombra, he had legally turned the Crystal Empire into the Kingdom of the North, so they had to acknowledge that Cadence couldn’t be crowned empress, as well as the loss of much of the empire’s territory. She didn’t have any desire to be crowned as queen either, which would place her equal to or above—nopony knew for sure where regent lay in the hierarchy of titles—Celestia and Luna. For now, she settled for the title Steward of the North and swore allegiance to the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. Celestia was fond of creating new titles of late, so she’d await the appointment of an official rank from her former teacher and make do for now. At the very least, it seemed to mollify the crystal ponies who wanted to crown her immediately and those who were unsure alike.
There was much to do in the North as its subjects tried to pick up their lives where they’d abruptly been cut off over a thousand years earlier. Help was needed from those who were accustomed to life in the 4th Age, but with everypony’s memories now fully restored, it wasn’t long before competent administrators from the 3rd Age were able to take over from the Brave Companions. Cadence didn’t need them anymore, and there were no more excuses for Twilight to stay.
After writing a letter to Celestia to let her know she would soon be arriving, she and the Brave Companions departed the Crystal City. Most of the city’s residents were still aglow and crystalline, matching the streets and buildings of the Crystal City, but the Brave Companions had returned to normal. The phenomenon had fascinated Twilight Sparkle, an apparent side effect of the Crystal Heart that had been a bit unnerving, especially as the effect slowly faded from the foreigners’ bodies over the course of a few days. When she’d asked the crystal ponies about it, they’d had plenty to share. When the Crystal Heart’s power was renewed, everypony in the city was affected, but the effect was only permanent for those who’d been born here, and it only manifested itself a short distance from the Crystal City. Twilight could have stayed to examine the Crystal Heart more, but the time for excuses and postponing meeting with Celestia was over.
“Twilight Sparkle,” Raven said just like before as she stepped through the great hall’s doors, “Regent Celestia is ready to see you now.”
Nervously, Twilight Sparkle entered the great hall, where Celestia once again was looking at the tapestries that hung along the walls of the chamber.
“Celestia,” Twilight addressed her mentor as she approached the ancient alicorn.
“Equestria is safe from Sombra’s evil, and the North will be well cared for by Cadence,” Celestia stated positively.
“I … I was not the one to save the North,” Twilight admitted, “That honor belongs to Spike and Cadence. I was unable to protect the Crystal City and the North as you told me.”
“Hmm,” Celestia said, “As I understand it, this was not for lack of trying. You did everything you could to secure the Crystal Heart, but when you were trapped, you were not certain that you would be able to escape in time. You entrusted the Heart to another so that it could be brought to the crystal ponies without delay. That decision may have taken the Crystal Heart and the ultimate salvation of the North away from you, but I do not see it as a failure.”
Celestia raised her student’s chin with a hoof, turning her downcast eyes up to her own. Twilight thought that Celestia looked happy rather than cross with her for her failure to pass the test given to her. Unless …
“You weren’t willing to risk letting the North and all of Equestria fall because I told you that you must be the one to succeed in the end. You were willing to suffer failure as my apprentice and perhaps even death at the hooves of Sombra, if only you could save the crystal ponies,” Celestia said proudly, “Many sorceresses of Cant’r Laht desire your position as my personal protégé, but you have proved that you have one of the most important things they lack. In the sense of what I told you about your test, you have failed; but it is far better that I have an apprentice who understands what it means to sacrifice herself for a greater good than one who thinks only of herself and her own advancement.”
“Does that mean …?” Twilight asked hopefully.
“Yes, Twilight, you passed my testing,” Celestia said, “You are truly my most faithful apprentice and deserve all of the trust I have placed in you.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Twilight exclaimed joyously, nearly jumping up and down before composing herself, “What does this mean about my future as your apprentice?”
“We can discuss that more later,” Celestia said with a tender smile, “For today, go to your friends, return to Ponieville, and enjoy a respite.”
Twilight Sparkle bowed to her regent and mentor before hurrying out of the great hall. Her friends were waiting anxiously for her outside the castle, and she couldn’t wait to give them the good news. After she left, Luna entered the hall and joined her sister.
“She is the one, sister,” Celestia said confidently.
“Will she be ready in time?” Luna asked.
“She must be,” Celestia replied. Congratulations on passing the test, my most faithful apprentice. There are many more tests to come.
Celestia waited unhappily outside of the cottage, not comprehending why she’d been forced to leave. For the past ten years (or thereabouts, since nopony had been accurately able to measure or perceive time for the last … well, nopony knew how long) Celestia had been the only daughter of Laura and Tiberius, denizens of the tiny village of Pasturknack. Now, she’d been told that a younger brother or sister would join her soon, yet she wasn’t permitted to be there when they were born. Instead, she had to wait outside alone. At least there was always something to look at. The town guards let loose with their bows as a seagull the size of an elephant landed near the town hall, intent on picking at the massive slices of bread that had been used for the roof. A gurgle from above warned Celestia to duck beneath the overhang of a nearby roof before nails rained down from the sky. She yelped as a couple sprug upward from the ground as well and one pricked the underside of her hoof. She yanked it out with her teeth and tossed it away, where it wriggled its way down into the mud.
Discord’s world had become normal to the ponies of Equestria, though none of them would ever fully understand what happened or what might happen in the next moment. They had to live in a constant state of uncertainty, but at least they could be sure of the world’s unsurety, its constant inconstancy, and its expected unexpectedness. Nopony in Pasturknack had ever seen the Lord of Chaos, who held his court somewhere and nowhere in particular, but all knew of him. Sometimes, ponies would whisper about the time before Discord with mythical awe. Equestria had been a grand kingdom once, but that was long ago; there was no reason for anypony to suspect those days would ever return, not when the Mad God ruled over their lives.
“Tia, you can come inside now,” Uncle Grogar said from the door of the cottage, and Celestia hurried over, the ground undulating beneath her hooves as she did.
Uncle Grogar was an oddity, if not any odder than most ponies in Discord’s Equestria. He’d come to Pasturknack only a year back, claiming to be related to Tiberius, though he couldn’t recall exactly how. He knew enough that he had to be a member of the family somehow, though, so he’d been accepted in with a shrug. Celestia treated him as her uncle, though everypony called him Uncle Grogar whether they were supposedly related to him or not, because he professed it to be his full name.
Celestia entered the cottage, making her way around the scattered pieces of furniture, dizzily finding herself standing on the wall for a moment, before pressing through the crowd of ponies clustered around her parents. Her mother was abed and holding a tiny foal with a dark blue coat and light azure mane. Celestia had a baby sister.
“Celestia, this is Luna,” her father told her.
Luna. My little sister. Are you normal, or will you be like me—cursed?
Chapter 3:2.1 - The Lord of the Mountains and the Prince of the City
Chapter 3:2.1 – The Lord of the Mountains and the Prince of the City
“Countess Tetras Marvolo: ‘Something must be done to reign her in. Celestia cannot do whatever she wishes anymore, not it she wants continued support for her new kingdom.’”
“Earl Brisk Shot Ironsides: ‘When has Celestia ever asked permission for anything?’”
“Duke Fancy Pants Hoherdanse: ‘Celestia has always exercised her right to create and distribute titles.’”
“Brisk Shot: ‘Never outside her own realms. The “Grand Duchy of the North” is not a part of the Kingdom of Cant’t Laht, merely a dependency of it, something that Lady mi Amore Cadenza has made abundantly clear in her communiques with the Lodge. Celestia has given one new realm to a former apprentice and heir; what is next? Will she make Twilight Sparkle “Margravine of the Broken Lands” in a year or two?’”
“Fancy Pants: ‘Might I remind the Council that the ponies of the North wished to make Cadence their empress, and she managed to negotiate with them to take the title of grand duchess? Whether or not Celestia bestowed it upon Cadence—who has already sworn allegiance to Celestia and Luna—is irrelevant. It was the ponies of the North who truly placed Grand Duchess mi Amore Cadenza in her position.’”
Spike was reading aloud to Twilight Sparkle the minutes from the latest meeting of the Lodge of Sorceresses. It was the best way she’d come up with to stay at least partly informed of what was happening on the political scene in Cant’r Laht. That was especially important now as she trotted along a path through the White Mountains, having Spike relay them to her instead of reading them herself. Twilight’s father had written her in Ponieville to ask her assistance with a family matter. There hadn’t been many details in the letter, but the issue that Night Light Haltrotsun wanted Twilight’s help with was the breakdown of the previously cordial relationship between House Haltrotsun and House Bersian. Bersian was one of Haltrotsun’s oldest and firmest allies, siding with them even back when Night Light had simply been a Cant’r Lahtian earl instead of Prince of the City. Overnight, by Celestial proclamation, Haltrotsun had gone from one of Cant’r Laht’s most insignificant families to one of its most powerful, something for which Night Light had been wholly unprepared. One would think that the Bersians would see this as a payoff for all the years they had been friends of the Haltrotsuns, but apparently Count Starlit Mere thought differently. It was important that Twilight understand the situation more fully before rushing in, so she got in some last-minute studying on Cant’r Laht politics by having Spike read to her during the journey.
She had cut through some of the missives she’d received since her adventure in the North, but not nearly as much as she could have had she put her mind to it. There were other things to distract her now, in addition to the distractions she’d had before. Celestia was actually sending her instructions on things to look into, the first she’d received in years. Even before she’d left Cant’r Laht for Ponieville, Celestia had ceased assigning her work as her apprentice and allowed Twilight to choose her own areas of research, but now she was once more being given work to do.
Besides that, she also spent a great deal of time in the Crystal Archives. The archivists there were more helpful now that they’d regained their memories of where everything was but were frustratingly steadfast in their decision to not allow any tomes to leave the archives. This meant that Twilight had to actually go to the Crystal City in order to pore through that treasure trove of ancient documents, but this was actually to her advantage. When the Cant’r Laht Archives made previously hidden documents accessible after the returns of Nightmare Moon and Discord, the sorceresses who lived in Cant’r Laht had beaten Twilight to reading them, since she would have to either travel to Cant’r Laht or have them delivered by wagon or courier. Now, she could open a portal to the Crystal City, peruse the ancient documents there, and be back in time for supper. Since most of Cant’r Laht sorceresses were not powerful enough to travel by portal, this was an exclusive privilege that gave her a leg up over her colleagues. It had come at the cost of her other studies, though, but how often did an archive that had been lost for over a thousand years suddenly reappear out of the blue?
“Earl Neighsay Ferrun: ‘Ah, but what is it that will allow her to hold that position? It is no less than the backing of Celestia and Luna. Prince Braid or King Hyelliff may be willing to go against one alicorn, but three?’”
“Duchess Augusta de Prais: ‘She cannot hope to hold the North in any case. As I understand it, less than a fifth of its population from a thousand years ago survived today. It is too sparsely populated; Stalliongrad and Vanhuv’r will carve it up with ease. There is also the matter that much of the nobility was wiped out as well; whole swaths of territory are without lords and being divided among neighbors that did survive. Cadence is facing a scramble for land within her new realm, all of which could have been avoided had Celestia and Luna been advised with the appropriate pressure.’”
With a new year had come new chairponies for the councils of the Lodge of Sorceresses. Fancy Pants had lost his leadership of the 1st Council and been replaced by Augusta de Prais, a powerful and well-connected sorceress who had fought hard for greater influence of the Lodge in the new Kingdom of Cant’r Laht while Celestia was still drawing up the charter. She had become a leader for those within the Lodge and without who wanted yet more power taken from Celestia and given to Cant’r Laht’s sorceresses. While the transition from a loose realm beneath Celestia to a unified kingdom had benefited the Lodge in the short-term with the concessions they’d acquired, Augusta was acutely aware of the long-term consequences if nothing was done to increase the Lodge’s power now.
With incredible ease, the King or Queen of Cant’r Laht could usurp the governing authority that the Lodge had added piece by piece to themselves as the Dominions of Cant’r Laht had grown—an authority which they had no real right to other than that they claimed it. All too easily could the Lodge of Sorceresses become a body that could only govern the mages within the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht and have no say over the kingdom’s vassals or civil magistrates. Even control of the city of Cant’r Laht itself was no certain, for though that control was currently rock solid, the power they wielded could easily be taken up by civil magistrates who had no ties to the Lodge. Already Augusta could feel the Lodge’s power slipping away as other avenues were opened to the kingdom’s regents that allowed ponies to bypass the Lodge entirely, and she would not have it.
“Baron Midwinter Heles: ‘I did wholeheartedly advise them against accepting Cadence’s declaration of allegiance and against granting her a new title, but they do not listen to me.’”
“Neighsay: ‘The regents must listen to the counsel given to them. If need be, we will remind them of that.’”
“Midwinter: ‘But they do not heed my advice.’”
“Neighsay: ‘Then they must be made to heed it.’”
“Duchess Rocinté Exciterrey: ‘That is folly to suggest. I would not expect something so thoughtless to come from a mind so renowned for cunning as yours, Earl Neighsay. Perhaps you fancy yourself better suited for the position than Baron Midwinter? I dare say you would make a better fool than a chancellor. Since when has the Lodge been able to force Celestia to do anything?’”
“Twilight, do I really need to read these full transcripts to you?” Spike asked as he paused in his reading to flip through the thick stack of parchment, “It seems like all the Lodge does is argue.”
That was typical for the Lodge of Sorceresses, from what Twilight Sparkle had read herself, but she didn’t necessarily need a line-by-line recital of every time Augusta and Neighsay got into a heated argument with Fancy Pants and Rocinté (which was quite often).
“I suppose not, Spike. You can compile summaries for me instead,” Twilight said, and Spike’s face rose and fell in the span of a few seconds as he was liberated from work and then discovered he’d acquired even more work for himself.
As they rounded a promontory, House Bersian’s roost came into sight. Like all pegasus roosts in the White Mountains, it was tucked up high, only reachable by flying or traveling up a long, steep, winding pathway; and surrounded on its three other sides by steep slopes angled in the opposite direction as the approach. The roost was built right up against the mountains, and Twilight Sparkle remembered from the other times she’d been here that it also extended back into the mountains. The walls and towers that could be seen from here were old, dating back at least into the 3rd Age, but the caverns carved out of the massive stone formation were even older. Twilight wouldn’t be surprised to learn that pegasi had huddled in them during the Long Winter to escape the White Procession’s invasion, but House Bersian didn’t go back that far, and she doubted that they had extensive records from whatever family had held the roost before them.
A shape flew down from the castle as Spike and Twilight walked closer and resolved into a pegasus as it neared them. He landed in front of the duo and folded his dun wings back against his body. The pegasus wasn’t wearing armor like the last two times Twilight had seen him, but breeches and a tunic whose neck was tied only loosely shut at the top to allow relief from the warmth that reached even up here into the mountains. His flight had displaced some of his silvery-blue mane, and he pulled it back away from his emerald eyes.
“My lady, Twilight Sparkle, welcome to Wayroost,” Lightning Charge said as he bobbed his head, “And a welcome to you as well, Master Spike.”
“Thank you, Ser Lightning Charge,” Twilight replied warmly.
Surely the two of them had met as foals, but Twilight couldn’t recall. The first real encounter she’d had with Lightning Charge had been two years ago to the day, when he’d been sent by Celestia to accompany her on her meeting with the Griffon Free Companies. Back then, she’d foolishly thought she had no use for an armed escort and had abandoned him at the first chance. Yet, despite her deception toward him, when they’d met again at the White Tail Tournament just months later, he’d asked to dine at her table as a reward for winning a joust. He had seemed to harbor no ill will toward Twilight at the tournament, the last time she’d seen him, and he still seemed to be glad to see her now.
“Your father wished to see you as soon as you arrived. Come, follow me,” Lightning Charge said as he led the way down the path to the castle.
It wasn’t difficult to find the path up to Wayroost, since there was only one way to go, but Lightning Charge served as their escort anyway. As they went, he talked about Count Starlit Mere’s lands, tucked up in the White Mountains and only easily traversable by pegasi like the nobles that ruled over it. However, quite a few earth ponies worked the fields where there was arable land; and unicorns could be found easily enough in towns, especially if there was a mine nearby. The lower wall that cut off the slope up to Wayroost was only passable to non-flying creatures through a gatehouse, and the guards there nodded respectfully to the son of their lord as the trio passed by. The path climbed the slope by zigzagging back and forth dramatically, carved into the rock so that those on the upper parts of the path could easily rain down arrows and stones upon those beneath them. The climb might have taxed Twilight Sparkle before she’d moved to Ponieville and unintentionally taken a more active lifestyle, but this was nothing compared to the endless staircase she’d faced in Sombra’s pocket dimension. Soon, they were at the main walls of the fortress.
Green and gold pennants flapped over Wayroost’s towers, and banners bearing the standard of House Bersian hung from the walls next to the gates: a war horn hanging from a shield with a snow-capped mountain upon it, backed by the unicorn cross. Though Lightning Charge had said that Twilight’s father was here, there was no sign of House Haltrotsun’s standard or colors, an intentional slight that could be forgiven were Night Light still an earl and not Prince of the City. They had always been afforded that honor before, though, so relations had to be concerningly poor between the two noble houses. Of course, Twilight’s father had to have been fairly desperate to leave Cant’r Laht and to call for his daughter’s help as well.
Prince Night Light Haltrotsun was in the castle’s courtyard when Twilight and Lightning Charge arrived, his mouth moving noiselessly as he spoke to himself and paced nervously to and fro; Spike had a pretty good idea where Twilight had picked up that habit. Night Light looked every bit the way he had at the summer solstice ceremony, and at Celestia and Luna’s coronation, and at every other occasion that Twilight had seen him since her mentor had changed his title: a pony out of his depth. Her father still wore the robes of a sorcerer-scholar, without finery and probably only lacking his customary inkstains because the servants he’d inherited from Blueblood insisted on him remaining presentable.
The baggy and quite undignified pockets that his robes typically had so that he could carry whatever he wanted with him were gone, replaced by smaller hidden pockets that would have lived up to their names had Night Light not absentmindedly still tried to jam things into them, thinking he still had plenty of room, such as the magnifying lens Twilight could see sticking awkwardly out of one of them at the moment. At least he had learned not to try to tuck his circlet into his pockets any longer; Twilight had heard at the summer sun ceremony how often the prince’s servants had to try to bend the crown back into its proper shape after he’d forced it into a pocket too small to hold it. The silver band that denoted his position as Prince of the City was thankfully on his head at the moment, preventing him from untidying his dark blue mane with his hooves as he was fond of doing when lost in thought. Night Light Haltrotsun, by title the third-most powerful pony in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, looked very worried.
“Your grace,” Lightning Charge addressed Night Light as Twilight said, “Father?”
“Twilight!” Night Light exclaimed, his face instantly lighting up as he rushed to embrace her, squeezing a little too tightly, “You made it!”
“Of course,” Twilight said as Lightning Charge trotted away into the keep, leaving father and daughter (and Spike) alone, “What is the matter? You were not very clear in your letter.”
“Wasn’t I?” Night Light said quizzically, “Count Starlit Mere is very displeased with our family—well, me in particular—after Celestia gave me this blasted crown. Now that I’m Prince of the City, he wants rewards for House Bersian after they have stuck by us all the years we were a poor and fading house—which I would gladly give were I able, but I am not! The Blueblood lands and possessions all require careful management, and I’m facing all kinds of pressures and complications in Cant’r Laht. I do not even know where to start! I’m in no position at the moment to start giving out rewards, which I’ve tried to explain to Starlit Mere, but he won’t listen to reason. Twilight, I hoped as Celestia’s apprentice and leader of the Brave Companions, you might be able to convince him or work out some solution.”
“Where is Mother?” Twilight Sparkle asked. Neither of her parents had much desire or ability in politics, but her mother had come from a house that involved itself in Cant’r Laht’s favorite pastime, so she had at least some knowledge of how things worked.
“Velvet? She’s in Cant’r Laht, seeing to affairs there. Believe me, Twilight, I would love to have her with me, but it was the only way to keep those vultures in sorceress robes from following me here,” Night Light said with a shudder.
“All right, I will help however I can,” Twilight promised, “Spike, I am relying on you to take note of everything that happens with Count Starlit Mere.”
“Aye-aye, ma’am,” Spike said, saluting with the quill he had already removed from his satchel.
“Your grace, madam,” a pegasus servant addressed the two ponies as he emerged from the keep, “The evening meal will be beginning shortly, and you are expected in the great hall.”
Twilight, Spike, and Night Light made their way into Wayroost, following the servant to the great hall. Night Light had been here for a couple days already but allowed the servant to lead the way. Another servant, wearing the livery of House Haltrotsun instead of House Bersian, materialized and helped straighten up the prince’s appearance before they entered the great hall. The servant left laden down with the contents of Night Light’s pockets and an obligation to have fresh parchment and several tomes that the prince had named waiting for him after they had supped, as well as Twilight’s saddlebags and Spike’s own luggage. The sorceress wouldn’t have time to change out of her traveling robes, but it couldn’t be helped. Night Light appeared still lost in thought on his theories until the count’s servant who’d called them to attention in the courtyard reminded him why they were here and ushered them into the great hall.
They were met by a crowd of ponies in the great hall, eight stallions and three mares. At the center of them was the patriarch of House Bersian, Count Starlit Mere. Starlit Mere was a pegasus with a decade or so on Twilight’s father, a lifelong warrior whose vitality was just beginning to give way to the ravages of time. His mane was already silver, flowing long down the back of his head, held back from his cerulean face by a golden circlet. His family fell silent as he stepped forward to greet those who had entered his hall.
“Lady Twilight Sparkle, it is a pleasure to have you here again,” Starlit Mere said, his voice coarse.
“It has been a long time,” Twilight Sparkle admitted and glanced back to see Spike scribbling something down.
“I must reacquaint you with my family, then,” Starlit Mere said, beckoning the crowd of ponies forward, “My eldest son, Starlit Glade, Baron of Moller Gate.”
“Madam sorceress,” Starlit Glade said respectfully, the big green pegasus inclining his head, “I am afraid my lady-wife is unable to join us tonight; matters to attend to at Moller Gate.”
“This is Moon Stone, my next eldest son, Baron of Crim’s Crossing, and his lady-wife Idyllia,” Starlit Mere introduced the next duo of ponies before Twilight could answer Starlit Glade.
“A pleasure to meet Celestia’s apprentice,” Idyllia said after Moon Stone had given his regards, “What is she like?”
Starlit Mere cleared his throat impatiently, and Idyllia and Moon Stone trotted off before Twilight could consider how to answer such a question.
“Iron Resolve, my third son, and his wife Silverfin,” Starlit Mere introduced the next two ponies.
This continued on for several minutes as Starlit Mere continued to parade his sons (and sometimes their wives) before Twilight Sparkle. His fourth son, Silver Descent, followed, his wife also absent from the gathering. Then came Gliding Light and his wife Soaring Wish, followed by Plunging Strike, whose wife was spending time with her family in a neighboring valley.
“And I understand you’re already acquainted with my youngest son, Lightning Charge,” Starlit Mere said, coming to the end of the lineup at last.
Twilight noted that Lightning Charge had made himself more presentable since he’d met her on the way in to Wayroost. His tunic was properly secured now, and he’d added a doublet to his attire, as well as tying back his mane into a tail.
The servants had brought in the food for their meal while Starlit Mere had been introducing his offspring, and they took their seats at the table once he had finished. The count sat at the head of his table, placing Night Light on his left and Twilight next to her father. Across from Night Light sat Starlit Glade, Moon Stone and Idyllia next to him. The rest of the count’s children and their wives alternated their way down the table in decreasing age until there were six to a side. At the end, Lightning Charge sat across from Soaring Wish and next to Plunging Strike, with Spike at the very end of the table facing Starlit Mere down its length. The meal was quite nice, mostly composed of vegetables that had been harvested that day, but the pleasant atmosphere couldn’t last forever.
“What have I done to deserve your contempt, Night Light?” Starlit Mere asked seemingly offhoof.
“What?” Night Light sputtered in confusion, cut off in the middle of explaining his theories on conditional cloud impermeabilities to an irredeemably lost Starlit Glade.
“I was your friend for years, so I must have done something to lose that friendship,” the count said grouchily, “That, or you are more deceitful and changeable than I could have imagined. Now that you have more powerful potential friends in Cant’r Laht, it gives you an opportunity to dispose of me, eh?”
“Of course not,” Night Light replied incredulously, “Nothing has changed between us, but I cannot give you land right now.”
“That is something I could accept easily when you were a mere earl, but now you are Prince of the City!” Starlit Mere said, slamming a hoof down and nearly overturning his plate, “You have sizable estates in the Equestry Valley, as well as the White and Blue Mountains. Surely you could spare some for the house that fought at your side when the Haltrotsun lands looked ready to collapse under greater neighbors and bring your family down with them.”
“I have learned a thing or two about friendship in these past two years,” Twilight Sparkle spoke up as she pushed her plate away, “It is a fine friend that demands a piece of another’s good fortune.”
Twilight’s father looked mortified, but the sorceress did not regret what she’d said. Count Starlit Mere was truly acting like a brute, and if there was to be any negotiation and resolution, he couldn’t go on trying to bully her father to pay up for the service his family had rendered to the Haltrotsuns, service rendered without any expectation of repayment beyond mutual support. Clearly, it seemed to her, the potential rewards that might be gleaned from the Haltrotsun ascent had gone to the count’s head, and when they were not immediately forthcoming, he considered them an obligation and made himself furious thinking he’d been slighted.
“That is fine for you to say, but I only ask you to reciprocate as Bersian always did when we were the larger house and you the smaller,” Starlit Mere said, “Night Light, you are Prince of the City, your son is Grand Duke of the North, and your daughter is second in line to the throne of Cant’r Laht. You’re set up well, but what am I to do? My lands are small, and I can only give two of my sons their own roosts. Are the other five to spend all day hanging about here or off adventuring in Celestia’s or another lord’s service for rewards that may never come?”
“I’m sure I don’t know,” Night Light replied, “I would like to help you, but I am still trying to manage the old Blueblood lands, and I haven’t found any titles that are free to give. Perhaps, when things are better organized …”
“Perhaps,” Starlit Mere huffed, “Delay and deny all you wish, you are not treating me fairly. You could at least wield your new power in Cant’r Laht to help resolve disputes in my favor.”
“If I could, I would,” Night Light said pleadingly, “The other nobles of Cant’r Laht are dead set against me, all because Celestia named me Prince of the City and not them.”
From what Twilight had learned of recent Cant’r Laht politics, the other lords and ladies had indeed been, unsurprisingly, vehemently against her father’s ascension. The sorceresses of Cant’r Laht were incredibly jealous, and many of the most powerful ones also held the highest titles. To be snubbed by Celestia as they had in her showing extraordinary favor to the House Haltrotsun would fill their veins with vinegar for years. Unless Night Light managed to get some leverage against them, they would adamantly oppose whatever he did for a very long time.
“We do not wish to snub you,” Twilight Sparkle said, “It is an undeniable fact that Bersian and Haltrotsun have been firm friends for a very long time and you have never deserted us. I am sure something can be worked out to reciprocate the alliance which has so long been to our benefit at your cost, but it may take some time, and you cannot just make demands and expect them to be fulfilled instantly.”
“Can I not?” the count said angrily, “I should think that after all this time, I might be able to expect something before being driven to make demands. No, it is your failure to reward those who were loyal to you without being reminded of your duty and then making excuses that brought us here. But, I want to hear no more of it; I am going to retire for the evening. Good night!”
Count Starlit Mere stormed off, nearly capsizing his chair in the process. A servant retrieved what was left of his meal and brought it away after him. None of the rest of the ponies at the table stayed long after the count had gone, all making their excuses to leave in clipped tones—all except for Lightning Charge. He stayed longer and looked like he wanted to say something to the trio of visitors, but eventually decided against it and slipped away, too.
“Oh, what am I going to do, Twilight?” Night Light bemoaned his situation after they and Spike were left alone (apart from the servants clearing the table), “I would like to reward him, as he wishes, but if I do so now, it will appear that I have caved in to his demands. Things are shaky enough in Cant’r Laht as it is without all respect for the Prince of the City falling away.”
“I will think of something,” Twilight promised her father. But what?
***
Twilight Sparkle looked out at the White Mountains and tried to think of something. It was an impressive view from her chambers’ balcony, moonlight reflecting off the snow that clung to the higher peaks even now in the summer. The mountain valley up which she and Spike had traveled to get here was laid out before her, the fields and pastures draped in night’s darkness, a tiny spark of light visible here and there where a homestead stood. Since this was a pegasus castle, heavy wooden doors stood beside the exit to the balcony; they were usually secured shut again attack, but she and Spike had managed to drag them open to allow Twilight a place to sit and think.
She had yet to come up with a solution to the problem plaguing her father, who was quartered in the chambers next to hers. The sorceress had looked through the ledgers and missives on the formerly Blueblood lands, and everything he had told Count Starlit Mere was absolutely true. Before becoming Prince of the City, the only land that Night Light had had to manage was the plot upon which the family manor was built in Cant’r Laht and two tiny rather unprosperous tracts around fortresses in the South Equestry Valley and the White Mountains—the only possession that House Haltrotsun had held for years, and what most ponies considered not worth the trouble of taking for themselves. Now he ruled over a tangled collection of lands throughout the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, with only White Tail Wood and the Hill Kingdoms left out. Additionally, over half a year had passed between the death of Rhaegis Blueblood and Celestia’s decision to appoint Night Light in his place; many of the minor lords beneath the prince had gotten used to their independence and were being quite troublesome.
There were also Blueblood’s debts to settle, which were quite substantial, and which the Haltrotsuns had inherited along with his title and lands. Of course, the only way that Night Light could hope to repay them in reasonable time would be to obtain the profit due him by his vassals that they had held back after Blueblood’s death and seemed intent to continue holding back. One neat solution would be to have Night Light remove, by force or otherwise, certain disloyal vassals and place some of Starlit Mere’s sons in their place. However, looked at from another angle, that could be extremely dangerous. The displaced lords and ladies could appeal to Celestia or Luna, which might not be so terrible, or they could appeal to the Lodge of Sorceresses, an opportunity Twilight was sure the council would jump on to press their supremacy and further test the fledgling structures of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. They might even flee to foreign courts whose monarch could press their claims and declare war on Cant’r Laht. No, for the moment, it would be impossible to placate Starlit Mere with land.
The problem continued to gnaw at Twilight as she tried to think of some way to solve it without bringing House Haltrotsun down in the process. Her father would certainly be happier if he were able to return to the life of an earl that nopony really cared much about, able to focus on his studies instead of managing lands, but once the Cant’r Laht families got a taste of blood, they wouldn’t stop there. Any rapid decrease in House Haltrotsun’s fortunes now, when the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht were so set against them, would spell the end of their house entirely. A knock sounded on the door as Twilight headed back into her chambers and she sat down at a writing desk.
“Come in,” she said with a start after a minute or so when the knock came again. She had gotten quite used to her friends in Ponieville simply barging in without waiting for a reply.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you, madam sorceress,” Lightning Charge said as he entered her chambers, “I wished to apologize for my father’s manners this evening.”
“I see,” Twilight said, turning away from the writing-desk laden with Night Light’s ledgers, “Does this apology come from the count himself?”
“Well, no,” the knight admitted awkwardly, “I still wish to apologize on my own behalf and to hopefully help patch things up between our houses. Our families have been friends and allies of each other for so long, it is foolish to let it come to an end like this.”
“Yes, I feel the same way,” Twilight said with a sigh. “My father is sincere in his wish to reward your house for all you have done for us, but he is quite right that now is not the time. If only your father had been willing to wait until things were more settled, I am sure he would gladly give him half his lands.” It would greatly decrease our standing and power, but he still might have done it, as sentimental and generous as he is.
“I know my father can be hasty and … fiery,” Lightning Charge said, grasping for a word other than argumentative or stubborn, “But that has served him well as a count. His indignity is real, but much of what he demands is just words. Really, he only wants to be appreciated for all the help he’s given your father over the years. Even some gesture to prove that Haltrotsun has not forgotten their friends, like a renewal of the alliance between our houses.”
Is he proposing … marriage? It wouldn’t be the first time that an arranged marriage had saved the relationship between two quarrelling houses. It would bind them together closer than any promise, for what benefited one house would be sure to benefit the other, even if in just some small and indirect way. There was only one possible pairing that could accomplish this, however. The only unwed child of Count Starlit Mere was Lightning Charge, and the only unwed child of Prince Night Light was Twilight Sparkle; this was a proposal in another sense as well.
“I will consider it. Thank you,” Twilight told Lightning Charge, and he saw himself out of her chambers.
Twilight hadn’t previously considered it, but this might actually be the neat solution she’d been looking for. At the moment, she was the one bargaining chip that House Haltrotsun actually had free. She and Lightning Charge would be wed, and why not? He was a fine enough stallion and seemed quite nice, from the smattering of encounters that Twilight had had with him. They were even of a similar age, though as a sorceress, Twilight was likely to soon slow her aging process and would surely outlive him. Starlit Mere certainly couldn’t reject the offer, not when Twilight was so highly placed as second in line for Queen of Cant’r Laht. It was a strange and worrying thing to consider that only three deaths or abdications stood between her and that throne; as Celestia’s personal protégé, she’d expected to rise high, but not quite to those heights. The only thing that House Haltrotsun would lose with this deal would be that their name would not adorn the possible future kings and queens of Cant’r Laht, though perhaps Starlit Mere might be persuaded to accept a matrilineal marriage. It would still be quite a prize to have one’s blood flowing in the veins of future monarchs, even if they belonged to a different house.
It seemed the obvious answer from a purely logical standpoint of looking after the needs of House Haltrotsun as a whole, but Twilight Sparkle found herself hesitating on giving the plan her full endorsement and bringing it to her father. Political marriages were a way of life for noble families, and in her youth, Twilight had expected that she would be part of one sooner or later without fail. After becoming Celestia’s apprentice, however, her outlook had changed. Now she expected that she would marry, if not for love, then for her own choice and political furtherance. That is what this is, though, isn’t it? Nopony is forcing me into this marriage; I am free to choose either way if I feel my choice is best. Twilight had no objections about Lightning Charge; he was a fine stallion, but she was not thoroughly acquainted with him. He clearly was enamored with her, so it wouldn’t be a loveless marriage, although it was usually best that both parties felt the same. She considered and considered, but she couldn’t consider something like this alone, and she felt that Spike wouldn’t be the correct one with whom to discuss these ideas.
“Spike, take a letter,” she ordered when he returned to their chambers from returning Night Light’s ledgers to his own rooms.
A few minutes later, Twilight cast a spell upon the tall looking glass in her chambers. It went gray and cloudy for a few seconds before resolving into an image of Cadence, slightly warped due to the fact that the mirror she was using to view Twilight was not precisely the same size and shape as the one Wayroost. It was spell that Twilight had been experimenting with lately and was glad to finally have a use for. Combining the principals behind portals, megascopes, and scrying, she’d managed to create a new way for sorceresses to talk face-to-face across great distances, provided they had a looking-glass or suitable reflective surface at hoof.
“Twilight,” Cadence said with a smile, her voice sounding oddly tinny as it emerged from the mirror, something for Twilight to look into as she perfected the spell, “I got your letter; is everything alright?”
Cadence looked much less exhausted than she had when the Brave Companions had arrived at the Crystal City, but still tired. Like with Night Light and his ascension to Prince of the City, Cadence had plenty of new duties to keep her busy as Grand Duchess of the North.
“Yes, everything is fine, or mostly so. How are things with you?” Twilight said, sticking to pleasantries until she was ready to ask Cadence’s advice on the reason she’d truly wanted to speak.
“I’m getting by, though it’s a chore to get anything done,” Cadence said with a sigh, “Many of the nobles are grateful for my presence here—and I’m grateful to them for being so accommodating with me, a pony who knows nothing of Northern ways—but others are more difficult. There is also so much empty or ungoverned land and I haven’t enough ponies to ennoble, or rather, nopony I pick satisfies the peers of the land. I sometimes think they’d rather I appoint nobles from outside the North than raise commoners or rivals to the vacant titles. At least then I might have some common ground and understanding with my vassals, not to mention some more gratitude. There are also the bison herds; two of them were banished along with the rest of the North, and they’re causing quite a lot of trouble taking advantage of the lack of lords to oppose them. There’re also supposed to be emissaries from the herd in rebellion in Braid’s lands among them and talk of banding together along with the western and southern tribe to form a khaganate. Oh, but I am sorry for going on and complaining and talking about my troubles when you wanted to speak with me about something.”
“Do not be,” Twilight Sparkle said, “You have just given me an idea.”
***
“I never should have doubted you, or your daughter,” Count Starlit Mere admitted the next day, “That is a handsome reward and accomplished to the benefit of all. I see why Celestia chose you to be her apprentice.”
All through the night, Twilight had worked with Cadence and gotten written, binding approval from the grand duchess and the most prominent peers of the North to go forward with her plan. Cadence was hurting for good vassals and Starlit Mere wanted titles and lands for his sons, so it would all work out for the best. The offer would be extended to other children of nobles in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht too far down the line of succession to hope for their own titles (Cadence had many positions to fill), but for now, House Bersian got preference. Iron Resolve, Silver Descent, and Gliding Light would all soon leave for the North and be granted titles and lands by Cadence. It was a new life ahead of them in a distant and strange land, but all looked eager to go. Everypony seemed satisfied with this arrangement except for Lightning Charge, who was trying to hide his disappointment that there would be no marriage between the houses. I am sorry, but perhaps someday, when I know you better, if you have not moved on yourself by then.
“She has to go!” Precipitate demanded of Mayor Rood, emphasized with ecstatic gestures of her hooves.
“We can’t let a witch remain among us!” Angus, a pegasus whose wings sprouted from his hindquarters instead of his shoulders, added, “It would be as bad as allowing Discord himself to live here!”
At the mention of the Lord of Chaos’s name, the ponies of Pasturknack made various signs to ward off evil. The Mad God had been known to appear on occasion when he was mentioned, but, like everything that Discord did, he was inconsistent in it. Nearly the entire town was gathered around the town hall (which stood next to a similar town hall that had been constructed after the original had vanished several years ago only to reappear recently), clustered around Celestia. The teenager stood before them accused of witchcraft, with no way to dispute that claim.
Celestia had long known she was a Source, but she had fortunately never manifested her abilities before she had been old enough to understand what the consequences would be if somepony were to see her working magic. Long ago, sorceresses and sorcerers had been respected, but since Discord had taken over, all that had changed. Their magic was too close to what the reigning tyrant did, altering the world on a whim. There were many who even believed that it was the practice of magic that had allowed Discord to manifest and take possession of the world in the first place.
Celestia had done a good job of hiding her magical abilities from the ponies of Pasturknack, only practicing spells when she was certain that she would not be observed and otherwise abstaining from working magic at all. Luna had not been so fortunate. As her younger sister had grown, Celestia had seen the signs that Luna was a Source as well, and she had no understanding that magic was something that could get her banished from town. More than once, Celestia had covered for her, sometimes even using her own magic to obscure the fact that Luna was casting spells herself. So far, it had all worked out … until today.
Luna, merely a foal at play, had been conjuring up bread-and-butterflies to chase. As the flock grew and she cantered behind the buildings of Pasturknack, blissfully unaware of the danger she was in, Celestia had raised an earthen mound to obscure her sister’s acts; unfortunately, she had failed to ensure that she herself wouldn’t be observed casting magic. She had been spotted in the process of saving Luna and was dragged before the town as a servant of Discord. She couldn’t simply blame the changed terrain on Discord’s randomness, and there was no question of her guilt.
“Yes, I agree,” Tiberius said, and Celestia stared in heart-wrenching disbelief at her own father, “She must be gone at once. Who knows what kind of hexes she might have cast on us already?”
A discontented murmur passed through the crowd. Some suggested executing her, though others pointed out that doing so might invite Discord’s wrath on the town; as hard as things were, they could always be worse. Not a single pony stood up for Celestia, not even her parents or Uncle Grogar, who all seemed to be in agreement that the witch had to go. She was to be thrown aside because of her magic, though she’d never done anything to harm a single pony in Pasturknack. It was unfair, but at least Luna wouldn’t be tossed out with her. Without me watching over her, though, how long until she is discovered as well?
“Tia! Tia!” Luna exclaimed as she burst through the crowd, “Look, I did it again!”
Luna was pleased with the flock of butterflies that flew after her, bready wings beating up and down, more popping into existence every moment. Everypony else was horrified, Celestia included.
“Both of them,” Mayor Rood said under her breath, “They must both leave Pasturknack and never return!”
There was no intercession from anypony, not even Laura and Tiberius. Luna looked up at her sister, confused by what was going on, and Celestia pulled her close. The two of them would be on their own from now on.
The rain pelted down steadily over Los Pegasus, a warm rain that did nothing to dispel the heat or humidity in the air. In the city’s harbor, the royal fleet sat at anchor, prepared to sail on the morrow on a mission to Stygra. In the royal palace, Queen Helianthus slept soundly while guards patrolled the corridors and walls. In the twisted backstreets of the city, a shadowy figure darted along, seemingly unaffected by the rain or the heat. The mare was swathed all in black, including the thick cloak that covered her entire body and concealed her face in its shadow. She was a pony that didn’t wish to be seen.
Through the narrow and winding streets she went, her hooves kicking up splashes of water where the rain had already begun to pool, until she found her destination. Tucked back among the tightly packed houses and shops was an unmarked door—locked, of course, but that was no barrier. The mare whispered a few words under her breath, and the door was locked no more. She slipped inside and felt her way through the darkness, her task made harder by the many crowded shelves that filled the shop. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the blackness, allowing her to pick through the items on display, when a candle appeared in a doorway different than the one she’d come in from, held by a middle-aged stallion in a vest, glazed spectacles perched on his nose.
“Can I help you?” the shopkeeper asked wryly.
This pony hadn’t come to his shop by accident, and she was not a common thief, who would have just grabbed the first thing they’d found inside the store instead of coming so far in. No, this was a pony in search of a specific item, and somepony who knew their artifacts. Likely she was a sorceress from Applewood Tower come to get an item that would give her an edge over her colleagues. The shopkeeper had plenty of relics, even if he legally wasn’t allowed to sell them; hence, the shop’s hidden nature and the secrecy that most of his clients insisted upon. Sorceresses weren’t always above just taking what they wanted, but when confronted, they were unlikely to take it without paying—or, without killing him for discovering them in his shop. His newest customer simply stared at him without saying a word, which wasn’t uncommon; even one’s voice could give an identity away.
“Something powerful drew you here, am I right?” the shopkeeper said, being dramatic, “I have many a powerful artifact in my possession, madam sorceress. Which one is it that you seek?”
Without hesitation, the sorceress pointed a hoof toward a cluster of amulets next to the shopkeeper that his candle’s light caused to glimmer and glow in myriad colors. There were many amulets there, but he knew exactly at which one the sorceress had pointed. A red gemstone was set into an angular silver medallion with two wings and a horned head, a second, smaller ruby set into the face glimmering like an eye.
“Ah, you are a powerful sorceress indeed to be drawn to this relic,” the shopkeeper said, buttering up his client, “The Alicorn Amulet was created by Nostracom the Wise, you know, rumored to make an already great sorceress tremendously powerful, though exacting a terrible price. It is a fine piece but, I’m afraid, too dangerous for me to part with.”
The stranger reached into her cloak and removed a pouch before tossing it at the shopkeeper. As it landed near his forehooves, it tipped over and a diamond rolled out dramatically.
“Well, perhaps something might be arranged,” the shopkeeper admitted greedily.
***
Twilight Sparkle rested in the shade of a tree outside Ponieville, a stack of books on either side of her. At a safe distance nearby, Spike was practicing his fire breath, much to the delight of the ponies who were supposed to be working on building Mayor Mare’s new wall around the town. A few were taking great delight in throwing apples to him and watching him roast them in midair. He was getting better at controlling the heat and length of his flame and had managed to get a few of them cooked just right, though there were plenty of scorched or half-baked failures lying around him. While the workponies did cheer and holler quite a bit, it didn’t bother Twilight too badly.
The sorceress was brushing up on Saddle Arabia, a realm she’d barely thought of in years. Saddle Arabia was a pony sultanate occupying a desert peninsula that had the misfortune of lying smack between Tyrannus and the Zebrikaanian Empire. When they weren’t being extorted or raided by dragons, they were being blockaded or sabotaged by zebras. The Zebrikaanian Empire had long viewed Saddle Arabia with interest, but rumor had it that the newest Zebrikaanian padishah had it in his mind to finally accomplish what his forebears had failed to do and bring the realm under the empire’s control. And, with all internal dissent crushed, he might just be able to do it. The Saddle Arabians were understandably worried about their chances against the massive empire that dominated the Eastern Continent, and they had sent emissaries to Equestria to speak with the leaders of its realms, seeking an alliance or promise of aid if Zebrikaania attacked. They were due to arrive in Ponieville in a few days to speak to Celestia and Luna, who’d offered to meet them in the small village instead of making them travel all the way to Cant’r Laht. Celestia had made it clear that Twilight was to be present and engaged during the meeting, so she wanted to be prepared.
“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she shot out of the sky, skidding to a halt just before knocking over any of the sorceress’s books, “Come with me! Hurry! It’s an emergency!”
“What is it?” Twilight asked as she rapidly stood, before carefully closing the book she’d been paging through and returning it to the unread stack, “What is happening?”
“Golden Oak’s Laboratory! Hurry!” the Hunter said.
Concentrating, Twilight whisked them all away with her sorcery, leaving the workponies who’d been watching Spike befuddled. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Spike appeared in the market square in front of Twilight’s home as the books were teleported insider her domicile. That, perhaps, was not the safest place for them, which she realized as soon as she materialized. Golden Oak’s Laboratory was shaking vigorously as a tempest swirled around it. A crowd had gathered in the square but were all standing far back from a pony wearing dark black robes and hood, surely uncomfortable beneath the summer sun.
“Twilight Sparkle! Come out and face me!” the figure yelled at the laboratory, and Twilight thought she recognized that voice.
“Trixie?” she said questioningly.
The storm shaking Twilight’s home vanished as the black-cloaked figure spun around and pulled back her hood. It was definitely Trixie, and the pale blue unicorn had murder in her eyes as she stared at Twilight. Over two years had passed since the Black Sorceress had been in Ponieville and Twilight had saved her and the town from an Ursa attack. But, when Trixie had last been here, she’d only been able to cast illusion and minor teleportation spells. How was she now able to conjure something so large, unless it was merely an illusion, too?
“Indeed! It is I, Tryxanna Lucrecia St. Rowan Lulamoon of Rumydshire!” Trixie proclaimed boldly, a name that Twilight knew this time for certain was completely false, “You made a fool of me the last time we met, Twilight Sparkle, but I am here to prove once and for all that I am the superior sorceress!”
“And how do you propose to do that?” Twilight asked skeptically.
“I challenge you to a duel!” Trixie proclaimed, “Whoever wins may stay, but the loser will be banished from Ponieville forever!”
“Don’t do it, Twilight!” Rarity called out.
“Quiet, you!” Trixie growled, and ice spread from her hooves, freezing Rarity and everypony around her who wasn’t quick enough to flee in place.
“Rarity!” Twilight despaired, and she cast a counterspell to thaw out Trixie’s unfortunate victims.
“Well, what will it be, Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked smugly, eyes flashing crimson, as Rarity and the others collapsed to the ground soaking wet.
“How was she able to cast that spell?” Spike whispered to Twilight.
“I do not know, but something is not right,” Twilight whispered back.
“Answer me!” Trixie demanded and stomped her forehooves on the ground, causing the ground to shake and toppling a few of the houses around Ponieville.
“What could you hope to gain from a duel?” Twilight asked, playing for time, and the earthquake stopped.
“Respect!” Trixie cried overdramatically, “You humiliated me by showing me up, and word spread all through Equestria! Ponies speak in awe of Twilight Sparkle and the Brave Companions, but they mock the Black Sorceress! I lost everything! I even had to resort to manual labor to get by, taking a job at a miserable quarry! At least it provided the means for my return!”
“Hey, what’s wrong with a quarry?” Pinkamena demanded, having been raised in one herself, “You’re lucky they took pity on the likes of you and let you work there!”
“That’s the last word out of you!” Trixie said cruelly, and Pinkamena suddenly found herself unable to get a sound out.
“Stop it, Trixie,” Twilight demanded, “Leave them alone.”
“Only if you agree to duel me!” Trixie yelled as she uprooted the entirety of Golden Oak’s laboratory with her magic.
“Fine!” Twilight Sparkle agreed, before anypony was seriously hurt.
“Excccelent!” Trixie purred, dropping the laboratory back into the ground with a heavy thud, “Let’s get started!”
“No,” Twilight said, “We cannot have a magical duel without seconds, and there are no sorceresses in Ponieville besides the two of us. You will have to wait until seconds are procured.” Hopefully that will give me some time to figure out how she has so quickly increased her power, and to think of a plan.
“Forget the seconds!” Trixie said, eyes flashing.
“If you meant to come here to try to kill me, you might have said as much,” Twilight said stoically, acutely aware of her friends and Ponieville’s townsponies watching her, “A magic duel is unsafe without seconds, and I will not be part of it without these precautions.”
“Oh, very well,” Trixie said begrudgingly, “I did not come here to kill you, Twilight Sparkle, just to show my superiority. The Great and Powerful Trixie vows to use only non-lethal spells in the duel. Does this satisfy you?”
Twilight Sparkle had a tough decision to make. She could continue to refuse Trixie her duel and insist on acquiring seconds for the two of them from Cant’r Laht, but Trixie didn’t seem likely to accept any further delays after she’d made the concession to use non-lethal spells only. Trixie had to know that trying to kill Twilight would only damage her reputation further, but she might just try it anyway. As Celestia’s personal protégé, she should have no trouble trouncing Trixie no matter how the Black Sorceress had improved since their last meeting, but there would undoubtedly be severe damage to Ponieville in the process. No, she had only one course of action.
“I accept,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Very well; let us begin,” Trixie replied.
“Not here. We should duel outside of the town,” Twilight said, mindful of the minute or two that would gain her.
Magic enveloped Twilight, and she and everypony else in the crowd were teleported to a field outside of Ponieville. With her magic, Trixie cleared the space of crops to form a dueling ground. A pedestal supporting a bell appeared next to Spike for the dragon to signal the beginning of the duel. Having spent the majority of his life in Cant’r Laht, Spike was well acquainted with how magic duels worked, but he wasn’t happy to see Twilight Sparkle facing off against Trixie. Even with non-lethal spells only at the duelists’ disposal, it was dangerous to engage without seconds to save you.
“No more excuses! No more delays!” Trixie said ravenously, “We duel now, Twilight Sparkle, or I raze Ponieville to the ground!”
Trixie glared at Spike, and he hurriedly rang the bell to signal that the duel had begun.
“Mrinessen’r caen![1]” Trixie called as soon as the bell sounded.
A column of frigid air slammed against Twilight Sparkle with greater force than she’d ever seen from this particular spell. Her hooves quickly lost purchase on the soil, sending her sliding backwards and toward the edge of the makeshift dueling grounds.
“Eren’r majia acca Ye’r accael![2]” Twilight incanted, and a barrier of earth rose up behind her, keeping her from sliding back farther, “Falan otha Ye’tin ossi![3]”
A transluscent shield sprang up around Twilight, and she no longer felt the icy cold. For all the fury of the wind, Trixie didn’t seem to be breaking a sweat in conjuring it. Instead, she simply stared at Twilight with narrowed eyes.
“Eren’r torrisal![4]” Trixie cried, and bands of earth grew out of the ground to wrap around Twilight and drag her down.
“Ye seni cavan’r doros’i![5]” Twilight cried as she teleported out of the trap.
Chains of magic wrapped around Trixie’s limbs and neck, pulling her down, but she broke free of them with unbelievable ease, shattering them in an instant with no more than a flick of her head. Something was wrong about the Black Sorceress’s magic. Just judging by what Twilight had seen, she must have been even more powerful than Cadence, and Trixie was no alicorn. Also, she hadn’t realized it initially, but during the duel when she had the opportunity to see Trixie’s spells up close, she sensed that they were layered in a peculiar way. The typical magic that Twilight expected to perceive was there, but it made up only a tiny fraction of the spell. Wrapped around and over it was the kind of magic with which King Sombra had imbued his traps within the Crystal City. That was where the majority of the spells’ potency came from.
“Eren nof onon leya![6]” Trixie commanded, and soil and stones rose into the air all throughout the dueling area, the stones spinning around and cutting the ground into patterns and runes while the clumps of earth just floated there, “Tempis![7]”
It was the same spell that Twilight Sparkle had used against the Ursa, and it was now turned against her. There were no pieces of buildings to shred her here, but she was pelted with dirt from every direction, knocking her around and keeping her from casting any spells of her own. Meanwhile, Trixie watched with glee, safe within a protective bubble.
“Majia vinta![8]” Twilight Sparkle managed to get out and tried to undo the spell around her, with little success.
When the storm of dirt did stop, it was because Trixie had cut it off.
“Eren leya nof ita senarey’i’r kalar![9]” the Black Sorceress crowed, and massive earthen figures rose up, the sheer displacement of soil causing the dueling ground to sink into a pit.
“Falan otha Ye![10]” Twilight cried as a massive hoof tried to pin her to the ground.
“Do you yield, Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked as the hoof continued to press down, sinking Twilight and her shield into the dirt.
With strenuous concentration, Twilight focused on the ground beneath her and opened a portal that she and her shield could pass through. She fell through the portal and emerged above Trixie; at least, that’s what she’d planned. Instead, Trixie had opened a second portal above herself, and Twilight fell through into the open air of the dueling ground. This surely would disqualify Trixie for trying to kill her, but one of the giant golems snatched up Twilight’s shield in its jaws and held her in place.
“Face it, Twilight Sparkle, I am the superior sorceress,” Trixie demanded as the golem lowered its head to the ground, and Trixie raised herself up on an earthen pedestal so she could look down on Twilight, “Yield.”
No matter what she threw at Trixie, she failed, and even trying to escape from the prison she was in now might not succeed. There was a madness in Trixie’s eyes, and she was so bent on revenge that Twilight was sure she would die in this duel if it continued, even if Trixie had vowed to be non-lethal. After all, accidents happened.
“I yield,” Twilight said, and a gasp arose from the ponies still watching the duel.
Trixie cackled gleefully and dispelled the golems, returning their soil to the pit while she teleported everypony back into Ponieville.
“Trixie is truly the greatest and most powerful sorceress!” Trixie proclaimed, and nopony dared to challenge her.
“How?” Twilight asked accusatorially, “How were you able to cast those spells?”
“Oh, Twilight Sparkle, that was just a trickle of my power,” Trixie said condescendingly. “Observe!”
Two unfortunate foals were picked out of the crowd and levitated into the air. Visible magic wove around them, culminating in a flash that everypony was forced to look away from. When they were lowered to the ground, one had been reduced to a newborn infant and the other to extreme old age, looking fit to perish at any moment. That’s impossible! While slowing one’s aging was a trick that sorceresses had known for millennia and was not overly complicated, most other spells involving aging were either considered impossible or doable only if one had reached the very limits of magical potential that a body could hold without spontaneously combusting (or surpassed that limit by becoming an alicorn). Simultaneously aging two ponies in different directions by a substantial number of years; well, Twilight wasn’t even sure if Celestia or Luna were capable of that feat. They must be, though, for surely Trixie is not more powerful even than them. Is she?
“Now, Twilight Sparkle, we had an agreement,” Trixie said smugly after effortlessly returning the poor foals to their natural forms, “You are henceforth banished from Ponieville. Forever!”
The Brave Companions rushed in to object, but Twilight was already gone, teleported into a different field outside the town from where the duel had taken place. She watched as a red-tinted shield sprung into being over Ponieville, completely sealing off the village. Rainbow Dash darted toward the barrier but bounced against it. Twilight tried to teleport into the town, but the spell failed. Likewise, she found herself unable to open a portal into Ponieville, either. That terrified her, especially when she also found herself incapable of creating a portal to anywhere els. She couldn’t go to Celestia and Luna in Cant’r Laht or to Cadence in the Crystal City to seek their help in ousting Trixie. She was on her own. Her friends were now trapped with Trixie, and Twilight Sparkle was unable to do anything to free them. Until she understood how Trixie had become so powerful, she was at a loss for how to help. Trixie’s magic had been unfamiliar, and without being able to travel to the Crystal City to study King Sombra’s enchantments or search the Crystal Archives, she had only one other source to turn to in the hope that she might know about this unfamiliar magic.
***
“I know not how I might help you, Twilight’Sparkle,” Zecor said later as she set a dubious beverage before the sorceress that turned out to be a kind of tea, “Very little I know about magic, and pony magic even less.”
The improvement in her Low Equestrian was phenomenal for just a couple of years of lessons with Twilight, which were now supplemented by more frequent appearances in Ponieville. The residents of the town were finally beginning to accept Zecor’s presence, and speaking with them had done her good in learning the language most commonly spoken in Equestria. Twilight too had learned quite a bit of Cainhiran Zebrikaanian during that time, but her knowledge was not as complete as Zecor’s; she had too many other things that required her attention, and when she spoke with Zecor, the zebra most often wanted to speak in Low Equestrian to get more practice.
“That is why I thought you might be able to help,” Twilight said after venturing a sip of the drink she’d been offered. “Trixie’s magic was not like the pony magic I am used to. Perhaps similar, at least in part, but very different.”
Different cultures in Equestria had developed different styles of magic, but all were similar at their cores (apart from chaos magic). Sorcery followed basic rules no matter who the caster was, but different techniques and methods could grow up where there was little contact between groups of sorceresses. The zebra magic that Twilight knew of was not radically different from what she had learned in Cant’r Laht, but some large differences did remain. Who was to say that the unfamiliar magic that Trixie was now wielding or that she had found in the Crystal City hadn’t been learned from zebra shamans?
“Magic, I have found, is like a river,” Zecor said thoughtfully, “It may flow differently, down from the mountains or through a bog, but still is water moving along a course. There is no difference between zebra and pony magics in that regard, only how the flow move.”
“I was afraid of something like that,” Twilight sighed, “If I must travel to Cant’r Laht—and if Trixie will not stop me as she already has—then I shall, but I had hoped for some answer here. It is remarkably similar to what I saw in the Shadow King’s traps in the North, an overlay of shadowed magical threads on a core of traditional magic. Perhaps I should attempt to travel to the Crystal Empire to see if I can learn more about the king’s magic.”
“Shadowed threads … wrapped around the magic … like a web, yes?” Zecor asked, and Twilight nodded hopefully, “Maybe it is that you speak of … maniz’hurilee-pankrat’ié.”
Maniz’hurilee-pankrat’ié. Translated from Cainhiran Zebrikaanian, it would mean something like “magic born of the stars.” The Zebrikaanian religion that Zecor followed worshipped the sun and, to a lesser extent, the moon as a reflection of the sun, but feared and reviled the darkness and the stars that populated it at night. If there was an equivalent to the Sundered of the Church of One in the Zebrikaanian sun religion, the stars would be it.
“Are you speaking of dark magic?” Twilight asked.
“Dark magic,” the zebra tried the phrase out, “Yes, very dark, a magic born of the false lights jealous of the sun’s rays to tempt and corrupt zebras. Powerful, but deadly to its user.”
Twilight Sparkle had never considered that a true divide, related to the supernatural or not, might exist between regular magic and dark magic. There were certain spells that were forbidden, but she’d thought that was because they were dangerous, not because dark magic was some other form of magic. Perhaps it was, though; perhaps that was what Sombra had used and what Trixie was currently using. She’d managed to grasp it herself in the Crystal City, though it had betrayed her only the second time she’d taken advantage of it. She might be able to fight Trixie with it again, but the only spell she’d managed was one where she’d seen a diagram for it drawn out in exquisite detail. She doubted she’d be able to puzzle out how to defeat Trixie in any reasonable time without a teacher.
“You were led to my home not by chance, Twilight’Sparkle,” Zecor said, “One of the first thing I learned was how to defend against the dark magic. I can teach you, if that is your wish.”
“It is,” Twilight said without hesitation. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to best Trixie in a traditional way, but being able to blunt or stop her attacks was still useful. Anything was better than the current situation she was in.
***
It was a dour state that Ponieville had fallen into. Completely cut off from the outside world, everypony who’d been within the town when Trixie had conjured up her shield was trapped there, and everypony who’d been outside was unable to get in. After sealing Ponieville off, Trixie had taken control of the town as its new resident sorceress. Mayor Mare protested this at first, until Trixie had brought her newfound powers to bear against the Mayoral Keep and the mayor’s retinue; they didn’t question her any longer. To make the mood even more severe, dark clouds piled up along the top of the shield’s dome and, despite all efforts, the pegasi in town were unable to move or dissipate them. Trixie had brought a pall over the town.
She was the undisputed mistress of Ponieville now, taking up residence in the mayor’s own quarters after ousting her. She was dressed once again as she had been during her first visit to the town, in black robes and a pointed hat. Trixie also now openly wore the relic she’d purchased in Los Pegasus from a merchant who’d had little idea what he’d truly been selling. The Alicorn Amulet gleamed upon her breast, and she treated it as her symbol of office, though she was considering ordering Rarity to make a crown for her in the same style. Everypony had to jump to her will unless they wanted a taste of her magic, and her demands grew more and more outrageous.
Applejack slipped into the seemingly abandoned laboratory once inhabited by Golden Oak and more recently by Twilight Sparkle, fresh off a long shift working to build a massive statue of Trixie in the center of town, the stones for Mayor Mare’s town wall sacrificed to create the monument to the Black Sorceress’s ego. The rest of the remaining Brave Companions were here, as well as Spike, looking through the many books that filled the laboratory. Spike had tried to send letters to Celestia during their entrapment, by they all returned as piles of ash, so he’d dedicated himself to another cause. There were so many tomes here, both left by Golden Oak and added by Twilight from her Cant’r Laht collection, that there had to be an answer in one of them on how to oust Trixie or rejoin Twilight.
“Does anypony else think we may have set ourselves a hopeless task?” Rarity asked as she set aside yet another book, “How are we even supposed to find what we’re looking for?”
“Twilight has a system, but I don’t know if even she could find something in this mess,” Spike said pessimistically.
The laboratory’s rough treatment by Trixie had left books scattered in piles all over the place, with few still left on the shelves grown into the laboratory’s walls. If Twilight had been able to see the state of things, she’d have had a fit and begin reorganizing immediately. However, Twilight hadn’t been seen in two days. Rainbow Dash has seen her heading east, toward the Everfree Forest, but that was the last they’d known of her. It was possible that Trixie had decided she wasn’t happy with just trouncing her after all and had decided to finish the job and kill her, but Spike didn’t want to think about that.
“I think I may have found something,” Fluttershy said quietly, clutching a copy of The Complete Guide to the Artifacts of Nostracom the Wise, one of Twilight’s recent acquisitions after finding that the ancient alicorn had created the Crystal Heart and that the gemstone was not mentioned in Magical Relics of Modernity and Myth.
“Yes, I think we may have to accustom ourselves to Trixie’s rule,” Rarity despaired, not having heard the druidess, “I imagine any day now she’ll demand I craft her a crown. It will probably be terribly garish, too, like the one worn by King Sombra, if she wants it to match that trinket she wears around her neck.”
“Yes, I found it,” Fluttershy tried again, “It’s the Alicorn Amulet, and whoever wears it—”
“Speak up, Fluttershy,” Applejack hollered, startling her, and she dropped the tome.
“Hey, look at that!” Spike said, spotting the book where it had fallen open to the page Fluttershy had marked, “That’s Trixie’s necklace, all right! Huh, she found a relic. No wonder she’s so powerful.”
“Well, what does it say?” Rainbow Dash demanded, clustered around the dragonling with the other ponies.
“Oh, sorry,” Spike said, “The Alicorn Amulet was created by Nostracom the Wise and imbued with his alicorn magic. When worn by a sorceress or sorcerer, it grants them untold magical reserves rivaling that of an alicorn, allowing one to overcome one’s natural limits. It was intended to be used after Nostracom’s death to allow a single non-alicorn to raise the sun and moon rather than a large circle of mages, but the temptation for misuse was too great, and Nostracom hid the amulet away. The Alicorn Amulet did not reappear until many years later, when the zebra shaman Sa’vannah corrupted it with dark magic. While the Alicorn Amulet still grants the bearer tremendous power, it also corrupts them and slowly takes over their mind until the bearer is merely a puppet under the amulet’s control.”
“We have t’ get that amulet away from Trixie, both for our sake an’ her own,” Applejack said, and Rainbow Dash looked dubious about the last part.
“Easier said than done,” Spike said, still reading the book, “Once affixed, the amulet can only be removed by the wearer.”
“I imagine cutting off Trixie’s head would do it, too,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Well, maybe,” Spike said, “It doesn’t mention it, but death could allow the amulet to be removed. It requires a living sorceress to channel its power.”
“As if you’d even be able t’ get close t’ Trixie,” Applejack berated the Hunter, “No, we need t’ get this information t’ Twi’; she’ll know what t’ do wi’ it.”
“Quite right, Pinkamena,” Rarity said after the still-voiceless mare tried to pantomime something for them, “How are we supposed to get this to Twilight if nopony can pass through Trixie’s magical bubble?”
“No pony can pass through—or dragon, I guess—but that doesn’t mean that nothing can pass through the bubble,” Spike said knowingly, “The river still passes through the shield, and so does anything you throw at it.”
“We haven’t seen Twilight in days,” Rainbow Dash protested, “Even if we can get a message through the shield, how is she supposed to receive it?”
“We find someone to deliver it to her,” Spike said, looking at Fluttershy.
***
Once Spike wrote the long and detailed letter he knew that Twilight would want, it wasn’t difficult to find a means to get it to her. It appeared only inanimate objects were able to pass through the shield; that was no problem, because many of the animals that Fluttershy looked after were already on the other side of the shield, searching for the druidess. She wouldn’t be able to cross over, but she could still speak to them without the shield posing much trouble . They tossed the message over, and a fox picked it up before darting off. Apparently, some of the animals already knew where Twilight had gone: the Everfree Forest.
“This is bad. This is very bad,” Twilight said as she read through the letter in Zecor’s home after receiving it by surprise. “If Nostracom intended the Alicorn Amulet for raising the sun and moon, then Trixie may be just as or more powerful than Celestia. How am I supposed to face that?”
“You cannot,” Zecor replied, though the question hadn’t directly been addressed to her.
“Am I supposed to give up, then?” Twilight asked, “Or wait for Celestia and Luna to learn of this and intervene?”
“If you wish, though I would advise seeking a different course,” Zecor counseled, “You cannot best her in magic with Sa’vannah’s amulet, so you must rely on something else to defeat her.”
Twilight Sparkle considered her alternatives. Whatever she considered, though, the fact remained that Trixie had remarkable magical powers at her disposal and could undo almost anything Twilight could level against her. She had been practicing counterspells with Zecor that would allow her to defend against Trixie, but they would not be overly effective when Trixie had such a vast store of power to draw upon. If only Trixie would remove the Alicorn Amulet … but there was no chance of that, not when it was corrupting the Black Sorceress more thoroughly all the time. The only reason that Trixie might remove the amulet would be if it was holding her back from even greater power, but what could tempt her to believe such a thing was possible? To convince Trixie that Twilight was more powerful than she was sounded very much like what Trixie herself had done when she’d first visited Ponieville, but would she fall for it?
“Zecor, do you have some parchment I could use?” Twilight asked.
***
Her town was very quiet today. Not that it had been particularly lively ever since Trixie had taken over Ponieville, but usually there were at least a few ponies on the streets either out of necessity or pretending that everything was normal to keep themselves from giving in to despair. Now, however, there was not a single pony to be seen. Where her majestic statue was being constructed—still only hindlegs and hindquarters at the moment—there were still no ponies.
“Where are they all?” Trixie demanded angrily.
One pony slipped out of a building ahead of her and immediately bolted away upon spying the Black Sorceress.
“Follow him!” Trixie demanded of the ponies carrying her chair, and they hurried to oblige her, not willing to face her wrath.
The fleeing pony led them out of town, past the palisade and up to the edge of her shield where a crowd had formed, all staring outward.
“What is the meaning of this!” Trixie demanded, her voice booming, “Get back to work!”
“They are not going anywhere, Trixie,” Twilight Sparkle said, and the crowd parted to reveal her on the other side of the shield, “Not until the two of us settle things.”
“You!” Trixie exclaimed, hopping down from her chair to trot closer to Twilight, “What’s the matter, Twilight Sparkle? Is exile not to your liking?”
“Not when you have enslaved my friends,” Twilight Sparkle said, and she nodded at the Alicorn Amulet, “I see you are wearing it boldly now, the artifact you used to cheat and win our duel.”
“Cheat?” Trixie sneered, “Artifacts are not banned from duels between sorceresses, you are just a poor loser.”
Technically, she was correct. Magical artifacts were not outright banned from duels, but they were highly frowned upon. Any sorceress who was found to have won a duel by using an artifact, especially one that improved their abilities, would be despised. This wasn’t Cant’r Laht, though, so there weren’t fellow sorceresses to look down on Trixie for the underhanded way she’d won, and the townsponies already despised her for plenty of other legitimate reasons.
“It does not matter. I have something even better than the Alicorn Amulet anyway,” Twilight Sparkle said, rubbing a hoof across the amulet around her own neck, “With this, I am once again the superior sorceress.”
“Nothing is more powerful than the Alicorn Amulet!” Trixie yelled, “Nostracom the Wise created this!”
“And Yliiena the First created mine,” Twilight Sparkle shot back.
Nostracom the Wise was the most famous artificer of all time, but Yliiena the First was often seen as the superior alicorn. She’d lived centuries longer than Nostracom and had been part of major events during the Age of Uncertainty, including the establishment of what sorcery would become, whereas the sorcerer had mostly just traveled the world creating objects of power. Even if she hadn’t been known for the creation of artifacts, just the name of the first alicorn was enough to make any sorceress question.
“I will not challenge you to another duel, for I do not want anypony to be hurt by the power we both now wield, but I will demonstrate to you the power of Yliiena’s amulet. That way, you will see you are outmatched, and I will let you leave peacefully,” Twilight Sparkle said severely. “Lower the shield and I will show you, Trixie.”
Trixie considered her options for a long moment. Surely there was nothing that could best the Alicorn Amulet, but if there was, then it would be an artifact created by Yliiena the First. And … if the amulet that Twilight Sparkle had was legitimate, then it would make Trixie even more powerful than she already was if she took it for herself. The Alicorn Amulet’s corruption was pushing into her heart and enhancing the greed already there, so there was no way Trixie could not have Yliiena’s amulet if it was truly more powerful.
“Very well, Twilight Sparkle, I will humor you,” Trixie said as she allowed the shield over Ponieville to collapse.
“Last time, you showed me an age spell. Let us start there,” Twilight Sparkle said confidently as she trotted closer, “Applejack, Rarity.”
Acting surprised, Twilight’s friends stepped out of the crowd. Twilight concentrated on the two, and they lifted into the air lightly before being absorbed in a blast of blinding light. The crowd gasped when they saw that Applejack had become quite elderly and Rarity was now a foal. Trixie too was baffled and suspected a trick, but when she reached out with her magic, she could sense no illusion on the duo; they had truly been aged in opposite directions simultaneously, just like what she’d done before. Twilight Sparkle didn’t give her a moment to speak, though, as Applejack and Rarity were transformed rapidly through different ages, drawing more gasps from the audience. What she was doing clearly outstripped Trixie’s abilities.
“Impossible!” Trixie exclaimed, her eyes darting back and forth between the now correctly aged mares and Twilight’s amulet.
“What was it you said before? This is just a trickle of my power,” Twilight Sparkle said before directing a spell at Fluttershy.
The druidess yelped and jumped back as a second pony identical to her appeared alongside her (who also yelped and jumped back) in a flash of light. More flashes strobed as Twilight repeated the spell three more times, resulting in a crowd of sixteen Fluttershys all trying to escape their doppelgangers.
“You—you cannot duplicate living ponies!” Trixie exclaimed in disbelief, though her eyes and magical senses confirmed that was what had happened, “It’s impossible!”
“It is hardly impossible if I was able to do it,” Twilight Sparkle said theatrically, “Maybe just one more demonstration. I can also transform a mare into a stallion.”
Applejack swallowed powerfully when Twilight’s gaze turned her way, and in a moment, she disappeared in a flash of light. Standing awkwardly in her place was a stallion who looked just as she would have had she been born a colt instead of a filly. His eyes pleaded for Twilight to turn him back, and the sorceress obliged, returning Applejack to her proper sex.
“Satisfied, Trixie?” Twilight asked, “With Yliiena’s amulet, you are no match for me. Leave Ponieville now, and we do not need to come to blows.”
“Yes, you are right, Twilight Sparkle. With Yliiena’s amulet, I am no match for you,” Trixie admitted as she glared at her fellow sorceress. “And with it, I will be sorceress supreme once again!”
The amulet around Twilight’s neck vanished and reappeared in Trixie’s hoof. The crowd gasped, and a few brave souls tried to steal it back for Twilight but were rebuffed as Trixie momentarily surrounded herself with a whirlwind.
“Ha! I see Yliiena was not so wise as her successor, allowing her amulet to be removed by just anypony! With this, nopony will be able to challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie!” the Black Sorceress proclaimed and removed the Alicorn Amulet, attaching her new piece of neckwear in its place.
The moment that the Alicorn Amulet was no longer around Trixie’s neck, Twilight Sparkle teleported it away to a safe place. Finally, it’s over.
“Do what you wish with the Alicorn Amulet,” Trixie sneered condescendingly, “Now that I have the might of Yliiena, all of Equestria shall kneel before their new empress or be made to kneel—starting with you, Twilight Sparkle!”
Trixie attempted to cast something that was no doubt incredibly nasty on Twilight Sparkle, but she found herself completely unable to do so. She reached for the magical reserves and ability she’d been relying on and found nothing. But that was impossible! Only minutes earlier, Twilight Sparkle was casting spells beyond even Celestia with this amulet, but now Trixie felt exactly the same as she had before she had acquired the Alicorn Amulet.
“I—I don’t understand,” Trixie despaired.
“You were tricked, Trixie,” one of the Fluttershys said, sounding nothing like the druidess.
Remembering how Trixie had mimicked transmutation magic using flash and teleportation, Twilight Sparkle had concocted a plan in Zecor’s home. She had managed to get messages to ponies within and without the shield over Ponieville, with the help of Fluttershy and her ability to communicate with animals. Dye had been liberally applied to many ponies’ coats and manes to make them appear to be differently aged versions of Applejack and Rarity, Big Mac had volunteered to stand in for his sister in the last spell, and many pegasi had been cosmetically altered to resemble Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash had wanted to volunteer in the druidess’s place, but there was too much of a risk that Trixie would realize what was going on when the duplicates didn’t have her Hunter’s eyes. It was a risk they were already taking with the fact that not everypony enlisted in the ruse had the right eye color, but at least it wouldn’t stand out as starkly. Once that cosmetic disguises were done and Rarity had made matching clothing for everypony who was standing in, they had positioned themselves nearby but out of sight so that Twilight could swap them in whenever the flashes blinded onlookers. Without needing any magical aid, Twilight Sparkle had beaten Trixie at her own game.
Realizing that the amulet around her neck was no more than a worthless trinket, the Black Sorceress looked around worriedly. She had ample reason to be worried after what she’d done during her time controlling the town. Before ponies could seize her, however, she wisely teleported away. There was some confusion as to where she’d gone, but it was a good riddance. The clouds that Trixie had trapped within her shield began to let loose their rain on Ponieville, cooling the heads that wanted to pursue her and bring her back for punishment (not always with the consent of the law). Trixie was gone, and nopony wished to see her again.
***
In the few days before the Saddle Arabians arrived in Poniville, the townsponies worked to put their village back in order. All signs of Trixie’s reign were torn down and the buildings she’d damaged with her careless use of sorcery were repaired. Trixie herself was long gone, though she had evidently hidden nearby for a short while after her disappearance, judging by the note Twilight had found in Golden Oak’s laboratory. In it, Trixie apologized for her actions and begged forgiveness for what she’d done under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet, but she was wise enough not to stay around and ask in person or to bring the same apology to Mayor Mare. Even with the Alicorn Amulet corrupting her, the actions that Trixie had taken would warrant a severe punishment if she ever showed herself in Ponieville again. When Celestia and Luna arrived with the delegates from Saddle Arabia, there were few signs left that the town had undergone a recent hostile takeover. After the Saddle Arabians departed, Twilight would brief her mentor on what had happened and entrust the Alicorn Amulet into her keeping, but there were other formalities to see to first.
The Saddle Arabians were hosted at the Mayoral Keep, and Twilight chatted amiably with them during the feast the night of their arrival. With both her banishment and attempts to make Ponieville presentable again, she hadn’t been able to read up on the sultanate as much as she’d have liked, but she still got by reasonably well. The Saddle Arabians had visited four Equestrian realms on their journey, and apparently that was enough for them, as they would be headed back home after their time in Ponieville. Balte-Maer, Fillidelfiyaa, and Manehattan had all turned down their alliance proposals; and they weren’t going to try for Stalliongrad, Vanhuv’r, or Los Pegasus, so there was no more reason for them to stay. Celestia, always mindful of the Zebrikaanian Empire and Tyrannus, would do everything she could, but the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht was its own beast now that she and Luna didn’t have as firm a control of as they’d like. Still, any assurances helped the Saddle Arabians.
“I have heard about what happened in Ponieville this last week. Well done, my faithful apprentice,” Celestia said as she leaned over to Twilight Sparkle as the meal was winding down, causing a surge of pride in the unicorn as her mentor praised her for managing things on her own, “I must assume that you did not receive the letters I sent to Spike during that time when Trixie was in control of the town. Twilight, you will be leaving with the Saddle Arabians when they begin traveling home tomorrow.”
“I will?” Twilight said with great surprise.
“Yes, Luna and I must return to Cant’r Laht, but I want to send an ambassador along with them to meet with Sultana Rashida,” Celestia replied, “I know you are up to the task, Twilight.”
Twilight Sparkle pulled aside the scarf covering her muzzle as Maer-Dina resolved itself into more than just a mirage over the dunes, and immediately got a mouthful of sand. At last, the nearly month-long journey would soon come to an end. Given adequate time to acquaint herself with their destination, Twilight could have opened a portal and taken the Saddle Arabian delegation home in an instant, but they’d refused. They had a ship still docked in Balte-Maer to take them home, but even Twilight’s offer to open a portal to Balte-Maer had been refused. The Saddle Arabians wished for a lengthy journey with Celestia’s protégé, a journey that involved a trek through the south Equestry Valley to Balte-Maer, a sea voyage first to Neighples and then the port city of Horssan, and finally an overland caravan through the desert that covered most of Saddle Arabia. It seemed a waste to Twilight to spend so long traveling when she was now able to go almost anywhere in Equus in an instant, but it wasn’t all bad.
She’d gotten to know the Saddle Arabian ambassadors on the journey, especially Haakim and Amira, two members high in the Saddle Arabian nobility who had plenty to share about their isolated pony realm, much more detailed and accurate than the books and reports that Twilight Sparkle had been able to scrounge up. When she wasn’t learning about the regional balance of power, she used the time among the Saddle Arabians to familiarize herself with their peculiar accents when they spoke High Equestrian. Most everypony in the pony realms across the Shimmering Sea spoke one of the two Equestrian languages even though they weren’t in Equestria, a long-term byproduct of Celestia and Luna’s ancient reigns, as well as the prosperity and stability of the united Equestria of the 1st Age that had induced the spread of the languages to other continents. Haakim and Amira additionally taught Twilight Sparkle a bit of Draenglic, the language most ponies on the Eastern Continent had spoken before the Zebrikaanian Empire had swallowed most of their realms; leaving only Saddle Arabia, Neighpoli, Noya Esta, and the Kingdom of Banner to remain currently independent. Though the language had mostly disappeared in the northern realms, it was still used relatively widely in Saddle Arabia by commoners, as the sultanate was so far to the south and isolated from other pony nations.
“Is that it?” Spike asked, peering out at Maer-Dina while he itched at the sand that had gotten beneath his scales.
“Yes, my little drrragonling frrriend,” Haakim replied, his voice muffled slightly behind the scarf that he’d very sensibly kept over his muzzle to keep the blowing sand out, “Dat is Maerrr-Dina, frrrom fhich Sultana Rrrashida rrrules over Saddle Arrrabia. Dah grrreatest oasis city dah forld has eferrr seen. You can make out dah golden domes, I trrrust? Maerrr-Dina is a rrrich city, fhere rrroyals, nobles, and commoners alike can so adorn theirrr ghomes and places of business.”
Twilight Sparkle and her page could indeed make out the golden domes clearly; however, the sun’s reflections off the gleaming hemispheres had been the primary reason the city was so obscured until now. There was a truly staggering number of golden domes spread throughout Maer-Dina, both great and small. Almost all of the city had been constructed from the same sand-colored stone, and all the buildings melded together at this distance, making Maer-Dina appear as a solid block of stone with golden balls set into its surface. The effect was strengthened by the solid wall that surrounded the city and the many walls that cut through its interior, separating districts and estates from each other.
With Saddle Arabia’s wealth on display like this in the capital city, it was no wonder that the dragons of Tyrannus felt it worthwhile to cross the nearby strait to raid or demand tribute. Gold and gems were what dragons craved most of all, and Saddle Arabia had both in abundance. Saddle Arabia was rich in gold, gems, and salt, but not much else. Almost all the food that nourished the sultanate was imported, the desert terrain not at all conducive to agriculture. The stop at Neighples on the way here had been to that purpose, to secure Neighopilitan grain in exchange for gold. The wagons of the caravan they were currently traveling with were stocked full of that grain, on its way to Maer-Dina’s storehouses.
“See derrre,” Amira called out, pointing to a dust cloud rising from the city gates as Twilight reaffixed her scarf over her muzzle, “Gherrr majesty is sending out gherrr honorrr guarrrd to meet us. Tonight, fe shall all dine in dah sultana’s palace.”
Hopefully, that would be the end of this adventure. Twilight had received no more instructions from Celestia than to meet with Sultana Rashida, and she wasn’t sure just how far her diplomatic privileges or responsibilities extended. Was she able to make any promises to the sultana on behalf of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht? Probably not, for she alone would not be enough of an embassy to satisfy Cant’r Laht’s ruling class; but how was she to know what Celestia—who’d always gone her own way—expected of her? She hadn’t definitively answered any of Twilight’s letters on the matter, and the sorceress was beginning to suspect this was another of her mentor’s tests. She had been told to meet with Sultana Rashida and she would do so, but Twilight was not expecting much else to come out of this excursion. Surely by tomorrow, or at most a few days later, she would have accomplished her mission and would be able to return to Ponieville and her friends via portal. At least, she hoped so.
***
Amira had uttered no falsehood in her assertion that they would dine in the sultana’s palace on the night of their arrival, but Twilight couldn’t help feeling let down when she was seated too far away from the sultana to make her acquaintance. The same was true of the next night, and the next. She was unable to get close enough to Sultana Rashida to speak to her, which felt odd since she’d made this journey at the sultana’s behest. The nightly feasts seemed also to be the only opportunities that Twilight Sparkle would have to speak with the monarch. Her days were filled with court functions, and the earliest the grand vizier was willing to grant the Cant’r Laht sorceress a formal audience was weeks in the future. Twilight Sparkle did not intend to spend weeks here, far from her friends in Ponieville. She knew that at any moment she could cross over to Ponieville via portal, but that would be rude, and she didn’t want to upset the Saddle Arabian court.
Haakim and Amira made every effort to pacify and assure her that she would be able to do the one thing she’d come here to do, but court politics were complicated in Saddle Arabia (not that they weren’t equally so everywhere else). Rashida’s power relied on the support of her emirs, many of whom wanted no interference from Equestria, much less from Celestia. It seemed that at some point during the Equestrian diarchy, Celestia had launched an invasion of Saddle Arabia and attempted to bring it under the Crown of Cant’r Laht. They’d never forgiven her for that, nor for the concessions the then-kingdom was forced to make to the rapidly expanding Zebrikaanian Empire in order to repel the incursion. No wonder Celestia didn’t come herself. Even Luna might not be welcome, for she would have been complicit in that invasion. Twilight Sparkle was a foreign emissary who’d been invited here by the sultana’s embassy, however, so she couldn’t be rebuffed endlessly. The shuffling of seating at the sultana’s feasts was a power play as the anti-Equestrian emirs and emiras pushed their own seats closer to the sultana, and those in favor of an alliance with the Equestrian realms (among them Amira and Haakim) pushed to get Twilight Sparkle close enough to speak to Rashida. The game could take some time to play out for the sorceress, so she had to be patient and put up with other dinner companions until she was able to meet with Saddle Arabia’s sovereign.
When Twilight Sparkle wasn’t meeting with Haakim and Amira or perusing the sultana’s library (the codices within it written in High Equestrian or the Language of the Horns, at least), she explored Maer-Dina’s royal palace. The sultana’s palace was much like the others in the city, but on a much grander scale. Taking up its own district, the palace was further subdivided by walls and buildings surrounding courtyards. There were so many courtyards, quite a few of them filled with gardens, around the palace and connected by alleys and tunnels, that it felt like its own miniature version of Maer-Dina. Twilight Sparkle was even given her own courtyard and all the chambers surrounding it, which was convenient as it gave her an open space to practice sorcery without needing to leave the palace. It was quite confusing to get around the palace since it was laid out in no sensible way and buildings connected to each other peculiarly. Thankfully, the palace servants were willing to direct her when she was lost, and Twilight had learned at least enough Draenglic to ask for directions. As strange as it was, it was also an impressive palace, and Twilight might have enjoyed herself more had she not been anxious to complete her mission and return to Ponieville.
The stay would have been more difficult had she been completely alone aside from Spike, unable to talk much with anypony, but she fortunately was not. On the second full day of her stay in the sultana’s palace, Twilight had met and befriended a fellow sorceress (or magus, as she preferred to be addressed, a Saddle Arabian oddity borrowed from the gryphons). Shazira was a capable magus close in age to Twilight who served under the patronage of Sultana Rashida, as did the other hooffull of magi that dwelt in the palace. The two mares took a shine to each other almost instantly, both of a similar temperament and thirst for knowledge. Many discussions were had between Twilight and Shazira as they delved into the divergence between Equestrian sorcery and Saddle Arabian magery over the last two ages.
In the end, this budding friendship helped just as much as Haakim and Amira’s machinations to place Twilight Sparkle in a position to speak to the sultana. Shazira had managed to secure a high place for herself at the feast and had traded places with Twilight Sparkle at the last minute. At the fourth feast after arriving in Maer-Dina, the Cant’r Laht sorceress finally found herself near enough to Sultana Rashida to have a conversation. There was one other pony between her and the sultana, but even that emira’s best efforts couldn’t keep her from speaking to the sovereign the entire meal.
“Thank you for inviting me to visit your realm, your majesty, and for hosting me in your home,” Twilight Sparkle caught the sultana’s attention.
“Of courrrse Tfilight Sparrrkle. Fhateverrr you may ghave ghearrrd, Equestrrrians arrre most fhelcome in Saddle Arrrabia,” Rashida replied, referring, no doubt, to her desire for Equestrian soldiers to help defend against the Zebrikaanian Empire. “It is a shame dat no oders fere filling to come.”
“The other Equestrian realms are more concerned with their immediate positions. It is the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht alone, it seems, that considers the larger pony world and the threats that affect all of us,” Twilight said, though it was a very small number of ponies in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht that would agree with that statement, if not the most important. “Celestia and Luna are both devoted to keeping the Zebrikaanian Empire from spreading any farther and are very interested in developments here.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” Rashida said as she pointedly looked at a mural on the wall that, though stylized, clearly depicted the Saddle Arabian defense against Celestia’s invasion, “I ghearrr dey arrre queens once morrre. Do dey intend to rrretake Equestrrria and again expand?”
Twilight didn’t know exactly what her mentor’s plans were; she mentally filed away a note to ask her sometime. Celestia was known to speak on the need for a united Equestria, but never did any specifics accompany such statements. If she intended to restore the Equestrian diarchy of the 3rd Age, then why had she and Luna not taken the accompanying titles during their recent coronation? No, the titles they’d been given had been specifically to assure the other Equestrian realms that this wasn’t the return of the alicorn queens that had ruled the continent in the past, no matter how little the gesture had convinced them. Whether it had been sincere or not, Celestia and Luna had been set up as temporary rulers; but, how long could temporary be for an alicorn?
“I am afraid you are misinformed,” Twilight Sparkle corrected the sultana, “Celestia and Luna are the Regents of Cant’r Laht. Their successors will be kings and queens, but they have taken no royal titles.”
“Successorrrs like you?” Rashida asked.
“Well, I am later in the line of succession than Lady mi Amore Cadenza, but yes,” Twilight replied modestly, “Celestia and Luna would have to perish or abdicate first, however, and Cadence would have to produce no issue before similar circumstances befell her.”
“Dat aside, you could one day become queen of Cant’rrr Laht,” Sultana Rashida stated, “Saddle Arrrabia can neverrr forrrgive Celestia and Luna for deir past sins against our rrrealm, but you arrre differrrent. One ding fe arrre in agrrreement fith fith Celestia is gherrr concerrrn about Zebrrrikaania. Do you sharrre herrr view?”
The Zebrikaanian Empire was the largest realm in all the known world, occupying almost the entirety of the Eastern Continent. Even if Celestia’s dream of a united Equestria one day came to pass, the Zebrikaanian Empire would still be several times its size both in territory and population. Centuries of political fragmentation in Equestria and Stygra would suggest that a realm as large as Zebrikaania could not be stable, and yet it had endured for over a millennium and gradually grown. Twilight’s talks with Zecor had revealed that the empire was not a sham banner draped over disagreeing sultanates as ponies in the west had often wistfully imagined, but a united and powerful realm. There was internal strife, to be sure, as was inevitable in an entity so large and complex; be that as it may, most padishahs were able to deal with any issues that arose, and Padishah Ulm was rumored to be a truly exceptional zebra. The Zebrikaanian Empire was stronger than it had ever been and was led by a capable and beloved emperor. There seemed little it would not be capable of.
“Yes. The Zebrikaanian Empire is an existential threat not only to the independent realms of the Eastern Continent, but also—if not today—an existential threat to Equestria’s realms, should they choose to cross the Shimmering Sea,” Twilight answered.
“I see,” Sultana Rashida replied, “If you ferrre queen of Cant’rrr Laht, fhould you rrraise arrrmies and send dem acrrross dah Shimmerrring Sea, should dah Zebrrrikaanian Empirrre attempt to seize ourrr land?”
“I am … not sure how to answer that,” Twilight Sparkle said, hesitant that her answer would reflect on the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht and obligate Celestia and Luna to keep a promise they had never made, “I am not queen of Cant’r Laht.”
“Hmm, dink about it,” Rashida said as she sipped at a goblet of wine, “I am eagerrr to ghearrr yourrr answerrr beforrre you rrreturrrn to Equestrrria.”
***
“I hope that you will keep all this in confidence,” Twilight Sparkle told Shazira a couple days later after explaining the situation into which the sultana had place her.
“But of courrrse,” Shazira replied, “I fould not betrrray dah trust you ghave in me.”
“Even if I did have the power to raise an army, how would I get them here? The Kingdom of Cant’r Laht’s only ports are in the west. They would have to sail through Los Pegasan waters and past the Storm Isles and the pirate kingdoms before they could even cross the Shimmering Sea. That, or they would need to march through the Kingdom of Manehattan or the Duchy of Balte-Maer and secure ships there,” Twilight reasoned out, “And that is even if I should raise an army in the first place. The Kingdom of Cant’r Laht alone would not be able to keep back the Zebrikaanian Empire, so is it really wise for me to make an unconditional promise to help, even if it is a promise that would only be called into effect in the unlikely case that I become queen of Cant’r Laht?”
“You must of courrrse do fhat you dink is rrright, Tfilight, forrr yourrrself and forrr yourrr rrrealm. I am not imparrrtial, of courrrse,” Shazira said, “At dah moment, Saddle Arrrabia has no allies—none fe can depend on, anyway. Dah Neighopolitans and Noya Estans trrrade fith us, but dey fill not ghelp us if it comes to farrr. Even dah assurrrrance of ghelp frrrom just fone of dah Equestrrrian monarrrchs fould be a rrrelief. If dah zebrrras attack, fe cannot ghope to ghold out against dem alone.”
“If it is as dire as that, is it wise to promise troops that could do no more than delay the inevitable?” Twilight asked.
As Twilight pondered what she should do, the sorceresses trotted down one of Maer-Dina’s streets. With a local to guide her, she had set hoof outside of the royal palace and was exploring the sultanate’s capital city. Without Shazira, she probably never would have wandered out into the maze that was Maer-Dina. Buildings were piled up on each other, and walls sliced through the city with no pattern to where gates would allow passage. Everything was built out of the same stone, though ponies had taken to decorating their homes with colorful banners and canopies that flapped feebly in the slight breeze that brought a little relief to the hot, dry city.
The residents of Maer-Dina attired themselves much in the same way as they decorated their buildings, covering themselves with colorful wraps. This brilliant display was evident from the noblest to the most common, though there was a clear disparity in the quality of the fabric. All residents of the city dressed this way, pony and zebra alike. In the distant past, long before the Conjunction, Saddle Arabia had been known as Zahar and was a zebra kingdom until the Church of One spread to it, along with the unicorns that followed. Many of the zebras here had willingly embraced the Church, but they were quickly outnumbered by the unicorns that moved in and took over.
Then, the Conjunction came, and the Saddle Arabians appeared along with monsters, magic, and several other intelligent races. A breed of earth pony taller than average—something that Twilight had quickly noticed, especially after walking through so many doorways in the sultana’s palace with more than enough room to spare over her head—the Saddle Arabians had first spent some time in the Z’harran Desert before crossing the mountains and subduing Zahar. The Saddle Arabians consisted of both earth ponies and unicorns now (but not pegasi, who hardly ever crossed the Shimmering Sea to see where their conquerors had originated), and they lived alongside the zebras who hadn’t fled to the Zebrikaanian Empire or been forced out. Things had to be tense between the two communities, especially with the zebras who’d abandoned the Church of One and turned instead to the Zebrikaanian sun religion.
“Yourrr ghonorrr! Yourrr ghonorrr!” a mare in peculiar clerical garb cried as she approached the duo of magical ponies, “Most Ghonorrrable Magus Shazirrra, dah fice-pontiff rrrequests you attend gherrr immediately.”
“I should go,” Shazira said aside to Twilight, “If you wish, you can rrreturn to dah palace.”
“No, I will go with you,” Twilight replied, privately thinking that she wasn’t confident she could find her way back to the sultana’s palace herself and was still unsure if it would be rude to open a portal to get there, “This sounds important.”
“Please, follow me,” the cleric said as she turned back the way she had come.
From her tour today of Maer-Dina, Twilight Sparkle had come to doubt that anything that could truly be called a street existed in the city, but she was soon corrected. The cleric led them onto a great boulevard that cut through a portion of the city, completely unimpeded by walls and gates. Some estates’ walls abutted it, but it was mostly individual buildings stacked up against each other that lined the street that stretched forward into the distance. It was an enormously wide roadway, even with the market stalls that spilled out over the edges, cleverly making them impassable. Stands had also been set up along the street’s median, in the shadows of statues, many of which looked like they’d seen better days. The stalls suddenly came to an end, revealing a single large space where one statue stood alone, larger than any of the others. It depicted a mare rearing up with a sword in her teeth while her mane flowed back from beneath a crown. Bits of the mane and tail had broken off and one of the forehooves was badly chipped, but all in all, the statue was in good condition, especially compared to some of the others.
“Dat is Crrressna, Saddle Arrrabia’s last queen and its firrrst sultana,” Shazira explained, stopping with Twilight as the cleric trotted on, “Fhen Padishah Kirrran infaded Saddle Arrrabia, she led dah defense dat pushed him back oferrr dah mountains.”
A call to prayer went up in Zebrikaanian, starling Twilight, and she turned to the right, toward the voice. On this side of the abandoned street stood one of the Zebrikaanian sun temples, with its three minarets. The zebra making the call was standing atop the central one and calling for the noon prayer, when the sun was at its zenith, and the zebras who’d been making their way to the temple at the time stopped in place and heeded the call.
A great clamor of bells drew Twilight’s attention in the opposite direction almost immediately. A basilica with no rival on the western continents reared up before her, a massive edifice of stone covered with murals and statues depicting the long history of the Church of One. The Basilica of Saints Pergamus and Lotentius was an architectural marvel, a building of such astonishing scale that one couldn’t help but be overawed. From a distance, it would appear as a massive cube of stone with an enormous set of domes atop it, and it was only when one got closer that one could see the columns, arches, windows, and artwork that were equally impressive. Their guide had disappeared, but there was no way that Twilight and Shazira could miss their destination when it towered over them like a mountain.
Shariza led the way inside, bringing Twilight into a structure that put even Sultana Rashida’s palace to shame. Ancient murals and statuary rose in endless rows to dizzying heights and climbed onto the ceiling far above. Column after column of marble marched down the nave, separating off wide aisles that still left an incredibly broad open space between them; Twilight and Shazira could have trotted down these, following the cleric who’d resumed her course after they’d entered the basilica. At the center of the ancient church, the ceilings rose even higher, up to a majestic dome covered in even more artwork—massive in scale to be discernible from this distance.
The Basilica of Sts. Pergamus and Lotentius was far from empty, and the two sorceresses passed by many priestesses, nuns, attendants, and congregants on their way to meet with the vice-pontiff. Their course took them underground briefly as they passed beneath the basilica’s foundations, before coming back up into one of the buildings behind the basilica—the residence of the vice-pontiff, judging by the signs of rank prominently displayed. Saddle Arabia’s chief priestess had a unique and peculiar title that she would remind ponies of whenever she could. Long ago, the Saddle Arabian archbishop had demanded recognition for two things: the importance of the desert peninsula on the border with the heathen zebra lands, and her own position with a special title.
The head of the Church of One, at the time known as the pontiff, had agreed and declared the head of the Church in Saddle Arabia to be a vice-pontiff, only one step below the pontiff herself. Many centuries passed, and the Church of One moved its seat from Maene first to Manehattan and then to Cant’r Laht. In 418 4A, Pontiff Sullivus V chose to demote herself from pontiff to high priestess, feeling that the head of the Church was unworthy of the lofty title now that most of the Eastern Continent (where the Church of One had been born) was under the sway of the Zebrikaanian Empire. The vice-pontiff of Saddle Arabia, however, kept her title and refused to relinquish it, despite repeated attempts by the Church’s high priestess to revoke a title that now seemed to place the Saddle Arabian priestess above her.
“Dah Most Ghonorrrable Magi Shazirrra and Tfilight Sparrrkle to see you, yourrr beatitude,” the cleric introduced them as they entered the vice-pontiff’s study.
“Fice-Pontiff Sabalus, fe arrre yourrr ghumble serrrvants,” Shazira addressed the vice-pontiff with a half-bow, “Fhy did you fish to speak fith me?”
Vice-Pontiff Sabalus was an older earth pony mare with a dappled gray coat and a russet red mane that had mostly gone silver with age. She was extraordinarily restrained in her appearance—Twilight thought—for a pony whose surroundings clearly flaunted her wealth and power. She had no fancy crown-like hat to match those worn by bishops and cardinals of Equestria, merely a simple circular cap over which a veil was draped to cover her neck, of the same deep purple fabric as her cassock. Both were made of fine silk, but completely unadorned. The only ornamentation on the pony was the chain of office that hung around her neck, standing out all the more prominently for its contrast with the rest of her apparel. Its centerpiece was a golden disk which depicted Faust recreated with diamonds for her body and rubies for her mane and tail.
When the vice-pontiff opened her mouth to speak, she addressed Shazira sternly in Draenglic. Twilight was only able to pick out a word or two from their exchange, but the sorceress gathered that Sabalus was not pleased that Shazira had brought Twilight with her. After a few back-and-forths, Sabalus cleared her throat.
“Dah ghonorrrable Shazirrra assurrres me dat you can be trrrusted fith dis sensitive matterrr,” she addressed Twilight in High Equestrian, “Is gherrr judgement sound?”
“Yes,” Twilight replied, not knowing exactly what she was agreeing to, but not wanting to contradict her friend’s trust in her, “Your beatitude.”
“Hmm,” Sabalus said, “Ferrry fell. Merrre ghourrrs ago, it fas found dat dah Staff of Kipit is missing frrrom dah basilica’s crrrypt. Fe suspect dat somefone ghas stolen it.”
“Dat is terrrible news!” Shazira gasped, “Ghow many know?”
“Only a ghooffull at dah moment, but ferrre ford to sprrread, it could spell panic and disasterrr.”
“Excuse me,” Twilight Sparkle piped up, “What is the Staff of Kipit?”
“A magical rrrelic crrreated by Nostrrracom dah Fise forrr Kipit dah Gholy Sworrrd to defend Saddle Arrrabia frrrom zebrrras and drrragons,” Shazira explained. “Dah staff ghas dah powerrr to contrrrol dah feather and ghas been used many times to tfart zebrrra naval invasions and drrrconic aerrrial attacks. If its absence becomes known to dah Zebrrrikaanian padishah or dah drrragonlords, it could mean disaster forrr dah rrrealm.”
“And odds are it was stolen for one of them in the first place,” Twilight Sparkle said as she paged through The Complete Guide to the Artifacts of Nostracom the Wise.
She’d kept the book with her since the recent fiasco with Trixie and the Alicorn Amulet, learning about the countless magical artifacts crafted by Nostracom the Wise, and she had taken it from her saddlebags as soon as the alicorn had been mentioned. It had been strange that she’d encountered two of his relics in the span of a few months, and even stranger now that another had appeared. Would she see more before the end of the year? If so, she’d better continue to keep this reference on her. She located the entry for the Staff of Kipit, which contained all the details that Shazira had told her and more, as well as a description of the staff. The shaft was black yew, topped by a silver seven-pointed star with a sapphire the size of an orange in its center. If the Staff of Kipit was lost, the Saddle Arabian navy alone would not be able to stand against the full might of the Zebrikaanian fleet that would shuttle thousands of soldiers across the narrow strait the separated the peninsula from the mainland.
“Fe must find dah Staff of Kipit beforrre dah Zebrrrikaanians learrrn of dis,” Shazira said.
“And you must rrrecoferrr it,” Sabalus added, “Nopony sensed any magic, so a zebrrra shaman did not drrrop in unannounced to steal it, and fe can rrrule out a drrragon stealing thes staff demselves. Dah dieves arrre likely still in dah city, but dey will take dah staff farrr afay at dah firrrst opporrrtunity.”
“I can help locate it,” Twilight said, putting away her book, “I will need a map of Maer-Dina, blue ink, an owl feather, silver shavings, and a sieve.”
Vice-Pontiff Sabalus gave Twilight Sparkle a long, measured look before clapping her hooves together. One of the doors to the study slid open, and a mare in a crisp uniform adorned with the vice-pontific crest trotted in.
“My chamberrrlain will see to any need you may have,” Sabalus said, “Find dah Staff of Kipit, brrring it back to me, and you fill ghave my grrratitude.”
***
The spell that Twilight Sparkle had in mind wasn’t overwhelmingly difficult, though it did take some time to put together. Fortunately, she wasn’t alone; with Shazira’s help, they were able to get things ready much quicker than she would have even with Spike’s assistance; both being sorceresses, they spoke a common language. Once they had all the ingredients from Sabalus’s chamberlain, they quickly put together everything needed for the ritual. The very large map of Maer-Dina was laid out on a long table in one of the vice-pontific manor’s rooms, as Twilight had requested. While Shazira mixed the silver and ink together with an owl feather and ran the mixture through a sieve to sift out the larger bits, Twilight wove a magical web over the map in preparation for the ritual. Once everything was in place, she spoke a few words over the ink mixture before splashing it onto the map.
A large ink blot with silver specs in it stood in the center of the city for a moment before beginning to spread out across it. As the ink spread across the paper, pooling and dividing, Twilight hoped that the map was not too big and the ink wouldn’t dry before it reached its destinations, but she needn’t have worried. After a minute or more had passed, the ink had spread into dozens of spots spread all across the map of Maer-Dina, the blue standing out against the black lines the map had been drawn in. Everywhere an ink spot had ended up, there was a magical artifact. This included any kind of enchanted item, so there were predictable concentrations of spots in the sultana’s palace, on the estates that hosted magi, and in the Basilica of Sts. Pergamus and Lotentius; as well as a surprisingly large number in the market along the street the ponies had gone down to get here. Some blots were larger than others to represent more powerful artifacts, and more silvery specs shone from them as well. There wasn’t a great variation except for a truly large spot in the southwestern part of the city, where the ink obscured quite a few buildings.
“Unless there is some other grand relic created by Nostracom in the city, that must be the Staff of Kipit,” Twilight said, pointing to the spot.
“Fascinating,” Shazira said, referring to the spell, which she’d taken meticulous notes on while they’d been preparing it, “Dah dieves arrre ghiding in dah grrrain storrrehouses.”
“Let us find them, then,” Twilight said as she sought out a basin of water or looking glass with which to scry their destination.
Once she had a good sense of the grain storehouses, she opened a portal to them (outside of the vice-pontiff’s manor). Twilight Sparkle was still uncertain what the Saddle Arabians would think about her opening portals within Maer-Dina, but time was of the essence. Shazira didn’t seem too put off, at least, though she had looked a bit surprised when Twilight had suggested it.
The layout of the grain storehouses made no more sense to Twilight Sparkle than the rest of the city, but at least the twisty streets never ended in a wall, since all the storehouses were great blocks of stone. The streets here were mostly deserted apart from where one storehouse was being restocked, grain hauled up in a great basket and dumped in through an upper door, the process overseen by two workers and a guard. Twilight Sparkle was immediately assailed by the heat that had been somewhat lessened by the vice-pontiff’s home and the shade of the garden they’d come from.
Their spell had revealed that the Staff of Kipit was somewhere among the grain storehouses; but the ink blot had covered a large area, though, so it could be in or among any one of them. Shazira spoke to the guard overseeing the unloading of grain and sent him off to find more guards while the sorceress and the magus began their search independently. Each of the storehouses had a notice board where inspection reports were pinned, and though Twilight could make sense of the characters, her Draenglic was not so good yet that she could understand the words or their meanings in the context of a grain storehouse. Shazira could, and she paid careful attention to the reported grain levels. Only at certain levels would the interior of a storehouse be useful for the thieves: either the grain was at a level where they could easily bury and retrieve the staff, or it was nearly empty and the thieves themselves could hide out.
There were some signs of thieves, though not the sort they were looking for, as they picked through the storehouses. The doors to the storehouses were barred and locked, so some magic was required to enter them without permission … except in the case where criminals seeking a hideout or attempting to steal grain had done their job for them. They were climbing down from another failure when Twilight spotted a fluttering cloak quickly disappearing behind the corner of another storehouse.
“Hey! Stop!” she called out, before teleporting to that corner herself and catching a better glimpse of who she’d seen.
A zebra face looked at her as the fleeing equine turned back for a moment before darting around another corner. Twilight teleported again to where her quarry had vanished, but he was a fast one, already darting through the lanes that ran between the storehouses. She pursued the zebra until she was quite lost in the maze of buildings. It would certainly be easier if she could just fly above the jumbled storehouses and look down on the zebra she was pursuing; on the ground, she still managed to lose track of him a couple of times. She always spotted him right before he could disappear, until at one turn, he vanished. However, the sorceress noticed that a door at ground level on one of the storehouses was just swinging shut.
Twilight hurried into the storehouse after the zebra and pulled up short. A full dozen zebras stood within the mostly empty grain storehouse, looking in Twilight’s direction. A couple moved behind her as the door swung closed, boxing her in. A few of the zebras were dressed in local garb, but most wore snug uniforms with sandy-colored cloaks that would serve as camouflage in the desert. If their stiff but nimble bearings didn’t give it away, their attire did: these were no ordinary thieves, but were Zebrikaanian imperial agents. Though she was surrounded by them, Twilight Sparkle was not afraid. She could easily teleport away, and none of them had shown the least inclination to harm her; not yet, anyway.
“Twilight Sparkle of the House Haltrotsun,” the leader of the agents addressed her in near-perfect High Equestrian as the zebra she’d pursued here removed his disguise, trading bright, colorful wrappings for clothing designed to blend into his surroundings, “Current apprentice of Regent Celestia of Cant’r Laht, and her ambassador to Sultana Rashida. Leader of the Brave Companions.”
“Yes, and who are you?” Twilight asked, not expecting an answer.
“I am Fatir’ri-Metzah mol’Kyria, humble servant of His Imperial Majesty Padhishah Ulm the Great Light,” the zebra leader replied.
Ulm the Great Light? I wonder if Celestia knows about that yet. Zebrikaanian Padishahs were only given that title if they were truly extraordinary or expected to be. It was a title that could only be bestowed by the zebra sun priests, a sign that they recognized the padishah as the avatar of Sun God Akash. To have been granted that recognition so soon into his reign, Ulm was surely as terrifying a threat as the Saddle Arabians made him out to be.
“Why are you here?” Twilight asked as she eyed the zebra agents, “Are you preparing for an invasion?”
“Always, but I do not think that is what you are really asking,” Fatir replied with a cold smile before gesturing for another agent to draw the Staff of Kipit out a grain pile, “You wanted to know if we came here simply to steal this staff without letting us know that it had been stolen, in case we weren’t the ones to take it. I do so relish games, Twilight Sparkle, but do not play them with me.”
“There are Saddle Arabian guards searching through these storehouses this very minute,” Twilight bluffed, although it might have been true by now. “Do you really expect to escape with the Staff of Kipit?”
“I dare say that we could if we wanted to, but that is not our intention,” Fatir said, and with another flick of his hoof, the zebra holding the staff threw it down before Twilight.
“I do not understand,” Twilight said as she cautiously picked up the Staff of Kipit and probed it with her magic to confirm it was legitimate.
“The padishah wishes to send you a message, Twilight Sparkle,” Fatir said, “Why is not for me to question, but perhaps he has taken an interest in you. Stories of the Brave Companions have reached the imperial court, and you were already known because of your closeness to Celestia. There is a potential for you to be a great adversary of the padishah, and so he deigns to seek you out now. If you are to be an enemy of the Zebrikaanian Empire, that is your decision to make, and if you choose so, you ought to bide your time until you are a worthy opponent. Stay on your side of the Shimmering Sea until then.”
“You stole the Staff of Kipit just to tell me that?” Twilight asked.
“It got your attention, didn’t it?” Fatir said wryly. “Besides, the staff is part of the message. It was completely within our power to take the relic that the Saddle Arabians consider their perfect defense, but we have stayed our hooves. With or without the staff, Saddle Arabia will bow to the Zebrikaanian padishah sooner rather than later.”
Without a word spoken, the zebra agents prepared to leave. Twilight Sparkle felt a tingle pass through her horn as she sensed magic, its source evident as the zebras smeared a grease over their features that turned their coats the color of their surroundings and allowed them, along with their cloaks, to blend in almost perfectly. It was no wonder they were known as invisible agents, though the name wasn’t quite accurate; she could still catch glimpses of them, if only to lose them again in the next moment.
“Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle,” Fatir said before he vanished and departed, “If the time spent observing you in the palace has taught me anything, I shall see you again.”
***
“The Honorable Magus Shazira requests permission to come into your presence,” Sultana Rashida’s captain of the guard whispered to her as she strolled through one of the palace gardens.
“Very well, let her approach,” Rashida said before dismissing the courtiers who’d been walking with her.
When the magus she patronized appeared on the garden path, she was not alone. She had brought Twilight Sparkle, the Equestrian envoy, with her. Both mares paid their respects, but it quickly became apparent that the real reason Shazira had requested to speak to her was so that Twilight could address the sultana without having to go through her previous rigamarole. A bit of an abuse of Shazira’s privileges as her client, but Rashida would forgive it after she’d heard what Twilight Sparkle had to say.
“Your majesty, I have been thinking about what we spoke about at the feast, and I have come to my decision,” the Cant’r Laht sorceress said, “The Zebrikaanian Empire cannot be allowed to expand unchecked. I vow that if Saddle Arabia is attacked by the Zebrikaanians, I will do everything within my power to help defend it.”
It occurred to Twilight Sparkle that perhaps she ought to have recorded the details of all her travels across Equestria, as there had been quite a few of them since Celestia had sent her from Cant’r Laht to oversee the one thousandth summer solstice ceremony. Before then, never had she traveled nearly as often or as far, preferring to stay in the city where she’d been born. Now, however, she had been all over the continent and beyond, and her journeys seemed to increase in distance each year. At least now she didn’t always have to travel by hoof, so the trips wouldn’t absorb quite as much of her time as they had the previous year when she and her friends had been hunting down the fragments of Discord’s soul. Portals made things much easier.
She opened one from Ponieville to the North, and she and her friends crossed hundreds of leagues in an instant. All the Brave Companions were making this journey, something Twilight was grateful for after her recent trip without them to Saddle Arabia. She’d returned to Ponieville by portal only a couple days after making her vow to Sultana Rashida and been granted a few weeks at home before being asked to leave again. This request had come from both Cadence and Celestia. The latter had phrased things in her letter as this being another test for Twilight; at least, it had seemed so in the context of her praise for Twilight’s work in Saddle Arabia. The former had genuinely just asked for the Brave Companions’ help in dealing with the situation in the North. Twilight’s suggestion to Cadence two months earlier that she appoint non-inheriting nobles from the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht to vacant positions in the North had borne fruit as the new grand duchess fleshed out her realm with fresh vassals that held no preexisting feuds with the locals, but it had also caused a great deal of tension in both realms. Not to mention that Cadence’s ascension to Grand Duchess of the North was bound to be fraught with complications, even if most of her vassals and subjects hadn’t missed the last thousand years of history. Celestia’s first apprentice was going through a great deal of testing herself at the moment.
“Twilight!” Grand Duchess mi Amore Cadenza exclaimed as the Brave Companions set hoof in the North after leaving it only a few months earlier, rushing forward to embrace her sister-in-law. “I’m so happy you’ve come!”
They were not alone on the hilltop where Twilight had opened her portal. Much like with the Cant’r Laht embassy to Stalliongrad in the spring, a party had been assembled to greet the Brave Companions when they’d arrived. Banners flapped upon the tops of long poles in both the modern Equestrian and antiquated Northern styles, marking out the important nobles in the crowd of unfamiliar faces. Cadence and Shining Armor had stood at the forefront of the group, and Twilight’s brother hung back still, though he gave Twilight a smile. He was no longer Captain of the Cant’r Laht Guard, as that would interfere with his new role as Grand Duke of the North; though he seemed to have retained his martial duties, judging by the mail to be glimpsed under his courtly attire, the sword strapped to his side, and the greaves and vambraces on his hindlegs and forelegs.
“Of course we came,” Twilight Sparkle told Cadence, “I could not abandon you to court intrigue with only my brother to help.”
“Let’s get you settled in the palace, and then we can speak about why you’ve come,” Cadence said as she released the younger of Celestia’s pupils.
The assembled lords and ladies of the North gave the grand duchess respectful nods as she trotted back to rejoin Shining Armor. Like her husband, she was bedecked in courtly attire that cut down on formality only just enough to make it suitable for traveling. Upon her head, she wore a strangely rounded and peaked crown that nearly looked like a bishop’s mitre. Apparently, this was what the ponies of the North thought a grand duchess’s crown ought to look like, given that they’d never seen one before. Twilight had never seen Cadence wear it any of the times they'd communicated by mirror, so it must have been designated solely for official business, such as greeting the Brave Companions.
The six ponies and dragonling fell in behind the grand ducal couple as servants shouldered their more ponderous baggage. Twilight Sparkle had to assume that they were Cadence’s servants, but their livery was unfamiliar to her. Violet, rose, and gold were not the colors of any noble house that Twilight knew, but they did match Cadence’s mane. House Cadenza? Cadence had made claim to no such house while in Cant’r Laht, but she had also proclaimed an end to House mi Amore, even changing her name so that it would not be passed on to any prospective descendants. Not that she was expected to have any offspring; no alicorn had ever successfully borne or sired a foal. Though she had been known as the Lady mi Amore Cadenza, Cadence hadn’t had an official title to lay claim to for years, but perhaps now that she was a grand duchess, she’d been pressured into finally sorting things out and choosing a house. Though it would have given Twilight and her family no end of joy, she hadn’t joined Haltrotsun at the wedding; this was understandable, given her high position as heir of Celestia at the time. Things had changed since then, though, and Twilight would need to ask her about the situation.
Behind the Brave Companions came the assembly of ponies who’d come to greet them, a few of them trotting up ahead to have a word with the members of their party on the way to the Crystal City. As a whole, though, they followed along behind and waited for when the Brave Companions might come to them. It had seemed strange to Twilight that so many of the North’s nobility had assembled to greet them, but she still didn’t know exactly what to make of this realm that was slowly recovering from a thousand years of banishment. As they made it to the Crystal City and entered its streets, however, it become apparent that this was likely not the norm.
The city had been nearly empty when the Brave Companions had last been here, even with refugees from Sombra’s storms, but now it was packed with ponies. Banners were unfurled throughout the city, demarcating zones where different nobles had taken up temporary residence. Tents were erected in the wide main streets by ponies waiting to obtain more permanent shelter. Crowds swirled around the procession, and the guards in silver-blue armor that accompanied them tried to keep them back, a task made more complicated by the fact that Cadence tried to spare at least a few words for every pony that tried to approach her.
“It is all because of the conclave,” Cadence explained later in the Crystal Castle. “Ponies began to come to the Crystal City with their grievances, and I fear it has gotten a bit out of hoof. With the Crystal Empire’s sudden collapse into the Kingdom of the North and then banishment for a thousand years before being resurrected as the Grand Duchy of the North, everything is a bit muddied and nopony is quite sure how everything should work, though they all have strong opinions. I decided to call a conclave to settle things once and for all, but giving everypony I could a voice in the matter has overtaxed a city not yet back on its hooves and unable to handle these numbers.
“There are also delegations who have come unbidden, but I still must speak to and address their concerns in some way, not to mention the embassy from Cant’r Laht determined to undermine me and manage things themselves. If we don’t have some settlement soon, I fear the North will break apart into factions, and that can only end poorly for everypony involved. I have managed to secure a peace of sorts with Vanhuv’r and Stalliongrad, but if things fall apart, Hyelliff and Braid will not be slow to snatch up the pieces themselves, whatever their assurances.”
“I did not know things were so dire,” Twilight Sparkle replied.
“They are,” Shining Armor replied gravely. “We need your help, Twily. Cadence and I have been doing what we can, but we’re just two ponies, no matter what titles the Northerners have granted, and we can’t be everywhere at once.”
“There are too many groups for us to hear their voices all at once,” Cadence said, “However, with the six—seven of you, I think we can manage.”
“Why does everypony think that just because we’re famous, we’re master diplomats?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well, you must admit we’ve done pretty well for ourselves in the past,” Rarity said, “The Three Sisters, White Tail Wood, Stalliongrad.”
“I wouldn’t call all of those ringing successes, but I get your point,” the Hunter acceded, “If things are as bad as you say, I suppose we can only make things better, not worse.”
“We’re ready t’ help y’ where’er we’re needed, y’r royal highness,” Applejack said encouragingly.
“Thank you, Applejack, but please call me Cadence,” the Grand Duchess of the North said, looking self-consciously up at the crown still atop her head, “I’ve taken the liberty of dividing up the different groups we’ll need to speak with and arranging meetings with them, so all we have to do is decide who will be meeting with whom.”
“Excellent,” Twilight said, eyes sparkling at the prospect of the planning to come, and Spike came forward with a clean scroll, “Let us get to it, then.”
***
Rainbow Dash soared up among the clouds, taking deep breaths of the crisp, cool Northern air. The autumnal equinox had come and gone, and this far north, the land was already beginning its rapid descent in temperature. There was bound to be snow upon the ground in another month, but for now, the landscape was clear. Tended fields radiated out from the Crystal City in a patchwork manner, becoming sparser and more scattered the farther one got from the city. It had been only a few months since the North had unfrozen, and ponies were hurrying to get their crops harvested before winter descended upon them again. At least this time is wasn’t likely to last a thousand years.
The Hunter began to descend out of the clouds, shaking frost from her wings, as she spotted her destination. A silvery band of water wove through the landscape, a river of middling width and current, and a line of bluffs rose a short distance upon the north bank. Atop those bluffs stood a solitary and ancient fortress of darkened stone that looked like it had seen better days (much like most structures in the North outside the Crystal City). A tangled forest surrounded the fortress and stretched off to the north, but all the trees on the south bank had been cleared away. There was a dock at the base of the bluffs and stairs leading up to the fort, but Rainbow Dash, being a pegasus, flew right up to the entrance atop the bluffs.
Banners hung plastered against the fortress’s walls, rippling only slightly in the wind, so dark and dull in coloration that they nearly blended into the stone. The banners of Hunter orders hadn’t changed much in a thousand years; the only real adornments on them were crude representations of the animals that represented their orders. Petrel, osprey, goshawk, and cormorant hung in a line, the orders that Rainbow had learned to expect before flying here. Her task was to discern what grievances the Northern Hunters had and how to satisfy them. Who better to meet with Hunters than another of their kind?
The sound of striking practice swords reached Rainbow Dash’s ears as she landed in the fortress’s courtyard. A few of the Hunters were training, but most of the armored pegasi around the courtyard didn’t seem to be interested in doing … well, much of anything. Many sat atop the roofs watching the sky distractedly or slept with their backs against swords driven between the courtyard’s paving stones. There was a good deal of evidence for lack of upkeep on weapons and equipment that had been left lying around.
Though the day was only half gone, quite a few of the Hunters looked to be deep in their cups or sleeping off passed revelry wherever they had collapsed. The air was heavy with the smell of beer and spirits the farther Rainbow Dash went in, wafting from their sources and some of the Hunters seated or slumped at scattered tables. At the far end of the courtyard, a table had been set up beneath a tent where four ponies sat awaiting her, the grandmasters of the four orders currently occupying this fortress. However, from what Rainbow Dash had seen so far, this looked less like a Hunter fortress and more like the camp of a mercenary company, and not a very good one at that.
“Thou must be Rainbow Dash,” one of the grandmasters, whose cormorant pendant was nearly hidden by his long gray beard and unsecured mane, said as she approached without standing to greet her, “Of what order art thou? I know not of any that goeth by the name of ‘Brave Companions.’”
Though the Hunters of the North insisted on staying here far beyond the walls of the Crystal City while still being part of the conclave, Cadence had managed to reach them with word of who would be her representative and when she would arrive. They’d known that Rainbow Dash was coming, but apparently Cadence hadn’t shared much more than that; with the time it took to send the message here, there wouldn’t have been much of an interval between its arrival and Rainbow Dash’s.
“I’m a member of the Order of the Falcon,” Rainbow answered as she righted a chair with a kick of a hindhoof and pulled it up to the table with a wing, taking a seat without being invited.
“Ah, yes, I do remember them,” the mare with a petrel pendant and missing both an eye and an ear said.
“And you are?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Introductions and explanations followed. All the Hunters here had disappeared along with most everypony else who’d been in the North a thousand years ago, but things had become confused in the last days of King Sombra’s reign, and they were still picking up the pieces. They had been hit with losses just as severe as the rest of the North, and two of the orders that had existed in the past had been disbanded, their few surviving members joining the only slightly less reduced Order of the Petrel and Order of the Cormorant. The Order of the Osprey and Order of the Goshawk had numbers as low or lower than the orders that had folded, but they had not yet consolidated, due to distrust of the Hunters from the Order of the Goshawk. Unlike the other Hunter orders, which had maintained their neutrality during the War of the Shadow King in the North, the Order of the Goshawk had accepted King Sombra’s demands and aided him and his army directly.
Rainbow Dash nodded along as the grandmasters spoke and she tried to parse their antiquated speech, filtering out the irrelevant bits to get what she actually had asked for: their names. Grandmaster Issika led the Order of the Petrel, a mare who’d seen more than her fair share of action in the field and had the scars to prove it. That wouldn’t have stopped her from continuing to hunt increasingly dangerous monsters, but her order had insisted she take the post of grandmaster so that she would be able to pass on some of her knowledge before she got herself killed. Like all grandmasters, she would still participate in hunts, but seldom alone so she would not be in quite as much danger; though like all Hunters, she was destined to die in the field.
Grandmaster Bladewaithe was the leader of the Order of the Cormorant and had been the pony to first greet her on her arrival. Despite being the eldest of the Cormorant Hunters, he had achieved the rank of grandmaster only recently. The order’s previous grandmaster had not returned from the thousand-year banishment, so Bladewaithe was chosen to lead the few survivors. He’d been accepted by those who’d joined the Order of the Cormorant and boosted its numbers.
The Order of the Goshawk was headed by Grandmaster Crest. Crest was the youngest of the grandmasters at the table and had only been a full Hunter for less than a decade. The Order of the Goshawk hadn’t had much choice in their leader, however, since they’d been hit the hardest of all the Northern Hunter orders, which the others saw as just punishment for their treachery. None of the upper ranks had survived, leaving Crest as the most senior; though he and the other Goshawk Hunters could rightly claim that they were innocent of the decision to serve King Sombra, resentment was bitter from the other orders. The best thing for the Goshawk Hunters would be to join one of the other orders, but none would have them.
Grandmaster Hon the Hammer, leader of the Order of the Osprey, was the last. His nickname came from the short warhammer he used in combat, currently sitting on the table—a peculiar weapon for a Hunter. The Order of the Osprey was the next-smallest order after the Order of the Goshawk, but Hon was stubborn to allow his order to be disbanded; it was too late to do so and maintain some level of independence after the Orders of the Petrel and the Cormorant had already each accepted another order and grown larger. The only alternative would be to join with the Goshawks (which was unacceptable to them) or an order outside of the North. The latter option posed the same problem as joining the Petrels or the Cormorants, since non-Northern Hunter orders were larger than what was left here.
“So, what are the problems you’re bringing to Cadence, besides the smaller numbers and the ostracization of the Goshawks, which you’ll have to work out among yourselves?” Rainbow Dash asked bluntly.
“I beg thy pardon,” Issika said offendedly. “Are our difficulties beneath Grand Duchess mi Amore?”
“I wouldn’t say that, but they’re none of her concern,” Rainbow Dash replied, “Things haven’t changed that much in a thousand years. Hunters still stand apart and settle their differences without the interferences of crowned heads, if they can help it.”
“But the Code dost not forbid serving a ruler,” Crest said with a prickly tone, trying to defend the Goshawks, “Surely thee understandest that.”
“I’m here because of a friend, and to see what I can do to help the Hunters in the North. The grand duchess is no liege of mine and I owe her no service, though I am helping her in this,” Rainbow said frankly.”
“It was not only the betrayal of the Code, but that ye did turn upon us, your blade-brothers and -sisters,” Hon said gruffly to Crest.
The two pegasi looked ready to kill each other, and probably would have were dueling not forbidden for grandmasters. It could still occur in secret, but the death of a grandmaster could only stir up intense ill will with their order. With the Ospreys and Goshawks already hating each other, the effect might not be as profound as in other cases. If they dueled, one of them would surely die; it would probably be Crest, pounded to death by his stronger and more experienced opponent.
“I know that the wounds are still fresh for all of you, but for most of Equestria, the War of the Shadow King was completely forgotten until the Frozen North thawed only a few months ago,” Rainbow Dash sighed, “The war is long over, and you’ll need to find a way to reconcile with each other. Hunters can’t be at each other’s throats. If it were up to me to decide, I’d say the Goshawks have a good claim to some forgiveness, given how young their surviving members are—members that many of you could use well now that your own numbers are also so low. It will take a long time to train up new Hunters if you only have a few trainees now, unless you prove yourselves to the Order of the Sparrow.”
Another peculiarity that Rainbow Dash had learned about the Northern Hunters was that they had all trained their own members instead of recruiting them from the Order of the Sparrow. Evidently, none of them had yet visited Cloudsdale to ask for new Hunters to bolster their numbers; whether this was from tradition or a reticence to interact with modern Equestria, Rainbow Dash didn’t know. They’d need more members if they wanted to survive, one way or the other.
“But, like I said before, that’s a matter for we Hunters to figure out on our own, without Cadence getting involved,” Rainbow Dash brought the conversation back around, “What can I bring to the grand duchess to actually act upon? Do you need her to understand you’re stretched thin with your diminished numbers and protect her subjects as best she can until you rebuild enough to hunt?”
“No; if anything, there is a dearth of monsters to hunt. It seems that Sombra’s winter did scareth many of them away, and it is hard to find contracts. We may need to seek work outside of the North, in fact,” Bladewaithe replied, “Our only grievance with Grand Duchess mi Amore is that she has not set prices in her lands, nor have any of these newcomers from the south.”
It took a minute for Rainbow Dash to realize that the grandmaster was speaking about monster bounties. It didn’t make any sense to her why Cadence ought to be responsible for setting the price of bounties if she wasn’t the one offering or paying them out.
“‘Tis how it hath been in the North since before any of our orders were founded,” Issika explained when asked, “The emperor—or grand duchess—doth set the fair price for the most common monsters, those that art to be paid for from their treasury. Her vassals can then set prices for what she hath not set herself, and so on, from the highest doux to the lowest jarl. Every year, each lord sendeth a tribute to their liege to pay for these bounties, and a portion is paid back to them for each claimed. It eveneth out the load of bounties across all the North to keep monster-plagued lands from becoming destitute, but the southern lords playeth by no such rules. They offer inadequate bounties or force their tenants to pay themselves.”
“Welcome to the Fourth Age,” Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself as she thought of how much ponies tried to get away with in slighting Hunters, “I doubt the southern lords will wish to change their ways, but I can still bring this before Cadence. She might think it’s a good idea, and I know she wishes to preserve some of the North’s traditions. I will do everything I can to convince her.”
“You seem very … familiar with the grand duchess,” Issika commented, “Did you know her well before she came to the North?”
“No, she was a dragonlord’s prisoner until half a year ago. I was at her wedding, though. Both of them, in fact,” Rainbow Dash replied, shocking the grandmasters.
***
Pinkamena didn’t have nearly as far to go as her winged comrade, only a short distance outside of the Crystal City. Several camps had been pitched close to the city limits by groups that hadn’t managed to find space within, though they all kept their distance from the two that the bard was now bounding toward. These camps were populated not with tents or makeshift lean-tos, but with domed yurts. The North’s bison herds, which had been nothing but troublesome for Cadence, had nevertheless deigned to send small delegations to meet with her. They had been wise to keep their camps small, for entire herds showing up at the Crystal City’s gates would surely trigger frenzied panic as raids and siege were considered. A great deal of raiding had been going on in the west as the bison marauded unchecked across depopulated lands, and many of those who’d come to the Crystal City had come seeking protection from the bison herds. Cadence wished to put an end to the marauding, and Pinkamena had been dispatched to reason with the bison.
Though the two bison camps were close, they were undeniably separate. A clear gap divided them, and Pinkamena trotted cheerfully down the path between the camps. Guards didn’t attempt to stop her, having been forewarned that Cadence was sending somepony to speak to the chiefs, but they did watch in amusement (as did other bison in the camps) as this bright pink, fizzy-haired mare with a lute on her back marched through as if she had every right to be there. A long, low table composed of many smaller pieces had been set up between the two camps at the midpoint, the ends stretching out among the yurts on either side. Bison sat all along one side of the table, feasting on the various dishes laid out before them, many of them emitting steam or just talking and enjoying each other’s company. In the center sat two prodigious bison bulls wearing the headdresses that marked them as the chiefs of each tribe.
“Hello there!” Pinkamena greeted the leaders all too informally as she trotted up to them, evoking more than a few shocked snorts from the bison at the table who could understand her, “I am Pinkamena Diane Pie of the Holderton Pies, though now of Ponieville, except right now I’m here to talk with you on behalf of Cadence. What are your names?”
“Dhotun mi Amore moghellike etram?[1]” the chief on the left said to his associate, who snorted in reply, before switching to Low Equestrian, “I am Khan Norélithrakkah of Kojchah Ordu, and this is Khan Panninyekke of Rembrahn Ordu.”
“Chiefs Burning Hoof and Stonehorn,” Khan Panninyekke (Stone Horn) translated for Pinkamena, before coughing violently into his bowl of mulled wine.
The chief of the Rembrahn Herd did not look to be in very good health even without the coughing. His coat was worn and scarred with the pockmarks of old and new sores. Dry and fresh mucus was caked in his beard and around his eyes from the illness that afflicted him, and he was bundled up more warmly than the chill in the air should have required. A young bison cow beside him put a hoof to his side as he coughed to steady him and pressed an ear against his heaving ribs to listen as the cough subsided into raspy and labored breathing. Self-conscious, Stonehorn pushed her away, though not roughly.
“My daughter, Stormblown Plain,” Stonehorn introduced the cow at his side once he’d regained his breath enough to speak.
“Laundukrittelletéo,” Stormblown Plain said and gave Pinkamena a narrow look, and when no translation was forthcoming, she had to assume it was her name in Equestrian Wisentish.
“Pleased to meet you,” Pinkamena said, nodding to all three bison, “What can I do for you?”
“Thou canst bring Grand Duchess mi Amore our demands,” Chief Burning Hoof said contemptuously.
“Demands?” Pinkamena asked worriedly.
“We must have either yearly tribute in the amount of ten thousand pounds of gold—” Chief Burning Hoof said.
“For each herd,” Chief Stonehorn cut in.
“—For each herd,” Burning Hoof continued, “And unrestricted access to all towns and markets in the North, or to six thousand pounds of tribute and a guarantee that we can support ourselves off the land without interference.”
Pinkamena knew a little of the situation Cadence was in from the briefing on the Brave Companions’ arrival, and she knew enough to be sure that Cadence could never agree to either offer. The grand duchess did not have the funds to make a tribute of such size even once. As for supporting themselves off the land, that would at least allow the bison to take whatever they wanted to feed themselves, stripping fields bare in the process; and likely, they would take much more, not something that the North could endure in its recovering state. Opening markets to them was an easy enough thing to consider, though, if Cadence recognized the agreement between the bison in the south of Equestria and the Appleoosans that had saved them from killing each other off. Perhaps a few other ideas from that treaty could be used here, too.
“I’m sure Cadence would be happy to grant you access to towns and markets, and maybe even the power to help govern them and make sure you’re treated fairly,” Pinkamena said, and Stonehorn slammed a hoof down on the table strongly, sending him into a coughing fit.
“We are not here to negotiate! We are here to make our demands!” Burning Hoof yelled while Stonehorn continued to cough, “If Grand Duchess mi Amore doth not answer them, then we shall take them by pillage!”
“Surely there must be some way to avoid that,” Pinkamena pled, “If we put our heads together, I’m sure we can come to a peaceful and reasonable agreement.”
“Never!” Stonehorn said, his coughing still dying off, “The ponies of this time do not fear and respect us as they once did! They will seek to trick us and delay us to avoid our wrath, as thou hast tried to do! We have not been isolated after our return. We have met with other herds and have heard what they had to say about you ponies. Well, ye shall all see what comes of your treatment of the bison. Each herd alone ye may bully, but together, ye shall relearn the fear and respect you have lost!
“For the first time in millennia, the herds will unite into a khaganate! If Grand Duchess mi Amore doth not heed our demands, then Kajchakh Ordu and Rembrahn Ordu will join rather than heed the laws of a realm in which we are unwelcome. Already, Khan Blaenarratate of Nokíenkh Ordu past the mountains and Khan Higullahmakorn of Tanerahm Ordu in the Westerlands have professed their willingness to join in a khaganate. Khanum Coccokohote of Aseibakh Ordu in the south hath not accepted the proposal, but even without her, we shall be a terrifying khaganate!”
When Stonehorn finished his speech, he broke down into a coughing fit immediately. Stormblow Plain tried to ease his pain, but while she did, she eyed Pinkamena carefully, watching for her reaction to the news that Equestria’s bison herds were planning to unite. It was not all of them, at least. Thanks, Strongheart, for staying out of it. Still, for bison herds in the North, Stalliongrad, and Los Pegasus to all work together could spell disaster not only for ponies in those realms, but also for anywhere else they chose to raid. The North, with its drastically decreased population and twice as many bison herds as the other, would surely feel bear the brunt of it.
“I’m sorry to hear that, but Cadence can’t give you what you ask,” Pinkamena replied, “If only we could talk and work something out—”
“No!” Burning Hoof exclaimed, slamming a hoof on the table, “Thou shalt bring our demands to Grand Duchess mi Amore and she wilt accept or decline, but there shall be no haggling. This audience is done.”
Rebuffed, Pinkamena was forced to leave the bison camps in a far less happy state than she’d entered. That hadn’t gone as she’d expected at all.
***
On nearly the exact opposite side of the Crystal City, Applejack was making her way through another camp. This camp had no organized structure or official delegation to speak with Cadence, but this was the place for Applejack to be. It had nearly been looked over during the distribution of factions among the Brave Companions, but as soon as Applejack had learned that there was a camp of peasant farmers here to seek Cadence’s help in redressing their grievances, she knew she had to be the one to speak to them.
By asking around, she was able to find her way to the nearest thing the camp had to leaders. It required her to explain who she was and why she’d come over and over, but she got to meet quite a few Northerners, and a crowd was following her by the time she reached the camp’s leaders. There were three of them surrounded by a small crowd of ponies that spilled out around a knot of tents in no particularly prominent position in the camp. They were talking with each other animatedly when Applejack arrived, her crowd merging with the one already present and making a path forward for her.
“Nay, nay, nay!” the center pony, a tall stallion with a white coat and green mane, said as he saw the crowd bringing Applejack to the trio of leaders, “We ‘ave already decided that we can nay send too large’a group t’ th’ gran’ duchess, an’ agreed on we t’ree. Y’ can nay bring somepony else in now, not when we just started t’ come t’accord.”
“Come t’accord, indeed!” the short mare next to him with a grape-colored coat huffed, “Ah still say we ought t’ forget ‘bout lords ‘tirely!”
“An’ then ‘oo’d protecteth us?” the third member of the group, a stallion with a gray coat and unruly brown mane asked.
“Why, we’d protect o’selves, o’course,” the mare retorted.
“Not this again,” the center pony sighed wearily, “We ‘ave already decided this.”
“I am Applejack, Cadence’s—mi Amore’s—th’ grand duchess’s envoy,” Applejack introduced herself before the conversation between the camp’s leaders went any further afield. “I’ve come t’ speak t’ y’ an’ learn what your petitions are.”
“And we’re s’posed t’ believe this … why?” the mare demanded, “Thee lookest not like an envoy o’ th’ gran’ duchess.”
“Bristle, do nay be rude,” the tall stallion berated her.
“’Tis a’right,” Applejack assured him, “I am ‘ere at her behest as one o’ th’ Brave Companions, but I am also a farmer—a freeholder of a sort—in th’ Equestry Valley near Ponieville.”
The crowd that had come with Applejack, who’d heard her explain this over and over, nodded at this. The others in the crowd looked skeptical, either of her credentials as an envoy or the truth of her occupation, but word quickly began to spread. Bristle still looked sour, but at least the other two leaders appeared to be warming to her.
“M’ name is Eristhes,” the gray stallion was the first to introduce himself. “I am a free’older m’self, an’ so many o’ these ponies ‘ave been actin’ as free’olders since th’ Return as well.”
“M’ name is Turnip Track, peasant farmer afore th’ Banishment an’ now de facto leader o’ th’ Diocese of Karazan in th’ absence o’ any nobles t’ take th’ position,” the tall stallion said, and Bristle snorted, “This is Bristle, another who hath shared th’ downtrodden state o’ many o’ us afore th’ Banishment but hath since been left t’ her own devices an’ thrived.”
“Your name is Turnip Track?” Applejack asked.
“Thy name art Applejack,” Turnip Track retorted, which was fair enough, she supposed, though she didn’t think their names were as similar as he seemed to think. “Wert thee truly sent from th’ gran’ duchess t’ ‘ear our petitions?”
“That’s right,” Applejack replied, “Tell me what they are, an’ I’ll bring ‘em t’ her.”
“We ‘ave just one petition,” Eristhes said, taking her at her word. “Many did not return from th’ Banishment, includin’ many lords under which we toiled.” He gestured to the crowd around him. “Despite that, many ‘ave done quite well for themselves wi’out any lords t’ oversee them in th’ Interim, actin’ as free’olders.”
“We do nay want t’ lose that freedom an’ independence when th’ gran’ duchess appoints new lords o’er us. Allowest those ‘oo’ve done well for themselves t’ continue wi’out th’ restrictions o’ peasanthood,” Turnip Track said, “‘Ave we nay earned that right? We only wish for what e’ery peasant ‘ath wished for an’ ne’er received: t’ be treated fairly.”
“I have t’ say, it all sounds very fair t’ me,” Applejack said, thinking of how her family had gained their special privileges and lands, “I’ll bring it t’ Ca—th’ grand duchess at once and advise her that this is th’ right decision.”
The crowd was astonished that she could wield such influence over the Grand Duchess of the North. Applejack ignored the not-too-quiet whispers and turned to set off back to the Crystal Castle and speak to Cadence.
“Perhaps,” Turnip Track said suddenly, “Though couldst return t’ us an’ tell us th’ outcome o’ your conversation?”
“O’ course I will,” Applejack promised before departing.
***
When Applejack returned to the castle, she would need to wait in order to speak to Cadence, for the grand duchess and Twilight Sparkle were deep in discussion with the North’s old nobility. An undeniable divide existed between the nobles of the North who’d survived the Banishment; and those who’d only ever known the land as the inhospitable Frozen North and become vassals of its grand duchess very recently, evidenced by the fact that the Brave Companions were meeting with both groups separately. Cadence had tried to get them both together, but that had been an unfruitful experience. Now, she was giving them one more chance to bring their grievances against the other group to her, separately. It wasn’t ideal, but if that’s what it took to settle the matter, she would try anything.
Not that it was at all surprising, but none of the nobles refused to be left out of the conference with Cadence and had all insisted on coming themselves. The throne room of the Crystal Castle had more than adequate space to accommodate them, but the way they all pressed forward made things feel very crowded indeed. Cadence was seated on her throne and Twilight Sparkle sat beside her, both looking down slightly upon nobles assembled in a crescent before them. Neither of the seats they’d taken were the same thrones that had occupied the throne room when Cadence and Shining Armor had first entered the castle, nor were they quite so elevated as those had been.
One of Cadence’s acts as Grand Duchess of the North had been to remove the dual thrones and lower the pedestal they were upon, reflecting that the North was no longer an empire or a kingdom and that she was the sole ruler of the realm. King Sombra had intended his future queen—who turned out to be Luna, much to the shock of Cadence and Shining Armor when they’d learned of it from the crystal ponies—to rule as an equal and had had an equal throne created. However, as much as Cadence loved Shining Armor, his title of grand duke was purely ceremonial. He had no more official power in the grand duchy than the Queen of Vanhuv’r or the King of Los Pegasus. Twilight was not seated in his lesser throne, but to Cadence’s right, in an elaborately styled chair that nevertheless paled in comparison to the grand duchess’s throne. Cadence’s seat of authority was a stone behemoth that appeared crystalline due to the power of the Crystal Heart. While it was very beautiful and imposing, it still looked mightily uncomfortable, even with the cushions that Cadence had added.
“Every act of the Shadow King that may be undone should be undone,” Duke Highcart of Pertallya said, and the other nobles trembled at the mention of Sombra. “The ancient privileges and power of the doukes of the North must be restored.”
It was an argument that Cadence had heard many times over. While she’d stripped away many of the reforms that King Sombra had imposed in the last stage of his reign, there were some more sensible ones that she’d kept in place. One of these was how he’d changed the titles of the North’s nobility and limited their power. The Crystal Empire hadn’t had dukes and earls, it had had doukes and jaarls, both of which were much more empowered than even their contemporary counterparts in the Kingdom of Equestria. The old nobility, especially the dukes and earls, wanted to return to their old ways and traditions that didn’t align with modern conceptions of the duties and powers they ought to have. Cadence may have been open to giving them their old titles back if it wouldn’t have created yet another divide between them and the new nobility. They would also expect their old privileges along with the old titles, and it could become a thorny issue if the new nobility with their new titles had to be treated differently because of this. Cadence wished to keep her new vassals happy, but they weren’t making it easy for her.
“Our traditions must be preserved,” Countess Cecilia of Flanek Field said. “These new lords and ladies from the south care nothing for our ways. If they continue to fill the North, we shall be overwhelmed. What shall become of the Peers of the Realm if nobles who know nothing of it come to sit in it? Your royal highness, the North cannot be subsumed by the south in such a manner.”
It occurs to me that your complaints against the new nobility could have been avoided had you not been so particular about which Northerners should be allowed to fill the vacant titles,” and some of the nobles had the good grace to look ashamed. “However, I am glad you did, for it has provided an opportunity to help rebuild the North. With these southern lords and ladies come fresh funds and peasants from other realms that do not drain our own. Yet, over a third of the North’s lands still have no noble to rule them because once you realized that you might be outnumbered, you stopped approving the distribution of titles.”
“Are the grand duchess’s titles not free for her to give out to whomsoever she chooses?” Cadence’s page, a crystal pony named Cobert, asked from where he stood awkwardly on the steps leading up to the grand duchess, having been displaced from his usual position by Twilight Sparkle.
“Many of these new lords have no heirs, excepting in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht,” Duchess Marewen of Chasepake objected, “If they die without issue, then their lands shall pass out of the North. The North shall disintegrate!”
“I am aware of your concerns over inheritance, but what do you propose I do that you would accept?” Cadence asked.
“We must begin by reinstating the old titles and traditions,” Duke Highcart said, “New and old nobility alike must abide by laws of the North first and owe it.”
Around and around and around we go, Twilight thought as she searched for a solution that would lead them out of the quagmire they’d fallen into.
***
When Rainbow Dash had gone to the local Hunters, Fluttershy had hoped that she might be sent to the local druids. However, the druid circles in the North seemed perfectly content with Cadence’s rule so far. Or, perhaps they were still recuperating from shock over the extraordinary depopulation of the North. Either way, none of them had come to Cadence’s conclave, so Fluttershy would be meeting with somepony else. At least she wouldn’t be on her own; Twilight had lent her the services of Spike, who rode upon the pegasus’s back while perusing the ancient laws of the Crystal Empire.
Fluttershy and Spike would be meeting with representatives from the North’s Free Cities. Back when the North was still part of the Crystal Empire, certain towns had been designated as Free Imperial Cities and enjoyed special privileges. Much like Ponieville and Appleoosa in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, they’d existed directly beneath the emperor in the realm’s hierarchy, despite not residing within his demesne. Now, these cities wanted assurances that they’d be able to continue as they had a thousand years ago, old rights and privileges intact. It should be a fairly simple task for Fluttershy to fulfill, but she was still nervous.
The representatives from the Free Cities had agreed to meet in a high-class inn where many of them were already staying while in the city for the conclave. It was a beautiful place, with fine artwork on the walls and elegant pillars holding up soaring ceilings. The inn was mostly made of timber, but the effects of the Crystal Heart made it shine as if it had been hewn from purest crystal. Fluttershy and Spike were invited into a ballroom that had been reserved by the representatives, and that was where they met them, standing in clusters together. Though there were only twelve Free Cities in the north, there were over thirty ponies here, and it took a long time to get through introductions. When they finished, the clustered representatives elected to stand and speak to Fluttershy, who found it very uncomfortable to have them all looking at her.
“Oh my,” she said quietly as she steeled herself. “What is it you wanted to say to Cadence? Whatever you tell me, I’ll bring it to her.”
“We must know if she intendeth to honor all 437 tenets of the Compendium,” Marcélle, the burgermeisterin of Langhock, said nearly as softly as Fluttershy typically spoke.
The Compendium to which Marcélle was referring was the Compendium of Laws, Rules, and Precedents Regarding the Government of Free Cities within the Crystal Empire; a ponderous collection even without the numerous commentaries that were treated by the Free Cities as just as binding as the actual laws, rules, and precedents. Spike was working through the Compendium himself, but he was far from done. There couldn’t be any harm in telling the Free Cities that they’d remain free, though.
“I’m sure that Grand Duchess mi Amore intends …” Fluttershy started to say before being waved off by Spike, “I … mean ….”
“First she ought to doeth something about the bison,” Fletch, a burgermeister of Overhill, said boisterously, wittingly or not allowing Fluttershy an escape from her near promise on Cadence’s behalf.
“Hear, hear!” several ponies cried in response to Fletch.
“What about the bison?” Fluttershy asked.
“The bison are bolder now than they were before the Banishment. They march to our gates and demand tribute, and when we refuse, they burn the land around the city or attack the walls. Even if we allow them in, they pillage and plunder our homes and stores!” Fletch explained, “This must be stopped! The grand duchess must doeth something about this! She ought to be our protector, but while she doeth nothing, the bison are making us destitute.”
“Bayraht hath been razed thrice since the Return,” complained Turin, the burgermeiser of Bayraht. “We can nay go on.”
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said after hearing of their plight, something that several other delegations were empathetically nodding along with.
“Well, what is Grand Duchess mi Amore going to do?” Villinius, a burgermeisterin of Overhill demanded.
Spike looked up at the druidess, his expression urging caution, but what could she do? She knew she shouldn’t promise anything unreasonable on Cadence’s behalf, but was it unreasonable for these ponies to expect safety? Not only that, but how might things continue if the bison raided their cities even more than they already had? Would the Free Cities not find their own means of fighting, either themselves or by hiring mercenaries to do the work for them? More conflict would follow between pony and bison, and she wanted none of that. She knew Pinkamena was visiting the bison and hopefully would return with a peaceful solution; but, what if she didn’t? It would be Appleoosa all over again on a larger scale, and both sides might not see reason this time.
“The grand duchess is seeking peace with the bison,” Fluttershy answered after mulling it over, watching the expectant faces. “If that fails, of course she will protect you. You are her subjects.”
With her pronouncement, the tension in the room dropped noticeably. She still hoped that a peaceful resolution would come with the bison, but she knew this: the Equestry Valley around Ponieville had been relatively peaceful for a long time because it had Celestia personally watching over it. Perhaps the North needed their own alicorn sorceress to watch over things to ensure prosperity.
“That is a relief to hear,” Burgermeisterin Marcélle said, “Now, shall we go through each tenet of the Compendium so that we can understand the grand duchess’s stance on each of them?”
Spike dropped the scroll he’d been reading, spilling four of the 437 tenets across the floor.
***
One Northern faction remained to be dealt with by the last of the Brave Companions: the new nobility. While Twilight Sparkle and Cadence spoke to the lords and ladies who’d lived through King Sombra’s banishment, Rarity and Shining Armor met with those who’d been recently appointed by the grand duchess to fill the places of those who hadn’t survived or left heirs. Most were ponies far down any line of succession and unlikely to obtain titles any other way. They were used to being given the leavings, but they were still miffed that the old nobility had been allowed to meet directly with Cadence in the castle’s throne room while they had to meet her envoys in the great hall.
“Count Silent Swallow claims he is not obligated to pay me any taxes or tribute during the first five years of my reign, but that cannot be true,” Duke Kliner, the legitimized bastard of a count with lands near the Hill Kingdoms, complained. “How am I supposed to pay my magistrates? I didn’t exactly bring a fortune with me when I accepted the grand duchess’s offer.”
“Yes, that is rather troubling, but might I remind you that complaints against individuals can be brought to Grand Duchess mi Amore at any time,” Rarity said. “The purpose of this conclave is to deal with issues that affect the entire realm.”
“This does affect the entire realm; it’s a problem for everypony,” Duke Iron Resolve objected, and it wasn’t only his two brothers (both now counts under his rule) that backed him up. “The old nobility is determined to bring us down. They are belligerent at best, and outright hostile at worst. They refuse to change from their traditions and customs, many of which we must believe to be completely fraudulent when they seem to exclusively be to our detriment.”
“This is a confusing time for everypony in the North,” Shining Armor replied. “The ponies who were here before are used to their old ways, and we must all find a way to work together and figure out how things are to be done in the Grand Duchy of the North, for the good of the realm and for each of us.”
“These old nobles are relics of the last age!” Countess Flight Feather yelled. “They should be learning our ways, not the other way around!”
“You must find some compromise,” Rarity said, rapping her hooves on the table to quiet down the crowd, which was getting a touch rowdy while supporting Flight Feather’s sentiment. “They could help you, you know, in dealing with your subjects, most of whom expect to be dealt with as they were a thousand years ago.”
“They would rather see our subjects rise against us,” Iron Resolve said flatly. “If they are intransigent—and they have been—and show no sign of wishing us anything other than harm or a swift departure from what they see as their land alone, then what are we to do?”
Though there was undoubtedly some exaggeration (the belligerence went both ways), most of the complaints the new nobility had were completely valid, as far as Rarity and Shining Armor knew. The old nobility—while grateful to Cadence and willing to make her, an outsider, their grand duchess, and initially allowed outsiders to be put in places of power—had soured against the idea. They also stubbornly clung to traditions that modern Equestrians would consider outdated and peculiar. There had to be some way to make both sides put aside their differences and see reason. If only they could all be held to the same standard; getting them to agree to this sentiment would be an easy task, but the tenets and boundaries of such a standard would be harder to settle. Still, they might as well start somewhere; and, once they had admitted that a standard had to be established, it would be easier to create if the alternative was to allow somepony else to do so—especially if it was somepony they couldn’t refuse, like Cadence.
***
All the Northern factions had been covered and met with, but there was one remaining group whose concerns needed to be addressed in the conclave. Rarity and Shining Armor had managed to convince the new nobility and old nobility to meet and settle their differences, so while the two of them oversaw that, Cadence and Twilight Sparkle met with the delegation from Cant’r Laht. Several important nobles had traveled to the Crystal City from Cant’r Laht, including members from the Lodge of Sorceresses. Since they’d arrived, all they’d done had been to try asserting the power of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht while sowing dissent between the different Northern factions. The Brave Companions meeting with each of them separately had prevented them from being able to continue in that, and they were not pleased. When Cadence summoned them to an audience in the Crystal Castle, however, they couldn’t refuse.
“Where do your loyalties lie?” Duchess Marriette l’Orètal demanded of Cadence. “The Kingdom of Cant’r Laht’s young lords and ladies are flocking to you and abandoning the realm of your birth. You pledged loyalty to Celestia and Luna, but not to the Crown of Cant’r Laht. What exactly are your intentions?”
“While the Grand Duchy of the North is still getting on its hooves, I’m willing to submit to the governance of Cant’r Laht, but I won’t saddle this land with such a burden in perpetuity,” Cadence replied. “Surely you can’t object to an oath to Celestia and Luna. It may not be an eternal oath, but it may as well be when it’s to alicorns.”
The argument was somewhat lessened by the fact that Cadence was an alicorn herself, but the point still stood. Celestia had been a constant fixture in Equestria for two ages now and was essentially assumed to always be there. Numerous treaties—not only in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht—were signed with “so long as Celestia reigns,” standing in to mean forever. However, it wasn’t enough to satisfy the delegation from Cant’r Laht in Cadence’s case.
“Celestia is trying to bind her dominions into the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, but you seem to be directly undermining those aims,” Count Arnwulf Steeding accused. “The Grand Duchy of the North does not follow the laws of Cant’r Laht, so why should other realms within it do so?”
“Perhaps you were affected by your time in Tyrannus more than previously thought,” Earl Neighsay Ferrun accused smoothly. “Instead of hoarding gems and gold, you hoard lands, titles, and ponies.”
“The North is not part of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht,” Cadence replied to Arnwulf, ignoring Neighsay’s accusation, “Celestia understands this. It is only the Lodge that seems to have a difficulty with it.”
“You are taking our young nobles and giving them new titles in the North,” Marriette said, “What if they inherit greater titles in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht? The kingdom that your mentor has set up will lose land. Is that your intention?”
“Is the same not true in the other direction?” Twilight Sparkle asked, “Do you also bemoan the Grand Duchy of the North’s loss in territory if the nobles that have moved here inherit greater titles in Cant’r Laht?”
“Our concern is for the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, as should yours be, Twilight Sparkle,” Neighsay said with a frown. “You realize that if our concerns are not addressed, then all the titles of your family will pass out of Cant’r Laht via your brother. House Haltrotsun will end in Cant’r Laht with you lacking any titles to pass on, unless you believe that Celestia will conjure up a new realm for you as well.”
Twilight Sparkle couldn’t like Earl Neighsay’s attitude (especially given his belligerence against Celestia in the Lodge of Sorceresses), but he brought up some good points. The Haltrotsuns held the title of Prince of the City now, and it would be a strange thing indeed if it was held by somepony who did not live in Cant’r Laht, much less the kingdom that shared its name. An exception couldn’t be made for them alone, though, without showing unfair favor. It would need to apply to all, which might prove good for the integrity of both realms but was sure to anger those who would be cut off from inheritance and opportunities to expand their lands.
“The Grand Duchy of the North will remain a dependency of Cant’r Laht for as long as Celestia and Luna rule as regents, but no more. Let us have that settled and understood now,” Cadence said firmly, “Now, what other suggestions do you have? Inheritance is a tricky business, but I believe we can come to an agreement.”
***
Only a couple days more were required to draw up the charter that would settle many of the internal problems facing the Grand Duchy of the North. Negotiations with each party that remained in and around the Crystal City, the bison having departed shortly after meeting with Pinkamena, continued to be held individually and culminated in a great council where everypony was able to finalize the charter. The Brave Companions stuck around only long enough to see their work done and the charter signed before returning via portal to Ponieville.
The Grand Ducal Charter of 1002 4A would bind all vassals and subjects of the North under the same rules—rules they’d all agreed to. The old and new nobility would be held to the same rights and obligations, decided upon in the Table of Ranks that they’d drawn up together. Getting them to agree had been a tricky task for Shining Armor and Rarity, but when the charter stated that anything they had not agreed on would be decided by Cadence—who could decide something that pleased neither party, and they’d have no right to complain about it—they were persuaded to make compromises. The old nobility was placated in being allowed to use their old titles again if they so chose, but no precedence would be given to them because of it; and they had to treat those of the same rank, different title or not, as equals, so the new nobility allowed it.
The matter of inheritance was strictly regulated by the charter. No noble in another realm could inherit a lesser title in the Grand Duchy of the North, and no noble in the North could inherit a lesser title in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. The same (and more) applied to the grand duchess, who could not inherit greater titles outside of the North. With the stroke of a quill, Cadence gave up her right to inherit the Crown of Cant’r Laht. Twilight Sparkle was now first in the line of succession to become Queen of Cant’r Laht upon the deaths or abdications of Celestia and Luna, something very bizarre to her that made her nervous—unnecessarily so, she was sure, as Celestia and Luna would certainly reign another thousand years or more.
The Free Cities would remain free, and Cadence would respect all 437 tenets of the Compendium. Fluttershy had understood them well enough to explain each’s intricacies to the grand duchess, and she’d been happy to agree to all of them. She would also honor Fluttershy’s promise to protect the Free Cities from the bison.
The bison had gone away from the conclave without contributing much, but they were still provided for. The charter promised open markets without extortion to any bison herd that didn’t pillage and plunder, but the point was moot. The bison herds of the North weren’t willing to cease their raiding, they and were going full steam ahead with the plans for forming a khaganate. Cadence knew that it would be some time before all of the North was under her control, but she couldn’t sit idly by if such a thing created turmoil within her realm. She still wished for a peaceful and fair deal with the bison, but if they forced her to act, she would.
All peasants in the North would be given equal rights and protections, something that elevated many of them who’d been under draconian conditions a thousand years ago. Additionally, the charter allowed for those who’d demonstrated ability during the interim without lords to be granted freeholder status. Cadence wouldn’t remove the feudal lords entirely from their lands and they wouldn’t have the same independence as before, but they would retain some measure of freedom. The charter also provided for peasants that felt they could better govern themselves to petition for such rights, even allowing them to go over their local lord’s head and petition Cadence directly. It was something that hadn’t been tried before, to Cadence’s knowledge, but she hoped it would help the realm, especially while it was still stitching itself back together after the Banishment.
Provisions for Hunters were left up to the lords of the realm. Each could set prices or not as they saw fit, so long as they honored the decisions made by their liege in that arena. Wanting to be a well-informed ruler, Cadence also included a resolution in the charter that she was required to invite the Hunter grandmasters every year to the Crystal City to help her set fair prices.
Things would not be entirely the same as they had before King Sombra, but they could not be. The North had found itself thrust into a new age surrounded by unfamiliar realms and strange ponies. They would need to adapt, and Cadence would see that they did so and survived the change. It would take some time before the North was as secure and prosperous as some of Equestria’s other realms, but she was willing to put in the work to make it so. She wouldn’t be on her own either. Under the protection of Regents Celestia and Luna and able to easily reach out to the Brave Companions for help, she was certain that the Grand Duchy of the North would not only survive, but thrive.
Mi Amore, by the grace of Faust Grand Duchess and Megas Doukea of the North, Protector of the Free Cities, Duchess of Raemaela, Karazan, Amided, Bors Katzog, and Allexed, Countess of Marea, Sinds, Norden Rock, Morfen, Petra’s Glade, Onneron, and Lupen Ride, Earlessa of Correnton, Withers, and Margol Stream, at the behest of and with the agreement of the Peers of the Realm, her officials and magistrates, and all of her loyal subjects, and for the Peace and Good of all realms under her crown does resolve the following:
I. First, that the lords of the realm may be referred to and addressed by either their traditional Imperial titles or modern Equestrian titles, and no preference will be shown based upon which title is personally adopted. Lords who profess different titles of the same rank shall be under the same obligations and have all the same liberties. Dukes and Doukes shall be treated identically. Earls and Jaarls shall be treated identically. II. The obligations and liberties of the lords of the realm shall be set in the Table of Ranks, and where no consensus has been reached, the matter shall be decided by the Grand Duchess. III. No Lord who owes fealty not to the Grand Duchess may inherit any title or lands beneath the Crown of the North and through inheritance diminish the integrity of the realm. IV. No Lord who owes fealty to the Grand Duchess may inherit any title or lands beneath the Crown of Cant’r Laht and through inheritance diminish the integrity of that realm. V. The Grand Duchess of the North may not inherit any title of greater precedence than the Crown of the North and through inheritance make the North a lesser title or possession. VI. Any titles that fall vacant due to lack of a suitable heir, as well as any other reason which leaves lands without a lord or lady to rule over them, shall revert to the Grand Duchess. VII. The Grand Duchess of the North has the right to offer any of her lesser titles to any pony of noble birth, from within the Realm or without, so long as they hold no other hereditary titles. VIII. The Free Imperial Cities of the Crystal Empire shall maintain their ancient privileges as Free Northern Cities directly under the Crown of the North. All 437 Tenets of the Compendium shall be respected. IX. The Free Northern Cities are under the direct protection of the Grand Duchess of the North, who will personally defend them against any attacks, including from bison raids and from her own vassals. X. The Grand Duchess has the power to grant Free City status to any town of the Realm that has demonstrated that it would be better administered without intercedence between it and the Crown of the North. XI. A Free Northern City can have its Free City status revoked only for Bankruptcy and Treason. XII. Markets shall be open in all towns to bison herds who have acted in good faith. Markets may be closed to bison herds who have engaged in pillaging and plundering within the Grand Duchy of the North. XIII. Bison may not be charged exorbitant rates in open markets or duties to engage in trade. XIV. All peasants within the realm will be under the same protections as defined by the Grand Duchess. XV. Peasants who have demonstrated ability in the management of land during the interim period where no lords ruled over them shall be granted freeholder status. XVI. Peasants may collectively petition their lord or the Grand Duchess for limited freeholder status where the collective may govern themselves without the interference of a lord or his officers, while still remaining under his rule and subject to all other obligations. XVII. Any peasants who relocate to the Grand Duchy of the North from another realm shall have the same rights and protections as peasants who originally dwelt within it. XVIII. Provision for the slaying of monsters within the realm shall be left up to individual lords and magistrates. XIX. Provisions for the slaying of monsters made by one lord applies to all beneath them. XX. The Grand Duchess shall extend an invitation yearly to the grandmasters of the Hunters whose fortresses lie within the realm to consult them in the fair price for slaying of monsters. XXI. The lords and magistrates of the realm are urged to follow the example of the Grand Duchess in the previous three resolutions. XXII. The Peers of the Realm, being a traditional fixture of the North, shall forever remain to serve the Crown, guiding in its decisions, approving funds levied, and securing the Peace and Good of the realm. XXIII. At the discretion of the Grand Duchess and with the approval of the Peers of the Realm, members may be added and removed as necessary and nothing shall bar a subject of the realm from membership, save Excommunication by the Holy Church. XXIV. The Peers of the Realm hold the responsibility of guiding the Crown and enforcing the resolutions of this Charter. XXV. All the aforementioned resolutions of this Charter shall be binding upon the Grand Duchess and all her heirs, as well as all vassals and subjects of the Crown of the North from now until the end of time.
Scootaloo zipped through Ponieville, using the fluttering of her wings to propel her forward atop the wheeled board she’d constructed. Flight would have been even faster, but she hadn’t managed that yet. Still, this was a quicker method of getting around than galloping, so long as the terrain wasn’t too steep or too muddy. There would be snow upon the ground in a couple months, but for now, her wheels were unencumbered. The only things in her way today were other ponies on Ponieville’s streets, many of whom shouted angrily at her as she wove around or between them.
A couple carts had come to a standstill in the road ahead, the owners arguing over the fairly minor collision that had occurred between them. Scootaloo picked up speed, preparing to turn at the last minute and zip off through an alleyway just before them, but before she could put her hoof down and swing off to the side, a donkey (one of the many new residents in and around the town) stepped out of the alley, unintentionally blocking her way. Looking ahead, Scootaloo knew for sure she wouldn’t be able to stop in time, so she went all in and picked up the pace even more. Her board glided under one of the arguing ponies, and he shouted in surprise as Scootaloo’s hooves touched down on his back, allowing her to launch herself forward. Onto his cart she went, and she quickly scrambled among the casks loaded in the back on her way to the other side. Her board shot out from under the cart and she leapt for it, flapping her wings with all her might in an attempt to reach it. She narrowly landed on the board and struggled, but succeeded, to gain control of it.
“Not bad, kid,” Rainbow Dash commented as Scootaloo glided past the corner where the Hunter trained.
Scootaloo was so shocked by the compliment, she had to turn and make sure it really had been Rainbow Dash, her hero, who’d given it to her. In doing so, she unbalanced her board and, not watching where she was going, ended up crashing into a stand selling brooms and brushes. Rainbow Dash hadn’t seen her crash, though, as she’d already left, leaving nothing but a discarded apple core to mark where she’d been. Even so, Scootaloo knew that Rainbow Dash had given her praise, and that was the most precious thing for her. I have to tell the others!
***
“… and then, I shot past Rainbow Dash and she said, ‘Not bad, kid,’” Scootaloo relayed to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle later that day.
Scootaloo had found the other Cutie Mark Crusaders in the “chapter house” that they’d constructed in an untended part of the Apples’ lands. The trio spent a lot of time there, thinking up ways to earn their cutie-marks that had yet to appear, even after two years of effort. Most ponies their age had their marks already and were beginning apprenticeships with masters in their talent, but the three fillies were still searching. Apple Bloom was taking on more responsibility on the farm, and Sweetie Belle’s parents were pushing her and Scootaloo to find apprenticeships anyway, but none of them were willing to give up on getting their cutie-marks together.
“Wow, that must mean a lot to you,” Sweetie Belle told Scootaloo, knowing how much her friend idolized Rainbow Dash after having to sit through the many stories about the Hunter that Scootaloo had heard from her mother.
“It’s all I’ve ever wanted!” Scootaloo exclaimed, leaning back against a post that shifted the ceiling ominously. “It’s almost as if she told me she wanted to take me under her wing and teach me and be just like a big sister to me!”
“I don’t know, Scoots, it seems like y’ may be readin’ in t’ it t’ much,” Apple Bloom tried to bring her friend down from the cloud she was on.
“Sure, she complimented you, but maybe that’s all it was,” Sweetie Belle added.
“Well, it … it could happen, right?” Scootaloo said, a little sheepishly.
“Sure,” Apple Bloom said uncertainly. Who knew? Stranger things had happened, especially since Twilight Sparkle had come to town.
“I need to find a way to spend more time with her, to convince her how great it would be for her to take me under her wing,” Scootaloo schemed.
“Can’t you just ask her to train you?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Of course not,” Scootaloo replied. “I need her to see how great I am first, so that she’ll have no reason not to train me.”
“Well, if you’re lookin’ for a chance t’ spend more time wi’ Rainbow Dash, maybe y’ an’ her could join me an’ Applejack on our trip int’ th’ Everfree Forest,” Apple Bloom said thoughtfully.
“You’re going into the Everfree Forest?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Why?”
“Applejack is convinced there’re more zap apple trees out there that we can get seeds from t’ plant a new orchard, like Granny Smith did way back when she was a filly,” Apple Bloom explained. “We’re leavin’ two days from now, so long as Applejack doesn’t get called away t’ th’ ends o’ th’ earth again.”
“That’s perfect!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Applejack can convince her to come along to fight the monsters, and the whole time, I’ll be able to show Rainbow Dash my stuff!”
“I wish I could go along with you two,” Sweetie Belle moaned.
“Who says y’ can’t?” Apple Bloom said, and her unicorn friend perked up. “An’ y’ can bring Rarity, too! That’s th’ good thing about our sisters bein’ friends.”
“And saviors of Equestria,” Scootaloo pointed out, “This is going to be so great!”
***
Convincing Rainbow Dash to tag along hadn’t been difficult; there were plenty of Hunters around Ponieville who could defend the town from any fiends that might attack in her absence. The trickier sell had been Rarity, who didn’t want to leave her shop in order to venture into a dangerous and deadly forest. She also didn’t want Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to go but eventually caved when she realized that they wouldn’t. She didn’t doubt Rainbow Dash’s ability to defend the group from monsters, but she did worry that the Hunter wouldn’t be able to keep a strict enough eye on Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both, especially with Apple Bloom there, too. Everypony knew what kind of antics the trio could get up to, and Rarity didn’t want to leave it all up to Applejack, who would have her hooves full with searching for fresh zap apple trees.
“Where’s Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo asked when she arrived at the Apple homestead on the morning of the trip.
Applejack and Apple Bloom were already packed and ready to go, waiting only on Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Rarity, the latter two arriving only shortly after the young pegasus, who’d raced ahead.
“She already arrived an’ went ahead,” Applejack told her, “She’s goin’ t’ stay aloft an’ keep an eye out for monsters an’ zap apple trees. I’m sure she’ll come down now an’ then t’ let us know what she sees, but she won’t be wi’ us until we make camp tonight.”
“Oh, I see,” Scootaloo said disappointedly.
During the day’s trek, the young pegasus was constantly looking up, searching for a sign of Rainbow Dash. They were few and far between, and she sometimes feared that the Hunter had lost them, but then she’d see her streaking across the sky. Sometimes the group would hear roars and sword slashes; when they were close, Scootaloo tried to go and see what horrible beast Rainbow Dash was vanquishing, but she was always held back by Rarity or Applejack. It wasn’t until darkness began to fall over the Everfree Forest that Scootaloo really got to see her hero.
The Hunter had left signs in their path that led them to a clearing next to a stream, one of the many that passed through the Everfree Forest on their way from the White Mountains to the Equestry River. Totems had been pounded into the ground in a circle, long rune-carved branches with smaller twigs at the top tied into a pattern. Rainbow Dash swooped into the clearing, dropping another bundle of branches before zipping off into the stream. After a few seconds skimming through the water, she returned to the circle and tossed river rocks into some of the gaps between the totems.
“There you are. What took you so long? What, did you walk all the way here?” Rainbow Dash said cheekily upon noticing the rest of her party’s arrival.
“As a matter o’ fact, we did,” Applejack replied, unamused.
Scootaloo took a breath to calm her nerves. All day she’d wanted to be with Rainbow Dash, and now her opportunity was here. This was her chance to convince Rainbow that she was skilled and smart, just like the Hunter. She placed her board on the ground and scooted forward to where Rainbow Dash was preparing more totems for the circle.
“Hey, Rainbow Da—” Scootaloo started to say, but lost her voice when a wheel became entangled in a twisted root, flipping the young pegasus over onto her back.
“Hey, are you okay?” Rainbow Dash asked as she trotted over to the winded filly.
“I’m fine,” Scootaloo assured her, bouncing back to her hooves. All she’d hurt was her pride.
“What is all this?” Apple Bloom asked as she poked at one of the totems with her hoof, trying to take attention off her embarrassed friend.
“Once it’s finished, this protective circle will keep out the Everfree’s monsters while we’re sleeping,” Rainbow Dash boasted while she stuck another totem into the ground, “So pitch your tents inside the circle if you don’t want a manticore or a ribex trying to gobble you up in the night.”
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash had all brought tents along with them; though Rainbow Dash insisted she usually needed just a bedroll, despite how the other two had traveled with her on quite a few journeys and knew this wasn’t entirely true. She claimed to have brought it so that Scootaloo would have somewhere to sleep, since Rarity’s would not comfortably fit both her and the two fillies she’d brought along. Scootaloo almost couldn’t believe her ears when Rainbow Dash suggested the two of them share a tent (just like the other pairs of sisters) and jumped at the chance. She also leapt for joy to help Rainbow Dash set up camp, even if that meant she had to fetch firewood and pitch the tent by herself.
She stayed near Rainbow Dash the rest of the evening, sitting beside her as they ate and as the mares talked while the fire grew low. Recently, the Brave Companions had gone to the North (spoken with a capital N), and they were still talking about it. Scootaloo little to nothing about the Old Hunters or Northern politics, but she hung on every word Rainbow Dash said, committing them to memory, just as she’d once enraptly listened while her mother told her stories about the great Hunter.
“We’d best turn in if we’re t’ make an early start on th’ morrow,” Applejack said when the conversation lulled.
“Already?” Scootaloo asked.
“The kid’s got a point,” Rainbow Dash said, causing Scootaloo’s heart to swell with pride. “We can’t turn in without a ‘story.’”
“A story?” Scootaloo said excitedly, “Is it about the time you chased an amaroq down a mountain? Or the time you fought off thirty endregas on your own? Or the time Rarity had wings and you saved her and won the Gauntlet?”
“None of those,” Rainbow Dash said, wondering who Scootaloo had heard the first two from. “I have other, more terrifying tales in mind.”
“Rainbow, is that th’ best idea?” Applejack asked, interrupting the Hunter looming before the fire. “Th’ Everfree Forest is terrifyin’ enough, an’ half our party is, well, young an’ prone t’ night terrors.”
“Oh, come on, Applejack, they’re not foals anymore,” Rainbow Dash said, while the Cutie Mark Crusaders voiced their own objections to Applejack’s critique of their ability to handle scary stories. “Besides, it’ll be Nightmare Night soon.”
“Th’ Night Festival,” Applejack corrected her.
“Even better, now that Luna has erased Nightmare Moon from the night’s terrors and dealt with the Children of the Night,” Rainbow said.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were begging for a story now, so in spite of Applejack’s objections, Rainbow Dash obliged them. As the fire continued to die down and the twisted silhouettes of the Everfree’s trees faded into the dark, Rainbow Dash spun a tale for the foals. She relayed the tale of the Olden Pony, a mysterious creature that took on the guise of an elderly mare and tricked ponies into agreeing to help her search for her rusty horseshoe. When they couldn’t find it, she would take their eyes and add them to her cloak so that they could continue to help her search—as they’d agreed—forever. As she prepared to conclude the tale, Rainbow Dash crept around behind the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they kept their eyes on the storyteller, a cloak draped over her frame.
“Who has my rusty horseshoe? Who has my rusty horseshoe?” Rainbow Dash mimicked an old mare’s voice. “I know who has it. I can see you.”
Blending into the shadows, she seemed to vanish, before reappearing where the foals weren’t looking.
“You have it!” the Hunter cackled from behind the trio, snapping her foreleg out from under the cloak to point at Sweetie Belle and nearly striking her in the muzzle when she spun around in shock.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both broke and ran for the protection of their sisters while Scootaloo stayed put, no less scared, but having no sister of her own and not willing to rush to Rainbow Dash. Applejack and Rarity shot scornful looks at Dash, but the Hunter just swept off her cloak dramatically, causing light and shadow to whirl ominously as she tossed it above what remained of the fire.
“Ha ha ha ha,” Scootaloo laughed nervously to calm herself. “That was some story, Rainbow Dash.”
“Hm, I should have known something like that wouldn’t scare you,” Rainbow Dash replied, though she sounded a bit disappointed. “You’re a tough filly, just like I was.”
And for a brief, bright, shining moment, Scootaloo was as unafraid as she claimed to be, for no other emotions could compete with the joy she felt at Rainbow Dash’s praise. It made it all the harder when the fear returned as Rainbow Dash doused the fire completely. Sweetie Belle, Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Applejack all began to make their ways to their tents, leaving Scootaloo alone in the dark with Rainbow Dash.
“Come on in whenever you’re ready,” Rainbow Dash told her as she made her way to her own tent, her eyes glowing eerily in the blackness, “Don’t venture beyond the protective circle, though.”
“Mm-hmm,” Scootaloo replied nervously as Rainbow Dash left.
The Everfree Forest was as unsafe as places came in Equestria, seconded by the Broken Lands, yet the terror had seemed far off while friends talked around a blazing fire. Now that the friends were abed and the fire had gone out, the forest seemed much more sinister. Without speech drowning them out, Scootaloo could hear underbrush shifting, branches creaking, wings flapping, cries of fights in the dark, and vines slithering on their own. Some were caused by mundane animals that dwelt in the Everfree as they did in any other forest, though most were caused by monsters; yet, despite these very real threats, all Scootaloo could think about was the Olden Pony. Was she out there somewhere? Was that stamp the sound of her three hooves still clad in horseshoes? Was that cackle in the dark the croaking of a creature impersonating an elderly mare? Did somepony just ask after a rusty horseshoe?
The sounds seemed to be all around her, and Scootaloo quickly fled to Rainbow Dash’s tent. The Hunter was already half-asleep when Scootaloo bedded down, telling herself over and over that she was in the safest place she could be. Rainbow Dash had set up a protective circle around the camp, and sleeping next to the Hunter, she would have the best protection she could possibly have. As she assured herself of how safe she was, though not totally believing it, she drifted off to sleep.
***
When Scootaloo awoke, it was still dark outside the tent, but she was sure she could hear something nearby. She tried to rouse Rainbow Dash, but the Hunter was fast asleep and wouldn’t stir. Shaking, the young pegasus peeked her head out of the tent, but nothing was there. A bush outside of the camp’s protective circle stirred, and Scootaloo nearly fled back into the tent, but she reminded herself that she was a brave pony like Rainbow Dash and carefully made her way over to investigate. Fearing what she might find, she searched the bush even more frantically until she was sure that there was nothing there. As she turned back toward the camp, however, her heart nearly stopped. Standing just outside the protective circle, bucking against one of the totems, was the Olden Pony.
“Who has my russssty horssssesshoe?” the Olden Pony asked, glaring wickedly at Scootaloo with her one good eye.
The Olden Pony was blocking her way to the protective circle, otherwise Scootaloo would have dashed for it. Instead, she began to slowly back away, deeper into the Everfree Forest while the Olden Pony continued to stare at her.
“Who has my russssty horssssesshoe?” the Olden Pony asked more forcefully and started to trot toward Scootaloo.
As she came nearer, the edges of her cloak flared up and Scootaloo caught a peek of the eyes underneath. She bolted as quickly as she could away from the Olden Pony, into the tangled growth of the Everfree Forest. Branches and brush caught at her, but she kept on running, even trying to use her wings to help her. After what seemed like an eternity, she stopped running and looked around. She was far away from camp, but there was no sign of the Olden Pony.
“You have my russssty horssssesshoe!” the Olden Pony proclaimed from behind Scootaloo.
Letting out a scream, the pegagus galloped back the way she’d come, unconsciously following the path of mayhem she’d left in her mad dash away from the Olden Pony. As she galloped to safety, she briefly thought she spied somepony coming towards her through the trees, surely the Olden Pony in pursuit. She put on an extra burst of speed as the camp came in sight and ran into the protective circle. She checked extra carefully to make sure the Olden Pony wasn’t around, but if she was, she wouldn’t be able to get past the totems. Breathing a sigh of relief, she entered Rainbow Dash’s tent and laid back down.
“Who has my russssty horsssseshoe?” Scootaloo thought she could hear whispered mere moments after she was in her bedroll.
“Rainbow Dash! Wake up! The Olden Pony is outside!” Scootaloo shouted, trying to rouse the Hunter from her slumber by tugging on the blankets covering her.
“You do!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she surged up. It wasn’t Rainbow Dash who’d been in the Hunter’s bedroll—it was the Olden Pony.
With a scream, Scootaloo jolted awake. She was breathing heavily, but at least her start hadn’t wakened Rainbow Dash, who still slumbered; Scootaloo checked that it was really her in the bedroll this time. She could hear noises outside, something trying to break through the barrier Rainbow Dash had set up, but she wasn’t going to make the mistake of going outside again, even if it had just been a dream before. Scootaloo didn’t think she was ever going to be able to get to sleep again that night, and she rocked back and forth, trying to ignore the noises outside the tent.
***
They broke camp the next morning, without Scootaloo having been able to sleep a wink. Again, Rainbow Dash went aloft to keep an eye out for monsters, plot the path ahead, and seek out signs of zap apples. The others were still earthbound and quested through the Everfree Forest beneath the leafy canopy. Scootaloo started lagging behind early in the journey, finding herself prone to nodding off unless she heard something in the trees. She had a little success standing on her board and using her wings to propel her forward, which continued to flap even when she dozed. Unfortunately, she had no means of directing her course when she wasn’t paying attention, and she went off the path blazed by the others more than once or ran into an obstacle in her way. Despite some rocky and painful patches, she somehow managed to make it through the whole day, with the help of a snooze when the group stopped to eat around noon.
As dusk fell, the five ponies reached the campsite that Rainbow Dash had set up. Her protective totems were not set in a circle tonight, but across the mouth of a cave. There were signs that something had lived in the cave not long ago, and Rainbow hadn’t quite been able to completely wash away the bloodstains it left when it fled from her. Rainbow Dash was seated just inside the cave, sharpening one of her swords, but she set it down and rose as the rest approached.
“This is the best I could find,” the Hunter said, gesturing toward the cave, “What took you so long?”
Applejack looked to Scootaloo, whose lagging behind had slowed the whole group down, and the young pegasus looked away sheepishly.
“Well, no matter, you’re here now,” Rainbow Dash said, noticing Scootaloo’s discomfort. “I set up my tent inside already, but the rest of you can go ahead and set yours up too. While they do that, Scootaloo, can you go get some firewood?”
“Of course,” Scootaloo replied, happy to help Rainbow Dash, before she realized that that meant she’d need to go into the woods by herself.
She should have known that Rainbow Dash had already cleared out all the nearby monsters and was ready to rush to her aid if she found herself in any real danger, but that wasn’t what was on her mind at the moment. Darkness permeated the Everfree Forest, and all the sounds she’d been able to mostly ignore during the day suddenly seemed very loud and ominous indeed. She swore she could see eyes peeking out between the trees and bushes, waiting for her to come close enough that they could eat her. And what if she ran into the Olden Pony? She didn’t want to lose her eyes.
Scootaloo had told Rainbow Dash she would gather firewood, and she did, though not much and not very quickly. It took her several minutes each time to steel herself enough to venture the short distance to some fallen branches, shaking all the time and galloping back. She was careful not to let Rainbow Dash or the others see, though. She wasn’t going to let them know that she was afraid, even if Applejack was growing more aware of the fact. The farmpony helped gather firewood after she’d set up her and Apple Bloom’s tent and, in fact, brought in more than Scootaloo despite working at it for a far shorter amount of time.
As the hours passed, Scootaloo tried to keep everypony awake and talking, hoping to avoid a restless sleep or another sleepless night. She also especially tried to keep Rainbow Dash telling stories about herself to prevent a repeat of the night before. It was no use, though, for once Rainbow announced she had another scary story to tell, Scootaloo couldn’t protest without lessening herself before her idol. Applejack tried to object again, but once again Rainbow insisted, and Scootaloo had to listen in rapt horror as the Hunter spun the tale of the headless horse.
One might think that a horse with no head was not much of a threat, but that was not how Rainbow Dash told things. The headless horse was a strong and sturdy creature, perfect in every way apart from its missing head. It stalked the woods at night in search of a head to complete it and would kill any pony it found to take their head for its own. It seemed that Rainbow Dash’s scary stories all had to do with creatures searching for missing things and stealing body parts, but the repetition didn’t lessen the effect on the Cutie Mark Crusaders—especially not Scootaloo, who was as tightly wound as she could possibly be trying not to show any fear by the time the story was concluded. She nearly jumped to the cave’s ceiling when Rainbow Dash sat down next to her, and she probably would have had her wings allowed her.
In the aftermath, there was nothing to do but go to sleep for the night. Scootaloo’s pleas to stay up and hear more stories from Rainbow Dash about herself were brushed off. She’d reached the limits of the Hunter’s ego, as impossible as that seemed. With everypony else bedding down in the cave—where echoes of the noises in the Everfree Forest outside made the night seem even more ominous—Scootaloo had no choice but to do so, too. She tried to stay awake with a noble amount of effort, but her sleepless night before and a long day without many chances to catch up on rest caused her to drift off, her heart still pounding in her ears.
***
Scootaloo was walking in the woods to fetch some firewood, but she wasn’t having any luck, and the branches she tried to break off trees wouldn’t budge. Owls hooted and wolves howled in the distance, but that didn’t scare her. What scared her was the ghostly sound of hoofbeats coming from behind. She picked up her pace as she continued to search for firewood, and the hoofbeats became faster. Scootaloo gave up her search and began to canter, and the hoofbeats sped up again. She broke into a gallop, nearly tripping over protruding roots and running into branches that smacked against her face. She stopped just before tumbling into a ravine, but the side gave way and she scrambled for purchase unsuccessfully, sliding down with the scree that trapped her. She was stuck looking back up the way she had come, and she watched in horror as a pony trotted up to stand where she’d been moments before. Silhouetted by the moon, it was clear to see that the pony had no head; its neck ended in a headless stump.
“The headless horse!” Scootaloo screamed in terror as the abomination breathed heavily and steam jetted from its neck.
Scootaloo’s eyes were fixed on the jet-black draft horse, so she couldn’t fail to notice as it … rippled, somehow. The headless horse was sucked away into the moon and another all-black pony took its place, though this one with a head of her own. Nightmare Moon, Scootaloo was sure, though the alicorn quickly appeared less sinister, resolving into a dark blue pony in regal attire, her mane and tail drifting in an unseen wind and filled with stars.
“Fear not, little filly,” Luna proclaimed as she made her way effortlessly down the slope.
“Luna?” Scootaloo asked as she found herself miraculously freed from the soil that had been pinning her down. “I mean, your royal highness Regent Luna. I thought you were the headless horse.”
“Be at ease, Scootaloo,” Luna said as the pegasus tried to bow. “I am no headless horse.”
“And I am so glad you’re not … but what are you doing here? How did you get here?” Scootaloo asked.
It wasn’t often that Cant’r Laht’s rulers appeared out of thin air, and when they did, it was usually through a portal. Scootaloo had seen Rainbow Dash leave through portals conjured by Twilight Sparkle recently, but she’d seen nothing of the sort here.
“My royal sister hath been negligent in her nightly duties for the past millennium, as have I since my return. Now, however, I have returned to watching over my subjects’ dreams while they do sleep,” Luna explained.
“I’m asleep? This is a dream?” Scootaloo asked, looking around. “It all seems so real.”
“Come, take my hoof, little foal,” Luna commanded, stretching out a foreleg.
Scootaloo complied, and the next moment, they were soaring up into the air, passing through the forest’s leaves as if they were nothing. A viscous barrier stood in their way, but they quickly passed through that as well, and Scootaloo found herself staring out over not the Everfree Forest, but a vast glassy expanse of water filled with lights.
“What is this place?” Scootaloo asked, marveling at the sight and how echoey her voice sounded.
“This is the ocean of dreams, the place where ponies’ minds do venture while they sleep,” Luna said, gazing out across the expanse, “Usually, the surface of the ocean is calm, but when one’s dreams are troubled, their struggles churn up the waters. This affects not only their sleep, but the dreams of others nearby.”
Scootaloo could see the ripples still traveling outward from her own nightmare, causing other lights in the ocean to bob up and down.
“Scootaloo, if I return thee to thy dreams, now that thou knowest that thou art dreaming, thou shalt not be troubled by night terrors. However, when thou returnest to the waking world, that which thou fearest most shalt still exist,” Luna cautioned her.
“The headless horse?” Scootaloo asked.
“Is that truly what thou fearest most?” Luna asked.
Scootaloo reflected for a minute, before admitting, “If Rainbow Dash finds out I’m not as tough as she thinks I am, then I lose my chance to be taken under her wing.” Luna nodded knowingly.
“Everypony hath fears, Scootaloo, and everypony must face them in their own way,” Luna told her. “But they can nay be ignored; they must be faced, or thy nightmares shall continue.”
Luna let her go, and Scootaloo fell into the ocean of dreams, sinking rapidly beneath the surface.
***
She bolted awake covered in a cold sweat, convinced for a second that she was drowning in the ocean of dreams. The filly soon realized that she was not, in fact, drowning, but was in a tent with Rainbow Dash. She tried to determine if she was still dreaming, but with no way to tell, she had to assume she was awake. Scootaloo poked her head out of the tent and looked around the darkened cave where the ponies had set up camp. The barrier still stood across the cave entrance, and there were no monsters in sight.
Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief, until she heard a sound coming from deeper inside the cave. What if Rainbow Dash—as amazing as she was—hadn’t managed to catch everything in the cave? She started to make her way back to the tent but stopped when she heard the sound of hoofbeats from inside the cave. She’d told Luna that the headless horse was not what she feared most, but that didn’t mean she didn’t still fear the decapitated pony. Whether it was reality or just her imagination, the hoofsteps grew louder, and Scootaloo bolted.
She galloped past the carefully placed protective totems, out into the Everfree Forest. Monsters groaned and screeched from among the trees, but the only thing Scootaloo could hear was the ghostly hoofbeats of the headless horse. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she had to keep running or the headless horse would get her. Blinded by fear, she crashed through the undergrowth, startling creeping things and snapping sentient foliage. Scootaloo let out a yelp as she slipped over the edge of a slope, just like in her nightmare, and went tumbling down. Instead of becoming half-buried in scree, however, she landed in a tangled oversized spider-web. Scootaloo struggled to break free, but she just couldn’t.
“Help! Somepony help me!” she screamed, “Rainbow Dash! Luna!”
The web trembled as something higher up moved on it, and all thoughts of the headless horse were banished from Scootaloo’s mind as it turned to giant spiders. One of their hairy forms was nearly visible above if she turned her head to the extent she could while it was stuck to the web. Had she been a Hunter like Rainbow Dash, she’d have been aware that the giant spider was known as an arachnas, and that arachnasae lived in large colonies of interconnected webs. It was probably best that she didn’t know this fact, as she’d only have become more terrified when she realized what the increased thrumming on the web meant.
“Rainbow Dash! Somepony! Help me!” Scootaloo screamed and whimpered as the arachnasae crawled closer.
A blade swung through the dark, decapitating the lead ararchnas, and the others chittered and yelled in fear and anger. A Hunter swept around the web, striking at arachnasae until her sword was coated in black blood. Scootaloo opened her eyes to see Rainbow Dash cutting through arachnasae and the web.
“Rainbow Dash!” she yelled in relief.
“Stay still, kid; I’ll have you out of here in a second,” Rainbow replied around her sword in between kills.
With one last slash through the webbing, Scootaloo tumbled to the ground. Now that she could see what was coming for her, the terror returned. Hundreds of giant spiders were clambering over the web, desperate to kill her or Rainbow Dash. Before they could, the Hunter grabbed Scootaloo and flew away with her above the trees. Arachnasae skittered over the treetops, boxing with their forelimbs up at the pegasis; unable to fly themselves, they admitted defeat and returned to their colony. Rainbow Dash landed near the cave, where the others were sleeping.
“What were you thinking, going out beyond the barrier alone at night?” Rainbow demanded of Scootaloo, “And so far beyond!”
“I … I … I’m sorry!” Scootaloo broke down crying. “I wanted to be brave like you, so you’d take me under your wing! Like Applejack and Apple Bloom. Or Rarity and Sweetie Belle. But I was scared! I was scared of the Olden Pony … and the headless horse … and that you’d find out I wasn’t as brave as you at all! I was scared, so I ran … and … and ….”
“I understand,” Rainbow Dash said as she placed a hoof awkwardly on Scootaloo’s web-covered back. “It’s okay to be afraid, and it’s brave to admit that. And … if you’re looking for somepony to take you under their wing and be a sister to you … well, I might be able to fill the role.”
“R-really?” Scootaloo asked through a veil of tears.
“Yeah, so long as you promise not to go running off on your own in the Everfree Forest anymore,” Rainbow Dash said.
***
“Hurry up!” Rainbow Dash called the next day.
She’d spotted a patch of unusual leaves nearby and, upon investigation, had found a grove of trees laden with shiny gray apples. The rest of the group had altered their course with due haste, but recent developments made it critical they get there soon. The sky above the grove had cleared of clouds, and the trunks and branches had begun to glow. The earthbound ponies galloped through the undergrowth. When the Hunter saw Scootaloo falling behind, she swooped down and lifted her over the treetops, carrying her ahead to the zap apple grove. As aurorae flashed in the sky, Scootaloo began to float upwards. Energy flashed through the grove as the zap apples made their final transformation, some of them exploding and scattering seeds the way they never did outside of the Everfree Forest. Applejack would have her new zap apple grove, and she’d arrived just in time. Though it wasn’t evident at first glance, some of the trees at the edges of the grove were dying, choked out by dark vines that ate up the magic greedily. The zap apple grove might not last to give fruit another time.
Luna lay on her back on a grassy hillside, staring up at the sky. Clouds of every hue moved about of their own volition, often contrary to the direction of the wind. Birds and plenty of other winged and unwinged creatures flew through the sky—badly, in most cases. Having grown up under Discord’s reign, the filly had no way of knowing which pieces of the scene were natural or unnatural, but she marveled at it regardless.
“What are you doing, Luna?” Celestia asked as she approached, looking down at her younger sister.
“Oh, I was just thinking about how wonderful it would be to fly,” Luna said, still gazing up at the sky. “Up there, soaring among the clouds, with all of Equestria stretched out beneath you ….”
“Useful for bypassing mountains, certainly, but the same can be done with the right spell,” Celestia replied sardonically.
“There’s more to it than that,” Luna said dreamily. “Imagine breaking your bond with the earth—at will—and seeing the world from a new perspective.”
Since the two of them had been banished from Pasturknack, they’d wandered Equestria, searching for a place to live. In four years, they’d had no permanent luck. Sooner or later, ponies would discover the two of them had an affinity for magic and throw them out of the town, sending them on the road again. They could have given up on sorcery entirely, but that wasn’t an option for Celestia, and if it wasn’t an option for Celestia, then it wasn’t one for Luna either. The elder filly—a full-grown mare now, though her aging had slowed thanks to an old spell she’d discovered—took care of her sister, and was also the grounding presence that kept the daydreamer from drifting away. Mages were feared because they were associated with Discord’s chaos, and Celestia was determined to fix that by rediscovering the old knowledge of sorcery lost after Discord had begun his rule. That was her stated goal, at least, but she was also concerned with amassing sorcerous power—to protect her and her sister, but also so she could return to Pasturknack one day and repay the town for how they’d treated the two of them.
“We should keep moving,” Celestia said dourly, looking away. “It’s not far now.”
“Where is it this time?” Luna asked as she rose to her hooves and brushed herself off.
“Manerthan,” Celestia replied, looking down the hill toward the city of red brick in the distance while Luna picked up her saddlebags. “Hopefully, they’re friendlier to sorceresses there.”
Rainbow Dash flew through the Bloodpeak Mountains, with as much of her gear as she could carry strapped to her back and saddlebags. The Bloodpeak Mountains were about as inhospitable as terrain got in Equestria; ranges of razor-sharp peaks jutted up through the clouds that perpetually hung in the sky, snow clinging desperately to the few surfaces that weren’t too steep for it to slide off. The interior of the mountains was practically uninhabited, apart from one key exception. Castle Thorn appeared out of the clouds, built inside one of the broader mountains. Only its gate was visible to Rainbow Dash, flanked by blue-and-yellow banners hanging limply, one with a crescent of thorns, one with a winged lightning bolt. The former was the symbol of the Order of the Thorn, a unique Hunter order with no permanence whose members were firstly members of other orders but took more pride in being Hunters of the Thorn. It was a Hunter order that served only one purpose—to prepare Hunters for the other order represented here, an order with only six members: the Wonderbolts.
Not long after returning from her trip into the Everfree Forest to search for zap apples, Rainbow Dash had received a letter inviting her to Castle Thorn to join the order. It was a dream come true for the Hunter, whose ultimate ambition was to become a Wonderbolt, and this was the first step. A date had been specified for when she was to be at the castle, and she intended to make it. After saying goodbye to her friends, the Hunter headed north on her own, past the Hill Kingdoms and her old home of Glydrfell and through the lands of King Hadish of Manehattan, until she reached the Bloodpeak Mountains.
Castle Thorn’s gate was an arched opening in the side of the mountain, with arrow slits around it. There was a small natural ledge before the gate, made larger with a rickety wooden platform, but Rainbow Dash breezed over them without landing. The gates within the tunnel through which she flew had been opened and the portcullis was raised, so she had no difficulty entering the fortress. There was a wide-open space at its center, though most of the sky was blocked off by sharp peaks that curled inward overhead like a dome. The space below had been leveled with paving stones wherever there wasn’t a building. Rainbow Dash flew over to where a group of Hunters had congregated, most of them still looking around at the mostly abandoned fortress.
There were five of them at the moment besides Rainbow Dash, Hunters from across Equestria and beyond. The Orders Raven, Eagle, Bat, Owl, and Kite were all represented, and Rainbow Dash added Falcon. While they were waiting, two other Hunters arrived. One was a stallion from the Order of the Gull so bulging with muscles that it was a miracle his wings were able to lift him off the ground. The other was a mare from the Order of the Wren, a turquoise pegasus with a gold and orange mane and a scar across her nose. Apparently, she was the last to arrive, for no sooner had the Wren member landed with the others than Spitfire swooped down from wherever she’d been hiding and watching the new recruits.
“Welcome to the Order of the Thorn,” the captain of the Wonderbolts said as she landed, “That is, if you’re worthy of it. That remains to be seen. You will be tried in the coming days, and pray you are not found wanting.”
This Spitfire was not like the Spitfire that Rainbow Dash had met at the Gauntlet and the Grand Galloping Gala, but that was to be expected. Then they’d met as, if not equals, then something approaching it. Now Rainbow Dash and the other Hunters here had come as petitioners to plead for inclusion in the Order of the Thorn and eventually the Wonderbolts. Spitfire would be hard and critical, as was her right as Wonderbolt captain. Whenever a Wonderbolt died, a new member had to be chosen, and they were nearly always members of the Order of the Thorn. It was the responsibility of all of them to be sure that Hunters of the Thorn were worthy of the title and the possibility that they might one day become Wonderbolts.
“Do you think you are ready to be a Wonderbolt?” Spitfire demanded of one of the recruits.
“Yes,” she replied quickly, and Spitfire eyed her skeptically, “I mean, I … I don’t … maybe not yet, ma’am.”
“What about you?” Spitfire demanded of the bulky Gull Hunter, “Do you think you belong in the Order of the Thorn?”
“If not, then why was I invited?” the Hunter replied, starting boldly, but beginning to trail off as Spitfire intimidated him.
“You’re Fire Streak’s choice, aren’t you?” Spitfire asked as she eyed him. “I wouldn’t discount a mistake.”
As Rainbow Dash would later learn, when the Wonderbolts wished to recruit new members to the Order of the Thorn, they were each allowed to invite one Hunter, apart from the captain and the newest Wonderbolt, who could each invite two. None of the recruits knew who had invited them, but Rainbow Dash suspected that Spitfire had been the one to put her name forward. She was honored that the captain of the Wonderbolts would choose her, though she did wonder who Spitfire’s other choice had been.
“You think you’re a great Hunter? You think you have what it takes to be part of the Order of the Thorn?” Spitfire directed her demands at Rainbow Dash. “I would wager that you won’t last the week.”
“A piece of advice, ma’am; save your coin, for that is not a sound wager,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I will not leave, and I will not fail.”
“Hmm. And you?” Spitfire addressed the latecomer, “If you had so much trouble getting here that you arrived last, I doubt you’ll prove worthy.”
“You’re wrong; it was no trouble at all,” the pegasus replied bluntly. “In fact, I’m sure I could outfly you!”
“Is that so?” Spitfire asked, unamused by the challenge and the lack of respect.
“I don’t expect your little trials will be much of a challenge for a Hunter like me,” the recruit boasted. “Least of all a little flight through the Bloodpeak Mountains.”
“Pretty confident, aren’t you? You want to prove yourself? Fine. There is an outpost seven leagues northeast of here that could use some supplies. Supply it, and we’ll see how good you really are at traversing these mountains,” Spitfire ordered, gesturing to a collection of sacks piled against a nearby building. “All of you.”
Several of the other recruits shot hostile looks at the latecomer for saddling them with a test straightaway, but none complained aloud. The turquoise pegasus only smiled and trotted over to the pile of sacks. Rainbow Dash followed her and soon, so did the other recruits. Wanted or not, this was a test, and none of them wanted to start their initiation into the Order of the Thorn by getting on Spitfire’s bad side.
***
It was a perilous journey through the Bloodpeak Mountains, but the trial was nothing seasoned Hunters with enough potential to be invited into the Order of the Thorn couldn’t handle. It was still a challenge, and not just for the individuals. Rainbow Dash was determined to be the swiftest, but when she arrived at the outpost, the cocky mare who’d challenged Spitfire had preceded her. She was able to make some time up on the way back, taking shortcuts through the mountains wherever possible, and spotted the turquoise mare approaching Castle Thorn parallel to her as they neared the fortress. Spotting each other, each put on a burst of speed, zipping past the last few peaks and around the perilous outcroppings that jutted from the mountain Castle Thorn was built into from all directions. They descended on the courtyard from above, both landing near the waiting Spitfire—in the process of mending her armor—at the same moment.
“Hmm, not bad,” Spitfire commented, sparing the pair only the briefest of glances, “For recruits, of course. Find yourselves something to eat.”
“I’m Rainbow Dash,” Rainbow introduced herself as they retrieved their personal possessions from where they’d left them.
“Lightning Dust,” the turquoise mare offered up her own name, “You’re pretty fast.”
“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself,” Rainbow replied.
“I know,” Lightning Dust said. “Come on, let’s get some grub.”
***
Over the following days, Spitfire put the recruits through various challenges to gauge their abilities, as well as subjecting them to manual labor. Unlike other Hunter keeps, no Hunters lived in Castle Thorn permanently, so there was nopony to repair and resupply the castle and its outposts. Hunters of the Thorn had a whole other order’s keep to look after, and the Wonderbolts were here even less frequently than them (nor were they willing to engage in such work anyway). Because of this lack of consistent upkeep, any problem that didn’t immediately threaten the integrity of the fortress was kicked along until a batch of bright-eyed recruits came in and whatever Wonderbolt had taken on testing them could dig up the to-do list and take advantage of the influx of horsepower.
There was still slate dust in some of the recruits’ tails left over from their work retiling the castle’s roofs as they stood in a line awaiting Spitfire’s next challenge. While they’d been busy repairing Castle Thorn, Spitfire had been busy as well, assembling the obstacle course that stood before them. A tangled forest of wooden beams and rope had been built up, similar to the challenge that Rainbow Dash had faced in the Gauntlet but more complex and unnavigable.
“Listen up!” Spitfire bellowed. “This next challenge will test your ability to fight agilely in tight spaces. Consider you’re fighting a swarm of rakkeheim in a forest of poisonous thorns and you need to take them all down without poisoning yourself. That is your challenge here. Make it through, hit all the targets, and don’t bump into anything. And be quick about it. You, you’re up first.”
“Me?” asked the mare that Spitfire had thrust her hoof out toward.
“Of course you,” Spitfire said testily. “Go!”
The Hunter hurried to the obstacle course, grabbing a practice sword along the way. She dove in through the only obvious entrance to the maze and zipped around inside, striking the painted targets with her sword and causing a bell to chime whenever she did. Spitfire observed from above, counting each bell chime and each time the recruit bumped into or brushed against a piece of the course. Eventually, she emerged from the other side and trotted over to rejoin the other Wonderbolt hopefuls.
“Not bad, though if this were real, you’d be dead,” Spitfire said unenthusiastically as she landed. “You collided with twelve obstacles and you could have been quicker, but not bad. All right, Rainbow Dash. Let’s see what you can do.”
Rainbow Dash grabbed a practice sword in her teeth and approached the obstacle course. She had no idea what the path was through it, for it was too dense for her to have seen more than glimpses of her predecessor during her run, so the only thing to do was charge in. She rushed in as quickly as she could, dodging posts and hanging ropes as she wove her way deftly past every obstacle. Targets whirred by and she struck them, bells chiming almost continuously. Before she knew it, she was shooting out the other end of the course and she looped back around, dropping her sword back where she’d gotten it from before landing with the other recruits.
“Now that’s impressive,” Spitfire praised her, and Rainbow’s heart swelled with pride. “That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen this course done, and without missing a single target or hitting a single obstacle. Good job, Rainbow Dash, I knew you were a good pick.”
Rainbow Dash swelled with pride even more than before. Spitfire had been the one to nominate her for the Order of the Thorn after all! Rainbow Dash could see herself becoming a Wonderbolt herself already, with the great Spitfire’s approval.
“Lightning Dust, you’re next,” Spitfire ordered.
The Wren Hunter trotted toward the cache of practice swords, but before grabbing one, she first slipped a blindfold over her eyes.
“What are you—” Spitfire started to ask, but Lightning Dust grabbed a sword and took off like a shot toward the obstacle course.
She zipped through it, bells dinging again and again as she wove through. It took her longer than Rainbow Dash to complete it, but not by much, and she whipped off her blindfold as she exited the maze.
“Fast, and you only hit two obstacles, but what were you thinking?” Spitfire demanded of Lightning Dust as she landed in front of her. “Doing the course blindfolded was not part of the challenge!”
“Wasn’t it?” Lightning Dust asked smugly. “Rakkeheim can blind you with their gaze, so the safest way to fight them is blindfolded.”
“Hmm, I suppose so,” Spitfire said begrudgingly. “Get back with the others, and none of the rest of you try anything funny like that!”
The rest of the trial proceeded without incident. The other Hunters ran the course, but none of them came close to doing it as quickly as Rainbow Dash or Lightning Dust, or with so few errors. The two elite Hunters were able to spend the time basking in their own glory. Over the past days, the two of them had gotten to know each other better, and Rainbow Dash liked Lightning Dust, even if she did tend to show off.
“If you’re going to be a Hunter of the Thorn, or—Faust forbid you get any ideas into your little pony minds—a Wonderbolt, most of you are going to have to do much better and face harder challenges than this,” Spitfire said once everypony had gone through the course. “From now on, you won’t be facing the challenges alone, though. A Hunter is strongest when they’re working in a team, just like the Wonderbolts do. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be working in pairs. I’ll post the list in the morning, along with who will be lead pony and who will be wingpony. Until then, you are all dismissed, and good luck.”
“Like the two of us’ll need luck,” Lightning Dust snorted to Rainbow Dash, and she was forced to agree.
***
“Come in!” Spitfire called as knocking sounded urgently on her study’s door.
Unlike much of Castle Thorn, this study was truly hers and hers alone as captain of the Wonderbolts. Not that she spent much time in it. Spitfire had always believed that a Hunter’s place was on the road, never settled, always seeking the next Hunt. Her position as Wonderbolt Captain suited her, for the Wonderbolts were always on the move. There was no temptation to settle down in Castle Thorn, either, for though there were plenty of monsters surrounding it, there was nopony to pay for their elimination. She hadn’t made the study her own so much as added another layer to what all the Wonderbolt Captains before her had left. One bookcase was filled with tomes and scrolls on monsters that saw some use, but the rest of the furniture along the walls (and the walls themselves) were covered in trophies and memorabilia from previous captains. Skulls and claws, trinkets and ancient weapons, bits and bobs of Hunter armor—including the cape of Spitfire’s predecessor, the blood from Deadshot’s final wound still stained into it. Many of the mementos were macabre, but no Wonderbolt Captain worth her oats would shy away from them.
“Captain Spitfire, can I speak with you?” Rainbow Dash asked as she trotted into the study.
Spitfire sighed heavily as she pushed away the ledger she’d been filling out. She’d been expecting this.
“About the list?” Spitfire asked, staring down the young Hunter with steely eyes whose glow could be seen in the study, the room darkened by trophies stacked up in front of the windows.
“Yes, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash replied. “You know I’m the best Hunter out of all the candidates.”
“Are you?” Spitfire challenged her.
“Yes, I am,” Rainbow Dash replied after taking a moment to think back on all the challenges of the past few days in which she’d come out on top, “Why did you make me a wingpony?”
“You and Lightning Dust are leagues ahead of the other Hunters. You wouldn’t pair Baynar the Bold with a Hunter just out of the Order of the Sparrow, would you? It wouldn’t end well for either of them. I believe that, together, the two of you will be an unstoppable team, perhaps the best the Order of the Thorn has seen in centuries. Do you think I’m wrong?”
“No, of course not,” Rainbow Dash sputtered, “But why wasn’t I made lead pony?”
“You and Lightning Dust are both skilled Hunters, but she tends to push her limits more than you,” Spitfire explained. “That’s why she’s lead pony and not you. Do you still have a problem with my decision?”
“No, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash said remorsefully, and she turned to leave the study.
***
Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust glided together through the jagged Bloodpeak Mountains. They were not quite side-by-side, a fact that galled Rainbow Dash; as wingpony, she had to protect Lightning Dust’s rear, and so flew slightly back from her. They and the other recruits had been sent out in pairs on a Hunt by Spitfire, the first test of how they would work together.
“There’s one!” Rainbow Dash called out as she spotted an antlered creature galloping impossibly across the slopes below.
“Uh-huh,” Lightning Dust replied, still scanning the ground herself but giving no command to go after the beast.
Rainbow Dash was miffed. This was the third strag she’d spotted, and Lightning Dust had yet to call for an attack on any of them. There was a time limit on this test, the approaching sunset, at which point they were to present all the strag hides they’d managed to obtain to Spitfire; so far, they’d obtained none. Strags looked much like deer from a distance but were much larger and tended to tear out the throats of their lookalikes with their sharpened teeth if given the chance. They were tough to kill, but not overly so, and the two Hunters could easily have taken down at least two of the strags Rainbow had spotted by now. Lightning Dust seemed uninterested in the Hunt, however. Another strag appeared, jumping out of a cleft in the rock, and Rainbow Dash waited for Lightning Dust to call it out this time, in case she was stubbornly refusing to attack any strags she didn’t spot first herself.
“Are we going to hunt any strags today?” Rainbow Dash asked in exasperation when the strag clearly galloped across Lightning Dust’s field of vision, but the lead pony still said nothing.
“Of course. Well, we’ll collect their hides, anyway,” Lightning Dust replied, “I heard Nimbus talking about a parraglut that lives around here somewhere. We just need to wake it up.”
“Isn’t that a bit … dangerous?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Oh, yeah, but you want to win this thing, don’t you?” Lightning Dust asked.
“Of course,” Rainbow Dash said, though she was still unsure about her partner’s plan.
“Then follow my lead.”
Lightning Dust spied something that caught her attention at last and dove toward the ground. A strag brayed as she and Rainbow Dash swooped past it, first one and then both of them slicing at the trees they passed with their swords. The ground began to tremble, and Lightning Dust led the way back up into the sky. The little valley they’d been flying over was in motion now, the parraglut that had been underneath it digging itself out enough to strike at what had cut it. The trees weren’t trees at all, but extensions of its body that sprouted from long spiked tentacles, and the giant flower bud that Lightning Dust had spotted in the middle of the valley opened up into a beak filled with rings of teeth. A roaring screech went up from the angry parraglut, scaring away the rest of the birds that had been nesting in the not-trees. The screech drew the attention of all the strags in the valley; growing angry at the noise, they charged the parraglut, some prepared to use their antlers and others their knife-sharp teeth. The parraglut made quick work of them, slapping dozens to death with its tentacles and throwing many of them up into the air. In a few minutes, no living strag remained—just the parraglut.
“Now what do we do?” Rainbow Dash asked when it became clear that the parraglut did not intend to calm down and rebury itself any time soon.
“Now we have some fun,” Lightning Dust said with a wicked glint in her eye.
She descended toward the parraglut, dodging its flailing tentacles, and Rainbow Dash followed, trying to stay close without getting pulverized. It wasn’t easy, especially when Lightning Dust threaded through narrow gaps that were even narrower by the time Rainbow reached them. Both Hunters were throwing bombs at the parraglut, but it was such a massive beast that they had little effect.
Lightning Dust shot back up into the air and Rainbow Dash tried to follow. On her way up, however, she was hit by a tentacle, false branches of a false tree scratching where her armor didn’t protect her and sending her into an uncontrolled spin. By the time she recovered, Lightning Dust was diving toward the parraglut’s maw. She disappeared between its beak while Rainbow Dash tried to rejoin her. She continued to slash at the parraglut, trying to at least clear a path through the forest of lashing tentacles, if not to kill the beast. Lightning Dust finally reemerged from a hole cut out of the beast near its beak, covered in blood and bile. A few seconds later, underground rumblings signaled the detonation of the cluster of bombs she’d left behind. The parraglut’s spasms grew weaker until it collapsed, dead.
“Come on,” Lightning Dust told Rainbow Dash, flying in a loop to shake off most of the monster remains coating her. “The strags aren’t going to skin themselves.”
Rainbow Dash flew along after her, acutely conscious of the injuries she’d sustained in the fight. She’d been hurt and Lightning Dust could easily have died in myriad ways while inside the parraglut. However, they’d surely win with all the strag hides ripe for the taking, and apparently that was what Spitfire cared about, no matter the cost.
***
“Ugh, clearing clouds is so beneath Hunters, not to mention Wonderbolts,” Lightning Dust complained to Rainbow Dash.
“I guess that’s why Spitfire isn’t out here with us,” Rainbow Dash replied, trying to make light of the situation as she pounded a cloud to pieces.
Over the last few days since she’d been paired with Lightning Dust, she’d come to like the other Hunter less and less. She still had to admit that Lightning Dust was an incredibly skilled flier, but she didn’t seem to care about anything except being the best or anypony other than herself. Maybe she was more annoyed by it than usual because they were some of the same qualities one could attribute to her, but she’d never admit it. Lightning Dust was also incredibly reckless, sometimes seeming to take risks simply because she could. More often than not, it was Rainbow Dash who suffered the consequences of Lightning Dust’s bravado. She was covered in half-healed injuries, and it was really beginning to affect her performance. She should have been able to clear the patch of sky that Spitfire had assigned to them easily, but she was slower and less precise that usual due to Lightning Dust.
“I guess,” Lightning Dust snorted, unamused, “She just wants to keep us out here doing her grunt work, but the two of us should be Wonderbolts already. Say … I have an idea for how we can finish this off in no time at all.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash asked, taking a break from cloud kicking.
“We create a cyclone. I’m sure the two of us can pull it off,” Lightning Dust suggested.
Rainbow Dash sighed. It was always something big and dangerous with Lightning Dust. A cyclone might do the job, but it could also go very badly awry, especially with the other recruits clearing their own patches of sky nearby. And then there was the matter of how a cyclone might affect Castle Thorn beneath them. Would the overarching rock protect it, or would a cyclone tear up the outdoor supplies and the roof tiles? However, just like every other time that Lightning Dust had had a risky suggestion in the past days, the same thing came to Rainbow Dash’s mind. Spitfire’s words about Lightning Dust pushing herself harder echoed in her head, and she didn’t want Spitfire to think she wasn’t giving this her all.
“Let’s do it,” Rainbow Dash said.
The two Hunters established their circuit and began to fly in circles, following each other. They shaped the air between them and formed a funnel, which began to take visible shape as a bit of cloud was sucked in. The cyclone quickly grew and grew, but together the two Hunters were able to direct where it should go, keeping it clear of the others and the castle—for a time, that is. It was Lightning Dust who first began to lose control, unable to respond quickly enough to the changing winds as the cyclone grew. She was thrown free and Rainbow Dash followed her unwillingly a few seconds later. The cyclone had taken on a life of its own now and proceeded to move around unpredictably. The other Hunter recruits had all turned to watch as Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust had constructed it and were well-prepared to fly out of its way. Unprepared, unfortunately, were the new arrivals at Castle Thorn.
The other Brave Companions had just arrived, hoping to meet with Rainbow Dash and hear how things were going. Assuming correctly that suddenly appearing in the courtyard or within a building would not be well-received by the resident Wonderbolts, Twilight Sparkle had opened a portal to the castle’s entrance mere seconds before the cyclone whirled past it. The long tunnel into Castle Thorn became a pipe filled with wind as the cyclone sucked air through it, dragging the Brave Companions out into the air and over the jagged mountains. Twilight Sparkle tried to open another portal to save them, but an unsecured barrel that was pulled out with them struck her unconscious.
“No!” Rainbow Dash yelled when she realized what was happening.
Still partially stunned, she pushed herself off the mostly intact cloud she’d landed upon and dove toward her friends. She wouldn’t be able to catch all of them in time, but fortunately, she didn’t have to. The other recruits dove in pairs to catch her falling friends and brought them back up to Castle Thorn while the cyclone spun itself out.
“Are you all okay? Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked in the castle’s courtyard, and the sorceress groaned an affirmation as she came to. “What are you doing here?”
“We wanted to visit you!” Pinkamena said cheerily.
“Well, that’s nice,” Rainbow Dash said, still a little frazzled. “Kind of forbidden, but nice.”
“I had no idea there were storms like that in the Bloodpeak Mountains,” Twilight Sparkle said as she rubbed her head with a hoof, “I certainly did not see any when I scried it out before coming. What happened?”
“All right! We did it!” Lightning Dust exclaimed as she landed next to Rainbow Dash, “I knew that cyclone would be a good idea.”
“That ‘good idea’ almost killed my friends!” Rainbow replied angrily, gesturing to the five ponies and dragon around which the other recruits were gathered.
“Almost,” Spitfire emphasized with a grin that made Rainbow Dash want to scream. “It didn’t, though, and we cleared our clouds and then some. I don’t see what the problem is.”
“You’re too reckless!”
“Hey, for ponies with skills like us, it’s called being aggressive,” Lightning Dust argued.
“No,” Rainbow Dash stamped her hoof down, taking the stand she should have taken days earlier. “I understand that you want to push yourself and be the best, and I do too, but you take things too far.”
“Maybe I was wrong,” Lightning Dust said with a frown. “Maybe you’re not Wonderbolt material after all. After all, they don’t seem to think I take things too far. Spitfire made me lead pony, not you.”
“You’re right,” Rainbow Dash replied after taking a deep breath, but with very different meaning than all the other times that she’d agreed with something Lightning Dust had said in the last few days.
***
“What is it this time, Rainbow Dash?” Spitfire asked as the Hunter let herself into the captain’s office. “Surely you don’t have an objection to clearing clouds.”
“No, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“Then you’d better get back out there and finish the job I gave you,” Spitfire said as she glanced up from the letter she was reading.
“The job is done, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash said stiffly. “Lightning Dust suggested we create a cyclone to clear the clouds.”
“Well, if the job is done, then it obviously worked, so why are you still here?” Spitfire said, hiding her surprise, “Do you want more work?”
“No, I just came to say that I’m done,” Rainbow Dash said with a frown. “I’m done with the Order of the Thorn.”
“Explain yourself,” Spitfire demanded, letting the letter drop completely now.
“Ever since I was a little filly, I dreamed of becoming a Wonderbolt, but these last few days have opened my eyes to something I didn’t want to see. Lightning Dust takes unnecessary risks, she’s reckless, and she’s rewarded for it. That cyclone could’ve killed the other recruits, and it did almost kill the Brave Companions,” Rainbow Dash explained, and at the mention of the Falcon Hunter’s friends, Spitfire snuck a peek at the courtyard. “There’s a difference between ‘pushing oneself’ and throwing caution to the wind. If Lightning Dust’s way is also the Wonderbolt way, then I don’t want any part of it.”
Rainbow Dash stormed away, turning her back on her idol.
“Rainbow Dash!” Spitfire yelled before she was through the office door. “Did you really think I’d let you leave after saying something like that?”
Rainbow slowly turned back to face Spitfire.
“You weren’t wrong about the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash. Wisdom is as much what makes us the best Hunters as raw skill, and that includes the wisdom to know which risks to take and which to leave be,” Spitfire said. “Perhaps my desire to shape others to join the ranks led me to push too hard and be blind to ruinous behavior. Unnecessary risks, especially those that place fellow Hunters in danger in order to advance one’s own cause, should not be tolerated. I will look into this, and if what you told me is true, then Lightning Dust must leave, not you. Until then, I want you to stay at Castle Thorn. Is that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash agreed.
One day, Rainbow Dash, Spitfire thought, one day this office will be yours, and the Wonderbolts will be the greatest they’ve ever been. One day, but not yet.
Chapter 0:12 – The Elder Sister Year ¿1237? of the 2nd Age
“Why do you have to leave?” Luna asked plaintively. “You could do the ritual here.”
“It’s far too dangerous,” Celestia said with a shake of her head, her long, unbound rose-colored mane drifting across her shoulders as she did so. “The book warns that nopony is to be near while the ritual is performed, or they might be harmed. No, even if you leave, I can’t do it here. Imagine what the townsponies would do if they saw me destroy the hutch.”
“The book,” Luna huffed disdainfully in the teenage way that was little changed even in Discord’s utterly chaotic world. “I don’t understand why it’s so important that you become an alicorn.”
“You and I are special, Luna,” Celestia said. “We’re sorceresses.”
“Witches,” Luna said, looking back through the door of their hutch.
Ever since being banished from Pasturknack, the duo had been on the move, seldom able to stay in one place for long. Manerthan had proven itself no more welcoming than any of the other towns and villages they’d visited along the way, though few of the other towns had tried to kill them for being sorceresses. It was especially hypocritical that this treatment came from a city where many worshipped Discord, trying to obtain his favor and be spared from the chaos—to little effect, as far as Celestia could tell. The Mad God wasn’t going to be swayed by the pleas of a few ponies, even if they tried to kill the “false gods” who could also alter the land.
They’d continued to travel across Equestria, seeking knowledge about the sorceresses before Discord’s time, and for a place where they could live without fear of being thrown out or attacked. They’d never really found it, but Culpaneigh was working for the moment. The hutch that the two sisters shared was outside of town, but the townsponies weren’t concerned with driving them any farther away than that, and they were free to come into the town on market day. Neither sorceress was foolish enough to think that they were liked by the ponies of the town, though. They were regarded suspiciously and only tolerated because they kept to themselves and didn’t pose a noticeable threat.
“That’s why,” Celestia said, voice hardening as she gestured in the direction of Culpaneigh. “They despise us, but sorceresses should be respected and adored, not hated.” Or at least feared more than they are loathed. “Discord took that from us with his chaos magic. In us, ponies see only more of what terrifies them in the world: uncertainty. We must be strong enough that nopony would turn us away, that we can be seen as distinct from Discord’s power.”
“Does it have to be today?” Luna argued weakly. “What if you’re gone and Raider comes looking for healing again?”
“Then you will have to ease the pain in his leg,” Celestia replied. “I will return, Luna, I promise.”
The younger of the pair didn’t like the idea of her sister leaving, but there were no other complaints she could voice, so she didn’t. Celestia had struck right at the heart of her fears; the two of them had only each other in this world, and the alicornification ritual was dangerous. But Celestia had promised to return, and she would always keep her promises to her sister, wouldn’t she?
Celestia left the hutch, filled saddlebags strapped securely to her hindquarters so that they wouldn’t float away, and struck off in the opposite direction from Culpaneigh. She’d already chosen a spot for her ascension, a place isolated enough that nopony was likely to stumble across her and witness the ritual; yet close enough that she’d be able to make her way back home if something went wrong (provided it didn’t go so terribly wrong that she was no longer alive). The alicornification ritual was extremely dangerous, according to the tattered volume in Celestia’s saddlebags that she and Luna had found in the Crescent Canyon, and many sorceresses and sorcerers had died or severely mutilated themselves trying to perform it. She wouldn’t do so, though; her path was the same as the alicorns to precede her: Yliiena the First and Nostracom the Wise. Her aging was already slowed so that the extraordinary lifespan and vitality brought by alicornification wouldn’t overwhelm her. She’d spent the last seven years studying sorcery, seeking out any scrap of knowledge she could find in order to improve her abilities, all to prepare her for this one moment. She was ready. If only she could believe it more.
She reached her destination in no time, an angular onyx island floating in a greasy pink lake at the bottom of a depression. Wishing to conserve her energy for the ritual, Celestia hopped along other floating stones in the lake until she reached the center instead of teleporting across. Once there, she unpacked her saddlebags and began to arrange the contents in a magic circle. According to the book, each alicorn had to design their own circle for alicornification, though there were a few constants. Nostracom the Wise had been the one to figure that out, after all the failures before him to replicate the feat Yliiena the First had accomplished. As she arranged things, Celestia wondered what they would call her one day. The previous two alicorns both had titles, so it was only fitting to assume she’d have one attributed to herself.
Celestia could delay the inevitable no longer. Standing in the center of the magic circle she’d constructed, she began the ritual, bending the power of sorcery to her will. A magical flame lit within her and slowly spread outwards, suffusing the spells she was weaving with golden light, making the invisible visible. The skulls of small creatures that Celestia had placed around the circle popped with the heat that she couldn’t feel, a phantom warmth caused by the interaction of her spells. The ritual enchantments spun around her, and then began to slow.
Something was pushing against her, keeping her from completing the ritual. She poured more energy into her spells, but they continued to diminish. Celestia was in a panic. She had to complete this ritual. She couldn’t return to Luna in failure.
No!
Celestia lashed out with all the power she could muster, and the barrier that had stood in her way shattered as the stone around her hooves did the same. She struggled to maintain her footing as the onyx below her shifted and heated, and the spells surrounding her whirled into a typhoon of power. Golden and orange and red, the magic seemed to be a whirlwind of flame, and Celestia screamed as the power closed in around her and penetrated her body.
A well of molten energy filled Celestia, and she could feel it attempting to burst her open and escape, but she wouldn’t allow that to happen. She kept a firm grip on the spell she’d created, forcing it to do as she willed it. Her insides churned and boiled as her organs were rearranged for no discernable reason. Her back ached and two new wings tore themselves free of the flesh, spraying blood and feathers as they grew from nothing into majestic ivory wings larger than those of the average pegasus. Her forehead throbbed as a new bone formed there as well, a horn forcing its way through the skin that had never had to leave space for it before. For a moment, she felt the transformation would break her; but then she was through the other side, magnificent wings upon her back, a long and imperious horn jutting from her head. The magic dissipated, and Celestia lowered to the ground from where she’d been levitating.
She was shocked to discover that she was not standing upon shattered onyx, but on healthy grass-covered soil. The onyx island had been transformed, as had the greasy pink lake. A lush, green isle now rested peacefully in a lake of clear water. In a circle around Celestia, reaching partway up the depression the lake was within, the effect was the same. Her alicornification ritual had pushed back the chaos of Discord, if only in a small area. She had the power to oppose the Mad God. She, Celestia, the first alicorn in over thirteen centuries, without any formal tutelage, had achieved what so many had tried and failed to achieve. She was an alicorn, and nothing could stand against her.
Twilight Sparkle practiced her spells as she awaited the arrival of Celestia. Hearth’s Warming Eve was only a couple weeks away and the ground was covered in snow, so she practiced shaping it, banishing it, and conjuring it back into existence to begin again. Minor versions of Hearthfire spells also came into play. The White Procession had been content to leave Ponieville alone this year, preferring other targets; however, they could always appear, and the snow gave Twilight an approximate target to practice what she would face in such a case. The winter of the Judd Caradain was more powerful than the most brutal Equestrian winter (except maybe in the North, which Cadence and Shining Armor were finding out), but snow was snow, and Twilight could work with that.
She wasn’t alone. Spike and Rarity watched Twilight’s exertions and experimentation while Pinkamena sat nearby strumming her lute and writing down musical annotations in the snow. Rainbow Dash was also near, striking at an unfortunate tree that was now mostly bereft of bark as she practiced her swordsmareship. Ever since she’d returned from Castle Thorn with a new Hunter medallion, she’d been keener than ever to practice her skills and get even better. She could see her lifelong dream in reach, and she wasn’t going to stop now.
“Why do we have to wait out here?” Rainbow asked as she finished punishing the tree and trotted over to the others.
“Because Celestia commanded it,” Twilight Sparkle replied as she sent a wall of ice crashing back down as a wave of water.
The four Brave Companions and Spike were near Fluttershy’s home far outside of Ponieville, though the resident druidess was nowhere to be seen, nor was Applejack. Twilight hoped they hadn’t lost track of time and be absent for Celestia’s arrival. It was strange for Celestia to come to Ponieville rather than requesting the Brave Companions come to her in Cant’r Laht, especially now that Twilight Sparkle could transport them back and forth as easily as the great alicorn sorceress could. It was doubly strange that Celestia would not be arriving at the Mayoral Keep or even in the square before Golden Oak’s laboratory, instead commanding Twilight Sparkle to secretly gather the Brave Companions here, where nopony was likely to witness the meeting, especially at this time of year. It was peculiar, and Celestia hadn’t said much in her letter. Twilight Sparkle wondered if maybe this was going to be another test.
“Shouldn’t she be here by now?” Rarity asked, brushing snow off her heavy cloak as she looked up at the lighter patch of cloud the sun was hiding behind.
Rarity was right; it wasn’t in Celestia’s nature to be late, except intentionally to exert her authority, and the time that she’d asked the Brave Companions to meet her here had already come and gone. Celestia’s responsibilities hadn’t necessarily changed since becoming Regent of Cant’r Laht, but she and Luna had to answer to a council now, which meant her schedule was sometimes subject to the whims of other ponies. Perhaps a meeting with a particularly long-winded councilor had simply gone long.
As Twilight finished telling her friends as much, a portal blazed to life nearby. All of them, even Pinkamena, jumped to attention, ready to receive their sovereign. Celestia, Regent of Cant’r Laht, strode through the portal; she was wrapped in heavy furs, though she could easily dispel the winter cold with her alicorn magic if she wished. A small complement of royal guards trotted through the portal with her, ensuring that the area was safe, though there was little that could threaten the ancient sorceress. One of those few things that was able to passed through the portal behind her. Leaning upon its side in a cart was the statue of Discord, the Mad God’s physical remains encased in stone by the Elements of Harmony. Bringing up the tail of the miniature procession were two of Luna’s captains, squinting their nocturnal eyes against the brightness of the reflected sun on the snow as it peeked out momentarily from behind the clouds. One of them was carrying a chest familiar to the Brave Companions, the container that stowed the Elements of Harmony, while the second carried a similar case with unknown contents.
“Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful apprentice, and the Brave Companions … some of them,” Celestia said in greeting while Twilight was still too shocked by the turn of events to speak.
“Celestia—your royal highness—what … why …” Twilight stammered in confusion, “What is Discord doing here? Would he not be safer in Cant’r Laht?
“Safer?” Celestia asked with a note of amusement, “Undoubtedly, but I did not order his statue removed from the grounds of Cant’r Laht Castle and brought here, along with the Elements of Harmony and the shards of Discord’s soul, for safekeeping.”
“Help me understand, Celestia,” Twilight said frantically, her heart beating faster now that she knew what was in the second case. “Why would you bring Discord here?”
“To resurrect him,” the ancient sorceress replied evenly.
“No way!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Last time, Discord covered the land in chaos and turned us all against each other!”
“And he turned you into a statue, your royal highness,” Rarity said, the last words meant to remind Rainbow Dash of to whom she was speaking.
“I have not forgotten. Nor have I forgotten what it was like to grow up in a world ruled by Discord,” Celestia said, her eyes growing distant as she though back to that time over sixteen centuries ago. “However, I want to believe now what I couldn’t then: that Discord is not innately evil, and that his powers could be turned to good. It is a risk, I know, but not an overly perilous one—not compared with the trade-off, I believe. Tartarus’s borders are not as secure as I once thought, and should any Great Ones manage to escape, it would be invaluable to have one on our side.”
Twilight Sparkle averted her eyes. The breach of Tartarus had been her mistake, and she hadn’t considered the long-reaching consequences, not since Cerberus had left his post guarding the prison realm’s gates. Still, how could Celestia think that Discord of all creatures would be a trustworthy ally? She’d be better off searching for Scorpan if she wanted a Great One on her side, even if he hadn’t been seen since the time of Yliiena the First. In Twilight’s experience, Discord had shown only contempt for ponykind.
“I have great confidence in you, my apprentice, and your companions,” Celestia continued. “Do not forget, it was you who managed to seal Discord back in stone and who managed to secure the shards of his soul. I know that you will find a way to bring Discord around.”
“And if we cannot?” Twilight asked nervously.
“Then you use the Elements of Harmony to turn him back to stone, although that would be an unfortunate outcome. Do not be too hasty,” Celestia said. In other words, this is a test, and I must give it my all.
“Yes, of course,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “We will endeavor to accomplish this task.” Even if it is impossible.
“Excellent. Now, there are two Brave Companions missing,” Celestia said, looking around. “Where is Fluttershy? I believe she, of all your compatriots, may have the best chance of reforming Discord.”
“I’m here!” the druidess called as she flapped into sight from behind Celestia, Applejack trotting along with her.
“How is Fluttershy supposed to be able to convince Discord to give up his tyrannical ways?” Rainbow Dash asked and Fluttershy froze, having only heard her name called before.
“As bearer of the Element of Compassion, I believe that you are uniquely suited to swaying Discord to our cause,” Celestia addressed the druidess as she cautiously made her way forward, just now noticing the draconequus statue. “I know it is a difficult thing I ask of you, but I do believe that you, as well as the rest of the Brave Companions, are capable of this task.”
“You … really think that … I am best able to do it?” Fluttershy asked uncertainly.
“I do,” Celestia said without a trace of doubt in her voice. “Now, I must return to Cant’r Laht. I leave you to release Discord when you are ready. Take your time.” But do not take too long.
Celestia conjured up another portal, and she and her retinue filed back through, leaving six ponies and a dragonling alone in a snowy field with ancient and unknowable relics, the petrified form of a Great One, a collection of gems containing that Great One’s soul, and more questions than answers.
***
It was two days before Twilight felt confident enough in the spell she’d designed to call all the Brave Companions back together at Fluttershy’s domicile. In the meantime, the statue of Discord had waited here, the frozen expression of shock and horror on its face startling Fluttershy whenever she glimpsed it. So far, nopony outside of the Brave Companions had noticed the statue of an ancient evil had come here. Twilight also wasn’t taking any chances, keeping the Elements of Harmony at Golden Oak’s laboratory while Pinkamena, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity divided up the shards of Discord’s soul. The less time these unpredictable pieces spent around each other, the better.
“Everypony ready?” Twilight asked the Brave Companions as they stood around Discord, and each mumbled their assent. “Let us hope that this works.”
“Or better yet, that it doesn’t,” Spike said from where he peeked out from behind a tree.
Part of Twilight shared that sentiment. Releasing Discord upon the world again was dangerous and, despite what Celestia said, far too risky. He had twisted Cant’r Laht and the Equestry Valley into unrecognizable forms in a mere instant the last time he had been freed, and Twilight didn’t even know if the Brave Companions would get a chance to re-imprison him before he did away. New protective spells had been cast over the Elements of Harmony to keep Discord from stealing them again, but all of Celestia’s wards had been useless last time. Despite these worries, this was what Twilight’s mentor wanted, and she was determined not to disappoint Celestia. Discord could be a powerful ally, though the idea that he would willingly take on that role was far-fetched.
Twilight Sparkle took a calming breath before stepping forward, and the other Brave Companions followed her lead. The snow here had been cleared, leaving half-frozen soil that had had all the dead foliage burned away by magic. A complex magic circle made of dripped wax now surrounded Discord, lines veering toward and away from him in a seemingly random pattern. How fitting. Circles large enough for ponies to stand in intersected the circle’s edge at equidistant points, each one now occupied by a Brave Companion. Twilight Sparkle began her chant, and the lines upon the ground glowed, energy flowing up from them into Discord. The Elements of Harmony around each pony’s neck (except for Twilight’s) began to levitate, pulling toward the petrified Discord, and cracks of different colors began to form upon the statue.
“Now!” Twilight called as the spell reached its apex, and each pony threw a crystal at Discord.
Six gems containing shards of the Mad God’s soul crashed against the statue, shattering when they shouldn’t have and releasing vaporous clouds that wormed their way through the cracks. Stone flaked away rapidly, until Discord’s glowing body beneath was revealed and began slowly to uncoil.
“Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh,” Discord yawned, his tongue lolling, as the spell faded away. “Well, you certainly took your sweet time, didn’t you? And did you really have to freeze me in that position? Terrible for the neck, don’t you know?”
The draconequus removed his head and turned it around a few times before placing it back on and twisting it back and forth impossibly far, apparently satisfied as he gave a nod at the end.
“But hold on for just a moment. I don’t seem to be all here, now do I?” Discord said as he detached his tail and inspected his hindquarters for missing pieces before reattaching it and pointing multiple arms at his head. “I don’t mean up here, of course. Nothing to do with being frozen in stone or torn apart and stitched back together. Well, at least this time.”
“You are not mistaken, Discord,” Twilight said brusquely, numerous wards placed around her and her friends, just in case. “I have held back the piece of your soul that identified itself as your essence and your scheming mind, and I shall continue to do so until you have gained my trust.” If such a day should ever come. I certainly doubt it.
“Hmm, doesn’t seem very friendly to me, but what position am I in to negotiate for the integral piece of myself,” Discord said as he twisted his forelimbs into a pretzel and snapped his claws.
Several clouds in the area fell like stones, crashing to earth, one nearly crushing Pinkamena before she lithely sidestepped it.
“What do you think you are doing?” Twilight Sparkle demanded, leveling a glare at Discord.
“Well, I think I am stretching,” Discord said as he twisted his body into even more complicated knots and snapped his fingers again, transforming a nearby herd of rabbits into many-eyed, many-teethed monstrosities. “After being cooped up in that prison, I need to flex my muscles, both physical and magical.”
“We will have none of that here,” Twilight said firmly, “Unless you wish to be turned back to stone.”
“And disappoint Celestia!” Discord cried, covering his face in feigned horror. “No, I don’t think you’re willing to risk that, not so early in your attempts to ‘win me over to the side of good and right.’ Ugh. I’m sure Celestia would choke on those exact words as well, of course, were she to say them aloud, but her intimations were obvious.”
“How did you know that?” Twilight asked suspiciously.
“Do you think it was simply ‘lights out’ for me while I was imprisoned?” Discord asked as he tucked himself into a hovering bed that hadn’t been there a moment ago. “Of course not. Oh, yes, I was conscious for your little discussion with Celestia, as well as the last sixteen centuries. Admittedly, the last thousand years were rather dull until I was brought to Cant’r Laht, but the six hundred before it?” Discord counted off on his fingers, “Watching the relationship between the two ponies who managed to defeat me fall apart was a treat.”
“So, you know why we’re here,” Rainbow Dash said. “I don’t see what difference that makes, other that we can cut to the chase. Will you join us, or do we have to turn you into stone again so you can think over it?”
“Oh, Rainbow Dash, Dainbow Rash, Rainbow Dash,” Discord said, shaking his head, “Isn’t that being a bit unfair to your friend? After all, Fluttershy is supposed to be the one to bring me over to your side, is she not? You’re not even giving her a chance.”
“Turn those rabbits back to the way they were, Discord,” Fluttershy demanded, having managed to work up her courage finally.
“Hmm, not a strong start, threatening the draconequus you’re supposed to be reforming,” Discord said, whipping out a pair of spectacles and taking notes.
“Celestia entrusted me with this task, so the decision on whether you should be turned back to stone is up to me,” Fluttershy said threateningly. “I will not tolerate attacks on defenseless creatures!”
“Oh, very well. You make a good case,” Discord said, and he snapped his claws again, transforming the rabbits back to their original forms. They scampered away in terror as soon as the deed was done.
“We’ll be watchin’ y’, Discord, so don’t step out o’ line,” Applejack threatened.
“Yes, yes, so intimidating,” Discord said while stifling a yawn. “Well, roomie, mind if I get settled?”
At a snap of Discord’s fingers, a stack of trunks and satchels appeared behind him, with various pieces of furniture scattered among it.
“E-excuse me?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well, I only assumed that as you were ‘taking charge’ of my ‘rehabilitation’ that you would provide suitable accommodations for me. Unless, of course, that’s too much to ask …” Discord replied.
“Oh … oh, no. Of course you can stay with me,” Fluttershy said.
“Excellent,” Discord crooned, picking up his suitcases. “I’ll start unpacking.”
“Are you sure about this, Fluttershy?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“I am,” the druidess replied with a nod. “Celestia believed I could do this, and I think I know what she had in mind.”
“You do?” Twilight asked.
“Yes. Befriending him is the key, not treating him like an enemy. With him living here, hopefully I’ll be able to do that,” Fluttershy said.
“Well, only if you are sure,” Twilight said, reluctant to leave Discord alone with her.
“Nothing to worry about,” Discord said as he returned for more baggage, “I feel practically reformed already, and it’s all thanks to your compassionate heart, Fluttershy. I knew that you would be willing to welcome me, unlike your friends, who seem downright hostile.”
“Cut it out, Discord,” Rainbow Dash demanded. “We all know you’re just trying to drive us apart like before.”
“Such accusations!” Discord said, acting wounded. “You see what I mean? Downright hostile. Why would I ever want to do a thing like that?”
“So we can’t unite and use the Elements of Harmony to turn you back to stone, of course,” Rainbow huffed.
“What an interesting idea,” Discord said, tapping a claw against his chin thoughtfully. “I hadn’t considered that.”
“Keep the Element of Compassion around your neck,” Twilight told Fluttershy as Discord and Rainbow Dash continued to argue, the Hunter growing more irate as the draconequus continued to act innocent. “I do not believe he can use his chaos magic on us so long as we wear the Elements.”
“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Fluttershy tried to assure the sorceress and herself at the same time. “I’ll be fine.”
***
The days passed, and while nothing calamitous happened, Twilight Sparkle continued to grow more nervous. She and the others checked in on Fluttershy periodically, and though the druidess remained in high spirits, the results weren’t promising. As far as she could see, Discord had made no moves toward reconciliation, other than behaving as a mostly polite houseguest to Fluttershy. No remorse appeared to be given for how he’d plunged the world into chaos, or tortured the Brave Companions into becoming the opposite of their true selves, or forced them to travel across Equestria to stop the pieces of his soul from causing destruction. In fact, he seemed perfectly willing to do it all over again if he was given the chance, which worried the sorceress. Even a tiny slipup could result in disaster.
Nopony in Ponieville had grown wise to the fact that the Mad God was nearby. Even so, they had noticed that the Brave Companions were wearing the Elements of Harmony constantly, and the rumor mill was churning with speculation. Mayor Mare was especially distraught at Twilight’s wearing of the Element of Sorcery, seeing the adoption of a circlet as a challenge to her own authority and some kind of paranoid precursor to Twilight being given the title she craved. Twilight would have hidden the circlet if possible, but the Elements of Harmony didn’t respond to traditional magic in expected ways, as she’d discovered in her studies immediately after finding them. An invisibility spell would do nothing to conceal the circlet upon her head, so Mayor Mare would have to put up with it.
For the most part, Discord had seemed to keep his word to Fluttershy not to release rampant chaos upon Ponieville, and instead confine his antics to her home. It made visiting the once-plain warren a startling experience, but Fluttershy didn’t seem to mind her doors leading to other rooms unpredictably or various other breakdowns in the cosmos. Every now and then, while walking around Ponieville, Twilight would see something that looked out of place and wonder if it was due to Discord’s influence. If they were, then he was being very subtle about it, for any irregularities were not jarring and could as easily be coincidence as him playing with the fabric of reality.
The last shard of Discord’s soul, stored in the gem taken from the hilt of Vasil Stalanokov’s sword, was kept safe and out of the draconequus’s reach. The Brave Companions all took turns carrying it on their person (apart from Fluttershy) to keep Discord from locating it. Twilight worried that he might discover it in their interactions with him, but she was counting on the protection of the Elements of Harmony to keep it out of his grasp. It seemed to be working so far, and to her knowledge, Discord hadn’t attempted to steal it.
Twilight knew that eventually things would come to a confrontation, though, which could only end one of two ways. Ideally, Discord would become the ally that Celestia wished he could be; but there was also the far more likely possibility (at least in Twilight’s estimation) that he would attempt to seize power and plunge Equus into chaos again. If the latter happened, she wanted to have more of a plan than just “use the Elements of Harmony on him.” The Elements had proved invaluable, but they worked according to no logic that Twilight could discern, other than that her friends had to be united and there had to be a need for them to act. Something much more concrete would be needed to put Twilight’s mind at ease. After days spent fretting while she went about her normal business and did her other studies, she began to look for other ways to overcome Discord.
He was a Great One, so Twilight searched first for writings on Yliiena the First and how she, along with Hunters and other sorceresses, had managed to imprison Great Ones in Tartarus. Books on the subject in Golden Oak’s Laboratory were scarce, but she did manage to locate a small stack. There was a problem, however; all the sections on the rituals used appeared to be written in gibberish. Thinking that perhaps it was merely a language that Twilight did not know how to read, she widened her search to the archives in Cant’r Laht and the Crystal City. Unfortunately, the problem also persisted in those places, the archivists in both locations expressing confusion that they could not read the passages either. Fuming, Twilight returned to Ponieville. There was only one explanation.
***
Fluttershy stood amid utter chaos, though of a more mundane flavor than what had afflicted Cant’r Laht and Ponieville during Discord’s first return. Though a few things in her home had been changed, the biggest difference at the moment was that the entire thing had been lifted in the air and was tumbling end over end. Discord lounged on a sedan at the center of it all; unconcerned for the furniture, possessions, and creatures sliding along the walls, floor, and ceiling or falling through the air as the room rotated. Nearby, Fluttershy hovered in the air with the aid of her wings, watching out for falling items.
“I hope this isn’t taking things too far,” Discord droned. “I know you want me to feel at home here.”
“I do,” Fluttershy said, dodging a showery of cutlery. “If this makes you feel more at ease, then go right ahead. Only, it would be good to have my home back on the ground when I’m sleeping.”
“Consider it done, and thank you very much,” Discord said, clapping his hands together in glee. “I knew you would understand. Whatever my differences with Celestia, she made a good choice picking you. You’re so much kinder than those other spiteful ponies.”
“My friends aren’t spiteful,” Fluttershy replied. “If they distrust you, it’s only because of what you did to them. Surely you understand that.”
“It’s just as I said about your kindness,” Discord said, flailing wildly, “Of course you would defend them; it’s just the kind of understanding friend you are.”
“Fluttershy!” Twilight’s voice came from outside the spinning domicile. Whatever the sorceress wanted, it sounded urgent.
“Excuse me,” Fluttershy said.
The druidess made her way perilously through the turning rooms, watching out for falling items and scooping up dizzy wildlife whenever she spotted them stumbling around. She reached the front door eventually and flew out into the frigid air of the Equestry Valley. Twilight was standing with Spike down below, looking up in alarm and casting spells around herself. Upon spotting the descending Fluttershy, she stopped her casting and waited until the druidess had landed in front of her, depositing a rush of creatures on the ground.
“Hello, Twilight. Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Fluttershy greeted her. “If you’ve come to invite me to the festivities in town, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. I don’t want to leave Discord alone.”
“I can see why,” Twilight said, looking up at the spinning tree and hillock, “He is clearly out of control after being given only a little time to himself.”
“Oh, no, not at all,” Fluttershy protested. “I wouldn’t want him to feel left out, is all. We’re making some real progress, and I’d hate to ruin that by abandoning him.”
“You call this progress?” Spike asked skeptically, waving a claw at Fluttershy’s floating home.
“I do,” Fluttershy replied. “I’m earning his trust by allowing him to be himself.”
“If by ‘allowing him to be himself,’ you mean letting him obscure all research in Equestria on how to imprison a Great One in Tartarus, then congratulations,” Twilight said, producing one of the offending tomes.
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said, looking at the gibberish. “That must be what he meant when he said he’d been ‘boggling.’ Still, it shouldn’t prove a problem, right? I’m going to convince Discord to become our ally, and there’ll be no need to imprison him. We’re on the same page, aren’t we?”
“Of course, that would be ideal,” Twilight said, “But the chances of Discord actually coming around are—”
“Quite high,” Fluttershy interrupted the sorceress, catching her totally off guard. “He hasn’t committed yet, but he’s already expressed interest and said he was considering it.”
“You believe that?” Twilight asked skeptically.
“If I’m going to befriend him, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt,” Fluttershy said. “You should give him more credit, Twilight.”
The sorceress looked pensive. She wanted to trust Fluttershy, but she also didn’t trust Discord any farther than she could throw him (which, without magic, was quite a short distance). They were playing with fire by allowing Discord freedom of action, except that fire would be safer; they were playing with chaos. It was too risky to let him grow more powerful, but that was exactly what they were doing.
“Just give me some more time, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “Trust me; I can do this.”
“Well, okay,” Twilight replied reluctantly, “Maybe get him to put your home back on the ground, though. If somepony sees it floating up there, there’s going to be trouble.”
***
Days turned to weeks as Fluttershy kept at it. As the other Brave Companions became steadily more convinced that Discord was a lost cause and was merely playing for time, the opposite seemed to happen with Fluttershy. She was utterly certain that she could bring Discord around, given enough time. Meanwhile, her home became almost unrecognizable as Discord was given increased liberty. The area around it lay under a widening web of illusion that kept the few passersby there were from witnessing the chaos, but the Brave Companions were taken aback by how far it had progressed every time they visited.
It was with trepidation that the Brave Companions accepted Fluttershy’s invitation to her home. Nearly a month and a half had passed since they’d unfrozen Discord, and they couldn’t see any good having come from it. They were beginning to wonder if, even with the Element of Compassion around her neck, Fluttershy was somehow being controlled by Discord. It wasn’t a pleasant thought. Before making the journey to her home, they met in secret and decided to demand a straight answer from Discord tonight, or they’d turn him back to stone. Surely Fluttershy would understand.
They all braced themselves before entering the bubble of chaos around Fluttershy’s hovel, but all appeared normal as they approached. Twilight could still sense the chaos magic, like a bad itch inside of her head, but she couldn’t see anything that stood out as chaotic. That lasted until they opened the door to Fluttershy’s home. Passing though the simple portal, they found themselves in a grand hall whose walls were towering trees, their branches intertwining above in an arch. Despite the fact that it was midwinter, they were green and vibrant, and flower petals drifted down from the ceiling. Running water and harp music could be heard from somewhere.
“Welcome, gentlemares and master dragon,” Discord greeted them as he appeared out of thin air. “Please, come in.”
“What is this?” Twilight Sparkle asked suspiciously.
“Why, houses that are bigger on the inside are in this season. I thought you of all people would understand that, madam sorceress,” Discord replied.
“Uh-huh. And, what season is that?” Twilight asked, glancing at the snow outside.
“Three,” Discord replied without a hint of humor. “You must be warm. Allow me to take your heavy cloaks.”
“And take our Elements of Harmony with them? I don’t think so,” Rainbow Dash said as she swatted away Discord’s reaching hand.
“Why, I would never,” Discord said innocently. “Unjust accusations don’t make friends, my dear Hunter.”
“Where’s Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked, ignoring the draconequus’s lecture.
“Hello, everypony,” Fluttershy said as she made her entrance. “Please, come in.”
“Fluttershy, what is this?” Rarity asked, looking around at the natural cathedral they were standing in.
“Discord made it,” Fluttershy said proudly, though that was stating the obvious. “It’s a big night, so it calls for a big locale, after all.”
“Big night?” Spike asked as he finished hanging up Twilight’s cloak on a tree-branch peg suited for the purpose.
“Yes, Discord has an announcement,” Fluttershy said excitedly. “But first, dinner.”
Could it be? Twilight eyed Discord suspiciously. Has she really done it? What announcement could it be other than to state his intention to side with us or not?
The Brave Companions followed Discord and Fluttershy cautiously through the druidess’s transformed home. Doorways led off into fantastical rooms as they made their way to the dining room, a chamber composed almost entirely of obsidian. A black stone table dominated the room, with seats around it for everyone. It was well heated by glowing stones that were constantly rubbing against each other. When Rainbow Dash complained about the noise, feeling especially arbitrary tonight, Discord changed the sound to a low hum with a snap of his fingers. Touches of whimsy could be seen everywhere, but things were still much more ordered than any conjuring of Discord the Brave Companions had seen before. Twilight Sparkle began to think that they might actually succeed.
The dinner that the Brave Companions sat down to was a peculiar affair. The dishes were unlike anything they’d ever seen before, but each one seemed to be edible. Hopefully they wouldn’t transform into something else when the chaos magic wore off or went wrong. The table service seemed to have a mind of its own and rarely wanted to comply with the wishes of its users. There were more than a few unfortunate spills, enough for Rainbow Dash and Rarity to lose their tempers at what they perceived to be Discord’s actions. The little slights piled up and the Brave Companions grew more annoyed, despite Discord’s protests that he had nothing to do with the misbehavior of their utensils. By the time the meal had ended, Rainbow Dash was signaling constantly to Twilight to make the ultimatum to Discord, but the sorceress wanted to wait and see what the draconequus had to say.
“I think we all know why we’re here tonight,” Fluttershy announced as the dishes danced their way off the table. “Celestia hoped we could convince Discord to use his power for good instead of ill. You all saw tonight what could be done.”
“If you think he’s using his power for good, you’re deluding yourself,” Rainbow Dash said hostilely. “I still have needles in my foreleg from the third course.”
“Oh, come on, Dash,” Fluttershy said. “Can you imagine how difficult it must be to force chaos to do something ordered? Discord is doing his best.”
“If this is his best, it might be better just to turn him back to stone,” Applejack mumbled.
The farmpony shied away as Fluttershy looked at her with disappointment.
“Ah-hem, Fluttershy, if I might make my announcement now?” Discord prompted her.
“Go ahead,” the druidess said with a look that dared anypony to object.
“First, I’d like to say what an absolute treat this time has been and that you are all so fortunate to have Fluttershy as your friend,” Discord said as he uncoiled and produced a champagne glass out of thin air. “If it was up to you to convince me to change my ways … well, let’s just say that Ponieville would look very different today. You have been nothing but unwelcoming toward me, so you should all be grateful that Fluttershy is so very kind and understanding.”
“Is this going somewhere, or are you just going to keep insulting us?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah, out with it,” Rainbow Dash demanded, slamming her hoof down on the table. “What’s your decision.”
“Ah, so you’ve anticipated my announcement. Very well,” Discord said, nervously adjusting a tie around his neck. “I would love to give you an answer, but I doubt you would trust it. After all, would you trust the oath of a pony given at swordpoint? I think not.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash cried angrily.
“You’ve treated me like a prisoner, so why should I expect to be freed if I agree to your terms? After all, what would you have to gain, since you clearly have trust issues?” Discord said.
“Fluttershy, enough,” Twilight said, “I know you wanted to do this, but we cannot waste any more time—”
“No, Twilight, he’s right,” Fluttershy said. “None of you have given Discord a chance, and it’s unfair to expect him to make a decision while he’s held hostage.”
Fluttershy whistled, and a bird flew into the room a second later, a gem clutched in its claws. Twilight’s eyes grew wide as she recognized what it was.
“I left it in my cloak,” Pinkamena said meekly as she sank down so she could barely peek over the edge of the table.
“Fluttershy, what are you doing?” Twilight asked worriedly.
“Discord could have taken this at any time after you arrived, but he didn’t. None of you trust him, so how can he trust you?” Fluttershy said. “Celestia wants Discord as an ally, which means we need to trust each other.”
“Thank you, Fluttershy,” Discord said gratefully as she passed him the gem containing the last shard of his soul. “Once I’m whole again, you’ll have your answer.”
The draconequus crushed the gem in a claw and light escaped, swirling around him. Fluttershy alone seemed calm while the others watched on in horror. Chaos magic surged, bringing on a migraine that felt like it was splitting Twilight’s skull. The dining room vanished as their surroundings reshaped themselves. When everything returned to some semblance of order, the Brave Companions were standing where Fluttershy’s home had been, though the pieces of it were scattered far and wide across wildly undulating hills.
“Unlimited … power!” Discord cackled, his arms raised to the sky as the moon wobbled alarmingly. “I win!”
“What’s your decision, Discord?” Fluttershy asked, apparently unconcerned that everything had fallen apart around her.
“After a good long think since I was made whole again, I’ve come to the only possible decision,” Discord said with a grin so large his face had to expand to contain it. “I am the Lord of Chaos, the Pontiff of Disharmony, the Mad God, the Emperor of Entropy, and I ally with no creature but myself.”
“Finally,” Rainbow Dash groaned. “Let’s do this!”
The Brave Companions hurried into position to use the Elements of Harmony and imprison Discord in stone again—all except for Fluttershy, who stayed still with a disappointed look on her face.
“Come on, Fluttershy,” Twilight called. “We have to turn him back to stone before he makes things even worse.”
“Oh, you won’t be doing anything of the sort,” Discord said cheerfully as he plucked the moon out of the sky and started peeling it like an onion.
“I promised that I wouldn’t use my Element of Harmony to turn him back to stone, whatever his decision,” Fluttershy admitted.
“And she’ll keep that promise, too, because she’s too kindhearted to break it,” Discord boasted. “Oh, making you cruel was the worst mistake I ever made. You’re so much more useful like this. Friendship has crippled her. She won’t act against me because of ‘friendship.’ She won’t use the Element of Compassion against me because we’re ‘friends.’ She gave me everything I wanted because she’s my ‘friend.’”
“Not anymore,” Fluttershy said quietly. “I won’t turn you back to stone, but we’re not friends, not after you betrayed me like this.”
“Well, of course I betrayed you, duh!” Discord said as he reached into his ear and pulled out the gem that had contained the anti-Element of Treachery. “I knew from the start I didn’t need to try to reclaim my soul because if I strung you along long enough, you’d give it to me, and I was right!”
“Congratulations,” Fluttershy said scornfully. “You have everything you ever wanted. You can rule the world all by yourself.”
“Of course I can!” Discord cried, “I spent thirteen thousand years alone! Did you really think that the lure of companionship with a mortal like you would entice me to give up my freedom? How naïve and egotistical can you get.”
With a snap of fingers on both hands and his tail, Discord vanished. Twilight could still feel his chaos magic growing off to the east, however, as he made his way toward the Everfree Forest. They’d been defeated, and they’d released Discord upon the world again. Everypony looked disheartened, but Fluttershy most of all.
“I’m so sorry,” the druidess said through tears. “I really thought he would come around.”
Twilight Sparkle wanted to be angry with Fluttershy, but she found she couldn’t, not really. She was mad about what she had done, but that anger wasn’t directed at the sobbing druidess directly. She had done what she had thought best and let her kind heart lead her, except that it had led her in the wrong direction. Twilight should have foreseen that something like this might happen. Of course Discord would take advantage of Fluttershy’s compassion, and the sorceress should have turned things back before they’d gone too far.
“So, you still won’t use your Element of Harmony against him?” Rainbow Dash asked gently as she sat down next to her longtime friend and draped a wing over her for comfort.
“No,” Fluttershy sobbed as she shook her head.
“Okay then,” Rainbow replied without judgement in her voice.
Twilight looked in the direction of Cant’r Laht. What would Celestia think about this turn of events? Would she regret bringing Discord to Ponieville? Would she blame Fluttershy for releasing him upon the world? Even in hypotheticals, Twilight already knew that she’d defend her friend, even if she didn’t agree with her decision.
“What do we do now?” Rarity asked as she kicked at vines that tried to crawl their way up her dress.
“Panic,” Spike suggested.
“We cannot use the Elements of Harmony against him, but there must be some other way to stop him,” Twilight Sparkle said, taking charge, “Discord cannot have destroyed all records of how the Great Ones were imprisoned. And, if he has, we will just have to find another way. We will be okay. We could—”
“What?” Spike asked as Twilight suddenly stopped talking, her attention yanked away like it was whenever she had an idea.
“The chaos magic,” she said, looking to the east, “It has … stopped.”
With a flash, everything suddenly returned to its natural state. The moon was back in the sky, Fluttershy’s home was back in its place, the snow-covered hills were back, and the ponies even had their winter cloaks upon them again to shield them from the cold. Discord stood nearby, looking a bit sheepish (not only because of the woolen coat he’d donned).
“I … have been thinking,” Discord said pensively, fingers steepled before him. “Perhaps, after all this time … I don’t want to be alone. Fluttershy, I’m … ssssssorry. If you’ll have me back as a friend, I would appreciate it.”
“Mhm,” Fluttershy said as she tried to dry her tears with her cloak.
“And … I suppose I could use my chaos magic to help instead of harm ponies,” Discord said. “Most of the time, anyway, and nothing too harmful.”
“Well, it’s a start,” Fluttershy said. “Thank you.”
She has done it. Twilight Sparkle was amazed. She tried to maintain skepticism, but despite Discord’s hemming and hawing, he actually seemed genuine. How did you do it, Fluttershy, and what made Discord change his mind?
***
Earlier
Discord reveled in the return of his power, reshaping the world around him however his fancy struck him. The Everfree Forest’s tangled trees parted before him with a flick of his tail. An Ursa Major charged from the corkscrew-shaped landscape, and he flung it into the sky, where the stars across its body stuck among the other stars. He had complete and total freedom, and he’d only had to endure a few weeks of captivity. Well, maybe not endure. It hadn’t been all bad. In their time together, he’d come to like Fluttershy, to the point that he’d felt a twinge of guilt at betraying her.
“What’s this, then?” his double asked as it walked next to him. “The great and powerful Discord, caring about a pony?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Discord berated the other him. “She’ll get over it in a decade or two, and I’ll forget all about her in a century or so. I’m Discord! I’ve lived a thousand lifetimes, and I’ll live a thousand more. Why should a mortal concern the immortal spirit of chaos?”
Discord snapped his claws, but nothing happened, and he stared at them inquisitively.
“You might want to get that checked out,” a third Discord wearing plague doctor garb said as he jabbed at the main Discord with a pointy stick. “That’s not supposed to happen.”
“Give it to me straight, doc, am I … dying?” Discord asked.
“Well, of course you’re dying,” a geriatric Discord said as he appeared with a walker and a cane for his tail. “You’re no spring chicken, and after what you’ve been through, you should be fortunate you didn’t turn to dust when you thawed out the first time.”
That fear had been at the back of Discord’s mind ever since he’d first freed himself from Celestia and Luna’s prison. He’d ruled over all Equus for over twelve centuries, but after sixteen hundred years encased in stone, he had barely been able to control a small piece of Equestria. He’d told himself that he merely hadn’t had enough time to recover before being imprisoned again, but he knew that was a lie. His worries were merely a continuation of older fears. His power had waned during his reign over Equus. Fighting the White Procession to keep them from bringing about the Last Winter had started a slow decline that seemed to only have gotten more drastic over time. Discord looked at his outstretched claw. How long did he have?
Discord looked back over his shoulder. He found himself drawn back to Fluttershy, despite what he’d said to her. Staring mortality in the face, did he really want to be alone? To give up his freedom and side with Celestia, of all ponies, would be abhorrent; but what was the other choice? He didn’t wish to continue fading until some upstart sorceress with enough power snuffed him out or to wither away to nothing, abandoned and isolated. After so long on his own, perhaps it would be good to have a companion, and there were far more odious choices out there, especially among those creatures that were his equals and imprisoned in Tartarus.
Yes, Discord decided, he would return to Fluttershy—a pony who had actually treated him well, and not because she feared him. It would be an interesting new adventure to befriend a pony, as would this alliance. Of course, it was an alliance that could never last, but he had spent so much of his life skulking at the edge of the world, he wanted to be close to the action. Discord sensed that there would be a lot of action around the Brave Companions, and not just because of the dark, thorny vines creeping through the Everfree Forest that he recognized from long ago. There was power among those six ponies to rival his own, but how would they use it?
Chapter 3:10.1 - Defenders, Conjurers, Lords, and Merchants
Chapter 3:10.1 – Defenders, Conjurers, Lords, and Merchants
The Brave Companions were at the end of a pier, awaiting the barge that drifted across the water toward them Rainbow Dash hovered in the air for a better vantage point, and Pinkamena had climbed the mast of a nearby ship and pulled out her spyglass to look out over the water. Spike peered over Twilight’s head as he stood upon her back, claws digging into the hood of her robes. He’s much too big for this anymore. Even Ream and Baldavin, normally unconcerned except when they were needed, were straining to see what lay in the distance.
To the west of Equestria was the continent of Stygra, a vast land completely alien to the ponies who now waited to cross over to it. When the unicorn crusaders had crossed the Shimmering Sea and landed on the eastern shores of Equestria, they’d had few problems wresting the land from the native pegasi, who had known peace for so long that they’d forgotten the art of war. The same was not true of Stygra, where additional crusades were called to spread the Word of Faust into the west. The unicorns had been successful in the end just as they had in Equestria, but it had taken many Western Crusades to conquer Stygra, for the pegasi there fought back, and fought viciously. When the Conjunction came, many of the new creatures that crossed into Equus had emerged or ended up in Stygra. Unlike Equestria, which was almost entirely populated by ponies except in the south; or the Eastern Continent, which was almost entirely ponies in the north and zebras in the south (though zebras were also becoming more prevalent in the north, with the expansion of the Zebrikaanian Empire); Stygra was a truly cosmopolitan land, where no race was dominant. It was also a land of endless war and instability, with fiefdoms rising and falling with the seasons. Any map drawn of the continent was assumed to be out of date within a few weeks, at most. It was here that the Brave Companions had been asked to travel.
Stygra was separated from the Westerlands of Equestria by a single strait that, at its narrowest points, was no wider than a very large river. The Brave Companions waited on the Equestrian side of one of these gaps to be taken across to the great city of Embariz. This was what the ponies and dragon were looking at, spying the city’s massive bulk on the far side of the water. A jumble of houses and warehouses spilled out from the high stone walls that surrounded the city, walls that stretched into the distance east and west, so that only from this side of the river could their full expanse be seen. Towers poked up here and there from behind the walls, but the skyline was dominated by the massive dome of the Keep of Klunz, bristling with spires of its own, including one at its apex that seemed to reach for the heavens.
Pinkamena and Rainbow Dash rejoined the others as the barge pulled up alongside the pier, satyrs and ponies stowing the sails and using long poles to push it in the rest of the way. The sailors all wore scarves wrapped around their faces, and it wasn’t just to ward off the lingering cold as winter gave its last gasp. The town that the Brave Companions were waiting in was empty but for them. A plague had recently swept through the Westerlands, killing most of the town and causing the rest to flee, no doubt spreading the plague as they did; but it had left here weeks ago, and ponies from neighboring villages had already come to clear away the dead. Plague always made one nervous, though, and there was also the situation on the other side of the strait.
“Please, come aboard,” a unicorn mare wrapped in a heavy cloak called from the center of the barge.
The Brave Companions hopped across, the sailors giving them space as they made their way over to the pony who’d addressed them. A canopy had been erected in the center of the barge, and the mare sat under it upon a cushion. She didn’t rise as they approached but gestured to the circle of cushions around a brazier surrounded by warm coals. Her cloak was inscribed with symbols of the Church of One, and a medallion in the shape of a seven-pointed star hung from her horn: a priestess.
“Mother Donia, thank y’ for meetin’ us,” Applejack said as she and the others formed a circle with the priestess.
“You may address me as Donia. A priestess I may be, but sadly, I have no congregation to mother,” Donia said with a pained smile. “I am afraid that there are few in Embariz who know the Word of Faust as we do.”
There had been a schism in the Church of One long ago, and the Western Church had gone its own way. Faust’s worshippers in Equestria and the Eastern Continent disagreed with their fellows in Stygra about many things, even if they professed to worship the same goddess. There were a few in Embariz, however, who preferred the Eastern doctrine enough that a bishop of the Church of One lived here, with a gaggle of priestesses to serve under her. It was all part of the strangeness that had brought the Brave Companions to the city in the first place. Embariz’s leaders had gone about requesting their presence in an odd manner. They had come to the city’s eastern bishop, who had forwarded their request to the High Priestess in Cant’r Laht, who had in turn brought word to Celestia and Luna, the former of which had then brought the word to Twilight Sparkle. It was a good thing that Discord had been fairly settled for over a month, otherwise Twilight would have been hesitant to leave Ponieville and come here. Apparently, the draconequus had found his own little pocket dimension to work his mischief in, and that would keep him busy for a while.
“Eiynit b’tangh ida, hn’ghan. N’moh i’iza leid n’dhih mrasz?[1]” a half-pegasus mule approached Donia cautiously and asked.
“Thei, h’murrique[2],” Donia replied with an idle wave of her hoof, and the mule hurried off. “We can speak while we cross. The locals are eager to return. They’re likely much safer here than they are in Embariz, but for them, the Unbroken Walls and the Keep of Klunz mean safety.”
Donia tossed a pouch of incense on the brazier, and a colored cloud of smoke billowed up. The reason the Brave Companions had been called here was that the plague didn’t seem to want to leave Embariz, and unnatural interference was feared. Neither the scarves nor the incense would help protect against the plague, but the protective enchantments Twilight Sparkle had placed over the Brave Companions would. During their time in the city, she’d have to keep it up; it would be taxing, but it would only be on eight ponies and a growing dragonling. She was sure she could manage.
As each of the Brave Companions made their introductions to the priestess, the sailors pushed the barge away from the abandoned pier and began the trip back across the strait. They drifted past abandoned ships and one partially submerged one that had tried to escape quarantine, but then they were out in open water. Every illustration of Embariz showed the river filled with traffic, ships sailing between the Agate and Blazing Oceans, barges transporting goods between banks and between docks, and pleasure craft drifting across the water; at the moment, it was empty of all but their lone barge. Any craft that passed this way would give Embariz a wide berth rather than risk catching the plague that stubbornly clung to the city.
“It is Bishop Merius’ will that I should accompany you everywhere you go in Embariz. She has absolved me of all other duties while you’re in the city,” Donia said as she added another pouch of incense to the brazier. “I will serve as guide and translator and will be able to go-between in most situations.”
“Most?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“There are twenty-two languages spoken in Embariz, not counting High and Low Equestrian or the Language of the Horns. I speak nineteen of them and can understand the majority of the dialects of each,” Donia replied, having taken offence.
“That many?” Twilight asked in awe. Suddenly, being able to speak Zebrikaanian and its Cainhiran variant along with the Equestrian languages and the Language of the Horns didn’t seem so impressive to her.
“Many languages are needed here, which is why the bishop was willing to offer my services as a translator,” Donia said, looking less agitated. “For conversing with most dockworkers and merchants, one must know the Tawny Trade Language. The city’s nobles insist on speaking in Old Osceriwic, and sorceresses commonly speak Rubicant. Then there are Embariz’s Defenders, who are a mix of Callicanni-, Selkine-, and Skogg-speakers.”
“I had no idea there was such a variety,” Twilight said, and she looked to Spike, who sighed and pulled out quill, ink, and parchment to write Donia’s words down. “Is there no common tongue?”
“The Tawny Trade Language comes the closest, at least when speaking to anyone who has to do any kind of business, but it won’t do for your purposes. You’ll be meeting with the city’s leaders, and they’re a prickly bunch insistent on having things their own way,” Donia said.
Embariz had grown very large during their conversation, and it filled the ponies’ sight. The lifeblood of Embariz was trade, and the docks that covered the Stygran bank were built to funnel as much blood in as possible. At the moment, however, they were mostly abandoned, a grim portent for a dying city. The only activity that could be seen among the motionless cranes and sagging rigging was a barge being loaded with the dead and set ablaze, to carry the ashes of plague victims to a watery grave. The sailors on the barge the Brave Companions were on pointedly refused to look in that direction. Still, they managed to safely guide the barge into its dock and secure it, and the Brave Companions disembarked.
“Faust-tyr-pedinohn t’dadta yaddei h’tyr repidi[3],” Donia told the sailors as she disembarked, giving a half bow that was copied by most of the crew.
The priestess led them up past the docks and warehouses and through the spillover city outside the walls. There were more signs of life and death as they ascended. Washing hung up on clotheslines to dry, though there were places where the washing had clearly been there for days or weeks and the home it belonged to had a plague marker scrawled on its door. Feral dogs ran through the streets, searching for scraps. Some ponies actually showed themselves, but quickly hid inside when they saw the party coming up the path. Blocks were missing from the city, burned down in an attempt to kill the plague, leaving only ash and cleared ground for mass graves behind. The trek was depressing and unnerving, and Twilight Sparkle found herself unnecessarily checking that her enchantment was still in place to protect her and her friends. It felt as if she were choking on the air, but it was probably just the stench of death coming from corpses that hadn’t been collected and burned or buried yet.
Things became livelier once they passed through the city gates, which, despite the plague the city was suffering, stood wide open as if inviting ponies to leave and spread it through the countryside; or, perhaps they knew it would be pointless, with the lower city already infected. While the streets of Embariz were far from full, neither were they empty. Creatures kept their distance from each other as they did their business, but they still did business. The bazaar they passed through was alive with ponies buying and selling, and the smells of heavily spiced food in the air almost overcame the odor of wrongness that permeated the city.
Embariz embodied the mixed nature of Stygra, mingling in a variety unseen in Equestria anywhere except maybe Onon’r Laht. Satyrs, in Equestria rarely seen outside of the Storm Isles, played a game of cards with a wily-looking felis in a battered cap, holding the cards in their hands and paws respectively. A zebra showed off a rug to a bison who had abandoned her tribal ways, his goat assistants rolling it out for inspection. A brightly colored gryphon ran a talon across a row of earrings, trying to grab a customer’s attention, while eating from a skewer of meat held in her other claw. None of them gave the Brave Companions more than a passing glance as they trotted along. The plague had made them wary, though maybe not wary enough. How many of them will be dead in a week? How many of them will be dead tomorrow? Scarves seemed to be the new fashion choice in Embariz, with the headwraps made from any kind of material the wearer could get their hooves, claws, paws, or hands on. It made it difficult to tell if someone had the plague, but some of them didn’t look very well just from the bit that was visible.
They weren’t very far into the city when Donia led them off through an alley to a humble church. It was barely larger than the Ponieville chapel, and it was sandwiched between other buildings as well. Donia didn’t take them inside but passed the church and led them into the house on its left, the home of Embariz’s bishop and the priestesses under her. It was a cozy home, quite unlike the mansion of Vice-Pontiff Sabalus that Twilight had visited earlier in the year.
“Your excellency, the Brave Companions,” Donia introduced them to Bishop Merius as she led them into the house’s quaint study.
“Welcome,” the matronly mare greeted them as she set aside the book she’d been reading. “How are you finding Embariz?”
“Empty,” Pinkamena answered before Twilight could think of a more diplomatic answer.
“Yes indeed,” Merius replied sadly. “This plague is killing Embariz, but too slowly to cause real panic. Ponies tell themselves that it will pass, like all other diseases that sweep through the city, but so far it refuses to do so. Some say it is a supernatural plague, others a curse on the city caused by whoever they most hate or fear at the moment.”
“What do you say?” Twilight asked.
“I say that I do not know, I merely pray for deliverance from it,” Merius replied. “It is a peculiar plague, though, I will give it that.”
“Your excellency, maybe you can clear up exactly what we’re supposed to be doing here,” Rarity said. “I’m afraid our instructions from Regent Celestia were rather … vague.”
“Curing the plague, of course. Or, barring that, find out what has caused it so somepony else can cure it,” Merius said. “You’ll need to speak to Embariz’s leaders, as they’re the ones who’ve requested you come here and solve their problems.”
“Who are they?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Defenders, Conjurers, Lords, and Merchants,” Twilight quoted from the brief research she’d managed to conduct on Embariz before coming here, and Merius nodded.
“And in that order,” the bishop said. “Though you will want to fit in a meeting with Embariz’s Western Pontiff as well, since he carries as much weight as the others, even if he is not an official member of the city’s governing factions.”
“Divide and conquer again?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I wouldn’t advise it,” Merius said. “With the plague ravaging the city, the factions are more on edge than ever, and appearing to show favoritism, even unintentionally, to one group could start fighting within Embariz’s walls—the last thing that is needed right now.”
“Right, so before we can investigate the plague, we must meet with the Defenders, Conjurers, Lords, Merchants, and the Western Pontiff. Anything else?” Twilight asked.
“Donia will be at your service,” Merius said, inclining her head toward the priestess that had been waiting patiently at the edge of the room. “Go with Faust, and end this plague.”
As a group, the Brave Companions left the bishop’s house and returned to the unnervingly empty streets of Embariz. Donia led them down a series of widening tracks, until they were on a main thoroughfare leading directly to the center of the city and the Keep of Klunz. It was within that massive fortress that the leaders of the city resided, an urban center unto itself. Much as Embariz had gradually come to dominate their view on the barge ride across, the Keep of Klunz grew to fill their field of vision as they trotted toward it.
On one street corner they passed, a crowd had gathered around a pegasus standing upon an abandoned crate. Despite the plague, they were packed in tightly to hear what she had to say. The pegasus was dressed in what was clearly a priestess’ robe, but of a style undoubtedly distinct from the one worn by Donia. As she gesticulated wildly and spoke passionately in a language none of the Brave Companions could comprehend, the amulet around her neck jumped around. Despite the priestess’ harried motions, it wasn’t difficult to make out the symbol dangling at the end: a vertical bar with three bars of varying lengths crossing it.
“What’s she sayin’?” Applejack asked.
“That the plague is the judgement of Faust upon the city for its sins,” Donia said derisively. “Blasphemous to proclaim as prophecy that which one merely wishes to believe, even more so for a mare to do it. It would only be a bit better if she claimed the prophecy had come to Western Pontiff Cathraxis. A stallion pontiff. Sometimes I think the Western Church is beyond reconciliation.”
They didn’t encounter any more Western priestesses proclaiming prophecy, but the incident had put Donia’s tail in a twist, and she still had a stern look about her by the time they reached the Keep of Klunz’s gates. They looked incredibly sturdy, able to withstand any siege, and very unwilling to open at the moment. A felisne guard lounged against the nearby postern gate, his tail flicking back and forth lazily. He straightened as Donia approached purposefully, pulling his spear upright.
“Aom Pikzire Adapenzojarol lind sapigyadz Nønge Hepiketa Katerinald mrow nekí[4],” Donia told him, and he stepped aside and rapped a knocker against the door.
“Ile Hondereliri Pegeter sonole esri meor vild Condolliar Alighei Caterina[5],” Donia repeated as a felisne officer stepped out in response, and he beckoned them inside.
The guard on duty tipped his conical helm to the mares as they passed into the Keep of Klunz. A narrow passageway took them through to main entry hall, where there was a long-bearded stallion with a pointed hat leaning heavily on a twisted staff. He blinked his eyes inquisitively as the Brave Companions approached and raised a hoof imperiously while he barked a word whose meaning couldn’t be mistaken.
“He wishes to cleanse us from the plague,” Donia explained as the sorcerer gyrated his staff. “It has been kept mostly outside the Keep of Klunz so far, and the city’s leaders wish to keep it that way. This will be over in a moment.”
Magic washed over the Brave Companions, and Twilight Sparkle paid close attention. The spell cast upon them was very similar to Twilight’s spell of protection, and the sorcerer looked puzzled for a moment as he probably realized that everypony but Donia was already protected from the plague. He waved them on once he was finished, and Donia again took the lead.
“Do y’ come ‘ere often?” Applejack asked the priestess as she led them though vast pillared halls and up spiral staircases.
“With the bishop, from time to time,” Donia responded. “She has taken it as her mission to convert the leadership of the city with the expectation that the rest will follow suit.”
“Has she had any success?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“No, but she hasn’t driven them away yet. They still invite her here to speak to them,” Donia said. “Truthfully, I believe it is mostly because through her, they can hear news of Equestria they might not otherwise be informed about and has nothing to do with genuine interest in the Church of One.”
The interior of the Keep of Klunz was as impressive as its exterior, and surprisingly well lit. Sorcerous lights provided by the city’s Conjurors shone wherever it was impractical to have windows, torches, or candles. The keep was a massive conglomeration of fortress, palace, and city, with distinct districts visible as they passed through halls and rooms. Twilight knew from her research that the keep’s rooms extended below as well, and they could provide shelter for the entire city of Embariz in times of crisis. The current crisis, however, did not seem to have warranted such measures—that, or the city’s leaders had decided that to let potentially infected creatures into the keep while it had not yet passed the walls would be a bad decision, especially because it placed their lives in danger. It was nothing new; in times of plague, kings and queens often closed their gates and let their subjects die while they cowered behind their walls. Sometimes, however, the walls didn’t protect them, from the plague or from their enraged subjects.
The felisne officer that had let them in down below was standing expectantly in front of a set of doors that practically screamed “throne room” as they approached. There were many paths through the Keep of Klunz, and this felis had apparently found a more direct one that had allowed him to scale his way up here and announce the Brave Companions’ arrival. Chatter in multiple languages could be heard from the other side of the doors. The felis raised and dropped the elaborate knocker on the doors and let it rap twice before they began to swing open. Mechanisms in the walls could be heard tapping as counterweights fell and pulled the heavy doors upon their tracks. Not enchanted to be lighter, like those in Equestria; interesting.
As the door swung open, the room was revealed to be filled with felii, the bipedal cats common throughout Stygra, many dressed in ceremonial or practical armor. The throne room seemed to be turned sideways, wider than it was long, to allow the crowd of felii to all stand along the back wall to either side of the throne. The throne itself was a large wooden chair with weapon racks built into the armrests, and it sat atop a low stone podium that allowed for two felii to stand to either side. Seated upon the throne was a felis with chestnut fur and auburn highlights around her face that formed a mane, of sorts. She was clad in a burgundy dress, over which was worn a polished breastplate and scaled skirt, and a circlet with ornamental nose and cheek guards sat upon her head.
“Condolliar Alighei Caterina, sog emprezimole ede nif ile Hondereliri Pegeter di Equestria[6],” Donia introduced the Brave Companions to her, before turning back to them. “Brave Companions, I introduce to you First Defender Caterina.”
Caterina rose from her throne and drew a sword that had been thrust into its arm. Donia held up a hoof to keep Rainbow Dash, Ream, and Baldavin from drawing their own blades in challenge, and Caterina sheathed her sword at her side. The Brave Companions hadn’t noticed it initially, but none of the felii on the podium had swords in the scabbards at their sides, having surrendered them to the throne when they arose, and Caterina had been merely retrieving her blade.
“Brave Companions, you know why you are here, so I will not insult you by explaining what was already relayed through your priestesses,” Caterina said in Callicanni, and Donia translated. “We Defenders are charged with protecting Embariz and policing its streets, but this unnatural plague has made our job … difficult. The peace has held so far, for the most part, but it cannot last forever, not if the plague refuses to leave. Districts have burned outside the Unbroken Walls, and the fire may spread inward if the sickness remains unchecked.”
“What makes you think the plague is unnatural?” Twilight Sparkle asked, and Spike prepared quill and parchment.
“We were untouched by the plague that ravaged the eastern side of the strait,” Caterina replied after Donia had provided translation. “Travel to the far bank was cut off as soon as it was known that it ravaged the Westerlands, and it had already passed by the time the sickness began here in Embariz. When it came, it came suddenly, spreading quickly and without warning, yet it has not spread outside of the city or to other ports on the route between the Agate and Blazing Oceans. Plague and disease have struck our city before and we have always survived, but it has never struck like this.”
“Anything else?” Twilight asked.
“Do you intend to examine the victims?” Caterina asked.
“It may be necessary to understand the plague,” Twilight replied. “I must admit that I do not know much about the plague, but if this one is unnatural as you claim, then I should know enough to determine if your suspicions are warranted.”
“You should speak with Doctor Borkes. His home is in the upper city, but I understand that he has set up a field laboratory for studying the plague in the lower city, up against the Unbroken Walls. You will most likely find him there,” Caterina advised. “The Defenders will be at your service if you need assistance in your investigation; simply call the nearest one over. Goddess-speed to you.”
“Thank you, First Defender. We will do our best,” Twilight Sparkle said.
The felii grouped up together to speak as the Brave Companions left the throne room, and Donia didn’t share the meaning behind any of their mewing. The doors to the throne room swung shut as their mechanisms propelled them, and the Brave Companions were greeted by an earth pony servant in gray livery outside. After speaking to Donia, she nodded and led the group along.
“The others are assembling to meet with you,” the priestess told them. “The Conjurers are next, and they’ve assembled not in their Conclave Hall, but in the Grand Conjurer’s tower. We’ll need to ascend into the dome in order to reach it.”
“Hooray, more stairs,” Pinkamena said, and Twilight wasn’t sure whether she was being sarcastic or genuine.
“I think enough time has passed since the last ascent that the struggle should be minimal at best,” Rarity commented as they faced yet another staircase among the many that riddled the Keep of Klunz.
“Maybe I should just hop out a window and fly up,” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“Even the pegasus couriers in the Keep of Klunz don’t leave the walls,” Donia said as they climbed. “If you were to fly out a window, you would be either shot by crossbows or struck by sorcery. Feel free to find the ascent and descent chutes that the winged servants use, however. Though they are well hidden.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t make any more comments about flying to the top, but she did have her eyes peeled for how other pegasi (and nimble felii) in the Keep of Klunz got around. She didn’t have any more luck than Donia had expected her to; the fortress was too tightly designed to easily give away secrets that would help an opposing force take over it. Up and up and up they went while also heading toward the opposite end of the keep from where they’d met the Defenders.
Donia slowed as they neared a stairway entrance guarded by a pair of guards, a griffin and a satyr, holding elaborate halberds. They crossed them over the doorway as the group got close, then almost immediately uncrossed them as a pony trotted down the stairs. An aged slate blue pegasus stallion with a voluminous, but neatly trimmed, white beard stepped out of the stairway. Exquisite white and red robes covered his body, and a towering mitre was perched upon his head, golden bands wrapped around it in three places with another golden band running from the brim to the peak from front and behind. Additional fabric hung down from the brim behind his head covering his mane; the fabric was also draped over his ears and hung down loose from the sides of his head. Behind him trotted two more guards (a pegasus and a donkey) as well as a young stallion with a black coat covered in neatly buttoned black garments and a cylindrical black hat, and a unicorn mare in the robes of a lesser priestess.
The latter pony carried a crosier that was topped not by a horn and wings, a seven-pointed star, or any of the other symbols used by the Church of One, but by the icon of the Western Church. The Church of One always emphasized the horned and winged aspect of Faust’s depictions, but the Western Church, having needed a tool other than conquest to appeal to the pegasi of Sygra, had downplayed the unicorn nature of Faust to the point that her horn was no longer represented in the symbology; only her wings remained. The Western Church’s icon consisted of a vertical bar with three crossbars, the center one wider than the other two, and the top one letting nothing of the vertical bar stick over the edge. The priestess passed the crosier to the pony ahead of her to hold and lean on as he turned to face the Brave Companions.
“Pontiff Cathraxis,” Donia addressed him, her voice on the very edge of being respectful. “N’moh m’na erzihd durt h’tiszd peifiloe iz leid Youpt Raethli?[7]”
Cathraxis peered around the priestess at those with her, wheels turning behind his eyes as he pieced things together.
“Datalohn urzidhe leid Hautkip Okep’nhidohn,” he said after a moment, “Ithyd sekkisent’lethnor. H’zeedo tellamon i’ize?[10]”
“Brave Companions, this is Western Pontiff Cathraxis,” Donia complied with his wishes.
“A pleasure to meet you, Your Holiness,” Twilight Sparkle said, and Donia translated.
“The pleasure is mine. I am well-pleased to meet you, but I fear that your coming to Embariz is a trap,” Cathraxis said, and Donia translated his words from the Tawny Trade Language into Low Equestrian.
“A trap?” Pinkamena asked.
“Yes,” Cathraxis said with a sad nod of his hairy head, “The leaders of this city plot against each other, and each no doubt intends to use you as a pawn in their schemes. The plague is merely an excuse for them to get you here.”
“You believe that the plague is Faust’s judgement on the city?” Twilight asked skeptically.
“Because of its leaders’ constant fighting among themselves and exploitation of their subjects. I warn you, Brave Companions, do not trust a single one of them. Have you met with any of them yet?”
“We have met with the Defenders,” Twilight replied.
“Ah, so you met Caterina,” Cathraxis said. “She has the potential to be a powerful conjurer, but instead pursued the position of First Defender. Why is that, do you think?”
“Do you have something against conjurers, Pontiff?” Donia challenged him, and belatedly translated her words for the Brave Companions.
“Of course not. Though our priests wear red at times, we are not like those Manehattanite heathens,” Cathraxis said, smiling at his own cleverness, “I employ conjurers in my own household, but they do not pretend to be something they are not or seek after a station outside of their circle.”
“If you say so,” Donia said in reply.
“Is there anything else you can share about the plague?” Twilight Sparkle asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.
“Only be safe, Brave Companions. Faust’s judgement on this city is not for you,” Cathraxis said, and he motioned for his guard to lead the way.
His retinue departed, headed for stairs that led down into the Keep of Klunz.
“Is this the way to the Grand Conjurer’s tower?” Rarity asked as Donia’s eyes lingered on the stairway that Pontiff Cathraxis had initially come down.
“Pfft, hardly,” the priestess said, “Those stairs lead up to the High Tower. Nopony lives there.”
“Nopony?” Spike asked.
“It is purposefully unoccupied,” Donia said as she resumed leading them to where the Conjurers were waiting. “Long ago, Embariz was ruled by a king, but one king became such a tyrant that his subjects rose against and deposed him. No one that tried to take his place was much better, and so the Embarezzi decided that they would have kings no longer. The Defenders, Conjurers, Lords, and Merchants would rule the city, and the royal quarters in the High Tower would remain empty. I wonder what Cathraxis was really doing up there, and with Juniper, at that.”
“Who’s Juniper?” Pinkamena asked.
“The youth in black. He’s Cathraxis’s Archdeacon of Coin, and I hear his rapid ascension has ruffled some feathers in the pontificate,” Donia explained. “Are they looking for sites to build new churches, where homes have been burned away? Or were they looking for a secret place to discuss business?”
As Donia mulled it over, she led them through the halls and hallways of the Keep of Klunz until they reached the stairs to the Grand Conjurer’s tower. The spiral staircase curved up and up as they climbed past the dome’s curved top. As they passed windows, they could see the other towers scattered across the dome, including the High Tower at its apex. It reached toward the sky, majestic but abandoned. No banners fluttered from its balconies as they did from other spires.
Twilight Sparkle composed herself before following Donia through the last doorway at the top of the stairs. The Conjurers must have chosen to meet here just to see us sweat. Not very friendly of them when they asked for us to come here. The room on the other side of the doorway was an almost complete circle that ceded space to the staircase the Brave Companions had ascended, as well as another flight of stairs that led up to living quarters above the high ceiling. Cushions were scattered around the room, and the sorceresses and sorcerers seated upon them were rising now that their guests were here. It was like a crowd in Cant’r Laht—a multitude of colors from their robes but the same sense of superiority coming from everyone who wore them. The only difference was that the sorceresses would all have been unicorns in Cant’r Laht; here, it seemed every race was represented, though unicorns were still predominant. A unicorn mare with markings that showed zebra somewhere in her recent lineage stepped forward from the crowd of conjurers. Like the others, she brought a mostly ceremonial staff with her, topped with a miniature orrery, and a golden headpiece leaned against her horn.
“I am Grand Conjurer Selkie, head of the Conjurers of Embariz,” the mare introduced herself, with Donia translating it from Rubicant.
“Hello, I am Twilight Sparkle of the House Haltrotsun, personal protégé to Regent Celestia of Cant’r Laht, heir to the Throne of Cant’r Laht, and one of the Brave Companions,” Twilight introduced herself. She was pleased to see that Selkie was duly impressed by her long list of titles and surprised by the last bit as Donia translated it. She hadn’t wanted to introduce herself as the Brave Companions’ leader, although that was often her function and what she tended to be addressed as. They were all in this together, and it wasn’t just her who had to lead, even if that was what would most likely happen.
“Thank you for coming at our request,” Selkie said. “We feel an outside eye can help settle this and clear us of blame.”
“Why would y’ need t’ be cleared o’ blame?” Applejack asked.
“The Conjurers are responsible for magically protecting Embariz. If this plague is unnatural, that means it was able to breach our defenses,” Selkie said.
“The magical barrier was intact when the plague arrived!” another Conjurer cried out.
“And fortified while the plague ravaged the eastern bank,” Selkie said wearily. “We all know this, but the others suspect us of defending our wounded pride, or worse. This plague is natural, we all know it. The Defenders, Lords, and Merchants will not listen to us, but perhaps they will listen to the Brave Companions.”
“If you already have proof, then that gives us a place to start,” Twilight Sparkle said, but Selkie began shaking her head as soon as Donia translated the word “proof.”
“We do not have proof, as such, only assurance that the magical barrier we keep over the city was not breached, so this plague must be natural,” Selkie said confidently. “We have been traveling through the city studying the plague, and everything points to it being a regular disease, but the others won’t hear it.”
“Is there anything you can tell us about the plague?” Twilight asked.
“Only what I have already,” Selkie said, and several of the other Conjurers nodded enthusiastically. “Speak to the other leaders. Assure them that the fault lies not with us. As a fellow conjurer, you must realize the importance of reputation. After all, how are we to study the sick and dying when rumors are running around that we let the plague in?”
***
The Lords awaited the Brave Companions in their Council Hall. Like the Defenders’ throne room, the Council Hall was wider than it was long. Inside were numerous chairs arranged in a semicircle, each occupied by an impatient noble dressed in their best clothes. At the midpoint of the semicircle’s arc was enthroned a pegasus stallion wearing an elaborate diadem.
“Ossen Telley Riverrun Isktelonley song Embariz, essen kreg elle leley ofos sigristar Aregikey Sootsenloe[11],” Donia addressed the room in Old Osceriwic before turning to the Brave Companions. “Brave Companions, I present to you the Lords of Embariz, led by High Lord Riverrun.
“Now that you are here, how long will it take before the plague is gone?” High Lord Riverrun asked right off the bat, but his forthrightness didn’t seem to surprise Donia as she translated.
“It is hard to say,” Twilight Sparkle replied, “We have not yet had the time to study the plague.”
“Or try to cure it,” Fluttershy added.
“The Conjurers have been studying the plague and the Church has been attempting to cure it,” Riverrun said with a frown. “You were summoned here to investigate, to find the source, to put an end to it.”
“We came here of our own free will at your request and that of Embariz’s other leaders,” Twilight said, growing annoyed. “We are here to help, so do not try to order us around as if we were your servants or subjects.”
“This plague is a great threat to Embariz,” Riverrun replied, his tone only slightly more polite than before. “The Defenders’ role is to defend Embariz, ours is to govern and defend all the lands of the Embarezzo Protectorate. Our armies will stop anyone from fleeing Embariz and spreading the plague, but while they are turned inward, our realm’s neighbors may take the opportunity to rush us from behind. Tecoeseh, Ridding, Massoria … even the Hillenes might invade and seize our lands. This plague must end so that our gaze may turn outward again.”
“Is there anything you can offer us to help?” Twilight asked hopefully.
“If we did, then we wouldn’t need you, would we?” Riverrun said disdainfully. “Speak to the Conjurers or the Church if you want answers; our preoccupations lie elsewhere.”
The conversation dragged on a bit longer but nothing else of consequence was said, consisting mostly of vaguely condescending words from the High Lord with a few intercessions from the other Lords and worthless platitudes expressed formally. The frustration was almost unbearable by the time the Brave Companions were permitted to leave.
“Oh, is the High Lord always so … rude?” Rarity asked once they were outside of the Council Hall, the word she’d chosen not seeming to fully capture her annoyance.
“Always,” Donia answered as she led them to where they would meet with the Merchants. “Riverrun fancies himself a king in every way but the title and overdoes it in seeking to maintain that image. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to make a move to take the High Tower. The Lords’ armies are perfectly positioned to assault the city, after all, if it weren’t for the plague.”
The Merchants, like the Defenders and Lords, had chosen to meet with the Brave Companions in their usual gathering place, the Counting Hall. It was on the opposite side of the Keep of Klunz from the Council Hall, but there would be no vertical translation in the journey, so the Brave Companions were able to avoid climbing any more stairs for the moment. When they arrived at the Counting Hall, the doors were already open, letting the smell of musty paper waft out into the hallway. The Merchants had made a more practical use of their space than the other factions that controlled Embariz, setting aside only part of it for a meeting hall; even then, it looked like more clerks’ desks could be rolled in to fill the space when needed. Stacks of cubbies packed with scrolls filled the outer edges of the room, with clerks consulting them and bringing them back to nearby desks where they compared them to other scrolls packed with numbers. The clacking of abacuses could be heard over the chatter of the Merchants who stood in clusters in the middle of the room. They were dressed in finery only slightly less impressive than the Lords (probably by law), seeking to display their wealth as ostentatiously as they were permitted. The chatter ceased as they noticed the Brave Companions.
“Eklyn’norhn-rys-Embariz, m’na tellamon t’sildz leid Hautkip Okep,nhidohn-rys-Equestria[12],” Donia said. “Brave Companions, these are the Merchants of Embariz.”
“Brave Companions, you have made it here at last,” a satyr of prodigious weight expressed his annoyance at the Merchants being visited last as he approached, the rings on his fingers glittering in the light that slanted down from the chamber’s high windows. “No matter, no matter, you are here now, and there will be no more delays to keep you from your work. I am Most Serene Merchant Dozalo. How may we be of assistance?”
“Is there anything you can share with us about the plague?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Only suspicions,” Dozalo said with a shake of his head. “Despite how our colleagues in the Keep of Klunz look down upon us, it is trade that keeps Embariz alive, and an attack on Embariz’s ability to trade is an attack on the city and upon its Merchants. Someone is attacking us with this unnatural plague.”
“Almost everyone seems to think the plague is unnatural. We will certainly look into that, but what leads you to believe this?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“It did not come in upon any ships,” Dozalo said.
“We’ve checked and double-checked, and it’s an impossibility,” another Merchant piped up, and Donia quickly translated.
“The plague must have started inside the city,” Dozalo continued. “If that’s not unnatural, what is? We’ve considered looking into things ourselves, but the streets are bound to become unsafe any day now, and we’ll need protection. However, when we tried to hire mercenaries to do the job, they all refused our silver.”
“All of them,” another Merchant cut in.
“There are three mercenary companies in the city currently, and none of them would take work from us,” yet another Merchant said.
“It makes you wonder,” Dozalo said.
“Makes you wonder what?” Rarity asked.
“Who has hired them?” Dozalo said.
***
Meeting with the leaders of Embariz had taken up nearly the entire day, but there was one other place that Twilight Sparkle wanted to visit before turning in for the night. With the help of a few souls still brave or foolish enough to be out on the streets, the Brave Companions found their way to the field laboratory of Doctor Borkes. He had set up shop in an abandoned cluster of homes constructed against Embariz’s walls. The homes were built around a courtyard, but the well in it had been boarded up and a pile of bones was heaped in front of a charred section of the Unbroken Walls. The doctor had evidently lost a lot of patients. The groans of diseased ponies could be heard on the left, but humming was coming from the building on the right. Tentatively, the Brave Companions followed the humming.
It led them to rooms filled with tables which held the corpses of plague victims, some of them cut open. The humming was coming from a gryphon dressed as a plague doctor, complete with a beaked mask over his actual beak. He was currently in the middle of slicing open a pegasus, knife held in his gloved claw. He tutted to himself as he removed a tumor and set it down in a pan alongside others.
“Priszya Borkes?[13]” Donia tried to get his attention.
“Weloe unt t’go? Izlil unt t’go l’hyni ida? T’go untelz’gyr telli ida![14]” Borkes cried as he turned his goggled eyes upon the crowd of ponies.
“I’iza unt obrorgniz leid unzing-erk-cuniol’pir[15],” Donia assured him. Before coming here, Twilight Sparkle had expanded her protective enhancement to the priestess.
“Unta’gyr lerodt unzing[16],” Borkes said as he tried to run his claws through his head feathers out of habit, and instead smeared viscera across his waxed leather hood.
“Ler’rodat unt leid Hautkip Okep’nhidohn. M’nir yez’ulsz adae[17],” Donia introduced the Brave Companions to the doctor.
“I am Doctor Borkes, surgeon and pathologist,” the gryphon introduced himself as Donia began translating for the Brave Companions, and he extended a gloved claw in greeting, but then thought better of it. “Don’t let this outfit give you the wrong idea. I’m not one of those talentless hacks offering baseless cure-alls and prodding buboes with their sticks. I’ve taken on this look to give the less discerning confidence in me and to protect my bare flesh from being splattered with phlegm, vomit, pus, and viscera.”
“Good to hear it,” Twilight said, a little put off by the offensive fluids he mentioned. However, she would have to get used to it if she was going to help with this investigation. “First Defender Caterina told us that you were studying the plague, and I see she spoke true. What have you learned?”
“That this is either not a plague at all, or my entire life’s study of diseases has brought me to an entirely wrong conclusion,” Borkes replied.
“Can you explain?” Twilight asked.
“Gladly,” Borkes said, and his mask crinkled as if he were smiling. “In short, diseases are living things just like ponies and gryphons, but are unable to coexist peacefully with us. These tiny, invisible creatures can live within us, but doing so does damage to our bodies and can cause complications such as these tumors in the lungs and on the flesh. They can reproduce at a rapid rate and jump from creature to creature to begin multiplying again. I have seen this pattern in every disease I have studied, including an outbreak of plague, but with this plague that now afflicts Embariz, the theory falls apart.
“It spreads in some cases, as one would expect, to a group around a carrier of the disease, but in others it simply appears out of nowhere. Symptoms appear at intervals that don’t match the growth of a population, and infection spreads through the body in unnatural ways. I have dissected many victims of the plague, and it’s brought me to a startling conclusion,” Borkes said, gesturing with his claws to the tables covered with corpses around him. “This is not a plague at all! Rather, it is something mimicking a plague just enough that, from outward appearances, it seems to simply be an odd strain. For example, the victims cough, but why? If this were a normal plague, I would say that it is to help expel the plague creatures and infect others, but all the exhalations are free from infection and do not spread the plague. No doubt they are unsanitary, but not because of the sickness that causes them. Very unlike any other plague.”
“Piszya Borkes[18],” one of his helpers called as trotted into the room, pulling up short as she nearly ran into the Brave Companions.
“M’rinad leenos n’zinda[19],” he told her and she departed. “Follow me and you’ll see.”
Borkes led the group out of his laboratory and across to the buildings where the infected hadn’t died yet. They were laid up in beds, on tables, and upon the floor wherever there was space. Sunken eyes stared out of the faces of those that were conscious, fixed on the ceiling. Several helpers moved about, swathed in protective coverings slightly less extreme than Borkes’, trying to tend to the plague victims as best they could.
“There are houses like this all throughout the city, not that most creatures realize. You would think that no matter what precautions are taken, at least some of those tending to the dying would contract the sickness themselves, but that is not the case,” Borkes said. “None of my assistants, nor any of the priestesses tending the plague’s victims in the other sick houses have gotten the illness during their time here. These ponies and gryphons and felii and satyrs look as if they have the plague, and it is certainly killing them, but that is only because that is what is expected to happen.”
Twilight Sparkle approached one of the plague victims, a young bison coughing fitfully in his sleep. She didn’t have years of experience in cutting creatures open and studying diseases like Doctor Borkes did, so she used the one tool she did have at her disposal. She reached out with sorcery and was instantly met by a different sorcery. It was in the bison’s body, suffusing his entire being, but concentrated in his lungs and the places where buboes were most likely to form. The sorceress reached out farther, and the same signature of sorcery appeared in every plague victim in the room. Borkes was right; this wasn’t a normal plague. Being a non-Source, however, he hadn’t discovered why that was the case.
“There’s magic here,” Twilight Sparkle said aloud, and Borkes asked for a translation.
“Magic where?” Borkes asked once it had been provided.
“Everywhere. In every creature with the plague,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “This sickness was brought about by sorcery, by somepony who knows enough about the plague to mimic it, but not enough to fool somepony who has studied plagues.”
“Of course,” Borkes said, tapping his covered beak with a gloved hand. “Everything fits. But, where did the plague come from?”
That was the tough question, the one the Brave Companions had come here to answer, and Twilight didn’t like where it was leading. There was clearly magic at work in the plague, but did the Conjurers not know, or were they lying? And if they were lying, was it just about studying the plague, or something greater? Were they attempting to cover up something a member had done, or was it a larger plot to bring the city to its knees and claim sole rulership? None of these questions could be answered easily.
***
The sun was setting behind the Keep of Klunz by the time the Brave Companions left Doctor Borkes’s laboratory, with his promise not to share what they’d learned. Others could draw the same conclusions that Twilight had, and they might not be so patient to figure out the whole truth as she was. Donia helped the Brave Companions to book rooms for the night and left them to their sleep and planning. There was still the matter of the mercenaries to look into, and they would need to confront the Conjurers sooner or later. Twilight didn’t want to believe that they had poisoned an entire city in a scheme to gain power, but she had grown up around sorceresses and knew full well that they were capable of such a thing. She slept fitfully with that thought, but she was refreshed enough by dawn to put in order her plan for the day. All those plans went out the window when Donia arrived.
Somehow—likely through one of Borkes’s assistants—word had gotten out that the plague had been caused by magic. Conjurers out studying the plague had been attacked and minor sorceresses not able to command the power afforded to those who resided in the Keep of Klunz or protect themselves had been dragged from their homes and hanged, burned, or drowned in retribution. Parts of Embariz were in an uproar, the Defenders struggling to bring things back under control. A mob had formed outside the Keep of Klunz, yelling for the Defenders, Lords, and Merchants to throw the Conjurers out. They had many creative ideas for killing them and ridding Embariz of the plague.
“Are you sure you want to go into the streets wearing that?” Donia asked as they prepared to depart their inn, looking worriedly at Twilight’s sorceress robes. They were different from those of a Stygran conjurer, but not too different.
“I am Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun, personal protégé of Regent Celestia of Cant’r Laht and heir to the Throne of Cant’r Laht. I will not be cowed into pretending I am something else,” Twilight announced. “More than that, I have my friends with me. I will be fine. Let us go now, Donia.”
The priestess led them through city streets that seemed little transformed from the day before to the eye, but the emotion was different. Before, fear had permeated the air; while it was still present, riding upon that fear was anger. The citizens of Embariz had learned who was responsible for their suffering, and they were out for blood. Some of the bodies piled into carts had not died of plague but bore fatal wounds from sorcery or blades. Most creatures they passed simply watched dispassionately. Donia’s fears about the Embarezzi falling upon Twilight were misplaced, it seemed. They did give a wide berth to a group of ponies clustered around a Red Priest, taking advantage of the sudden swing in the city’s attitude toward magery to spread his religion.
The Brave Companions were able to skirt the mob outside the Keep of Klunz’s gates and reach the postern where they’d entered before, completely unmolested. The guards on duty there let them through without comment, apparently having been previously briefed on their appearances and to let them in. Donia spoke to a felisne servant once they were inside, who scampered off to find the Grand Conjurer. She returned several minutes later and led them on their way. After yesterday’s journey through the keep, it soon became clear where they were headed. The great hall devoted to the Conjurers, the Conclave Hall, awaited them at the end of their journey.
It was much like the other halls of the factions who ruled Embariz; a few arcane touches in the décor were really all that differentiated it from the Lords’ Council Hall. The room was almost half filled with Conjurers talking to each other in hushed, worried tones. The atmosphere was one of fear punctuated occasionally by frustration.
“Brave Companions,” Grand Conjurer Selkie said as she spotted them entering. “What have you done? You were called here to solve our problems, not make them worse.”
“Y’ lied t’ us,” Applejack said bluntly. “Y’ knew th’ plague was magical all along.”
“Yes, but we had hoped to discover its source before revealing so,” Selkie admitted just as bluntly. “You see how our subjects responded upon learning of this! This is what we had hoped to avoid!”
“We did not reveal it, but the truth would have come out sooner or later,” Twilight Sparkle said. “The fact remains that you were not truthful with us. What else have you held back?”
“Nothing,” Selkie protested. “Why do you think we have been studying the plague incessantly? To determine its origin and clear ourselves of blame for it.”
“I never accused you of causing the plague,” Twilight said.
“No, but the people of Embariz are,” Selkie said, recovering quickly.
“Are you absolutely certain that you don’t have a rogue conjurer among you who could have caused the plague?” Rarity asked.
“Absolutely,” Selkie replied, and there were many cries of protest that the unicorn would even ask such a thing when the question was translated.
“Are there any other powerful conjurers in Embariz who could have caused the plague?” Twilight asked.
“None. Anyone with enough talent to become a conjurer of renown joins the Conjurers. They must. It is the law,” Selkie said.
“That doesn’t leave many options, does it?” Rainbow Dash said.
“We did not bring this plague upon Embariz. You must trust me when I tell you that we would never countenance such a thing,” Selkie said.
Twilight wished she could believe her.
***
The Brave Companions were getting nowhere with the Conjurers. The members continued to profess their innocence, but they didn’t have any helpful suggestions which helped them look less suspicious than they already did. Twilight Sparkle hated to admit it, but it seemed increasingly likely that they were at fault. They probably had planned to create a crisis with the plague that would allow them to take over Embariz and place their Grand Conjurer in the High Tower, and were just clinging on to the end in hopes that things would blow over from lack of evidence. That was what kept the Brave Companions from going to the other factions and advising them that the Conjurers were at fault. There was no concrete evidence that they were responsible for the plague, only facts that suggested it.
With that in mind, they decided to leave the Keep of Klunz and follow up on their other outstanding lead. The Merchants had mentioned that three mercenary companies were currently in the city. These were the Howling Dogs, the Hawkers, and the Crimson Shields. The Howling Dogs had set up camp in the south of Embariz, in what had once been a garden district. It was a company of satyrs, minotaurs, and felii who all wore helmets carved to look like wolves’ heads. The Brave Companions were stopped at the entrance to their territory but finally managed to speak to a ranking commander, a half-minotaur, half-satyr brute who had fewer words for them than for the Merchants. The Howling Dogs had been hired by someone, but they wouldn’t divulge their client’s name.
The same thing happened with the Hawkers, more or less. A company made up mostly of gryphons, they were at least allowed to come into where they’d set up in the west of the city and speak to the leader of the company. She wouldn’t share much with the Brave Companions, except that they’d been hired and couldn’t say by whom. It was part of their client’s wishes, which they had to respect if they wanted to retain their status as a reputable mercenary company. When asked why some of their soldiers were sharpening their weapons, she admitted that some of the rioting had come close to them early in the morning and they’d helped the Defenders disperse the crowd. The Brave Companions gained nothing from the visit, other than to confirm what the Merchants had told them for a second time.
There would be no third confirmation, as they were unable to locate the Crimson Shields. They found where they were supposed to be easily enough, but when they arrived, the place was empty. The innkeepers who had given them rooms said that they’d left in the middle of the night, shortly after the riots had begun. Where they were going, however, they wouldn’t say. One would think it would be hard for an entire army to leave a plague-ridden city undetected, but somehow they’d managed it.
They’d come up empty on their investigation, leaving only one possibility: the Conjurers were guilty. It still didn’t sit right with Twilight, though. The sorcery in the plague had been so blatant, and sorceresses, whatever they called themselves, were usually more subtle. There was no solid evidence to clear or condemn them, though, so the Brave Companions kept investigating. They looked around the city for plague victims, searching for something, anything, that would decide things one way or the other. Again and again, they came up empty-hooved.
“M'na ullet m’na edyl’hadsz m’ein demmerytroum. M’ledelys tunis edyl’bitim’na leid Helkinohn yd’sospry izda[20],” a lesser merchant said to another as the Brave Companions passed by, and one of the words caught Twilight’s ear: demmerytroum.
“What did she just say?” Twilight demanded, spinning around and inadvertently dropping Spike off her back.
“M’mono, alo tunis h’lo dullodz itzind h’lo prac’til edyl’selin?[21]” Donia asked of the surprised merchant.
“I was just saying that I wish I hadn’t sold my dimeritium stock,” the merchant said, “I could probably sell it to the Defenders for a fortune now, maybe even earn enough to join the Board.”
“What happened to your dimeritium stock?” Twilight asked.
“I sold it a week ago, to a felis in a wolf’s-head helmet. Apparently, the Howling Dogs were buying up everyone, because a few days later, a gryphon from the Hawkers came by looking for dimeritium themselves. When I tried to buy some off other merchants, they said they’d been bought out by the Howling Dogs as well,” the merchant explained, her gaze growing more startled as she realized that Twilight was a sorceress.
“What is it, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.
“I think I know what is happening,” Twilight said in revelation, “We need to get to the Keep of Klunz!”
***
The Brave Companions scrambled up staircases, Donia leading the way. To open a portal into the keep itself would be a grave insult, so Twilight had opened one near to the fortress, leaving the two merchants at the edge of the city stunned as the crowd of ponies who had suddenly begun interrogating them disappeared through a hole in the air. The mobs had grown, but they still managed to make it through to the postern gate, which had even more guards on it now and quite a few waiting inside. Once inside the keep, they ascended higher and higher, until they reached where they’d met Pontiff Cathraxis the day before.
Twilight Sparkle charged up the stairs to the High Tower, her breath ragged as she ascended, eyes fixed heavenward. Up and up and up the staircase spiraled, until she burst into the chambers that had once belonged to Embariz’s king. Centuries of dust had settled over almost everything, but not everywhere, and not only because of wind through broken windows.
“I thought the High Tower was abandoned,” Rainbow Dash said as she noted the hoofprints and footprints in the dust.
“It is, but no one is forbidden from entering it,” Donia said as she peered worriedly at the tracks. “I wouldn’t expect this much traffic, though.”
Twilight continued to walk ahead and follow the tracks, slowing as she ascended more flights of stairs. At last, she burst out onto the highest balcony that ringed the High Tower and looked down upon Embariz from on high. The height was nothing compared to Cant’r Laht’s vantage over the Equestry Valley, but it was certainly impressive to look down upon the massive city from above. That wasn’t why Twilight Sparkle had rushed up here, though. As she struggled to catch her breath, she reached out with sorcery, feeling for traces of past castings.
The sorcerous traces struck her almost immediately, in the same way her probing of the plague victims had. In multiple places, some stronger and some lighter, around the balcony were the remnants of powerful spells. It was exactly as Twilight had expected.
“What are we supposed to be looking for?” Donia asked in confusion as she peered out over the balcony while the Brave Companions all looked expectantly to Twilight.
“I do not believe that Pontiff Cathraxis’s journey here yesterday was a one-time occurrence,” Twilight said. “I think he is the one behind all this.”
“You know I am inclined to agree with you, but that’s impossible,” Donia said. “You heard what Grand Conjurer Selkie said; there are no conjurers of note outside of their ranks.”
“Not that they know of, but Cathraxis has at least one: Juniper,” Twilight said. “He may very well have more in the guise of priests and priestesses helping spread the plague while pretending to treat it. Selkie was so certain, which means she probably has not thought to check that her assumptions are correct.”
“Meeting Cathraxis may have just been a coincidence,” Donia said. “Any Conjurer could easily have come here and cast the spells instead.”
“It is possible, but I do not think it is so. There is a way to confirm my suspicions, but we will need to find the First Defender, High Lord, and Most Serene Merchant before they make a terrible mistake,” Twilight said as she looked over the edge of the balcony. Down below, the Crimson Shields had made their appearance, forming up before the gates of the Keep of Klunz. The Howling Dogs and Hawkers had also appeared, assisting the Defenders in pushing the mob out of the way.
The ponies hurried back down the way they’d come, nearly tripping down the stairs in their haste. Rainbow Dash shot ahead once they were in the keep’s dome and returned with a terrified goat servant. Through his bleating, Donia managed to ascertain where they could find Embariz’s leaders, and they were off again. Twilight was tempted to open a portal but didn’t want to risk it, just in case she was mistaken or the Conjurers reacted lethally on instinct, so they took the whole journey on hoof.
The Council Hall was filled with Lords and a collection of Merchants and Defenders when they burst in. All of Embariz’s leaders (barring Grand Conjurer Selkie) were here, and looks of remorse turned to shock as the Brave Companions arrived uninvited.
“What is the meaning of this?” all three demanded in different languages, their translators unsure what to do.
“Please, you have to listen me,” Twilight spoke quickly through gasps of air, and Donia translated her words into the Tawny Trade Language, which Caterina’s and Riverrun’s translators translated for them. “Have you already decided what to do about the Conjurers?”
“We have,” Caterina replied, the look of remorse returning to her features. “To depose a ruling faction is unprecedented, but their betrayal of this city is unforgiveable. It seemed an impossible challenge to even do so, as we are forbidden from taking up arms against each other, but Pontiff Cathraxis provided us with a solution. We have just approved the entry of the Howling Dogs, Hawkers, and Crimson Shields into the Keep of Klunz to depose the Conjurers.”
“You have to call it off,” Twilight demanded. “Pontiff Cathraxis has been deceiving you. He is the one behind the plague, and he wanted the Conjurers to be blamed for it so that you would allow his armies into the Keep of Klunz. With the Defenders busy quelling the riots, the Lords’ armies safely outside the city, and the Merchants unable to hire soldiers of their own, he’ll use his mercenaries to capture the keep and make himself sole ruler of Embariz!”
“Kesehi ile Sofroskato[22],” Caterina swore softly.
“Are you convinced?” High Lord Riverrun asked, shaken and adjusting his diadem more than necessary. “Our own pontiff killing thousands?”
“True or not, we are about to let three armies into the Keep of Klunz with no way to keep them from taking over, and this Equestrian conjurer has opened our eyes to the danger,” Most Serene Merchant Dozalo said. “Call it off immediately!”
***
As the barge carried the Brave Companions across the waters back to Equestria, they stole a last look back at Embariz. The miasma and gloom no longer held sway over the city, but it would take some time for the population to recover from the dreadful ordeal. Not only would they have to cope with death having stalked their streets, but also the betrayal of the strongest religious authority they knew. The mercenaries hadn’t made it into the Keep of Klunz, but they had been close. There was fighting at one of the gates which had begun to open, but the Defenders had managed to hold them off. Pontiff Cathraxis, still in the Keep of Klunz, had been detained, along with Archdeacon Juniper, who was confirmed as a mage. The bishops of the city, after learning of Cathraxis’ plot to seize power, had promptly deposed him, appointed a new pontiff, and demanded he be turned over to them to try and painfully execute. With the secret mages in the pontificate rounded up and clapped in the dimeritium shackles meant for the Conjurers, the plague soon let up.
The North, Saddle Arabia, and now Stygra. The last year had seen Twilight Sparkle travel beyond the traditional bounds of Equestria. She’d faced down Trixie with the power of the Alicorn Amulet and seen Discord brought to heel. In all of this, she’d felt the eyes of her mentor watching her more intently than ever before, testing her, for what she did not know. Where would it take her next?
Chapter 0:13 – The Younger Sister Year ¿1239? of the 2nd Age
Luna nervously reviewed her preparations, securing a paper down with a hoof as it started to float away. She snatched at a pearl as it rolled across the table before her in the opposite direction as the room pitched. The ship whose cabin she was in climbed and descended waves that rocked in ways that they never had before Discord had taken over. It was an absolute miracle that Celestia and Luna had found a ship at all, given how the last twelve centuries had reinforced that sailing was far too dangerous to even be attempted. As mad as the captain was, he probably would have refused had he known Luna was a sorceress, not to mention what she was planning. Sometimes she thought that what she was planning was insane as well. Celestia was convinced that the teenager was ready to become an alicorn, so that was what Luna would be doing, undertaking a dangerous ritual likely to kill her that she felt entirely unprepared for. She hastily swept the notes, arcane materials, and ancient tome into her saddlebags as a series of raps sounded on the cabin door.
“We’re in as close as we can get, miss,” the captain told her as he poked his head into the cabin, the fronds that grew from it waving and seeking out the edges of the doorframe.
“Thank you,” Luna told him and followed him up onto the ship’s deck.
As the ship crested a wave, she was able to look down upon the island to which she’d asked to be taken. It was a mostly bare bit of rock, apart from a few scraggly overgrown bushes, that thrusted out of the sea. It was illuminated by floating orange clouds that hovered over it, to no purpose anypony had ever been able to discover. Their light was reflected in the small lake at the island’s center, though even from this distance, Luna could tell that the reflections didn’t quite line up.
“Thank you,” Luna told the captain again before diving over the ship’s railing.
The water seemed to churn even more violently as she swam toward the island, and when she looked back, she could see the ship had been turned all the way around in place, not something the crew could have managed in so short a time. As she floated over another wave, the water suddenly turned to ice around her. She began to panic but quickly remembered an appropriate incantation, and heat blasted out from her, melting the ice. She could hear cries from the ship behind her as the crew realized they had had a sorceress in their company. Well, now the secret’s out. Luna heaved herself out of the water and skipped her way across its surface to the island, only falling through a couple times. Once she was on the island, Celestia descended out of the sky to land next to her.
“Are you ready?” the elder sister asked as she furled her wings.
“Yes … no. Are you certain that I am ready to become an alicorn?” Luna asked.
“Yes, you are ready,” Celestia said as she trotted alongside her sister.
“But I haven’t even done an age spell yet,” Luna protested, “No alicorn before has attempted alicornification without slowing their aging first. Maybe I should focus on that instead.”
“Just because Yliiena and Nostracom—”
“And you,” Luna cut in.
“And me,” Celestia admitted, “Did age spells before alicornification doesn’t mean that it’s necessary. Nothing about the ritual requires that your age already be extended.”
“I don’t know, ‘Tia,” Luna said nervously as they reached the top of the island, “How can I know if I’m ready?”
“You must be ready,” Celestia said, “Discord’s grip on this world must be unclasped, and I cannot do it alone. I’m sure he already knows of us, and he won’t tolerate us plotting against him forever. You will become an alicorn because you must.”
Luna looked down at her hooves worriedly.
“You can do it,” Celestia said, trying to comfort her, “I will be nearby.” But not so near that the ritual could tear me apart. Not even an alicorn is safe from such magic, at least not theoretically. Never before have two alicorns lived at the same time.
Celestia lifted off and soared up through the glowing clouds before winging her way to a safe distance. On the island, she could see Luna reluctantly begin her preparations. Her choice for where to ascend had been odd, as was her decision to do it at night. Of course, every alicorn’s ritual was different, and this was what Luna had wanted. The younger pony threw her materials for the ritual into the lake, some of them floating, some sinking to the bottom, and a pattern began to emerge. Once she was satisfied with it, Luna trotted out across the surface of the water, conscientiously careful not to fall through and spoil her preparations.
Shimmering lights began to jump across the lake’s surface as she commenced the ritual. The glow from the clouds above her began to pulse in time as she built up power, drifting to clear space over her head. Luna began to levitate as magic swirled around her, the water of the lake rising into a cyclone around her. A pillar of water and magic shot up into the sky as Luna was transformed, the bright light shining from her body making the night’s skies shine brightly as well. Celestia watched in amazement at her sister as she became an alicorn. It all seems so easy for her. Discord doesn’t stand a chance.
Twilight Sparkle awoke, as usual, slightly before dawn, something that had changed in her habits since moving to Ponieville. Gone was the typical sorceress proclivity to sleep away the morning hours and stay up late into the night (though Twilight did still do the latter sometimes). She’d changed her habits to fit those of Ponieville and of her friends, with normal life requiring many to be up even earlier than the sorceress. There was also so much for her to do with her studies, both assigned and self-imposed, that it didn’t make sense to waste daylight hours on sleep. Expenses on candles and expenditure of magical energy on conjured lights was insignificant for the personal protégé of Celestia, but she now found them unnecessarily wasteful—another habit unconsciously picked up after moving to a small town where ponies had to keep such things in mind to survive.
Just because she didn’t spend magical energy on lights didn’t mean she didn’t expend it on other things, such as fetching, purifying, and heating water for a morning bath. Then came brushing out her mane and tail before slipping on her sorceress robes (today a simple violet set with a fringed shawl embroidered with arcane symbols over it) and partaking of the porridge that Spike had prepared during her bath. While she ate, she checked the previous day’s missives that had arrived for her from Cant’r Laht. Even though one could see the kingdom’s central city on a clear day from Ponieville, she wasn’t actively involved in any of the games sorceresses played, but she wanted to be informed so she could make her moves when the time was right.
This morning, there was nothing new in the missives to catch her attention. Pirates still raided the Duchy of Balte-Maer, clashing ever more frequently with the Ducal Fleet as they advanced up Equestria’s eastern coast, trying to establish new territories since they’d been displaced by the growing Storm Kingdom. The Kingdom of Los Pegasus was in turmoil; Queen Helianthus and her household had died suddenly after contracting the plague while on a mission to the Westerlands’ bison tribes and convince them not to join the league of tribes forming in the north. Nopony was certain who should succeed to the Throne of Los Pegasus, and the kingdom was embroiled in complete chaos. The vernal equinox was little over a week away, and though no summit would be held this year, some of the leading elements of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht (mostly the Lodge of Sorceresses) were calling for a council to be held on that day to review (by which they meant change) the charter they’d signed a year earlier that had made Celestia and Luna monarchs of the new kingdom. Business as usual, as far as Twilight could tell.
After breaking her fast, the sorceress headed to her study to review her schedule for the day. First, she was to meet with Rarity to test a new spell she’d designed to magically enhance the tempering of steel; then, she was to meet with Zecor to exchange knowledge on Low Equestrian and Cainhiran Zebrikaanian. After that, she’d return to Golden Oak’s laboratory to study the books that Celestia had sent her several days earlier, run experiments on the Element of Sorcery to see if she could learn anything about its magical properties, and try out some enchantments she’d brainstormed. Meeting with the Brave Companions would follow, then organization of Golden Oak’s book collection (something still uncompleted after nearly three years), practice in scrying and using portals, and study of the Tawny Trade Language and the ancient alicorns. Then she’d plan out the next day. So, to Rarity’s shop first.
Twilight Sparkle asked Spike to pick up more quills and ink as she left the laboratory, grabbing a rain cloak on her way out but tucking it into her saddlebags. The sky was mostly clear, but she wanted to be prepared in case it began to rain. She could always ask Rainbow Dash to remove the clouds, but the Hunter might have other things going on. Judging by the roar that broke the air, she most certainly would in a moment. In case she was somewhere else, however, Twilight opened up a portal to the other side of the Equestry River and stepped through. Ponies were running for their lives, workers who’d been constructing Mayor Mare’s wall around Ponieville. In a gap between foundation stones stood the monster causing all this ruckus. Several times the size of a pony, its body was shaped like a hound, except that the skin was reptilian and the head like that of a snake. Twin tails thrashed out behind it, one of them knocking over a wheelbarrow filled with mortar. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t the only who had come running upon hearing the beast; a couple of the town guards cantered up beside the sorceress, but they quailed and pulled up short upon getting a good look at the monster.
“Is Rainbow Dash on her way?” Twilight asked the nearest guard while she kept an eye on the monster and prepared combat spells.
“What?” the guard said with utter confusion, “Why would she?”
“There she goes!” another guard cried with relief, and Twilight searched the sky for Rainbow Dash.
The pegasus was nowhere to be found in the air, so Twilight Sparkle brought her eyes down to face the most bizarre sight. Rarity was galloping toward the beast, and even more strangely, she was wielding a Hunter’s monster-slaying sword and wearing Hunter armor. She couldn’t believe her eyes, and thought she had to be dreaming. Why would Rarity ever try to attack a monster, and where would she even get Hunter armor made for a unicorn? It was so bizarre and foreign to Twilight’s mind that she did nothing when Rarity reached the beast. She swung her sword, but she lacked a Hunter’s supernatural speed and grace. The creature easily dodged it before swiping out a long-taloned claw and throwing Rarity across the empty field.
“Rarity!” Twilight yelled, jarred from her frozen state by seeing her friend wounded, “Cavan’r Essoc, torca![1]”
A massive blade of shining light appeared in the sky and swiftly fell. The monster saw it coming at the last moment and tried to escape, but failed at doing so, and the sword sliced through its midsection instead of decapitating it. Gruesomely, this allowed it to live in agony for a few extra seconds as its wounds were cauterized, and its blood boiled a few moments later. Astonished cries came from the guards as the beast died, and Twilight rushed over to Rarity’s wounded body. What was she thinking? Why didn’t anypony try to stop her? Why didn’t I try to stop her? What was she doing dressed as a Hunter?
***
“She’ll recover just fine,” Stitchwit assured Twilight later, after examining Rarity’s wounds.
The unicorn was laid up in the back room of Stitchwit’s shop, brought there by Twilight. The sorceress and her friend had arrived unannounced, souring the barber-surgeon's already foul mood, but she had no idea where else to go. Rarity had been badly injured and knocked unconscious by the monster’s attack. Twilight sat nearby, staring at her friend with amazement.
“Don’t know what all the fuss is about,” Stitchwit grunted as he collected blood-soaked rags. “She’ll be on her hooves in no time. She’s a Hunter, after all.”
“No, she is not,” Twilight said softly to herself before turning in her chair to address Stitchwit. “What happened to her cutie mark?”
“You have eyes, don’t you?” Stitchwit asked. “Whatever beast it was she was fighting cut right through it, but I’d think a Cant’r Laht sorceress would know that once a cutie mark appears, no amount of damage can alter the underlying talent that accompanies it.”
“Not what I meant,” Twilight said with a concerned shake of her head. “Why is it a cloud and lightning bolt? That is Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark. Rainbow Dash is the Hunter.”
That was the second shock that Twilight had received that day. When Stitchwit had removed Rarity’s armor in order to operate on her, Twilight had gotten a good look of the symbol on her friend’s flank. It wasn’t the diamonds that Rarity had received as a filly, but the mark that Rainbow Dash bore. She was growing more confused all the time.
“That druidess? I don’t think so,” Stitchwit scoffed. “Rarity has always had this cutie mark. I ought to know. I’ve stitched her up enough times.”
“What druidess?” Twilight asked.
“What druidess?” Stitchwit repeated incredulously, “Rainbow Dash, of course. Either you’ve taken complete leave of your senses or you’re playing with me, and I won’t have either. I don’t care if you’re Celestia’s protégé, get out of my shop!”
“Rainbow Dash is a Hunter. Fluttershy is the druidess,” Twilight Sparkle insisted.
“I said I won’t have it!” Stitchwit cried angrily, blood rushing to his face. “Go see for yourself! She lives in a hovel under a tree to the east, in case you’ve forgotten that as well!”
“Rainbow Dash, not Fluttershy?” Twilight asked skeptically.
“Out!” Stitchwit demanded.
***
Thunder rumbled overhead, and Twilight regretted leaving her rain cloak behind at Stitchwit’s shop. She might have remembered that the cloak was soaked in Rarity’s blood and she probably wouldn’t want it after all, but she had too much else on her mind for that. Spike bobbed up and down on her back as she briskly cantered through the empty fields around Ponieville. She’d gone back to Golden Oak’s laboratory immediately after being thrown out by Stitchwit, to confirm that it was the world that was broken, not just her mind.
“What’s happening, Twilight?” Spike asked, trying to get more out of her than the rushed explanation she’d given him earlier.
“Something is very wrong, Spike,” the sorceress replied. “Rarity—Rarity—thinks she is a Hunter, and nopony finds it strange.”
“Are you sure it’s not just a prank she and Rainbow Dash are playing on you?” Spike asked.
“I know what I saw, Spike. Rarity had Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark.”
“Okay, so say something happened between Rarity and Rainbow Dash,” Spike said. “Why are we going to see Fluttershy?”
“We are not, at least not if what Stitchwit said is true,” Twilight said. “He claimed that this is Rainbow Dash’s home, not Fluttershy’s.”
They approached the tree under which Fluttershy lived, and Twilight belatedly wondered why she hadn’t just created a portal to the location. All this confusion is ruining my senses. I have to get to the bottom of this. There was a riot of noise around the home, animals running about chaotically and yelling in their pseudo-languages. Twilight and Spike managed to make their way through the crowd, and the sorceress pushed the ajar door open. Inside was a similar situation as outside, only peppered with more confined. Animals ran around wildly, furious, and in the center of it was a panicked Rainbow Dash wearing a druidess’s robes.
“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?” Twilight demanded. The shock at seeing another friend in a role wholly unsuited for her was lessened this time, but it still left an impact.
“Hi, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said as she chased away a cluster of beavers gnawing on a structural root. “I’m trying to manage all these animals, but it’s not easy. It’s like they’re trying to tell me something, but I can’t understand them. Oh, how was I able to do this the last fifteen years without going crazy?”
“Fifteen years?” Spike asked, looking around at the chaos. “Where’s Fluttershy?”
“At Sugar Cube Corner, I imagine,” Rainbow Dash replied as she tried and failed to capture a very noisy goose running around the room.
“Oh, no,” Twilight Sparkle said. “This is worse than I feared.”
***
It wasn’t just Rarity and Rainbow Dash that had gotten mixed up, and not even just them and Fluttershy. All of the Brave Companions sans Twilight were caught up in whatever strange happenings were going on. Like Rarity, Rainbow Dash confirmed that her cutie mark was different than the one Twilight Sparkle knew her to have. She claimed it was three butterflies, the cutie mark of Fluttershy. The cutie marks had been rearranged somehow, in a way that Twilight couldn’t figure out, and the ponies they belonged to had had their entire lives stolen by whoever now had their mark. Rainbow Dash distinctly remembered falling from Cloudsdale, hiding in the Everfree Forest, and becoming a druidess. Were Rarity awake, she would probably confirm that she’d lived the story Twilight and Spike knew to be that of Rainbow Dash’s life.
After leaving Rainbow Dash’s home, such as it apparently was now, Twilight and Spike went to Sugar Cube Corner. From there, they hunted down Fluttershy, who, dressed like Pinkamena, was attempting to fulfill her role as aspiring bard—without much success, since she didn’t have any skills with the lute, despite having memories of learning how to play it. She also claimed to have Pinkamena’s cutie mark.
They went to the Apple homestead next, where Pinkamena was helping prepare for the spring planting … badly. None of the other Apples found it odd that she lived on the farm with them, and they remembered the pink pony as their sister. Spike tried to convince them that Applejack was the more logical choice, given her name alone, but Granny Smith, Big McIntosh, and Apple Bloom wouldn’t hear it. In all their memories, Applejack had been replaced by Pinkamena.
Following the trail to its natural conclusion brought them to Rarity’s smithy, where Applejack was now trying to cope with Rarity’s job, even though she had little knowledge of how to do so. Her metal projects were abysmal, and her attempts at clothes making even more so. Yet, she claimed that it was the right profession from her, given her cutie mark, and stubbornly kept at it.
Twilight and Spike swept the town looking for somepony, anypony who remembered the Brave Companions as they did, but there were none to be found. Their families didn’t remember, their other friends and acquaintances didn’t remember, and when Twilight began to think that it might require somepony from outside of Ponieville and asked Ream and Baldavin, they didn’t remember, either. As far as they were concerned, the Brave Companions had always been just as they were right now. Even written records of them were unreliable, validating the roles in which they now acted and not as Twilight remembered them. It was driving her mad, to the point where she almost didn’t trust her own memory. It was a mercy that Spike could confirm that she wasn’t crazy—unless his memories were wrong, too.
Twilight did what she should have done from the start and sent a letter to Celestia seeking her wisdom on the situation. However, the message refused to be delivered; it hit some sort of barrier several leagues from Ponieville. She tried to open a portal to Cant’r Laht and struck the barrier again. Panicked, she rapidly opened portals around Ponieville, draining her magical energy as she sought to determine what was going on. Eventually, she established a perimeter past which she couldn’t escape, even on hoof. She could see the land beyond, but trying to get there proved impossible.
Fearing trickery, Twilight Sparkle tried to locate Discord or his influence. She came up short on both accounts. If he was responsible for this, he had hidden himself and his signature very well indeed. Now that she knew what to look for, she could sense the magic that surrounded Ponieville and the surrounding countryside. They were living in a bubble that they could not escape, a bubble in which memory of the past fifteen years was altered for everyone, apart from Twilight and Spike. It had to be a pocket dimension, but the sorceress had no idea how it had come to be, who had created it, or—most importantly—how to escape it.
She pored through the resources at her disposal in Golden Oak’s laboratory, Spike frantically helping, just as concerned as her about what was going on. There was nothing she could find that would help. Some obscure tome that Celestia had sent allowed her to probe the pocket dimension, confirm her suspicions, and learn more about it; but without more knowledge about such constructs, the things she learned meant nothing. There was some information on pocket dimensions in the material on Yliiena the First and the creation of Tartarus, but any suggestions on how to escape a pocket dimension were unsuccessful in this case.
Groaning in frustration and desperation after spending the whole day trying to discern what had gone wrong and attempting to find a way out, Twilight Sparkle collapsed on her overloaded writing desk. Opened tomes slipped off the precarious pile, loudly falling to the floor. Twilight Sparkle cracked open an eye to peek at the disarray, and the nearest book caught her attention. It was a very old volume, though new to the sorceress, and was more of a journal than a codex. Shortly after the Brave Companions had returned from Embariz, Celestia had sent Twilight Sparkle a collection of tomes to study, and this one had been among them. The great Star Swirl the Bearded had once owned this journal, and he had written down many of the incantations he’d invented in it as he developed them. A silk bookmark held open the page that Twilight had been studying the night before.
*** One Day Earlier
Twilight Sparkle set down her quill and turned to the next entry in Star Swirl the Bearded’s journal. A great sheaf of notes lay next to the ancient book, the pages covered in Twilight’s commentary on the great sorcerer’s works. Ever since Celestia had sent her this journal, she’d been fascinated by its contents. Not only did it contain hundreds of Star Swirl’s incantations, some of which weren’t widely known, but personal notes and assorted memos as well that provided a window into the sorcerer’s mind. In the back of her mind, she knew she was spending an inordinate number of hours reading it into the night by candlelight, and she promised herself that she would retire after reading just one more page.
On it, several lines were crossed out (not an uncommon occurrence in Star Swirl’s journal), leaving only two lines of text surrounded by various magical symbols with unknown purposes. They seemed somehow familiar to Twilight, but she couldn’t place them. There was nothing else on the page, and the opposite one was empty apart from minor ink stains. Perhaps it was some kind of note that the legendary sorcerer had written to himself.
“Tur sigil oro feye, feye oro sigil; sigil’r fet’r kuturimk plenti nolost mahlis[2],” Twilight Sparkle read aloud, “What could that mean?”
Was Star Swirl trying to come up with a spell? It was unlike any kind of spell Twilight had ever seen. But if it was just a notation, what was Star Swirl trying to say? Furthermore, why had he never come back and finished a thought that was clearly unfinished? Had he run out of ink when crossing everything else out and decided to leave the lines? Twilight didn’t know, and she decided that she wouldn’t figure it out tonight. Stifling a yawn, she placed a bookmark in the journal, shut it, and went to bed.
*** One Day Later
Twilight Sparkle gazed in horror upon the book now. What have I done? One thing drilled into the mind of every sorceress was the danger in speaking the Language of the Horns aloud without intent. It was why they were forbidden from joining the priesthood, why most modern grimoires and treatises were written in High Equestrian instead of the archaic tongue. It had been the end of a long day and if she’d been fully awake, she would never have pronounced what was on the page, even if she was fairly certain it wasn’t an incantation she was reading. She’d thought it safe, especially since she wasn’t channeling any magical energy at the time; now, she realized her mistake.
The symbols upon the page were as familiar to her now as they were last night, but she finally remembered where she’d seen them before. At the Three Palaces of the Two Queens, before Nightmare Moon had shattered them, the Elements of Harmony had held these shapes. She looked at them now with wide eyes, all six gathered here so that she could run experiments on them. At first glance, they appeared as they always had, but further inspection revealed that something was amiss. The gemstones of each Element other than Twilight’s Element of Sorcery had been swapped. Rainbow Dash’s Element of Allegiance now rested in Rarity’s amulet, Rarity’s Element of Charity in Applejack’s amulet, and so on. Twilight hadn’t provided any magical energy for the spell, but the Elements of Harmony had plenty to spare. This pocket dimension that she was trapped in, this cursed world where her friends’ lives and destinies had been switched around, was of Twilight’s own creation.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked tentatively as the sorceress seemed to collapse in on herself.
“This is all my fault,” she sobbed quietly.
***
Twilight sought a way to reverse her terrible mistake, but every failure only added to the guilt. She’d doomed her friends, the ponies she most cared about in the world, to miserable existences that they didn’t even realize were wrong. Nothing she did or said could convince them of this, for they had memories of entirely different lives; they even expressed concern for her when she persisted in what she knew was true and they could not believe. She tried everything she could imagine, including the memory spell she had used to save them during Discord’s first return. Either they were enmeshed more firmly within the current sorcery or the memories that Twilight fed them were changed, but it was no use. It wasn’t just their memories that were different; the entire world within the pocket dimension had changed, and their lives and destinies along with it.
Every day, she searched for an answer. Every day, she tried to undo her unintentional harm. She saved Rarity from dying to the monsters she thought she knew how to slay, saw the druids of Ponieville become more overwhelmed as Rainbow Dash failed at her duties, watched ponies grow more irate as Fluttershy failed to lift their spirits, observed the Apples struggle as Pinkmena couldn’t keep up with the work, and witnessed Applejack produce terrible clothing designs and subpar metalwork. Every day, she struggled not to give in to despair.
“Twilight?” Spike asked hesitantly as he entered her bedchamber, a place where she’d been spending increasingly more time.
Tomes and crumpled sheets of parchment lay strewn around the room, piled up so high in some places that Spike had to walk around them. Twilight had drawn farther into herself each time she reached a dead end and isolated herself to do research, though all the failures were crushing her so that less research was done with each passing day. Spike pushed aside the magical aids lying deserted on the floor as he approached the sorceress who’d raised him, full of concern. Twilight Sparkle was lying on her bed, head on the windowsill, looking out on a dark and rainy Ponieville. The weather had been dreary ever since the split had occurred, matching Twilight’s mood. Her tears had stopped for the moment, but streaks remained in her coat, and her eyes were crusty and dry from their near-constant leaking.
“What can I do, Spike?” Twilight asked despairingly, not expecting an answer. “I’ve doomed them all.”
“You’ll find a way, Twilight. I know you will,” Spike reassured her.
“How could you possibly know that?” Twilight asked forlornly as she continued to stare out the window.
“Because you’re Twilight Sparkle, and you’re the pony that you are because of your friends,” Spike said as he hopped up on the bed next to her. “They’ve changed you, and you them. None of you could abandon the others in even a minor issue, so I know you won’t give up on them now.”
“You are right, Spike,” Twilight admitted, and her mood began to lift slightly, though hesitantly, not wanting to give in to hope just to have it shattered. “And you may have a point. None of us could abandon each other. Their destinies have been scattered, but the bond between us remains, even if none of them understand it. Perhaps … perhaps it is not me who is able to save them with my efforts; perhaps they must save each other.”
“Save each other?” Spike said quizzically as Twilight rose from the bed. “Um … how?”
“I do not know, Spike,” Twilight replied, looking more optimistic than he’d seen her in days. “But I must trust that they will be able to do it, and I cannot abandon them. Grab the Elements of Harmony, and let’s go.”
***
“I still don’t understand why you want me to help,” Fluttershy protested as she followed Twilight and Spike along the muddy path to what had formerly been her home. “If I can’t even do my own job, why should I be able to help Rainbow Dash with hers?”
“Trust me, you will,” Spike said, as weary as Twilight at trying to convince the Brave Companions of the truth.
“But, how am I supposed to do a druidess’s job?” Fluttershy asked. “I don’t know anything about dealing with animals. Oh, maybe I should go back to the bakery.”
“Even if you do not know anything about animals,” Twilight said, forcing the words out, “You do know about Rainbow Dash, do you not?”
“Yes,” Fluttershy admitted. “She is a good friend, loyal and true and … I’ll do everything I can to help her.”
“Good,” Twilight said as they arrived at Rainbow Dash’s home.
A great wave of noise was emananting from within the house under a tree—animal noises that didn’t sound happy. Rainbow’s muffled voice shouted from within, and the ponies and dragon rushed to open the door. It was complete chaos inside, the entire hovel packed with crawling, flying, and burrowing creatures all in an uproar. Across the room, Rainbow Dash was under assault by a bear and a cete of badgers; for the moment, she was safe behind a makeshift barricade of furniture, though it didn’t look like it would hold for long.
“Twilight! Fluttershy! Help me!” Rainbow called as she spotted them and ducked to avoid a raven’s dive at her head.
“Oh dear! Twilight, teleport her out or something!” Fluttershy cried.
“No, you must be the one to save her,” Twilight demanded while keeping her eyes on Rainbow Dash.
“But, I—” Flutterhsy protested.
“Rainbow Dash needs you, Fluttershy!” Twilight said firmly.
Hesitantly, Fluttershy stepped forward into the cloud of fighting animals, which miraculously parted before her. As she glanced at the animals around her and they responded to her gaze, she was overcome with a strange sense of déjà vu. She began to call out to the animals one by one, calming them down and surprising them as they could understand her words, a trait they could only remember being possessed by Rainbow Dash. Twilight trembled with anticipation as she heard the odd vibration in Fluttershy’s voice that meant she was communicating with the animals, something she never thought she was able to do. Spike held the Element of Compassion at the ready as Fluttershy neared Rainbow Dash.
“Now, is this any way to behave?” she asked, and the bear and badgers turned toward her quizzically. “Do you think that attacking ponies will get you what you want? How can I help you if you act like enemies?”
The badgers chattered, the bear growled, and Fluttershy nodded her head. “Yes, I understand. I’ll do what I can to help you, but first you must let Rainbow Dash go.”
Reluctantly, the creatures stalked away, allowing Rainbow Dash to poke her head up from behind her barricade.
“H-how?” she asked, looking around in wonder. “Fluttershy, how did you manage that?”
“I … don’t know,” Fluttershy said, struck by those strange almost-memories again. “I just … knew exactly what to do. I could understand them, and they could understand me. It’s almost like … everything is wrong, that my whole life I’ve been doing the wrong things, like this is my destiny!”
As Fluttershy had her epiphany, the Element of Compassion nearly leapt out of Spike’s claws to close around Fluttershy’s neck. Magic emanated from both Fluttershy and the amulet, bathing Twilight in the same power she’d felt when the Brave Companions had first discovered the Elements of Harmony and defeated Nightmare Moon. Fluttershy’s face lit up as years of memories were corrected, and everything that was wrong was made right.
“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked hopefully.
“I … it’s all so strange,” Fluttershy said confusedly, hoof to her forehead. “I have the strangest memories, as if I were Pinkamena and … what am I wearing?”
“Oh, Fluttershy, you are back!” Twilight exclaimed as she embraced her friend, tears flowing freely. “I thought I had lost you forever!”
“Goodness, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, surprised by this side of the sorceress that was seldom seen. “What happened?”
“I will explain everything,” Twilight promised as she reluctantly released her embrace. “On the way to find Rarity, before she gets into a fight with a monster that only Rainbow Dash can defeat.”
The cyan pegasus in her rumpled druidess robes frowned at the pair in utter confusion.
***
Everything seemed infinitely better to Twilight now that Fluttershy had returned to her true self and she wasn’t the only Brave Companion who understood the situation. Yet, there was still much to do. Four other ponies were ignorant of their true selves, and they needed each other to become who they were meant to be. Though Rainbow Dash had no idea why they were trying to get her to Rarity, she went along just as Fluttershy had; she couldn’t abandon a friend in need, even if she was convinced that there was no way she’d be able to make a difference. They reached Rarity as she was attempting to fight a drake. With Fluttershy’s prompting, Rainbow Dash rushed in to save her, realizing as she slew the beast what her true destiny was.
Hunter and druidess on Twilight’s side, they brought Rarity to her smithy next, where the unicorn who believed she was a Hunter learned that she was a far better smith and clothier, thanks to Rainbow Dash’s encouragement. Applejack had been forced to close the shop down, but with Rarity’s skill, ponies returned and clamored to buy the goods available. Rarity regained her memories and true self then, as Applejack watched in amazement.
From there, they went to the Apples’ lands, where the spring planting was a disaster. Rarity instructed Applejack to help, and help she did. Applejack learned the truth about herself and reunited with her family. Twilight’s spirits soared higher as she saw each of her friends return to who they truly were. The mistake she’d made was slowly being undone.
All together now, Applejack led Pinkamena into Ponieville to regale the sullen citizens with her songs and antics. Though confused, the spirits of the citizens rose as the town’s resident bard returned to them. At last, all the Brave Companions were restored to their true selves, but Ponieville remained cut off from the rest of the world. They finally reached a step that Twilight thought she could complete herself, but she didn’t want to do it alone.
All the Brave Companions, restored and eager to erase the oddness of the past week, went with Twilight to Golden Oak’s laboratory. Pushing piles of books aside until she found the proper volumes, Twilight frantically scratched down her plan to collapse the pocket dimension and return them to reality. The Elements of Harmony had provided the power that had constructed this cursed world, and they would provide the power to undo it. At her instruction, the Brave Companions formed a circle around Twilight, who was wearing the Element of Sorcery on her head. The sorceress reached out with her magic, easily harnessing the power of her own Element and all the Elements worn by her friends. She pressed outward to the edges of the pocket dimension and then beyond. It would take great effort to merge with reality, but she was confident she could do it. The Elements blazed with incredible light, and the magic threads that Twilight was weaving became visible even to those with no magical ability. The magic surrounded Twilight Sparkle as she allowed herself to become a conduit for the spell, directing and then releasing it as it shattered the boundaries between the pocket dimension and the real world.
The Brave Companions blinked away the afterimage of the spell to find that Twilight was no longer with them. Instead, all that remained was a burnt mark on the floor of Golden Oak’s laboratory where the sorceress had been standing. To all appearances, she’d sacrificed herself to free them, allowing the spell to consume her in the process. Each pony stood stunned for a moment before the shock and repercussions of what had just happened set in. Twilight had saved them, but she was now lost.
***
Twilight Sparkle also blinked away the afterimage of the spell, though she’d shut her eyes during the end as it had become too intense for her to look at from within. She stood upon the surface of an ocean filled with stars, a vast but bright nothingness above her. Having no idea where she was or how she’d gotten here, she reached out with her magic and recoiled in horror. She was still within the pocket dimension, only there was nothing within it anymore. She’d destroyed it and all her friends, instead of returning them to reality—leaving her all alone in a world of her creation and destruction.
“Twilight,” the echoing voice of Celestia came from behind the sorceress just as she was about to break down with grief.
“Celestia?” she asked in surprise, turning to face her mentor.
Celestia was there in the flesh, somehow, trotting upon the starscape. Ripples traveled out from where her hooves touched the ocean, and Twilight realized that her own movement had stirred up ripples in her wake. Celestia’s hair flowed as it always did, though here it seemed to actually match the light breeze that tousled Twilight’s own mane.
“How are you here? Where are we? What happened to my friends?” Twilight demanded to know.
“They are all safe, Twilight,” Celestia assured her. “You managed to do the impossible today. All of Cant’r Laht’s sorceress could not figure out how to mend the tear in reality around Ponieville, myself and Luna included, but you managed it. Twilight, I am so proud of you.”
“What is this place?” Twilight asked, looking around.
“This is my own personal pocket dimension. I haven’t been here in … oh, ages,” Celestia said wistfully. “You were in danger of burning yourself up with that spell, so I pulled you into here as soon as the tear was mended.”
“I … burning myself up?” Twilight asked.
“Yes. By all rights, that spell should have killed you,” Celestia said as she trotted up to stand directly before Twilight. “Only the Elements of Harmony or perhaps your friends acting as conduits saved you. If I were in your place, I would certainly have been turned to ash by such a spell. Twilight, I am so proud of you.”
“You keep saying you are proud of me, but why?” Twilight asked. “I was the one who caused this in the first place by unwittingly casting one of Star Swirl the Bearded’s unfinished spells.”
“Twilight, it is not what you did. Well, I suppose it is, in a way, but I am prouder of who you have become,” Celestia said, and she motioned for Twilight to walk alongside her.
Befuddled, the sorceress followed her mentor as they trotted across the starry ocean. Celestia reached out with her magic, and some of the stars rose up and breached the surface, becoming orbs within which Twilight could see images. They were memories—Celestia’s memories of her. She watched herself grow from that bright-eyed young filly out of her depth in the exam. She saw herself gain skills and knowledge on how to be a sorceress, and then when Celestia sent her off to Ponieville. She watched her and her friends as they got into scrapes, helped each other out; adventured to distant lands; learned of each other; and taught each other, Twilight especially.
“You are what I’d hoped to find when I began searching for an apprentice,” Celestia explained. “You are a sorceress of great skill and power, who has neither abandoned her ambition nor sacrificed others for that ambition. You are a good pony, far better than I.”
“That is not true, Celestia,” Twilight protested.
“Twilight, you have read the lost histories; you know that it is,” Celestia replied wearily. “I have done terrible things that now seem to have been needlessly committed. I have been a tyrant—perhaps a tyrant that Equestria needed, but a tyrant nonetheless. I am beginning to understand that. I once thought I should be the one to reunite Equestria, but I know now that it must be somepony else’s task. The pony that replaces me must be better than me.”
“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked warily, and she stopped suddenly. “Nopony could replace you.”
“You can … and you must,” Celestia said as she paused and turned to look back at Twilight. “I do not have long.”
“Do not say that,” Twilight pleaded.
“It’s the truth,” Celestia said firmly. “I am dying, Twilight. My power has been in decline since Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, and the False Winter and has been rapidly accelerating the last century or so. My inability to stave off Nightmare Moon, or Discord, or even Queen Chrysalis, who should have been trivial to deal with, are merely the latest signs of my waning power. My body is breaking down as my power declines; I require fortifying herbs and potions just to get through the day. A few years, a decade perhaps, and then I will die.”
“I … I cannot possibly take your place,” Twilight said worriedly. “I am not even an …”
“An alicorn, yes,” Celestia said as the realization dawned on her apprentice’s face. “It is time for you to undertake the ritual and become an alicorn.”
“I am not ready,” Twilight protested. “I have not even extended my age!”
“Neither did Luna before her alicornification, nor did Cadence, and you are already more powerful than she is today,” Celestia said.
“That is not possible,” Twilight said in surprise.
“That you, a mere unicorn, should have more magical potential than an alicorn?” Celestia said. “No, it should not be possible, yet it is. The effects of the sonic rainboom or something else completely, I do not know—but trust me, Twilight, it is true. You are ready to become an alicorn, and you will be the most powerful alicorn the world has ever known.”
“This is all so sudden,” Twilight said as she tried to find something to lean against, forgetting that there was no elevation in this world.
“Do you have a plan?” Celestia asked with a wry smile.
“Well, yes, I do,” Twilight said, thinking back to what she’d sketched out from the tome on alicornification. “Of course, I think some modifications might be in order.”
“No doubt,” Celestia said happily as she watched her apprentice’s mind work. “Do you need any materials?”
“No,” Twilight said, surprising herself. “I do not believe I do.”
“I will leave you to proceed,” Celestia said with a nod. “When you are finished, simply open a portal to where you wish to go. There will be celebrations in Cant’r Laht, but I understand if you wish to reunite with your friends first.”
Celestia departed, vanishing through a portal to Cant’r Laht Castle. In Twilight’s mind, her new plan for the alicornification ritual crystalized. She had realized that she could draw everything she needed from Celestia’s pocket universe, and she set to work. The memories in the ocean beneath her hooves swirled around, serving the function a magical circle normally would. This world was inundated with magic, and Twilight reached out and drew upon it. Bands wove around her, twisting and twirling with mathematical precision to form the spell that would transform her. After what she had just done to save her friends, this would be simple.
Her friends. They awaited her, back in the real world. Had Celestia informed them of what had happened? What would they think when they realized that Twilight suddenly had vanished? Twilight Sparkle did not wish to worry them unnecessarily, so she needed to complete this ritual and return to them as swiftly as possible. Memory of them gave her strength as she wove the spell together and lifted off the ocean.
Her spell came to a crescendo, a dazzling storm of power and light, and she allowed it to penetrate her body. Organs shifted, bones lengthened, and flesh stretched to the breaking point as she transformed. The horn upon her head lengthened and sharpened, and glorious wings covered in lavender feathers burst from her back with bittersweet pain. Power rushed into her as her magical potential expanded rapidly. As she had gradually grown as a sorceress, she had never noticed her magical potential exceeding what was considered to be the upper limit of a mage … right before she spontaneously combusted. However, she knew that Celestia hadn’t been exaggerating; Twilight Sparkle was incredibly power. Now she was becoming even more powerful, her magical potential expanding to more than twice what she had possessed before undertaking the ritual.
Twilight Sparkle had achieved the ultimate, practically unreachable goal of every sorceress; she had become an alicorn. As a sorceress, she was as awestruck and pleased as she could possibly be, but it was not the most pressing though occupying her mind. The Brave Companions—her friends—were still awaiting her. As soon as her hooves settled back onto the glassy sea, she opened a portal to Golden Oak’s laboratory.
“Twilight!” Fluttershy exclaimed, the first to spot her as she trotted through, and the others quickly followed.
“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Where did you go?” Rarity said.
“Are y’ alright?” Applejack asked with concern.
“You’ve got wings!” Pinkamena exclaimed.
They all looked a terrible wreck, and Twilight could see why. By all evidence in the room, she appeared to have been consumed in her attempt to free them, as Celestia had said she would have been. They’d thought her dead, and to see her alive in the flesh again, and as an alicorn, was a lot to absorb. She didn’t know exactly how long she’d been gone, but however much time had passed, none of them had changed out of their mismatched outfits. They had been too consumed with mourning Twilight’s loss to consider it.
“I am sorry. I did not plan to leave you, but—” Twilight said, but her apology was cut short as all five ponies and a very tearful dragon rushed to embrace her.
***
A short couple of days later, Twilight Sparkle stood before a crowd of sorceress and nobles in Cant’r Laht Castle’s great hall. The announcement of a new alicorn was something that would shake the sorcerous community of Equestria and beyond to its foundations. There were not only Cant’r Laht sorceresses in the crowd, but also representatives from the College of Eyes, the Candlebright Scholarate and the Conjurors of Embariz. Even with the Los Pegasan succession war still raging, Applewood Tower had also managed to send a delegation to witness the sixth alicorn to ever exist. Yliiena the First, Nostracom the Wise, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and now Twilight Sparkle.
The celebrations held in the great mountainside city were to honor Twilight’s spectacular feat, but the ceremony she was now attending had other political intentions. Ever since Cadence had signed the North’s Grand Ducal Charter the previous autumn and revoking her right to inherit the Crown of Cant’r Laht, Twilight Sparkle had been Celestia and Luna’s heir. Now, when Twilight had achieved alicornhood, was the perfect time to officially proclaim her as Crown Princess of Cant’r Laht, and there was nothing Celestia’s vassals could do about it. However, that wasn’t the only thing about this that annoyed the members of the Lodge of Sorceresses in the crowd. The date of Twilight’s appointment as crown princess and celebration of ascending to alicornhood was the vernal equinox, when they had hoped to force Celestia and Luna to give them more favorable terms than the charter they’d signed the previous year.
Twilight would not let the scheming of the Cant’r Laht nobles ruin this day for her, though she would need to pay closer attention from now on. Before, her position as Celestia and Luna’s heir had seemed a faraway matter, but after Celestia’s revelations about her own declining health and power, the time when Twilight would have to take over the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht might be sooner than she’d imagined. Was Luna in a similar state? Twilight was beginning to notice things about her mentor that she never had before, signs that all was not well; she thought she also could see some of those in Luna, now that she was aware. She was worried about the two ancient alicorns, but those concerns would have to wait for another time. Today, she had to press on and to take her place as Crown Princess Twilight Sparkle of Cant’r Laht. At least she would not be alone; her friends—gathered directly before her in the crowd—would remain at her side, and none of them would ever abandon each other.
Chapter 3:14.1 – Los Pegasus: The West Year 507 of the 1st Age
Luminous hammer struck an equally luminous chisel, multicolored sparks bursting from the impact of chisel on magical artifact. Seams previously etched into the iridescent disk of diamond-studded metal pulled apart with each strike of the sorcerously-constructed tools, splitting the artifact into three sections. Nostracom the Wise gave a pained expression as his creation cracked apart completely and let out a long breath after banishing his tools. The Stellaetrix had been a masterwork; by his estimation, it had been the greatest yet of his magical artifacts (although the same could be said for each of his inventions). With it, a sorceress of only modest ability was able to control the movements of the stars in the night sky, something that otherwise required the power of an alicorn or an entire cabal of sorceresses. There was an empty spot in the center of the disk where a facsimile of the moon would have gone, with another half-circle gap on the rim for the sun once he’d figured out how to incorporate the celestial bodies. Now, these spaces would never be filled.
Like Yliiena before him, Nostracom had taken over the duty of controlling sun, moon, and stars upon his ascension into alicornhood. And like her, he knew that one day he would die, which meant other sorceresses and sorcerers would again shoulder the responsibility. That day was hopefully a long way off, but he didn’t want to leave the world open to a repeat of what had happened in the wake of Yliiena’s death. The world’s magical community, unprepared to accept the burden they’d laid down over a millennium earlier, had almost imploded. The Stellaetrix had been meant to ease this struggle, but the potential for misuse was too great for Nostracom to allow it to remain. Already, he knew, there were sorceresses in both Equestria and faraway lands who plotted to get their hooves on the relic. They would bring down stars upon their enemies’ and rivals’ cities, or to use the threat of such to leverage forced submission. A single sorceress with the Stellaetrix could conceivably conquer or destroy the entirety of Equus—something that Nostracom was not willing to have on his conscience.
Normally, Nostracom the Wise wouldn’t have worried about the consequences of bringing his creations into being, but things were more becoming more dire. The second alicorn had been born a unicorn near the end of Long Winter; though he only vaguely remembered the when Equestria had been buried beneath perpetual snow and occupied by the centaurs and bat-ponies of the White Procession, he could still feel the hostility and bleakness of those memories. The Kingdom of Equestria was established in the aftermath of the White Procession’s defeat, and Nostracom had gone to Cant’r Laht to study beneath Clover the Clever. He’d been at the Founder’s side during the struggles to unify Equestria in truth rather than just in fiction, and he’d even accompanied his teacher during his mission to establish circles of sorceresses across Equestria.
Even so, Nostracom had never desired to partake in politics, much to the ire of his fellows before he had become an alicorn and much to their relief afterward. He had no interest in kingmaking or developing a following; he’d much rather create his artifacts in peace. All he wanted was to create a legacy that, if not equal to that of Yliiena the First—a hard one to beat, given that her accomplishments included the defeat of the Great Ones and their banishment to Tartarus, a shadow realm harnessed by Yliiena herself that had persisted long after her death—was at least an interesting one and worthy of pride. Letting Equestria fall apart or be conquered or allowing Equus to be destroyed was not a legacy that Nostracom the Wise wanted to leave.
Still, he wasn’t willing to completely annihilate the Stellaetrix, to return= it to the base components he had used to construct it. It was breaking his heart to do what he’d already done to it, and he just couldn’t go through with such a task. And perhaps, one day, the Stellaetrix could still be useful to somepony with good intentions. He would have to trust they could make the same difficult choice he had if it became a threat; surprisingly, that trust came rather easily. Without putting off the task any longer, he bundled up the three pieces of the Stellaetrix in separate parcels and carried them out of his workshop.
Three ponies were waiting for him in the darkness, illuminated only by the glow of the brazier lit near his door and the night’s stars. Nostracom couldn’t resist looking up at the night sky and the stars he had arranged with his alicorn magic, thinking of the fractured relic he was carrying. Each of the ponies waiting for him, young stallions all, received a carefully wrapped piece of the Stellaetrix and a generous sack of coin.
“The items you are delivering are of great importance,” Nostracom preached. “Do not allow them to be taken by anypony but those whom you are to deliver them. It is no exaggeration to say that the end of the world is a real possibility if they are possessed by somepony with ill intentions. Defend them with your lives.”
“Syval,” Nostracom addressed the stallion on the left, “You are to go to Queen Sparkle Shine of the Perilous Peaks Kirin. Head north and cross into Stygra at Embariz. My name should get you through without trouble or inspection, so long as they remember who made their walls unbreachable.”
“Erazmus,” Nostracom said to the center stallion, “You are to go to King Orai of Obelan. Head west to La Plaça de Los Pegasus y Uniçano Eheilos de Lo Montaño and take a ship to Gibe.”
“Leonor,” Nostrocom spoke to the last stallion, “You are to go to King Crag of the Storm Isles. Head south to the satyr community at Rubelon first. They’ll guide you through the forests and the Equestrian Divide to Slavers’ Bay.”
“You all have long journeys ahead of you, so go! I have work to do,” Nostracom said as he turned his back on the three stallions and retreated back into his workshop. His shop had always been a place of comfort before, but now … he didn’t know how much longer he could stay here. Equestria had been his home for centuries, but if enough danger existed even here to taint his creations, perhaps it was time to move on.
***
Year 1002 of the 4th Age
“Come on, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash called to the druidess, who was lagging behind in her flight. Just like our first journey to Cloudsdale to become Hunters.
Traveling alone, Rainbow Dash could fly swiftly across country; when she was with the rest of the Brave Companions, she remained on the ground with them most of the time. This in-between state she was now in, flying with a pegasus who couldn’t fly nearly as fast as her, was frustrating. It was Fluttershy, though, her oldest friend; she could handle it. She was more worried about was getting separated from Fluttershy and having the defenseless druidess taken for a spy by another pegasus while Rainbow Dash wasn’t around.
Every spring, it seemed like Celestia had some quest to send the Brave Companions on that required them to split up. Even after the hectic events of this year that had culminated in Twilight Sparkle gaining wings of her own—something that still surprised Rainbow Dash every time she saw her sorceress friend—there was no exception. Although, it hadn’t been Celestia exactly who had sent them on this quest, even if she had added her own requests to it. Luna had been the one to suggest that the Brave Companions should search for a relic of Nostracom the Wise, something Twilight had latched onto immediately. This relic, the Stellaetrix, was in pieces, and Twilight Sparkle had managed to locate their general vicinity relatively quickly. That had been the easy part; the difficult piece of the quest was determining their precise location and reaching them, for the pieces of the Stellaetrix were all located in the lands previously known as the Kingdom of Los Pegasus.
Queen Helianthus of Los Pegasus had died of plague some time ago, along with most of her household, and chaos gripped the western kingdom since it was unclear who had the right to succeed her. Recently, factions had stabilized and battles were being fought as ambitious ponies tried to become the next ruler of the Kingdom of Los Pegasus. This was where Celestia’s request had come in. Not only were the Brave Companions supposed to search these war-torn lands for long-lost relics, they were also supposed to meet with any of the faction leaders they came across. Although Rainbow Dash was determined to avoid them as much as possible, she acknowledged that might be impossible, given that flying over these territories without meeting with their claimants was a dangerous proposition. If she was particularly unlucky, she and Fluttershy would have to meet with all three contenders in the Westerlands, which consisted of two of Helianthus’s nieces and a local countess with no real claim to the throne who nevertheless believed she had a chance to become the next Queen of Los Pegasus.
The Westerlands were a rough land compared to most other regions in Equestria, covered in mountains, forests, and hills and with scant territory good for farming. When the unicorn crusaders had conquered Equestria from the pegasi, they’d declared their conquest complete without taking this region. They’d taken it eventually, and not even in crusades like bordering Stygra, but it had remained an afterthought in Equestria. The ponies of the Westerlands liked to keep to themselves for the most part, despite that they were often officially subject to another realm. Until recently, the overlords of the Westerlands had been Vanhuv’r. During Queen Helianthus’s reign, her armies had conquered and occupied the territory, installing new lords to keep the populace in line. This acquisition—connected to its ruling kingdom only by sea—was one of the primary reasons Helianthus had been so set on conquering White Tail Wood: to thread all her lands together. The real value of the Westerlands was its connection to Stygra and division of the Agate and Blazing Oceans that allowed whomever controlled it to control trade with Styrgra by land and with Vanhuv’r by sea; Helianthus was not willing to give that up once she’d taken it. Now, the future of these lands was uncertain. In addition to the three factions here vying to become rulers of the Kingdom of Los Pegasus, Vanhuv’r was seeking to reclaim their lost territory, and White Tail Wood was attempting to expand into it. This land, so recently devastated by plague, was going to have more hard times ahead.
Rainbow Dash circled and waited for Fluttershy as pegasi rose to meet them from the camp visible below. Judging by the banners (and Twilight Sparkle’s extensive guide on what to expect), this was the camp of Countess Helianthus of Bittaspring, a niece of the former queen whose name she shared. The Brave Companions’ reputation and Rainbow Dash’s distinctive appearance made it easy for the travelers to be recognized. The scouts sent up to intercept them knew who they were and why they were here, and they guided the pair down to the camp without too many questions. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash landed near the edge of the camp and let their chaperones guide them in. Countess Helianthus’s troops didn’t look to be in very high spirits, and the reason was evident. On the flight here, Rainbow Dash had spotted the remnants of a battlefield and signs of where ponies had fallen in skirmishes during a retreat. They had lost a battle recently, something made even more evident by the smell coming from the bloodstained infirmary tents. There were a lot of wounded ponies, and those that hadn’t been wounded physically had taken a blow to their confidence. It didn’t help that most of Helianthus’s forces were peasant levies; they didn’t have much stake in placing her on the throne of Los Pegasus and hadn’t been very motivated to begin with. There were already signs of desertion, and Rainbow Dash wagered there’d be plenty more of that before this was over.
Countess Helianthus’s command pavilion didn’t look very impressive, as mud-splattered and sagging as it was. The guard who’d escorted them had a word with the fatigued guards at the entrance to the pavilion and one of them trotted inside, returning a minute later. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy followed as he beckoned them in. A crude folding war table had been set up in the center of the main space, and ponies stood or sat around it. There were signs of plans upon it having been hastily concealed to hide them from the guests.
The various nobles who’d fallen in line behind Countess Helianthus and decided to back her claim to the throne stared at the pegasi, though many of them they didn’t really seem to be seeing anything. They looked just as dejected as the soldiers outside, apart from a few who’d likely not taken as hard a hit in the recent battle or who genuinely believed in Helianthus’s cause. For many of them, the glamor lent by the fine clothes and meticulous attentions paid to appearance had faded during time spent fighting and overall moroseness. Only Countess Helianthus appeared undiminished, at least when it came to clothes and grooming. The alabaster unicorn’s coat shone brightly, the product of a liberal application of soap and water while her forces went unwashed, and the gems sewn into her dress dimly gleamed in the torchlight. Her face told a different story, though her hard eyes masked her desperation well; just not well enough to fool a Hunter’s incredible vision.
“A Hunter and a druidess,” Helianthus commented, “I don’t know whether to be insulted at Celestia’s choice or impressed that she managed to convince you to speak for her.”
Her comments were not surprising to the duo. Rainbow Dash had often thought something similar whenever the Brave Companions were sent on these quests. As a Hunter, she was technically subject to none, existing in a space outside of realms, subjects, and fealty. However, there was no denying that however Hunters traveled throughout Equestria, their orders’ keeps had fixed locations. This created a need, like it or not, to maintain a good relationship with the rulers of the realm in which those keeps were located. Usually that was the responsibility of grandmasters alone, but because of the Brave Companions’ legendary status, Rainbow Dash had been pulled into this diplomatic dance, and far more intensely than what the leaders of Hunter orders usually faced. Being friends with the Crown Princess of Cant’r Laht meant that she was involved with the kingdom she lived in at the highest levels, and that meant she could rarely be impartial.
Druidesses such as Fluttershy occupied a similar space, though not to the same extreme that Hunters attempted to maintain. In theory, she was at least a true subject of Regents Celestia and Luna, bound under Mayor Mare’s oaths to the alicorn rulers. Druid circles, however, seldom heeded the commands of their supposed masters, and normally they got away with it. They were a peaceful order and wouldn’t cause any kind of trouble in their rebellion, so it was best to just leave them be. They caused no harm other than annoyance as they championed nature in opposition to rulers’ plans. The Ponieville druid circle was especially important, particularly considering Fluttershy’s exceptional abilities to communicate directly with animals. Though not their intention, they also indirectly protected Ponieville from the monsters of the Everfree Forest, just in a manner quite different from that of Hunters. Fluttershy, like her old friend, had been drawn in by proximity to Twilight Sparkle and status in the Brave Companions into weighty matters with which no druidess would usually come into contact. It was peculiar for both of them, but the composition of the Brave Companions was peculiar, and this was merely one of the side effects.
“I assume you are here at Celestia’s behest, to compel me to make peace with my traitorous relatives and rebellious subjects, no matter how unfavorable the terms,” Helianthus said venomously.
“Yeah, I sure did a great job convincing King Alhert of Fillidelfiyaa to make peace two years ago,” Rainbow Dash replied sarcastically. “It’s a little late for that anyway. Nah, we’re just here to meet with you, convey Regents Celestia and Luna’s hope that the succession is decided soon with minimal loss of life, and to get safe passage through your territory.”
“Safe passage?” Helianthus said skeptically. “To where?”
“On our own business,” Rainbow Dash replied the same moment that Fluttershy answered, “Castle Hark.”
“Castle Hark,” Helianthus said, her eyes growing hard. “Celestia would back Countess Clover then? Even were the Matron of Sorceresses to support Clover, she doesn’t stand a chance of winning this war.”
That much was true; Clover had managed to seize a small amount of territory in the Westerlands with no access to the sea, sandwiched between the other contenders to the throne. She wasn’t even of any relation to the former queen, so even fewer nobles had rallied behind her than Countess Helianthus. Clover was in a bad position, but Helianthus’ wasn’t much better.
“Like her likelihood of winning is that much worse than yours in the grand scheme of things,” Rainbow said. “You might be able to beat Clover, but doing so would open you up to attack from behind. How long do you think it would take Hyelliff and Borgas to overrun you? And even if you manage to defeat them—which is unlikely—you’ll still have to contend with Lady Silversword’s armies in the Westerlands before you can hope to take Los Pegasus proper.”
Helianthus stared the Hunter down, her gaze frozen and foreboding.
“The way I see it, you’ve got only three options if you want to survive this,” Rainbow Dash continued, glaring down a supporter when he tried to intercede on his lady’s behalf. “First, convince more of Los Pegasus’ lords and ladies to fall in behind you and become queen. Not likely, I know. Second, throw your support behind a more likely candidate for queen and ride her tail to victory and a moderate reward for your eventual loyalty. Third, abandon Los Pegasus entirely and surrender to King Hyelliff or Borgas.”
“Or Celestia,” Helianthus noted astutely. “Though you are forgetting one possibility. I could join one of my attackers as an equal.”
“And why should anyone want to ally with you when only one pony can become the new Queen of Los Pegasus?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Borgas is son to Margrave Brekka of Westmarch and heir to his lands in White Tail Wood, and he and his band are looking to carve out territory in the Westerlands. Borgas is also young and unmarried. I’m sure he would be open to unifying our lands without further bloodshed,” Helianthus laid out her plan.
A marriage between the countess and Borgas was a longshot, as far as Rainbow Dash was concerned, but it could work. Stranger things had happened.
“Feel free to try it; doesn’t matter to us,” Rainbow Dash said dismissively. “I’ve delivered my message from Cant’r Laht’s regents; all I need to know now is if you’ll allow us free passage through your territory.”
“Oh, very well,” Helianthus said after thinking on it for a moment. “You have my guarantee of safe passage through my lands, but if I hear a hint of you aiding my enemies or stirring up trouble for me, I’ll sign your execution orders myself. Now, be gone with you. I have important preparations to make.”
***
Year 507 of the 1st Age
Syval stared down at the murky water of the Silver River while the ferry slowly trundled across, ponies grunting as they turned the wheel around which the cable that stretched from bank to bank was looped. He allowed his gaze to shift up to view the far bank, where the Westerlands began. When the Kingdom of Equestria had been established five centuries earlier, it had claimed all land from the Shimmering Sea in the east to the Strait of Ghibellhine in the west, but the Westerlands had only really been incorporated into the kingdom around eighty years ago. Throughout all Equestrian history since the unicorns had conquered the continent, the Westerlands continued to try to force its own way. While the region was nominally under the rule of King Orion V, like any other part of Equestria, the warlords that fought over the territory had more real power. It was a lawless land filled with roving bands of ponies more likely to slit your throat than give you directions. The task before Syval was important, however; Nostracom the Wise had said so. And so, despite his misgivings, when the ferry docked, Syval stepped off onto Westerlandish soil and boldly continued his journey to the west.
***
Year 1002 of the 4th Age
It was a familiar scene that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash found themselves in. The command pavilion of Lady Silversword wasn’t all that different from Helianthus’, apart from being larger, cleaner, and more opulently furnished. It was so large that it was divided into multiple segments by hanging curtains. Behind one set of curtains stood the war table, and Rainbow Dash caught a glimpse of it before the tent’s attendants had shrouded it from view. Lady Silversword had the western half of the subcontinent firmly in her grasp and was well-positioned to push east and take the remainder of the Westerlands. Before she could press into Helianthus’ territory or expel King Hyelliff or Borgas, however, she needed to take care of Countess Clover.
The upstart countess had severely overestimated her support but obstinately refused to surrender. She had lost all territory apart from Castle Hark, which was currently besieged by Silversword’s forces. If there was one faction the pegasi thought they could have avoided, it was Silversword’s western faction, but she’d encircled Countess Clover before they had arrived. While Rainbow Dash was willing to risk flying over the besieging camp to Castle Hark, she didn’t fancy their chances of leaving without being pincushioned by arrow fire or forced down by Silversword’s pegasi. They would have to meet with Lady Silversword and get her permission before they could go any farther.
Lady Silversword at last decided they’d waited long enough and trotted into the audience chamber where the pegasi had been left, followed by some of her most prominent supporters. Chief among them was Marquesa Flax, whom the young Silversword had wisely allowed to dictate strategy and command her armies. The former marshal of the army that had invaded White Tail Wood two years earlier was one of only a few of Silversword’s supporters whose demesne was not located in the Westerlands. Flax was here because she believed that Silversword had the strongest legitimate claim to be the next queen of Los Pegasus and would fight for her, no matter that her chances of winning the crown were middling at best.
“Brave Companions,” Silversword addressed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash after taking a seat in a gilded chair that was a poor replacement for the Gilded Throne in Los Pegasus. “Why have you come to me? Does Celestia wish to recognize me as the rightful Queen of Los Pegasus?”
Rainbow Dash jabbed her friend in the ribs to prompt her to speak. Tact was not something the Hunter had in abundance, and it was critically important here that Silversword allow them to cross the siege lines and enter Castle Hark. They’d agreed beforehand that Fluttershy should be the one to lead the conversation, lest Rainbow enrage Silversword and get them thrown out of the camp. If they couldn’t get to Castle Hark as Twilight had instructed, they’d have to go back to her for an alternative or figure one out on their own, and neither of them had any ideas on how to track down lost magical relics.
“Um … we’re here to meet with you as a contender for the throne and convey Regents Celestia and Luna’s hope that this war will end soon,” Fluttershy said quietly. “And we also need to ask you to let us through to Castle Hark.”
“So you can meet with Clover?” Silversword asked, continuing before Fluttershy could clarify. “She is even worse a pretender than my cousins. Who does she think she is, claiming the throne that should pass to a Trotstámara? Do you intend to help her in her bid to usurp the Crown of Los Pegasus?”
“Of coure not!” Fluttershy said, shocked and not taking the accusation well. “We aren’t going to give her any more help than you. We’re on our own quest, only Celestia and Luna asked us to convey their hope that the war will end soon. That’s all!”
“Hmm,” Silversword pondered as she played idly with her mane. “Flax, what do you think?”
“I doubt they could or would do much harm if let through to meet with Clover, my lady,” the weathered mare said as she stepped forward. “They carry no weapons or items that could improve Clover’s chances or help her to escape. I believe they simply wish to meet with her.”
“Yes … perhaps you would be able to help the war end sooner,” Silversword said as she looked at Rainbow Dash. “Countess Clover is out of our reach, but she would allow you in, and for a pony skilled with a blade, it would be an easy task to—”
“No!” Rainbow Dash said emphatically, and the sudden readiness to fight that stole over her body unconsciously startled Silversword’s guards into readying their weapons. “Hunters are not assassins.”
“My lady,” Flax spoke up, “You do not wish to obtain your crown through underhanded murder, do you?”
“I will employ whatever means are necessary to secure what is rightfully mine until the crown is upon my head. Then I can make the history of my rise to power whatever I want it to be,” Silversword said sternly.
“As you say, my lady,” Flax said discontentedly, but she bowed her head and stepped back into the line of nobles.
“I could keep you here until you agree to my request. You would be well rewarded for freeing me from this siege, I assure you,” Silversword said as she continued to look at the defiant Rainbow Dash. “But no, I shall not. You have my permission to cross to Castle Hark. Maybe once you see how inevitable Clover’s downfall is, you will have a change of heart.”
Once, Rainbow Dash would only have crossed siege lines without danger of being shot because there was a monster killing the besieged and her status as a Hunter would protect her. Now she had another shield from being killed on sight: the tales of the Brave Companions. Some of the soldiers in the courtyard she and Fluttershy landed in whispered these tales back and forth as the duo was led to the castle’s keep. She was sure some of them were fabricated and others exaggerated, as was the nature of these things, but their reputation preceded them nonetheless. Rainbow Dash had often dreamed of becoming a hero, and she’d always believed the path to that goal for a Hunter was only possible through the Wonderbolts. Yet here she was, not a Wonderbolt but still one of the most talked-of ponies in Equestria, all because she had befriended that sorceress out of her depth in Ponieville.
“Victor, is there a monster in my keep you haven’t told me about?” Countess Clover asked as the Brave Companions were let into the throne room.
“No, m’lady,” a stallion dressed for court replied, standing against the wall.
“Then why is there a Hunter before me?” Clover asked. “And a druidess? I thought they were told never to come here again.”
Castle Hark’s throne room was a depressing sight, gloomy and empty apart from Clover, Victor, and an even smaller group of nobles than Countess Helianthus. There were others that had pledged themselves to Clover’s cause, but they had either abandoned her or weren’t showing their face in what passed for court. The siege was just beginning, but already the will of Clover’s faction was broken. They knew defeat was inevitable, but their stubborn leader refused to surrender and save their lives. If the walls weren’t breached before starvation set it, Clover might well meet her end at the swords of her own followers. The countess looked tired but defiant, though not in a noble way. Her defiance was one of desperation, not any faith that her cause would be victorious in the end.
“These are the Brave Companions, m’lady,” Victor said after squinting at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.
“And why are they here?” Clover asked.
“We need to use the castle’s weathervane,” Rainbow Dash replied, and Clover looked surprised to be addressed by somepony other than Victor.
“And to convey Regents Celestia and Luna of Cant’r Laht’s hope that this war will end swiftly with minimal loss of life,” Fluttershy added.
“So, Celestia wants me to surrender, does she?” Clover said bitterly. “And what do you think my fate will be then? I’ll be executed, won’t I?”
“Not necessarily,” Victor said, speaking practiced words. “If you bend the knee to Silversword, she may strip you of your titles, but she may not. In any case, she’ll need you to exert control over central Westerlands.”
“As if I could restrain these savages,” Clover scoffed, and the clustered nobles turned to look to her. “The Westerlanders are wild and uncontrollable. Queen Helianthus gave me this keep, you know? She saw something in me and charged me with bringing the order of the Kingdom of Los Pegasus here after the conquest, but what have I accomplished? I thought I could follow her as queen, but how can I work with peasants who hide their harvests and send dregs as levies? I should have known this was a foolish venture from the start, but I couldn’t let one of her treacherous relatives, whom she always hated, win out and destroy the kingdom.”
“Um … so about the weathervane?” Rainbow Dash asked after Clover let a long silence follow her tirade.
“Do whatever you wish,” Clover said and chuckled morosely to herself. “Finally a command that will actually be followed.”
The two pegasi made their way out of the depressing throne room before Clover could change her mind and flew up to the peak of Castle Hark. The castle was built against the mountains, but its highest tower reached up above the peaks; upon it, Nostracom had left another relic. The weathervane that perched above the castle was no Stellaetrix, but it was no ordinary weathervane either. Concentric circles of mechanisms sprouted arrows in various places that all pointed in different directions. It swayed gently in the breeze, though some of the circles traveled in opposing directions. A learned pony could use the weathervane to obtain all kinds of information about the weather beyond just the direction in which the wind was blowing, but that wasn’t what Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had come up here for.
From her saddlebags, Rainbow Dash drew out the sack of magical powder that Twilight Sparkle had given her. The sorceress had recited a whole speech about “like drawing to like” and things like that, but all Rainbow needed to know was what to do with the pouch’s contents. Flying over the weathervane, she poured out the sack until the mechanism was covered in the glowing dust. The weathervane began to shift, slowly at first, but then more rapidly until all the arrows pointed in the same direction: southeast. The magical powder began to peel away from the weathervane and form a line flowing in the direction the arrows pointed.
“Come on, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash told her friend as the weathervane swung back to normal, and they followed the glowing trail through the air.
***
Year 507 of the 1st Age
Syval watched carefully where he placed his hooves as he traversed the swamp that he needed to cross to make it west. Plank walkways had been placed across the marsh and atop the muddy waters; there was no telling how deep they were around him, and he didn’t want to risk tripping and falling into the mire. He was looking forward to being through the Westerlands and the comfortable rest that awaited him in Emabriz before continuing on his journey. Syval had never been one to shy away from nature or discomfort, but the Westerlands were too rough for his tastes.
An arrow struck the walkway at his hooves, and he nearly jumped into the swamp as he tried to back up. A second and third arrow whistled past behind him, and he galloped ahead. All sense of caution was thrown out of his mind now that he was under attack. More arrows quickly followed the first, becoming more accurate even as Syval picked up speed. Westerlandish partisans dissatisfied with the Equestrian occupation darted through the twisted trees or glided along in shallow-bottomed canoes, firing missiles at this foreign interloper.
An arrow struck Syval in his flank, and he whinnied painfully but carried on. More archers found their marks, and he began to slow as the blood drained from his body where the arrows shifted in their wounds. He’d lost track of how many times he’d been hit by when one found his throat and he stumbled, gagging on his own blood, off the path and into the swamp water, sinking down and never to be seen again. Bandits might have fished him out for his coin and found the partial Stellaetrix, but Syval’s attackers were not bandits, just ponies who wanted their land back for themselves. Nostracom’s relic was lost and would remain so for the next three millennia.
***
Year 1002 of the 4th Age
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew all day and through the night as they followed the glowing trail that would lead them to the Stellaetrix. The sun had risen on a new day by the time the powder stopped suddenly in the air and fell, drifting down onto twisted trees and fields of murky water below. The two pegasi descended, Fluttershy struggling to catch her breath as she set down on a limb, snagging her druidess robes on the grasping branches in the process. Rainbow Dash peered at the swamp water as she hovered down. Had the relic they were searching for fallen in, and had nopony really found it in all this time? The Hunter landed on a rock jutting out of the water. It shifted beneath her hooves.
“Fluttershy! Into the air!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she shot back up.
The rock she’d briefly landed upon rose out of the water, revealing a scaled, eel-like head filled with rows of sharp teeth, each as long as a pony’s limb. Transparent eyelids blinked horizontally as the monster swung its head to spot Fluttershy trying to pull her robes free. She escaped and winged toward the sky as a massive claw rose from the swamp and closed around where she’d been, shattering the tree to splinters. Rainbow Dash tossed bombs down at the beast’s head as it rose slowly towards the pegasi on a gradually widening, mud-plastered neck. More claws emerged from the swamp water, reaching up or grabbing ahold of the exposed land to shift the creature's massive body.
“Any luck?” Rainbow asked Fluttershy, who was trying to communicate with the beast.
“No, I think it just wants to kill us,” the druidess admitted regretfully.
Rainbow Dash shot up higher into the air and drew her sword before plunging downward. As the monster snapped at her, she corkscrewed out of the way, looped around its never-ending neck, coming back up to strike the underside of its jaw. Her sword cut easily through the soft flesh, but she only narrowly avoided getting snapped up as she disengaged. Hot breath blew on her flanks as she flew away to prepare for another strike.
The swamp monster reared out of the water, revealing its long body that combined features of eel, lizard, and centipede, and it slithered around to cut off her path. The Hunter lobbed a smoke bomb at the face of teeth and dropped before it could plunge through the cloud of smoke to snap at her. She threw a net around one of its claws before ducking under the dripping body and shooting back up toward the monster’s head. Her sword skittered against scales before plunging through and cutting a bloody gash up the neck and cheek of the beast. Its eye glared balefully at her as she zipped past.
The monster snapped recklessly at her as she flew around its head, sneaking in hits wherever she could before backing away. The creature shifted its bulk through the waters as it followed Rainbow Dash, until she had it where she wanted it. As she dodged one of the bites, the monster shifted and tried to grasp land with its netted-up claw, only to stumble. As the neck and head jerked downward, Rainbow Dash gave it some help with a well-placed kick to the jaw with all the force and speed she could muster. The monster’s head fell upon a spot where the mud crested over the surface of the swamp and a tall, dead, branchless tree stood. The tree impaled the monster’s eye as it fell, driving the stake into its brain.
The head went slack, clearly dead, but the rest of its body didn’t stop moving. The lifeless head was pulled down into the water as the body shifted and the rear end of it emerged, revealing another head at the other end of the sinuous beast. This head was considerably spikier than the first, and it glowed as it opened its mouth. A beam of what the pegasi could only describe as concentrated starlight shot from the monster’s gaping jaw, nearly hitting Fluttershy before she dropped into the foliage below. The beam followed her, torching the trees and baking the mud, but the druidess managed to stay ahead of it.
Rainbow Dash flew toward the monster’s head and it swung around, but the beam ceased before it reached the Hunter. The monster’s body twisted, and a claw flew up out of nowhere to strike the Hunter, nails tearing through her armor in several places. Rainbow Dash was knocked out of the sky and hit a tree, bouncing back up with a grimace. The monster opened its mouth again and shot its beam of starlight at her, but she flew out of the way in a long arc that burned a circle into the trees around the monster.
When the beam stopped again, Rainbow Dash shot upward, climbing as high as she could, as quickly as she could. The monster dwindled and the swamp shrank as she shot upwards, passing by drifting clouds in the spring sky. Once she felt she was high enough, she shot downwards. Her speed picked up rapidly and she could feel the wind tearing against her, ripping off loose scraps of her armor. The monster opened its mouth as it swiftly grew in her vision. The pressure built up around the Hunter and her sword, which she held tightly in her mouth. A glow began to come from the monster’s throat as she impacted it, swinging her sword at just the right moment to release a sonic rainboom. Multicolored light shot out in all directions as her strike connected with the monster, splitting it in half down its length and completely annihilating its head.
Rainbow Dash steadied herself in her descent, skidding across water and narrowly dodging trees as she slowed down. The monster’s carcass collapsed, the impact shaking the ground. After cleaning off her blade, Rainbow Dash sheathed it and flew back over the monster’s sinking corpse to where Fluttershy gave her a look of relief before pointing down at the unnaturally quickly decomposing flesh. Among mud and partially digested fish glimmered the item that had allowed the monster to grow so large and breathe starlight: one third of the Stellaetrix.
***
Several Months Later
The keep of Gibrhalter’s throne room looked out over the Blazing Ocean, and spray from the sea as it crashed upon the rocks below sometimes found its way up through the columns to fall upon the throne. Flax took her seat upon that throne for the first time since her coronation only moments before, and the assembled nobles in the room stamped their hooves in approval and acclamation. As Marquesa of Montrein, Flax had served Queen Helianthus and her kingdom loyally. Now, sadly, there was nopony whom she could rightfully call Queen of Los Pegasus, and she’d had to make a difficult decision.
Countess Clover had held out much longer than expected, and by the time she had surrendered and been executed, the eastern territories of the Westerlands had already fallen to Borgas and King Hyelliff. The duo of invaders continued to press into the Westerlands, but a peace had been settled with Borgas. Hyelliff continued to fight, and in the decisive battle that forced him to make peace, Silversword had perished. If only she’d heeded Flax’s advice rather than listening to the advisors that told her she needed to be freed from the marquesa’s influence. As if Flax had had had any designs on the Crown of Los Pegasus herself; she had been a loyal lady of the kingdom, and she reminded herself of that as she now wore a sovereign crown.
None of the other contenders for the throne that remained by the time of Silversword’s death had a strong enough claim as far as Flax was concerned. She had the backing of the Westerland’s lords, but there was nopony she felt was worthy to throw it behind, and so she decided to use that support instead to build a successor realm to Helianthus’s Los Pegasus here in the Westerlands. Reluctantly, she’d accepted the Crown of the Westerlands and was now that realm’s Grand Duchess. Until a true successor to Helianthus ascended the throne of Los Pegasus, the Grand Duchy of the Westerlands would go its own way, and Flax would lead them on that path.
Chapter 3:14.2 – Los Pegasus: The South Year 473 of the 1st Age
It was a jubilant day in the small forest community of Rubelon. Built on the fringes of the Kingdom of Equestria, in the forest that separated the kingdom from the desert of the Equestrian Divide, it was a village of not ponies, but satyrs. These furred, broad-shouldered, bipedal creatures were native to the Storm Isles of the south, though their naval prowess had allowed them to establish colonies in Stygra in the last six millennia since they’d arrived during the Conjunction. This community was not a colony of the Storm Isles in any official sense; rather, it was one of many settlements across Equus where satyr refugees had fled the grip of the tyrant who had claimed their home. The current gleeful celebration was caused by news that the true king had reclaimed his throne and the tyrant’s reign was no more.
Among the celebrating satyrs was a single pony, one who’d come to them and listened to their plight when they’d asked him to—unlike most in Equestria, who either ignored them or wanted them gone. Nostracom the Wise thought of himself as an apolitical pony, and though he never sought to accumulate power for himself, the truth of the matter was that he meddled in affairs of state far more than he’d like to think. It was always through the creation of magical artifacts, usually created with the purpose of righting some wrong or protecting the threatened and oppressed. The alicorn had forged an artifact for the king-in-exile Crag, who was now seated on the Basalt Throne, thanks in no small part to Nostracom’s aid. With the Onyx Staff, Crag had managed to unseat the tyrant of the Storm Isles and reclaim his throne; neither he nor the satyrs of Rubelon would forget the alicorn’s help.
“What will you do now?” Nostracom asked the leader of the satyrs, who stood next to him at the feast.
“Now, I will have another drink,” the satyr laughed, grabbing a tankard the size of Notracom’s head to quaff.
“I meant Rubelon as a whole,” Nostracom gestured to the merrymaking village. “Will you return to the Storm Isles now that King Crag is rethroned?”
“I’m sure that some will, but most will stay. It has been three generations since we fled here. To many, this is our home, not the Isles,” the satyr replied. “We owe you a great debt of gratitude, Nostracom. One day, I hope we can repay it.”
“I am not in the business of collecting debts,” the alicorn said. “Your gratitude is enough for me.”
***
Year 1002 of the 4th Age
Twilight Sparkle waved farewell to Pinkamena and Applejack before closing the portal they’d trotted through to Los Pegasus. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had already left, the Hunter insisting on flying to the Westerlands instead of arriving by portal, which left only one other Brave Companion to accompany Twilight to the Equestrian southwest.
“Are you ready, Rarity?” Twilight asked her friend, who was adjusting her saddlebags.
“You don’t think we’ll run into any battles, do you?” the smith asked nervously.
“Will we?” Spike asked eagerly.
“It is possible,” Twilight admitted. “Though I think we should seek to avoid that if we can. We are going to Los Pegasus to search for the Stellaetrix and to meet with the contenders for the kingdom’s throne. Both those tasks will be much more difficult if we get caught up in fighting.”
Twilight Sparkle had managed to vaguely determine where the pieces of the Stellaetrix were located. One was in the Westerlands, one in the north of Los Pegasus, and one in the south—the lands once ruled by the Kings of Mareagon and Neighvarra and the Dukes of Alcyon, before Los Pegasus had become ascendant. The land was currently being fought over by Marquesa Marigold (the late Queen Helianthus’s cousin), Lady Eriophyllum (the queen’s niece), and Duke Alfons (no relation to Helianthus, but who believed he should be king nonetheless). The Applewood Tower had made no claim to the Crown of Los Pegasus, instead declaring a statement of independence and neutrality. The sorceresses of Los Pegasus would not be involved in this war, other than to stand aside and claim they would not be subject to whomever won when everything shook out. Twilight reminded herself, however, that meeting with these ladies, lords, and mages had little to do with her primary goal: the retrieval of the Stellatrix for Luna. That Celestia’s co-regent had made such a request was alarming; it revealed that Luna, like Celestia, had drifted far from the power she’d held during the 3rd Age if she now required a magical relic to command the night sky.
Curious onlookers had gathered in the square before Golden Oak’s laboratory, as they tended to do whenever the Brave Companions gathered and Twilight Sparkle opened portals to faraway places that most of Ponieville’s residents would never see in person. Ream and Baldavin, who would not be accompanying Twilight on this quest, were doing a good job of keeping the space in front of the laboratory clear for her to safely open the portals without slicing anypony in half. Focusing on their destination, the sorceress opened a portal to the southern fringes of Los Pegasus. Once again, it surprised her at how easily the portal had opened, how little it drained her magical energy by casting the spell. She knew that she’d eventually become used to the vast reservoir of power bestowed by her alicornhood, but at the moment, it didn’t feel like she would ever become accustomed to the change.
Twilight led the way through the portal, stepping out into the mostly unsettled lands abutting Equestria’s southern forest. Once Spike and Rarity had followed, she snapped the portal shut, revealing the South Equestry River to the east that flowed out of the forest before continuing north.
“Twilight, look!” Spike pointed to the east.
“I see it, Spike,” Twilight replied.
This far south, Twilight Sparkle had hoped there was no chance of running into a battle. She had been wrong. Two armies were clashing near the Equestry River, bearing the standards of supporters for Lady Eriophyllum and Marquesa Marigold. The trio’s destination was near the border between territories controlled by the opposing factions, but she hadn’t expected to see a battle here, so far from anything of strategic value.
“Twilight,” Spike said as he pulled at her robes and prompted her to look north.
A group of armored knights were galloping their way, their shouts barely audible. Twilight could easily open another portal for them or teleport away before the knights reached them, but that was likely to cause problems. A sorceress popping up unannounced and then immediately disappearing in the middle of a civil war would raise questions. If any of the knights recognized her, questions and allegations would be raised at the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, and Celestia and Luna would have to deal with a crisis. It was better that they be captured and brought to the knights’ army to explain themselves—assuming, of course, that they didn’t attempt to strike down the intruders on sight. Just in case, Twilight prepared some defensive spells.
“What are you doing here?” one of the knights demanded after they’d surrounded the small group. His visor was up, so Twilight was able to see his eyes widen in surprise as he realized she was an alicorn.
“Who do you fight for?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“I could ask you the same question,” the knight retorted, but relented and answered Twilight’s question. “I fight for Lady Eriophyllum, the rightful Queen of Los Pegasus.”
“Excellent,” Twilight said, for they were (pending the result of the battle) in Lady Eriophyllum’s territory. “If you would be so kind as to take us to her, I would be more than happy to explain myself.”
The knight looked confused but eventually turned to lead them to a pavilion barely visible in the distance. As they approached, the three friends realized just how far the camp of Eriophyllum’s army stretched out. This pavilion had been moved here to be closer to the battle but remain at a safe distance. Unlike the other faction leaders, who would be in command of their own armies during a battle, Twilight Sparkle knew that Lady Eriophyllum would be found apart from it. Within the pavilion were Eriophyllum’s advisors, ponies either enjoying refreshments or speaking to a bloody, sweat-soaked soldier who’d galloped back from the battle to relay how it was going. Eriophyllum sat at the center of this scene in a folding chair too large for her, a four-year-old filly playing with a doll.
“What is the meaning of this?” a mare in wine-stained finery demanded as she rose and trotted toward the knight who’d brought in Twilight, Rarity, and Spike. “Why would you bring a sorceress here in the midst of a battle? I thought I told Applewood To—”
The mare cut off her tirade as she spotted Twilight’s wings and Spike behind her.
“I am Twilight Sparkle,” the sorceress introduced herself, though it was obvious the advisor knew who she was. “I wish to express Regents Celestia and Luna’s wishes to Lady Eriophyllum that this war will end swiftly.”
The young lady’s attention was caught by the mention of her name and she looked up.
“Does that mean,” the advisor said, trembling with excitement, “That Celestia has sent you to aid us? We have been without sorceresses since the beginning. This would change everything.”
“Celestia is not taking any sides in this war. She merely wished to relay her hope that this war would not last so long that it devastates Los Pegasus,” Twilight corrected her.
“You came all this way to say that?” the advisor asked disdainfully.
“No, we came to meet with the satyrs of Rubeling and are here to ask Lady Eriophyllum’s permission to pass through her territory to do so.”
“Ah, the satyrs,” the advisor said even more disdainfully, which Twilight hadn’t thought possible before. “The queens of Los Pegasus indulged their presence for too long. When this war is finished, they’ll have to be dealt with.”
“But I like the satyrs!” Eriophyllum objected.
Her advisor shot her a venomous look, and the filly went back to playing with her doll, but her attention was still on the conversation going on in front of her.
“Very well. You have the lady’s permission to pass through her territory to Rubeling,” the advisor said. “But I advise you not to stay long and to guard what you say while you are there. There’s no telling how many of them are spies for the Storm King, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they fought for him if he attempts to conquer Los Pegasus just as he’s conquered all the pirate kingdoms around Slaver’s Bay. He would never succeed here, of course, but why give him help?”
“Thank you. Lady Eriophyllum,” Twilight Sparkle said, causing the filly to look up and smile and her advisor to frown, but it didn’t matter. They’d met with the pony in charge of Eriophyllum’s faction and now had permission to meet with the satyrs.
***
Twilight’s motivation in traveling to the Rubeling Holdfast was the necessity of finding something Nostracom had created or a place the Stellaetrix had been in order to determine its current location. Twilight Sparkle had encountered many of Nostracom’s relics over the past year, but she couldn’t take the Crystal Heart from the Crystal City, the Staff of Kipit from Saddle Arabia, or the walls from Embariz; and the Alicorn Amulet was too dangerous to use. Some of the records on Nostracom’s life claimed that he’d had good relations with the satyrs of Rubeling (then known as Rubelon) and had sent them an unknown artifact. If they were truly fortunate, they’d find the Stellaetrix fragment still there.
An open gate greeted the alicorn, unicorn, and dragonling as they reached the Rubeling Holdfast. It was set into a high wooden palisade that stretched several paces to either side of the gate. The rest of the palisade was lower, mainly meant to keep out wildlife. There was little difference between the forest on either side of the gate; the satyrs had built their town among the trees, only chopping down enough of them to thin things out and make room for homes. Most of the buildings visible through the trees had wooden roofs and stone foundations, some so sturdy they looked like they had been built thousands of years earlier and survived both the Long Winter and Discord’s reign. Satyrs stopped what they were doing as they noticed the trio entering the town, and one holding a quarterstaff approached them.
“An alicorn,” he said as he drew closer and stopped to incline his horned head reverently.
“Hello, I am Twilight Sparkle of the Brave Companions, apprentice to Celestia, Crown Princess of Cant’r Laht,” Twilight introduced herself as she looked up into the satyr’s eyes. “This is Rarity of the Brave Companions, and my page Spike.”
“I am Stake Brolen, leader of this holdfast,” the satyr said as he straightened. “We are honored by the presence of one like the Great Smith.”
“Nostracom the Wise?” Rarity asked.
“Yes. He was a friend to our forefathers in a time when there were no other ponies willing to make the attempt. Of course …” Brolen said, spreading his three-fingered hands and giving a slight smile as if to say that nothing had really changed. “Why have you come here?”
“We are looking for something that Nostracom may have sent here, a magical relic,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Do you mean the Onyx Staff? If you are seeking it, then you would have to go to the Storm Isles and pry it from the grip of the Storm King. Fate, it seems, is cruel; the Great Smith made the Onyx Staff to help King Crag displace a tyrant, and now it has found its way to the grip of another. It was very distressing for us to learn of such a tragedy.”
“No, it’s not a staff we’re looking for,” Rarity said. “Did Nostracom send you any other artifacts?”
“If he had, I would think that anyone in the holdfast would know it by heart, but we can make certain,” Brolen said as he motioned with his free hand for them to follow him.
As they passed other satyrs, they all stopped to stare at Twilight Sparkle and gave her reverent bows when she looked their way. After a while, it started to make her uncomfortable. This was nothing like the stares she’d gotten in Ponieville as a sorceress when she’d first arrived; there was more power behind how they looked at her, just as she was much more powerful now. Her wings singled her out, wings that she still had no idea how to use. Granted, she had only been an alicorn for less than three weeks, but it didn’t feel like the novelty would ever wear off, and the way others looked at her now made her feel self-conscious.
The destination to which Brolen was leading them turned out to be a massive stone statue of Nostracom the Wise, hidden until the last moment by the equally large manor house build beside it. At the hooves of the statue were scattered candles—some alight, some dead, and some only pools of wax—flowers, food, and smithing tools left as offerings in Nostracom’s memory. The shrine to the ancient alicorn was currently abandoned apart from a single satyr leaving a pie, who made a quick bow to Twilight before trotting away.
“Clarite,” Brolen said as he rapped on the door of a small stone building next to the statue. “Visitors.”
“Oh my tides,” a satyr with strings of beads wrapped around her horns said in surprise as she stepped out of the building. “Another alicorn.”
“Hello, I am Twilight Sparkle, and this is Spike and Rarity,” Twilight said.
“Yes, yes, of course,” Clarite said as she wrung her hands nervously. “I’ll have to write this down.”
“Don’t be rude, Clarite,” Brolen said as he blocked the path back into her hut with his quarterstaff as she made to retreat. “Twilight Sparkle wishes to know if the Great Smith sent us any magical artifacts besides the Onyx Staff.”
“I’ll check the Red Book,” Clarite said excitedly and pushed Brolen’s quarterstaff away to bustle into the stone shack.
When she returned, she was lovingly holding a book bound in red leather. After pushing aside some of the offerings at the base of Nostracom’s statue to make some space, she set the book down. Inside was beautifully illuminated text that Clarite flipped through, speaking softly to herself as she searched the pages.
“No, never,” Clarite said when she concluded her search. “In 507, he did send a message claiming that he would be sending something important, but there is no mention of it again in the Book.”
Twilight knew that Year 507 of the 1st Age was around the time that the Stellaetrix had disappeared, so it was possible that Nostracom had meant to send a piece of it here. If he had, though, it had never arrived. So where was it?
***
At the satyrs’ insistence, Rarity, Twilight, and Spike spent the night in Rubeling and departed in the morning, after Clarite had spent the night painstakingly going through her Red Book and soundly confirmed that no mention of Nostracom sending an artifact other than the Onyx Staff to Rubeling existed within it. Twilight Sparkle opened a portal to the path outside the town of Andars. She wasn’t going to make the same mistake as the day before, and she scried out their destination before leaving to be sure there woudln’t be any surprises. She also wasn’t going to risk appearing unannounced and not immediately speaking to the pony in charge. Andars was where Duke Alfons was gathering his forces in preparation for a push either toward Los Pegasus or to crush Eriophyllum and Marigold now that they were weakened from fighting each other. The latter strategy seemed likely, given that the large swaths of territory pledged to Alfons’s cause were divided in twain, with the eastern portion nestled between areas friendly to Eriophyllum and Marigold.
Camps were scattered around Andars as they arrived, including one that had taken Twilight by surprise in her initial scrying. A camp of yurts was situated west of Andars. Whether the south Equestrian bison were here by coincidence (since the town was along their migratory route) or for some other purpose was unclear.
Twilight, Spike, and Rarity entered Andars without being stopped, the guards merely waving them through, although they did cast quick glances at the alicorn. The town was bustling with activity, and everypony was involved in some way in war preparation. Smiths’ hammers sounded endlessly, bakeries loaded guarded carts with provisions, and street vendors attempted to sell everything from weapons to lucky charms to the ponies conscripted into service. Nopony stopped them as they entered Andars’s castle, either, or tried to lead them to Alfons other than to point the way to the great hall.
When the two ponies and dragonling entered the hall unannounced, every eye turned to them. The banquet tables had all been pushed together to form one massive surface upon which Alfons had laid out his plans. Duke Alfons himself stood upon the tables, frozen mid-step as he trod over the maps like a titan. Alfons was solidly built and a capable warrior, but it was a dangerous cunning that glinted in his piercingly attentive eyes marked him out as the most capable of the contenders in the south of Los Pegasus, despite having no legitimate claim to Helianthus’s throne.
“Twilight Sparkle,” Alfons addressed her, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. “I knew Celestia would send somepony, though I hadn’t expected it to be you. I assume you’re here to negotiate a peace, likely one involving my surrender.”
“No, just to convey Celestia and Luna’s hope that this war will be concluded quickly. Whether you are victorious or not is up to you,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“Is that so?” Alfons said, looking amused. “Well, perhaps I misjudged the regent of Cant’r Laht. I anticipate meeting her at next year’s summit, should she choose to hold it, as King of Los Pegasus.”
“We also came to ask for permission to travel through your territory,” Twilight Sparkle said, ignoring Alfons’s boast.
“As if I could stop an alicorn from going where she pleased. That would take all of Applewood Tower, I imagine,” Alfons said, and grinned as if sharing a joke with himself. “But I do appreciate the motion of asking permission. Yes, you may go where you wish.”
As Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Spike turned to go, a familiar bison entered through their exit.
“Strongheart?” Rarity asked. Though she'd gained a more muscular physique in the intervening years as she’d matured, it was undeniably the same bison they’d met back in Appleoosa.
“Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike,” Chief Strongheart addressed them and bowed as she named the dragon. “I didn’t expect to meet you here.”
“Nor we you,” Rarity said. “What are you doing here?”
“I have allied my herd to Duke Alfons,” Strongheart said boldly, though she felt the need to explain herself. “Our people have always tried to stand apart from ponies while living on the same lands, but when war closes your markets to us or gives excuse to attack us as ‘other,’ we cannot stand aside. Duke Alfons is best placed to grant us what we need: a strong ally who will work with us instead of against us. When the fighting is over, I will not only be Celestia’s Warden of the South, but a warden of Alfons as well. Three-quarters of our migration will be in lands that have agreed responsibility for any mistreatment we may receive, answerable to us and to their own vassals. The Aseibakh Ordu has learned a new way to survive, something our brethren in the north and west have not.”
Strongheart was motivated by more than just the opportunity to secure in Los Pegasus what had been gained in Cant’r Laht two years earlier only by a battle that had cost her father’s life. The bison herds of Stalliongrad, the North, and the Westerlands became openly hostile to ponies and were attempting to carve out a khaganate for themselves; she was striving to prove the good intentions of her herd by allying herself to a pony contender for the Throne of Los Pegasus. This recent rise in hostility had given ponies (many of whom already had great dislike for the bison) an excuse to act against them. It was a necessary step to protect her herd—one that had to be made, even if her choice would affect the outcome of the war.
***
Year 549 of the 1st Age
Nostracom the Wise gave his workshop one last look. He had set the foundation for the original building more than two centuries earlier, when he’d decided to put down roots here in the southwest of Equestria in order to invent his artifacts in a more permanent location. Now, with regret, he was pulling up those roots. He’d created plenty of new magical artifacts in the last forty years, but his one failure continued to haunt him. Sorceresses still searched far and wide for the pieces of the Stellaetrix, but the alicorn would provide no clues to help them. Besides being hounded constantly over the lost artifact, the workshop reminded him of its destruction. He was sad to leave but would not miss the constant reminders of his poisoned idealism.
The inside of the workshop was bare, all but trivial things removed by Nostracom and stored in the pocket dimensions he’d bound to his saddlebags. One of the benefits of the workshop had been a place to store a collection of tools for artifact creation, but from now on, he would carry them all with him. Nostracom intended to travel again, as he had in his earlier years as an alicorn, but he wouldn’t restrict his travels to Equestria and its fringes. The continent was replete with his works, but there were many lands on Equus who had heard only whispers of the great enchanter. He would travel the world, meet the different creatures that inhabited it, and make magical tools along the way. That was his quest now, and one that would hopefully help him forget the Stellaetrix.
***
Year 1002 of the 4th Age
They were here for an important reason, but Twilight simply couldn’t restrain herself from unapologetically gushing over Nostracom’s workshop, at least for a minute. Of course, the ruins in which she was standing were far from how they’d been in Nostracom’s time, but some of them were still incredibly preserved. Like Yliiena the First, the second alicorn had enchanted his home to last far longer than it would have naturally. After Nostracom the Wise had left to wander Equus in the mid-1st Age, other sorceresses had moved into his workshop, at first to search for secrets or in anticipation of his return, but eventually a magic community had grown here. After a brief hiatus during Discord’s reign, it had been reestablished under Celestia and Luna’s rule and persisted well into the 4th Age, until the 683 Act of Magical Union had compelled all magical communities and schools in the region to consolidate into the Applewood Tower. The village had been abandoned ever since, and many of the buildings had been reduced to their foundations as farmers and villages from the surrounding area had scavenged it for stone. The original workshop buildings still stood strong, though a little blackened by sporadic fires over the years.
Twilight Sparkle led the way into the workshop, conjuring up light to allow for a closer examination of what little was left to see. Empty rooms filled with weeds that had taken root in the layers of dirt that had gradually blown in were all that was visible to the naked eye. With her alicorn-enhanced sorcery, however, Twilight could identify an avalanche of magical signatures. Hundreds of magical artifacts had been created in this room, by Nostracom the Wise as well as the sorceresses who’d followed in his hoofsteps and made their homes here. The magic was deafening, but Twilight managed to sift through the remnants until she found a likely candidate: an artifact whose signature had been triplicated.
“Spike, I need a map and compass,” she told her page, and he dutifully produced them from his satchel.
Sitting on the ground, Twilight laid out the map of Los Pegasus on the ground and placed the compass atop it. She kept the magical signature of what she believed to be the Stellaetrix in her mind and focused on the compass. Lines were etched magically across its underside, in a pattern with no meaning even to sorceresses but which represented the Stellaetrix’s signature. Twilight set the compass down on the map as the needle began to spin. It swung back and forth between Northwest and Northeast for a couple seconds before settling several degrees east of North. Twilight moved the compass so that the arrow pointed toward the location of Nostracom’s workshop and, taking a quill and inkwell from her saddlebags, drew a line across the map along the direction of the arrow.
“The Stellaetrix is somewhere along this line,” she announced as Spike and Rarity carefully examined the map.
The line cut across the scrubland and plains of Los Pegasus and into the Red Mountains, but there was one point on that line that held the most promise as the location of the Stellaetrix: the Applewood Tower.
***
Retrieving the Stellaetrix from the Applewood Tower would not be an easy task. Secrecy about the Brave Companions’ mission had been important from the start—and now, even more so. The Applewood Tower was the largest collection of sorceresses in Equestria apart from Cant’r Laht, and none of them would tolerate a powerful magical relic slipping through their grasp. Twilight hoped she would not have to purloin the Stellaetrix from them, but such a possibility seemed unlikely to her. Keeping the possession of such a relic hidden from the rest of the world wasn’t the Applewood Tower’s style. They were secretive, to be sure, but not in such matters. Of course, it was possible that a single member had managed to keep its presence unknown from the rest, but that was a scenario that Twilight hoped would not come to pass. The best case would be that the mages of the Tower had no idea the Stellaetrix was there and wouldn’t miss it.
Rarity, Twilight, and Spike trotted up the path to the Applewood Tower, flanked by rows of apple trees unseasonably in bloom. Constructed among the foothills of the Red Mountains, the Tower was a stunning sight, a magnificent stone tower that rose far higher than any structure could without the aid of powerful sorcery. The tower housed hundreds of floors, each as wide as a Cant’r Laht noble’s manor. All travelers were forced to take in the building’s immensity as they approached, looming larger and taller before the eyes, even for sorceresses like Twilight Sparkle (due to the presence of powerful enchantments that prevented portals and teleportation). Around the tower were concentric rings of apple trees surrounded by a circular wall into which was set a singular gate that stood open to the trio. A filly in sorceress robes was standing in the gateway as they approached.
“Oh, you’re—” the filly said in astonishment as she recognized Twilight Sparkle (or at least her alicornness).
“—Twilight Sparkle of the House Haltrotsun, leader of the Brave Companions, personal protégé of Celestia, Crown Princess of Cant’r Laht, and the sixth alicorn,” an older sorceress finished the filly’s thought as she stepped out from behind the wall, “Which makes the others who?”
“Rarity of the Brave Companions, not a sorceress,” the filly answered as she looked to Rarity, then turned her attention to Spike. “And Spike, page to Twilight Sparkle and heir to Dragonlord Ingrirtireth of Tyrannus.”
“Very good,” the older sorceress told the younger before turning to the Brave Companions. “Pardon me for the quiz. I am Pritolius, Enchanter of the Tower, and this is my apprentice, Beanus.”
“Hello,” Beanus said with a wave.
“Hello,” Rarity replied.
“If you would follow me to the Tower,” Pritolius said, gesturing with a hoof along the path to the Applewood Tower. “I’m sure you’ll want to freshen up before dining with the Circle.”
“Are we … expected?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she followed Pritolius down the path.
Among the apple trees, several sorceresses and sorcerers could be seen practicing their spells, reading thick tomes, or teaching their apprentices. While the entire Kingdom of Los Pegasus was in chaos, the Applewood Tower was a place of tranquility. Despite the Tower’s stance placing them at odds with other factions in the succession war, they were unconcerned about attack. As a place so filled with sorceresses, they never doubted that they were safe.
“Of course,” Pritolius answered. “The Circle has been keeping track of your movements since you entered Queen Helianthus’s former lands. They were sure you would arrive here eventually, though they were not certain of the exact date. Feasts have been prepared the last three nights in anticipation of your arrival.”
“All that for us?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, though mostly for you,” Pritolius admitted. “The Circle is quite eager to meet a freshly minted alicorn.”
***
“There are sixteen members of the Circle: thirteen senior enchanters, a second enchanter, a first enchanter, and a grand enchanter, in ascending order of importance,” Twilight briefed Rarity as she prepared for the feast, relaying information that she’d gleaned in part from her studies, as well as grilling a hapless apprentice she’d cornered in the Applewood Tower’s halls. “The grand enchanter commands the Applewood Tower much like the matron of sorceresses is supposed to command the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht. The first and second enchanters are first and second in line to take the grand enchanter’s place when they die or retire. Neither the grand enchanter nor the first enchanter vote on Circle matters, although the first enchanter can break any ties.”
“Twilight, darling, do you really think I’ll need all this for a banquet?” Rarity asked as she styled her hair. “I doubt they’ll want to speak about how they govern their own home.”
“Of course,” Twilight said as she paced back and forth. “I should be briefing you on etiquette instead. Do not ask them about their families. Members of the Applewood Tower are forbidden from siring or bearing offspring, and most of the sorcerers are gelded to prevent the possibility of such a thing occurring. … Probably best not to mention that either.”
“Twilight, relax. Everything will be just fine,” Rarity assured her.
“I know, it is just that I am among my peers here and … I guess I am just nervous. They will all be asking questions about my transformation into an alicorn,” Twilight said as she flexed her useless wings. “It is important that we make a good impression on them.”
“And put them at ease,” Rarity said.
Though Twilight had warded the rooms that the Applewood sorceresses had given them against eavesdropping the moment they’d arrived, she double checked to make sure everything was still in place and active. It wouldn’t do to let them know the real reason they were here. Tonight, once the tower was asleep, they would need to do some snooping around to find the Stellaetrix fragment, and they couldn’t do that if the sorceresses were suspicious.
“A moment!” Rarity called out as a knock sounded on the door.
A fresh-faced young sorcerer was there waiting for them when they opened it, and he led them to the feast. The Circle’s meeting room was at the top of the tower and the rooms they’d been given were near the base, but they wouldn’t have to climb hundreds of flights of stairs to reach their destination. Instead, the apprentice led them to the hollow central column of the tower, where his mentor awaited atop a hovering platform. The dour sorcerer tapped his staff upon the platform as the Brave Companions and Spike stepped upon it, and they went whizzing upwards. The sorcerer kept his eyes upward as they ascended past rows of glowing gems in different configurations marking the floors, watching out for and dodging other platforms as they passed them. They pulled to a stop at the top of the shaft and stepped back onto the solid stone of the tower proper.
“Run along, Keanus,” the sorcerer told his apprentice after they’d departed the platform. “I want a flawless recitation of Leonorus’s Principles of Imbuement tomorrow.”
“Yes, Master Quinirius,” Keanus said before trotting away, sneaking one last peek at Twilight Sparkle as he departed.
“Please, this way,” Quinirius said, gesturing with his staff, and he led the way up a short flight of stairs to the floor above.
The Circle’s meeting room was completely circular, with a table in its center that wrapped almost completely around the room, leaving space for a pony to enter and speak to all around them. Seated at the table were fifteen of the Circle’s members, and Quinirius took his place among them after leading the Companions and Spike to their seats. Ordinarily, the Circle’s members would be placed to divide the table into sixteenths; with their guests, however, the seating arrangement had been adjusted to allow for nineteen. As the guests sat down, servants began bringing out the food.
“To renewed relations with our sisters and brothers in Cant’r Laht, and to the sixth alicorn,” one of the sorceresses at the table said as she raised a glass. The others followed suit and took drinks of their own, the Brave Companions included.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I know no Cant’r Laht sorceress has set hoof in the Applewood Tower before.”
“Even Celestia,” a sorcerer said with a wink and a nod.
“But you are a special exception, aren’t you?” said the one pony in the room Twilight had met before, the chief sorcerer accompanying Helianthus’s invading army two years earlier and her guest at the Grand Galloping Gala: Tranquiliodus. “An alicorn and heir to the kingdom. But though you may be from Cant’r Laht, you’re not of it anymore, are you?”
“Ponieville is my home now, if that is what you mean,” Twilight said.
“Yes, and a Ponieville sorceress is a far different animal from a Cant’r Laht sorceress, isn’t it?” Grand Enchanter Regulus, in his resplendent robes, said. “But, before we open up and speak about your unique position on this ever-shifting chessboard we call Equestria, I imagine you have some message that Celestia wishes for you to deliver to us, as you did to the bickering nobles of these lands. That is how you normally do such things, is it not?”
“Yes, actually,” Twilight said. “Regents Celestia and Luna wished to express their hope that the succession war in Los Pegasus will end swiftly with minimal loss of life.”
“Ah, that is our wish as well,” Regulus said with a smile and others in the circle nodded somewhere between sagely and smugly, depending on the pony. “This war must end, and we are endeavoring to do our part to end it. Although, we cannot allow the opportunity afforded us by this turmoil to slip past. The Dominions of Cant’r Laht, and now the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, have been the only thaumatocracy in Equestria for a long time, but that need not be so.”
“Do you intend to become King of Los Pegasus?” Rarity asked.
“No, of course not,” Regulus said with a wave of his hoof. “But an Applewood Tower that is able to decide its own fate apart from the whims of nonmagical rulers would be much better able to communicate and work with other sorceress-led kingdoms; wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes, I suppose it would,” Twilight Sparkle said hesitantly, watching Regulus.
“Excellent! We are in agreement, then,” Regulus said merrily. “Now, let us enjoy this feast and our time together. I am sure we have many questions we wish to ask each other.”
***
Year 507 of the 1st Age
Leonor approached the grove of apple trees confidently. Nostracom the Wise, for all his supposed wisdom, would never look for him here. In the alicorn’s desire to cut himself off from the Stellaetrix, he probably wouldn’t even check that the pieces of his precious artifact had reached their destinations. He wanted them gone, and Leonor had fulfilled that wish, although not in the way Nostracom had wished. After traveling south to give the impression that he was bringing his piece of the Stellaetrix to the satyrs, he’d doubled back north.
The unicorn stallion was dressed in sorcerer’s robes now, and he’d practiced putting on airs like a sorcerer. The mages of the fledgling Applegrove Circle would never suspect he wasn’t what he claimed to be. He was a Source, though not one with enough magical potential to ever become a sorcerer; at least, not until he had the Stellaetrix. With it, he could draw on its power to perform feats he never could have done before—maybe not feats comparable to controlling the stars or raising and lowering the sun and moon, but enough to impress other sorceresses. He would finally have his time to shine, and with what he’d gathered from Nostracom, he’d be a grand enchanter like no other.
***
Year 1002 of the 4th Age
In the end, Twilight Sparkle wasn’t certain who had gained more information from the feast—her or the Circle— which was surprisingly satisfying. The Applewood Tower was obviously keeping secrets, and its leaders were just as scheming as any Cant’r Laht noble, but they had shown a surprising amount of openness tonight. Twilight Sparkle resolved not to be taken in by it, but it was hard not to feel a tad wooed. She wouldn’t let it distract her from the true reason the Brave Companions were here, though.
Once all was dark and silent, she, Spike, and Rarity snuck out of their chambers. Twilight had managed to cloak them all in invisibility before leaving, along with a healthy dose of wards to prevent counter-spells from counteracting or detecting the magic. She also brought the compass she’d enchanted before with them to detect where the Stellaetrix was. It was definitely somewhere in the Applewood Tower, as the needle had spun wildly around the compass face while in their chambers. The only mystery was whether they would find it above or below. There was far more to search above, and far more sorceresses and sorcerers, so they began their search by descending.
Each level they descended brought disappointment as the Stellaetrix failed to appear, but also a minor victory in that their snooping had not been detected, and they continued on unimpeded. The bottom floors of the Applewood Tower were mostly used for classes and storage, with the servants’ quarters and kitchens located in buildings along the compound’s outer wall, so the rooms they searched were empty of any ponies. One particularly ancient gargoyle squatting among shelves of tomes turned its head their way once, but eventually decided what it had seen was only its imagination and returned to stone. As their descent went on, they eventually passed underground into the tower’s foundations. Moonlight streaming through windows had provided some light above, but down here it was pitch black. When Twilight was certain there was nopony nearby to hear them, she whispered an incantation that would allow the three of them to see in absolute darkness, and they continued on.
They had descended several stories belowground when they reached the catacombs beneath the tower. Ancient sarcophagi were arranged in concentric circles, holding past prominent members of the Applewood Tower. One of them, upon which was inscribed the barely visible name of Leonorus, was pointed to by the compass as Twilight circled it. Many of these graves had magical artifacts within them, the sorceresses and sorcerers choosing to be buried with them, and Leonorus’ grave was no exception.
“Twilight, you’re not going to …” Rarity gasped as Twilight began to pry the sarcophagus open.
“Let us just hope that the Stellaetrix is in here so I didn’t defile a grave in vain,” Twilight said.
Twilight’s sorcery burned through the stone, and the lid came loose. As she shoved it aside, Spike helped to hold the cover and lower it to the ground. After millennia, there was nothing left of Leonorus’s remains, but the sundial Twilight had sensed was still intact. Drawing it out of the grave, she examined the dial with her magic and confirmed that it was wrapped in powerful enchantments to hide the artifact’s true nature. Breaking them, the sundial returned to its true form, one third of a disk covered in diamonds: part of the Stellaetrix. They’d found the object of their search; now, they just had to reseal the grave, return to their chambers, and find a way to leave the Applewood Tower without the sorceresses here realizing what they had lost.
***
Several Months Later
Alfons trotted in a stately manner down the long carpet that ran the length of the hall. Arrayed in rows to either side of him were his new vassals, lords and ladies who had pledged their loyalty and service to him alone. They bowed as he trotted past, as was proper. Lady Eriophyllum stood among retainers, and she watched with awe as Alfons trotted past her. Alfons and his armies had defeated her, but she had not shared the fate of Marquesa Marigold; he would not execute a filly. The advisors that had used her as an excuse had not been so lucky. Enemy heads would decorate the walk to his castle until they rotted away beneath the sun.
Chief Strongheart, now his Warden of Alcyon, stood among the gathered nobles. Her broad shoulders made the aristocracy next to her bunch up against each other, eliciting a smile from Alfons as she raised her head to honor him while others bowed, her bunching muscles nearly knocking them over. Alfons’s nose twitched as the oil poured on his forehead ran down it, and the smile disappeared.
He was almost at the end now, approaching his throne, a wooden masterpiece with a ruby set into the head. To one side stood Grand Enchanter Regulus, a pony he was now forced to acknowledge as his equal. Under the new charter drawn up, the head of the Applewood Tower and Alfons would rule his new kingdom jointly. It was irritating to allow anypony to stand beside him, but it was a worthwhile sacrifice to ensure the loyalty and power of the sorceresses of Los Pegasus. Not that these lands would be known as part of Los Pegasus anymore. The mages of Applewood had also convinced Alfons to curb his ambitions and not seek to become King of Los Pegasus. His support in the north was far less than in the south, and he would have enough difficulties ruling his new kingdom without worrying about constant rebellions which could claim—and rightfully so—that he was a usurper. He hadn’t taken Los Pegasus, but he would rule a fine kingdom nevertheless; with powerful allies on his side, perhaps one day he could do what Helianthus never could and expand into the Equestry Valley to the east.
“Behold, King Alfons of Applewood and Mareagon!” the elderly bishop who’d been standing opposite Regulus said as she placed the crown upon his head, and he took a seat on his royal throne for the first time. “Long may he reign!”
Chapter 3:14.3 – Los Pegasus: The North Year 507 of the 1st Age
“All aboard!” a gryphon shouted, and Erazmus rose from where he’d been sitting against crates filled with bolts of cloth.
Shrugging on his saddlebags, he trotted up the gangplank to the ship, whose crew mostly consisted of gryphons. The wrapped piece of the Stellaetrix bounced in his saddlebags, reminding him of its presence. If all went according to plan, he would be able to deliver it to King Orai of Obelan on the Eastern Continent within the month. The ship he’d secured a spot on would sail out into the Blazing Ocean and around the Slaver Kingdoms in Equestria’s south before crossing the Shimmering Sea and passing Tyrannus. Then it would be a long journey overland to the northern kingdom.
Erazmus gave a farewell look to his departure point before heading below deck. The town known as La Plaça de Los Pegasus y Uniçano Eheilos de Lo Montaño (“The Town of The Holy Pegasus and Unicorn of The Mountain” in the local language) was not an impressive city, but it was rapidly growing as ponies from across Equestria and beyond the seas flocked here. With its connection to Sygra and proximity to the home of the great alicorn Nostracom the Wise, it was sure to continue growing. After one last look, Erazmus headed down into the ship and prepared for his journey.
***
Year 1002 of the 4th Age
Millennia later, Applejack and Pinkamena climbed onto their own ship to set out into the Gulf of Sirens and the Blazing Ocean. However, they were not leaving from the city that was now known as Los Pegasus, which had conquered all the Equestrian southwest and, for a brief time, the Westerlands; their ship was departing from Adage, one of the three major towns of White Tail Wood that were built on the shoreline of the Gulf of Sirens. They’d already stopped at one of the others—Sonnet—to meet with a sorceress and retrieve a diamond from her that Twilight believed had come from the Stellaetrix. The alicorn sorceress had enchanted the diamond during their brief return to Ponieville and claimed it would lead them to a piece of Nostracom’s famous relic.
“You coming, Applejack?” Pinkamena asked as she finished bounding up the gangplank.
“O’ course, ‘tis just that I’ve ne’er been on a ship before,” Applejack replied, still standing her ground on the base of the gangplank, watching the ship rock up and down with the tide.
“Sure you have,” Pinkamena said as she bounded back down, shaking the gangplank. “What about at Dodge’s Crossing? And at Embariz?”
“Those were a boat an’ a barge, an’ … they were diff’rent,” Applejack said. “I’ve ne’er been out o’ sight o’ land.”
Exhaling sharply to steel herself, Applejack trotted up onto the ship, and Pinkamena bounded up behind her, shaking the gangplank. The farmer nearly stopped and reconsidered her choice, but managed to keep herself from freezing up and soldiered on until she was on the ship’s deck. Everything would be just fine, she knew, but she took one more longing look back at the solid ground she’d left behind and the treeline past the borders of Adage before heading below.
***
“Mistress Pie, we’re nearing the Hunters’ Horn,” the ship’s captain said with concern. “If we don’t turn back soon, we’re likely t’ meet the rocks, or worse, a Los Pegasus patrol.”
“Keep going,” Pinkamena said as she kept her eyes on the diamond hanging from the forelock of her mane.
The captain sighed with frustration but complied with her wishes. She was one of the fabled Brave Companions, just like the other one that spent most of her time in the center of the deck. Even if they hadn’t been, though, the amount of gold he was promised from Cant’r Laht’s royal treasury would have compelled him to comply with whatever outrageous wishes they held. With that much coin, he could hire two more ships and set up a proper supply line, to someplace like Balte-Maer or Neighples.
“Captain! Sails ahead!” a felisne sailor in the crow’s nest cried out.
“How many?” the captain called back up, looking at Pinkamena.
“Four! No, seven! No, twelve!” the sailor called down, “It’s the Los Pegasus Armada, Captain!”
After vanishing from ports at the start of the war, the fleet had returned, and it was bearing directly toward them. The captain groaned. Just my luck. Pinkamena gasped as the diamond twitched and began to swing to one side.
“We’ve got the trail!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Bear right!”
“Turning to starboard!” the captain announced as he turned the ship’s wheel.
As the vessel turned, the diamond hanging from Pinkamena’s mane continued to point in the same direction, swiveling in the opposite direction as the ship.
“The fleet’s spotted us!” the lookout called down.
“We might be able t’ outrun them,” the captain surmised, though he didn’t sound particularly confident. Surely they’d be able to dodge the fleet as a whole, but if they chose to pursue with their faster escorts, there was no way they could escape.
“Who’s in that fleet?” Applejack asked as she made her way unsteadily over to the captain.
“There’s no telling. The fleet disappeared when this ‘ole mess kicked off,” the captain said as he scratched his beard. “If their returning now, though, there’s probably somepony on that fleet who wants the Crown of Los Pegasus.”
Despite the captain’s prediction, all of Helianthus’ female relatives had declared their claims or their allegiances with one of the big contenders by now. When the fleet had disappeared, it had likely been under the command of Admiral Lillium, who was a noble of high standing in the realm. Could he be attempting to claim the throne for himself? Anything was possible; though the Crown of Los Pegasus was passed matrilineally, two stallions—Duke Alfons and Marqués Rockward—were serious contenders, despite having no relation to the late Queen Helianthus.
“Let ‘em reach us,” Applejack said. “We’re s’posed t’ meet wi’ th’ contenders for th’ throne, an’ we’ll ‘ave an easier time o’ gettin’ around if we meet with ‘em first.”
“As you say, Mistress Applejack,” the captain said worriedly. In wartime, there was a fair chance that if he allowed his ship to be captured, the Los Pegasus Armada would commandeer it and his crew to fight for them.
Their ship didn’t put on any speed or seek to evade the Los Pegasus Armada, and its ships soon pulled past them. The quick-moving scouts where the first pass before keeping pace, but the rest of the fleet joined them shortly after. The troop transports were packed with soldiers, many of them non-ponies. It was clear what the armada had been doing away. While the other contenders for the throne had fought over land, the leader of the fleet had been busy recruiting mercenaries across the Blazing Ocean in the Duchies of Massoriya or Rikkicheg.
The armada’s magnificent flagship pulled up alongside, the banner of Los Pegasus streaming from its mast. A gangplank was quickly lowered, and armed ponies hurried onto the Cant’r Lahtian ship. When one of them spotted the Brave Companions, he hurried back up to the flagship and returned with two other ponies. One was Admiral Lillium, the aging stallion looking imperious with his silvery mane pulled tightly back and emphasizing the scar on his cheek and eye socket. The other was a unicorn stallion with a silver crown upon his head, Helianthus’s widower and the former king of Los Pegasus: Ferdinand. He looked much more gaunt than usual, having barely survived the plague that had taken his wife and all their children.
“What are you doing here?” Ferdinand asked Applejack and Pinkamena, who’d come together at the center of the deck, surrounded by the sailors they’d hired and the Los Pegasan soldiers that had come aboard.
“We’re on a quest from Regents Celestia an’ Luna o’ Cant’r Laht,” Applejack replied.
“What kind of quest?” Ferdinand asked, his eyes narrowing.
“It’s a secret,” Pinkamena whispered conspiratorially, but her chosen decibel of voice meant that everypony could easily hear her.
“Rest assured, it has nothin’ t’ do wi’ th’ Los Pegasus succession,” Applejack assured Ferdinand before he could become even more suspicious. “Our only part in it is t’ speak t’ claimants t’ th’ crown on behalf o’ th’ regents.”
“Well, you may address me with any words from Cant’r Laht’s regents, then,” Ferdinand said.
“You’re a claimant?” Applejack asked, not intending to question his ability or legitimacy. Unfortunately, that was how Ferdinand took it.
“I am King of Los Pegasus, am I not?” Ferdinand demanded, projecting hardness over a brittle shell. “Has everypony forgotten? I lost my wife and my children. I will not lose my home and my crown as well!”
“O’ course,” Applejack said, a little shaken by the outburst. “Celestia an’ Luna just wish t’ express their wishes that the war will end quickly, wi’out many ponies dyin’.”
“That’s it?” Ferdinand asked. Applejack nodded, and he snorted.
“Sooooo, can we get on with our journey, then?” Pinkamena asked after Ferdinand stood silently for several seconds, looking around at the ship they were upon.
“All able vessels are needed for blockading the usurpers to my wi—my throne,” Ferdinand said, and Lillium raised an eyebrow. “But as you are under the protection of Celestia and you chose to stop rather than run, I will allow you to depart.”
The captain gave a sigh of relief as Lillium made a motion, and the Los Pegasan soldier headed back up the gangplank to their ship. Admiral Lillium and King Ferdinand returned to the Los Pegasan flagship as well and the fleet set out, resuming their journey east. Soon, they were all alone in the vast expanse of sea once again.
***
Following the movements of the diamond hanging from Pinkamena’s mane, they traced the journey the Stellaetrix piece had taken millennia earlier. The captain noted that they were following an old sea route that led to an ancient port—one that no longer existed, having been eclipsed by other cities in the area. Pinkamena stayed at her post through the long hours, watching the diamond swing minutely to direct them or fall slack when they strayed too far from the path. As they passed through the night and into the next day, her alertness began to lapse, but she wouldn’t hear of somepony else taking the responsibility from her.
“We’re going to hit the rocks!” she called out suddenly, startling those around her who’d grown accustomed to her silence.
“There are no rocks ahead; we’re in the middle of the Blazing Ocean,” the captain told her. She’d probably dozed off and awakened from a dream.
“I saw them!” Pinkamena insisted. “I had a premonition that we’re going to crash against them!”
Some of the sailors, being superstitious folk, mumbled uneasily about such an omen.
“There are no rocks ahead,” the captain said more firmly than before. “It’s open ocean as far as the eye can see.”
“Cap’n, Pinkamena’s premonitions are always right,” Applejack said as she made her way over to him more steadily than the day before. “I don’t know how we’re t’ strike rocks out here, but if Pinkamena says it’ll happen, it’s best t’ heed her warnin’.”
The captain was skeptical, but he ordered the ship to slow down nonetheless. If that was what his passengers wanted, then he would comply with their wishes. They were surrounded by the wide-open ocean stretching to the horizon on every side, but in another instant, a craggy island suddenly appeared before them. The captain yanked the wheel as hard as he could to the side and the ship turned, barely missing the rocks visible beneath the waterline. As the ship rocked back to level, its passengers could see the wrecks of many other vessels scattered up the beach. At one point, a pier had been constructed out of debris. The captain and crew looked to the Brave Companions for direction.
“We’re goin’ ashore,” Applejack said.
The diamond hanging from Pinkamena’s mane had reversed direction to now point out to sea, and Applejack wanted to know why. She didn’t have Twilight Sparkle’s understanding of sorcery, but something about this mysterious island was tied to the sudden shift, and Applejack needed to find out what. As the sailors set about docking with the makeshift pier, Applejack helped lead Pinkamena below deck. She’d been on watch long enough and could sleep while the farmer explored the island.
There were no volunteers to go with her, but Applejack did manage to obtain a promise from them to search for her if she wasn’t back in a few hours. Whether they would honor that promise or not, she didn’t know, but she stepped off the ship anyway. After having made her way across the pier, she examined the ship graveyard along the coast. The wooden hulks were in various states of decay, but she could still make out the diverse styles among them. Had she been more familiar with oceangoing vessels, she might have recognized that the ships came from a vast array of time periods, some from so long ago that no remains should have existed.
After she’d gone as far as she could, Applejack returned to the pier and followed the path inland. As she did so, she was met by a minotaur with an axe slung over his broad shoulders. His face seemed to be fixed in a permanent melancholy, but his eyes were active as he examined Applejack. The two of them stopped several paces from each other.
“Th’ Fourth,” Applejack answered “Don’t y’ know what year ‘tis?”
“Nay,” the minotaur replied, then continued when Applejack didn’t look satisfied with his answer. “I ham named Bronze Bull. Vhat are jou calt?”
“Applejack … What’s goin’ on ‘ere?”
The minotaur gave a sigh and unslung his axe, and, panicked, Applejack thought at first that he intended to use it on her. Instead he placed the head on the ground and leaned upon it.
“ ‘T’as been a hunned-eighteen years since anoder’as been on d’island,” Bronze Bull explained. “Time only flows ere’slong’es there’sa visitor. Vhen’ts only me, time stands still. Many ponies’ve ‘come stranded ere, but vhen’day die, I’m vrozen until anoder comes.”
“That’s terrible,” Applejack said. “How long’ve y’ been stranded ‘ere?”
“For me, fifty-tree years. For’da rest o’da world, over four thousand.”
“In all that time, nopony arrived wi’out crashin’ who could take y’ away?”
“A few, though none could take me’way,” Bronze Bull replied with a sad smile. “I have tried, but cannot leave.”
“Does that mean …” Applejack started to ask, worried they were stranded on the island as well.
“No,” Bronze Bull cut off her line of thought. “Jou will b’able t’leave. ‘Ts’only I that is imprisoned ere.”
“Imprisoned?”
“By t’sorcerer jou’call Star-Swirl d’Bearded,” Bronze Bull said with a nod. “ ‘Twas not vidout reason, I’ve come t’realize. D’crimes I committed vere vordy’o’dis punishment.”
“Nay, d’not ask vhat day vere,” Bronze Bull said, raising a massive hand when Applejack started to ask. “Jou should continue on je’journey, but if’ja’vould, stay in port a bit longer so’ve some time ‘fore I’ve t’vait again.”
“We will,” Applejack promised him. “B’fore y’ go, did anypony wash up ‘ere ‘round th’ sixth century o’ th’ First Age?”
Bronze Bull looked thoughtful, thinking back on the ponies who’d survived the wreckage to join him over the years.
“Dere vas vone calt’raszmus around’en,” Bronze Bull answered. “Strange pony; vas convinc’d’e failed an alicorn.”
“Thank y’,” Applejack told the minotaur before they parted ways.
***
The mysterious island vanished as soon as it had appeared as they sailed back east. The captain marked it on his charts to avoid in the future; he had no intention of ever returning, especially after what Applejack had reported. Any wise pony would avoid a prison constructed by a sorcerer at all costs, especially if its prisoner was still here.
It was clear now what had happened with the Stellaetrix fragment, at least during the first leg of its journey. The ship transporting it had smashed against the rocks of Bronze Bull’s island and its guardian had lost it in the waves. Now that the diamond from the Stellaetrix had led them through the pocket of suspended time, it was leading them on the journey the Stellaetrix fragment had followed as currents had transported it back to Los Pegasus. The diamond led them all the way back to land, until they were approaching the port of the city from which the fractured kingdom derived its name. Ferdinand’s armada was not yet blockading the city, so they were able to sail in unimpeded. Judging from the camps and siegeworks outside of the city, however, the same would not be true for their overland journey. Neither could they follow the exact trail of the Stellaetrix; it veered off before actually reaching the city, but it was close enough that the ships patrolling the shore and hadn’t defected to Ferdinand wouldn’t let them deviate from their course. Once ashore, they’d have to find a way out of the city in order to continue their search. To do that, Applejack and Pinkamena needed to fulfill their other quest here in the west of Equestria.
After explaining themselves to the soldiers, who demanded to know what business their ship had coming to the city in wartime, they headed up through a borough on city’s edge to where the royal palace looked out over it all. The fame of the Brave Companions let them into a place neither could have dreamed of visiting only a few years previously. The royal palace of Los Pegasus was a massive, sprawling affair with many wings that had been added on to house the large families of the kingdom’s queens. The palace was a work of art, with statues and embellishment crowding every open expanse of wall and crevice. At the moment, it was filled with the personal troops of the nobles who had allied with the controller of the city: Lady Lasthenia. Most of the time, they were hard at work setting up defenses in the practically indefensible palace with its many windows and colonnades.
At the core of the palace was a truly defensible site. The sturdy stone keep had long predated the rest of the palace; and it was musty, damp, and cramped. It could stand alone against a siege, however, so this was where Lasthenia and her supporters had moved. Pinkamena and Applejack were led into the old throne room, where Lasthenia had relocated the Gilded Throne and was seated in it, despite having no right to do so until she’d been officially crowned Queen of Los Pegasus. Though the eldest of Queen Helianthus’s nieces, Lasthenia had never been given an official title, and so she remained merely Lady Lasthenia. One thing she did have going for her was that she understood the city of Los Pegasus like none other, and she had secured the support of the city and its surrounding lands quite early on while the rest of the factions were still forming. Even so, she didn’t look like a pony who was winning the succession war at the moment.
“Brave Companions Pinkamena and Applejack,” she addressed them without moving from her seat. “What has brought you to my kingdom?”
“We have a message from Celestia and Luna,” Pinkamena said.
“Oh?” Lasthenia said excitedly, straightening in her chair. “Do they wish to acknowledge me as the rightful Queen of Los Pegasus?”
“Uh … no,” Pinkamena said, and Lasthenia’s face fell. “They just wanted to say they hope the succession will be settled quickly so more ponies don’t have to die in battle.”
“Yes, yes,” Lasthenia said discouragingly. “If only it were so simple. If only the others would submit and acknowledge my right to rule, this would all be over. Harmonia besieges me, so that even if I were the one who should step aside, I couldn’t—not after all her talk about defeating and executing Marqués Rockward. You would think that she might show me some mercy since we’re family, but no, she intends to execute me as well if she gets into the city. That’s not even to mention the trouble in the south with Alfons and Eriophyllum and Marigold; or in the Westerlands with Clover, Helianthus, and Silversword. But what can I do about that while my army remains bottled up here?”
“You could leave by sea,” Pinkamena suggested. “You’ll want to leave before King Ferdinand and the Los Pegasus Armada arrive, though.”
“So, that is where my uncle disappeared to,” Lasthenia said spitefully. “And he intends to take my throne as well? Well, he shall not have it! None of them shall!”
The servants and nobles in the room wisely averted their gazes as Lasthenia had her outburst.
“We also need your permission t’ leave th’ city,” Applejack said once the would-be queen calmed down.
“To meet with Harmonia?” Lasthenia asked. “Fine; if you have no more to give her from Celestia and Luna than you have to me, then I do not see what harm it could do. You have my leave to go.”
Applejack and Pinkamena left the throne room, accompanied by a page that Lasthenia sent along to relay her orders to the guards at the gates. Harmonia’s camp was concentrated to the north, and the city’s north gate creaked open just wide enough to permit the Brave Companions to pass through. An arrow struck the gate near them as they exited and was met by shouting and return arrows from the wall. Pinkamena managed to find a white patch on her eclectic clothing and waved it above the two of them as they crossed the lines to Harmonia’s camp.
“What’s all this, then?” an armored noblestallion asked of them as they reached the lines of spikes to prevent sallies from Los Pegasus.
“Duchess Harmonia,” the stallion corrected her, then thought for a moment. “Very well.”
Applejack and Pinkamena were led through the maze of spikes while Harmonia’s archers released a barrage on the city walls to keep the soldiers inside from watching and learning the path. Once inside, the noble led them deeper into the camp and removed his helm as soon as they were well out of range of the city’s walls. Harmonia’s camp was neat and orderly, with a ruthless efficiency in the straight lines of tents, latrines, cooking fires, and washbasins. Wherever there was a tree that hadn’t been chopped down (and in some places where a post had been erected to serve that purpose) there hung bodies with placards around their necks bearing titles like “Deserter,” “Thief,” and “Traitor.” Duchess Harmonia would tolerate nothing but perfection.
Harmonia’s pavilion was fairly austere, so much so that Applejack and Pinkamena weren’t sure they’d reached it, surrounded as it was by grander pavilions of Harmonia’s supporters, until the noble leading them pulled aside the flap to let them enter. Duchess Harmonia stood in a group with her supporters discussing an attack on the walls. Her dress had been cut short to keep it from dragging in the dirt and her ducal tiara was pinned to her mane to keep it from falling out.
“Your Grace,” the Brave Companions’ guide caught her attention. “Applejack and Pinkamena of the Brave Companions, here to speak with you.”
“Is that so?” the duchess asked as she trotted over. “You have a message for me from Celestia? Or is it Celestia and Luna?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Applejack said. “They wish t’ express their desire that this war will end soon, wi’out many ponies dyin’.”
“Yes, that is the wish of us all,” Harmonia said agreeably. “Once Los Pegasus falls, this can all end. Do you wish to see Marqués Rockward’s head, to prove my … credentials? Other than as cousin to Queen Helianthus II, of course.”
“Um, no thank y’,” Applejack said, disturbed that Harmonia’s face had not changed one jot when she’d moved to talking about the remains of the pony she’d had executed. “We ‘ave some additional business t’ take care of around th’ outskirts o’ Los Pegasus,”
“To the south,” Pinkamena added.
“Yes, of course,” Harmonia said. “My soldiers will not harass you in whatever business you have to attend. You’ll find you have nothing to fear as long as you follow the rules. If you break them, however ... Well, not even Celestia can prevent justice from being done.”
***
Year 131 of the 3rd Age
A crowd was rapidly forming around the small knot of ponies on the shoreline. There was little excitement in the small fishing village so close to the city of Los Pegasus that it didn’t even warrant a name of its own, so whenever something happened, everypony wanted to be involved. This … thing had washed up on the beach, found by a fishermare as she hauled in the last lines before turning in for the night. The sun had set recently, so few of the curious townsfolk near the object had torches, though they could still clearly see it beneath the moon- and starlight; it was a third of a ring, covered in diamonds. The leaders of the village, who had pushed their way forward to be close to the commotion, were discussing how they could sell it and pass on the profits—some to the village, but most to themselves. The group gasped as the stars shifted overhead and the diamonds on the Stellaetrix flashed brilliantly.
“It’s a gift,” one pony said, and the refrain was soon repeated. “It’s a gift. It’s a gift! It’s a gift from Queen Luna!”
***
Year 1002 of the 4th Age
Applejack and Pinkamena trotted along the beach, trying to relocate the trail from the Stellaetrix fragment. If they didn’t find it soon, they’d have to try to hire a boat and somepony local to take it out and search there. There was a chance that the Stellaetrix, after making it in so close, had been swept back out to sea. If that was the case, they’d need to reenter Los Pegasus and take the ship out again—a potential ordeal they were not looking forward to.
Pinkamena gasped as the diamond hanging from her mane twitched and pointed inland. Hurriedly, they departed the beach and headed into the fishing village built near the shore. Nopony was showing themselves, having fled from Harmonia’s soldiers or hiding for the same reason, so there was nopony to see as Pinkamena followed the trail, sometimes even climbing over buildings. The trail led them to a large shed that smelled like pickled fish, and Pinkamena pushed the door open.
“Pinkamena, are y’ sure y’ should be doin’ this?” Applejack asked, staying outside. “Maybe we should go ‘round, or ask somepony first.”
“No, it’s in here!” the bard called out, her voice echoing.
Applejack reluctantly trotted inside. Casks of pickled and pickling fish lined the walls, awaiting ships that could take them to Stygra to be sold and eaten by the omnivorous species there. Pinkamena was in the center of the room, digging with her hooves at the straw laid across the floor. Applejack cautiously set about helping her, and they spread out until Pinkamena discovered a trap door against the far wall. A ladder led down, with a torch at the bottom that Pinkamena soon lit. A narrow tunnel led them to a room built beneath the shed. Within it was an altar upon which, in a bed of cloth, sat a third of the Stellaetrix. Unlit candles sat around the artifact, and candelabras were propped up against the walls.
“What are you doing here?” a mare’s voice asked as Pinkamena moved to take the Stellaetrix.
The two of them turned around, coming face-to-face with a large group of ponies armed with spears and fish filleting knives. The villagers of the fishing hamlet, having finally made their appearance, stared accusatorially at Applejack and Pinkamena.
“We didn’t mean t’ trespass,” Applejack said. “We just came for th’ Stellaetrix piece.”
“The what?” the mare in front asked, and her eyes swung to the Stellaetrix before returning to Applejack. “How did you know it was here? What do you want with it? Explain yourself!”
“Calm down an’ listen,” Applejack said. “We were sent by Regent Luna t’ find th’ Stellaetrix for her.”
“Luna?” the mare said in awe, and the villagers lowered their weapons. “If Luna wants it, then please take it.”
“Why?” Applejack asked.
“Because if Luna sent it to us all those years ago, she must have a good reason for wanting it back,” the mare said. “We’ve protected the Stars for a hundred generations, even when Luna was gone. Of course, until recently, we believed the Stars to be a gift from the mystical Queen Lune and directed our praise to her instead of the real thing. You see, a thousand years ago, the First Knowers were gifted the Stars from the Queen of the Heavens …”
***
Several Months Later
Queen Harmonia of Los Pegasus sat upon the Gilded Throne, rapping a hoof against its gold-covered and ostentatiously decorated surface. It wasn’t her style, but it was a powerful symbol to establish her legitimacy among her vassals, subjects, and foreign realms. The kingdom she now ruled was a shadow of its former self, chopped into three bits. The traitorous Marquesa Flax ruled the Westerlands now; and the greedy Duke Alfons had set up his own kingdom in the south, resurrecting Mareagon and snatching the Applewood Tower in the bargain as well. Harmonia couldn’t hope to compete against Alfons’s kingdom—not yet anyway—and neither had she any interest in retaking the Westerlands until she could unite the lands that her predecessor had inherited upon her accession.
The former king Ferdinand’s presence in her throne room irked her, a reminder of the compromises she’d had to make in order to gain the throne and secure as much of the Kingdom of Los Pegasus as she had. However, she’d needed the Los Pegasus Armada to blockade Los Pegasus and force Lasthenia to surrender before Alfons was able to capture any more territory in the south. At least Rockward, Lasthenia, and their supporters were now decorating the parapets of the royal palace’s old keep. That would deter rebellion against her rule for years to come. Still, there was much to do. Queen Helianthus II had been lax in enforcing her laws and edicts, letting local nobles tend to their own affairs so long as they ultimately obeyed her. That era was over, and her subjects would soon learn what crime and heresy bought beneath the reign of Queen Harmonia VI.
The manticore roared as it flew over the Hunters, out of reach of their swords, and winged its way up into the sky.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Swiftwel, a pegasus from the Order of the Eagle, said as she triggered the crossbow on her saddle. Her weapon shot out a cable that soon tangled itself around the manticore’s hindleg.
Swiftwel glided down to the ground and tied the other end of the cable to a lone tree before it could grow taut. Her companion, another pegasus from her Order, descended to the ballista they’d set up nearby and pointed it to the sky. When the manticore reached the end of the cable and floundered while roaring in defiance, they fired a bolt that struck the manticore’s center mass. The beast tumbled from the sky and crashed down a short distance away.
The Hunters had no time to take a customary trophy from the corpse in order to collect a bounty on the beast, however, as a pack of scalehounds emerged from the nearby tree line. The two pegasi drew their swords again and took off toward the beasts. The creatures had bodies resembling dogs in shape, but they were covered in scales like a dragon and had dragon’s tails. Fortunately, the scales weren’t nearly as hardy as a real dragon’s scales, and the Hunters’ specially forged blades made swift work of them.
“Rool!” Swiftwel called out to her companion as he impaled a dying scalehound’s head with his sword. “D’you think they just forgot to tell us what we were getting into, or did they just not know?”
The nearby village had hired the Hunters to go out to the edge of the Everfree to take care of a “black beast;” it’d turned out to be a bearzerker that had wandered out of the forest, but it hadn’t been the only monster here when they arrived. The field was now littered with the corpses of monsters—both those who had already been in the area and those who had run out of the Everfree Forest since the fighting started, as if drawn to the Hunters in some way.
“My money’s on they knew what was out here and figured they don’t have to pay Hunters if they’re dead,” Rool replied cynically.
As soon as the Hunter finished speaking, something caused the trees of the Everfree Forest to shake and birds flew away in alarm. Both Hunters turned instinctively toward the sound and trotted in the direction of the trees with swords ready.
“What d’you reckon it is this time?” Swiftwel asked around her sword as they approached the Everfree Forest.
“Maybe whatever chased all the other beasties out,” Rool replied.
“Chased?” Swiftwel asked.
“Sure,” Rool said. “Did y’ notice, they were all runnin’ from somethin’, not t’ward us?”
With that thought hanging in the air, they approached the trees—but there was nothing to see. Though the forest creaked and groaned, and all looked still, just dark with the unnatural malevolence that the Everfree seemed to project.
“Maybe we should go for backu—” Swiftwel started to say, but she was cut off as something grabbed her hindleg. It pulled her to the ground and then up into the air before slamming her into a branch.
“Swift!” Rool cried, looking up at his compatriot in shock. Despite the efforts of her wings, she was being dragged around by thorny black vines.
Rool jumped into the air, slicing at another vine snaking around behind him before severing the one that had grabbed Swiftwel. Two blades flashed through the darkness between the trees as the vines closed in around them. Their escape in every direction, including upward, was cut off, but they were Hunters; surely nothing could hold them for long. They slashed and sliced at the vines, cutting themselves a path, until a magical jolt traveled along the vines and the Hunters vanished. The vines withdrew from the now-empty prison and spread out along the edge of the Everfree Forest, preparing to expand again soon and complete their purpose.
The city of Cant’r Laht, perched high upon the Titan’s Horn, was bristling with energy. The summer solstice ceremony was just days away and the city was filled with ponies from all corners of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, come to celebrate Regent Celestia’s raising of the sun to start a new year. Despite the ceremony being held at Cant’r Laht Castle this year, and closed off to all but the nobility and a few privileged gentry, ponies had still come from far and wide to share in the revels and sneak a glimpse of the newest alicorn. Some had even attempted to set up camp against the walls of the castle grounds, and Cant’r Laht’s guards were trying to move them elsewhere. Trotting along the perimeter of the castle grounds, observing the evacuations as an aside, were two stallions, both members of the 1st Council of the Lodge of Sorceresses.
“At least give it some consideration,” Earl Neighsay Ferrun told his colleague as he watched a guard tear down a lean-to, to the protests of the pony within. “Baron Midwinter was a disaster as a chancellor, and if we let the council go ahead, they’ll likely pick someone who will just agree with whatever Celestia says, like Selene or Fleur.”
“So you do understand our position,” Earl Brisk Shot Ironsides replied with a snort. “The Lodge’s allegiance has shifted, Neighsay. You, me, Augusta.… We’re out, and Celestian loyalists are in. Duchess Rocinté is the chairpony now, a close friend of Grand Duchess Cadence.”
“I refuse to recognize that title,” Neighsay huffed, “Nor mi Amore Cadenza’s assertion that the North is not a part of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, but a dependent realm that owes fealty to Celestia only as long as she lives.”
“Which, functionally, is forever. I don’t know why you are so caught up on this, my friend,” Brisk Shot said. “We both know that Celestia is immortal.”
“Firstly, even if I could depend upon the North remaining a dependency forever, they do not recognize any laws we—the Lodge—make. Secondly … is Celestia truly immortal?”
Taken completely off guard by the question, Brisk Shot halted briefly before cantering to catch back up with Neighsay.
“Talk like that is liable to get you beheaded,” he whispered conspiratorially. “Besides, the New Cabal tried to kill Celestia and failed.”
“Of course they did! Trying to kill Celestia is folly, and not just because it’s practically impossible,” Neighsay said far too loudly for Brisk Shot’s comfort, with all the city guards around. “I would never want to kill Celestia unless my goal was to destroy Cant’r Laht, which I assuredly do not want. In a way, I almost applaud her for her efforts to provide structure and stability to our realm by reorganizing it into a kingdom—had she not centralized power in herself rather than in the Lodge, where it rightly belongs.”
“What, then? You expect the mighty Celestia to die of old age?” Brisk Shot asked.
“Yes,” Neighsay said, turning to face his friend and shocking him into immobility once again. “Or perhaps illness, I don’t know for sure. What I do know is that Celestia’s actions point to the plans of a pony who knows she will die soon. Why else would she suddenly have become so insistent on finding an heir thirty years ago? Why has she pushed her apprentices so hard into positions they are not ready for? Both Cadence and Twilight Sparkle became alicorns at such a young age, centuries before Yliiena or Nostracom took that leap. Now Cadence has been proclaimed Grand Duchess of a distant patchwork land that she’s barely managing to hold together in the face of internal dissent and bison rebellions, and Twilight Sparkle …”
As if for dramatic effect, whatever Neighsay had been meaning to say was drowned out by the cries and cheers of the ponies who’d assembled along the wall surrounding Cant’r Laht Castle. Even the guards ceased their evictions to look up as ponies pointed to the sky. Flying over the gardens was Twilight Sparkle, the tempo of her wingbeats changing rapidly as she plummeted downward as quickly as she’d risen.
“I’m the right pony for the job,” Neighsay insisted as he stared his colleague in the eyes. “We need a strong chancellor who will hold the line with Celestia, one who will be ready to step in once she and Luna are gone, somepony who can guide the inexperienced monarch that will take the regents’ place.”
“You do make a good point,” Brisk Shot said thoughtfully. “I will see what strings I can pull. You realize, of course, that it could still be centuries before Celestia and Luna die or abdicate? Who can say how an alicorn perceives time?”
“All the better to start now,” Neighsay said. “Besides, I have time. There is no greater cause for me than to preserve the order and structure of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, and the Lodge’s place in it.”
***
“Come on, Twilight, try it again,” Rainbow Dash encouraged her friend.
Twilight Sparkle had once believed flight to be a worthless skill for a sorceress, after she had learned how to teleport and open portals. Now that she had wings of her own, though, she was determined to learn how to use them properly. She still wasn’t planning to fly for long journeys (portals would still be superior for such travel) but it could be helpful in certain other situations, such as getting out of range of forces that would block the opening of portals or teleporting. Flight could also provide her with a different perspective and tactical advantage—something she hadn't ever considered before taking courses in aerial superiority at Cant’r Laht Academy in the World Across the Divide.
The sorceress picked herself up off the grass and took a moment to stretch her still-new wings before flapping them to lift herself back into the air. Twilight managed to catch up with Rainbow Dash in the sky and strained to maintain enough altitude.
“Flap ‘em hard!” her friend commanded.
Twilight Sparkle obliged, but her wings flitted out of sync almost instantly and threw her off-balance. She careened past Rainbow Dash and started to fall out of the sky again, back down toward the castle gardens. She struggled to regain a steady hover and nearly succeeded, right before her right wing caught on her robes and sent her tumbling down. After landing in a patch of flowers, Twilight brushed snapped stems off of her as she stood back up.
“Much better that time, Twi’,” Applejack told her as she helped the sorceress to her hooves.
Twilight gave her friend an appreciative smile, though she knew she still had a long way to go. She’d returned through Star-Swirl’s magic mirror from her strange, otherworldly caper only a few weeks earlier. Upon learning that her pupil had returned, Celestia had sent a missive asking Twilight to play a role in this year’s Summer Sun Ceremony in Cant’r Laht—a role that involved flying. She’d spent much of her time practicing her flight since then but felt she had little to show for it. though she knew she still had a long way to go.
“Hmm, maybe I should speak to Celestia and Luna’s seamstresses and see if there are any adjustments I should make to your robes to accommodate your wings,” Rarity mused as she trotted up and inspected the folds of fabric that were proving unwieldy.
Since Twilight had become an alicorn, Rarity had done her best to modify her sorceress robes beyond “cut a hole for the wings.” Twilight Sparkle was convinced her own clumsiness was just as much to blame as her clothing, if not more, concerning why she kept getting tangled. Just how did Fluttershy fly around in those druidess robes all the time?
“Thank you, Rarity, but I do not think it will make a difference in time for the summer solstice ceremony,” Twilight admitted with a sigh. “I doubt two days will be enough for me to perfect my flying, either.”
Twilight Sparkle had a lot on her mind in addition to the summer solstice ceremony and becoming accustomed to her alicorn body. She didn’t know whether spending several months in a human body had helped or harmed her acclimation, but it had certainly complicated things. Her time in the World Across the Divide to reclaim the Element of Sorcery could have been spent on other pursuits, like learning how to fly or engaging more in her studies now that she had even more magical potential at her disposal. After coming back home, she’d had to catch up on both things, and more.
When she’d returned, Equestria had been much the same as she’d left it. The Kingdom of Los Pegasus was still divided, though the claimants to the throne were consolidating their territory into three successor realms. The bison in the north were still in rebellion, burning their way through the countryside, though they’d started settling into established territories and begun talks on how to form the khaganate that had been little more than conjecture up to this point. The rest of Equestria was relatively peaceful, barring the odd revolt, plague, or monster attack.
Across the Shimmering Sea, things were a different story. Things might be peaceful now, but Twilight Sparkle had missed something very important in her absence. While she’d been trying to navigate a bizarrely alien culture in another world, the Zebrikaanian Empire had finally invaded Saddle Arabia and managed to conquer it in a matter of days. Twilight Sparkle’s promise to the Saddle Arabian sultana and her calls for aid had gone unanswered. This was something she was going to have to deal with … after learning how to fly for the Summer solstice ceremony.
“Well, it certainly won’t be enough if you don’t keep at it,” Rainbow Dash called down to Twilight. “Come on, give it another go.”
The Brave Companions spread out around Twilight, and she took off. She was getting rather good at that bit, she thought; it was staying up that she was having trouble with. She tried to steady her flapping as she reached a comfortable altitude, and this time didn’t immediately fall from the sky. Now, she just had to fly forward. She understood the principles of flight—that propelling herself forward would cause her to lose altitude, so she would have to compensate with enough upward force to remain steady—but it was harder in practice than in her head. She managed to make it forward a few body lengths before she started to fall. She reactively overcompensated, then undercompensated, sending her bobbing, weaving, and accelerating as she moved forward. Twilight started diving toward the river that ran through the castle grounds but teleported herself away before she fell into the water, crashing down near her friends instead. She definitely still had a lot of work ahead of her.
***
Later that day, the Brave Companions trotted through the great hall of Cant’r Laht Castle as Twilight took a break from her flight practice. Servants were busy preparing for the summer solstice festivities, making sure everything was just flawless. In addition to Twilight’s role in the ceremony, Celestia had also placed the new princess in charge of planning it. Thankfully, most of the planning had been simplified so that her duties entailed little more than they had during the first Summer solstice ceremony Twilight had planned in Ponieville. Cant’r Laht Castle had held the ceremony far more times than any other location in the rotation, and the process had become a well-oiled machine. The castle staff and the denizens of the city responsible for the ceremony knew exactly what to do, and it was Twilight’s job to advise, coordinate, and stay out of the way. However, the ceremony’s preparations weren’t what had brought the Brave Companions to the great hall.
“It’s magnificent, Twilight,” Rarity remarked as they admired the newest stained glass window added to the hall. “It must be a dream come true to have your image immortalized in stained glass.”
“I suppose so,” Twilight replied.
There was still scaffolding around the window, the gaffers having just barely finished their work in time for the summer solstice. The window was to commemorate Twilight’s ascension to alicornhood and featured her standing regally, wings outstretched. To her friends, it was a marvelous tribute; to Twilight, it was another reminder of how much things were changing. She’d been Celestia’s apprentice for years and had spent the last year trying to get caught up on Cant’r Laht politics, but her mentor's recent actions suggested that she wanted Twilight to take an active role in the governance of the realm as crown princess—making their relationship less like teacher-student and more like regent-heir. She wanted to live up to her teacher’s expectations but was worried what these changes would mean for her studies, and, more importantly, her relationships with her friends. She had only met them a few years ago, and it already seemed like something was pulling her away. Twilight would never have imagined there would come a day when she’d be worried that Cant’r Laht would take her away from Ponieville. She’d felt quite the opposite when Celestia had first sent her to that muddy little hamlet—a place her friends would soon be returning to without her.
“‘Tis mighty nice, Twi’,” Applejack said. “A shame we can’t stand here gawkin’ at it, but we’d best return t’ Ponieville afore Mayor Mare gets herself int’ too much of a tizzy.”
It may have been the year for Cant’r Laht Castle to host the summer solstice ceremony, but that didn’t stop Mayor Mare from pulling out all the stops for Ponieville’s celebration. Her reaction to Twilight’s ascension to alicornhood had been … mixed. The conniving mayor had been displeased to find out the troublesome mage who’d moved uninvited into her town several years ago had become even more powerful. However, she’d also decided to capitalize on it by touting Ponieville as the home of the kingdom’s crown princess; perhaps she even had grand designs to turn her little town into a second Cant’r Laht.
Even before her alicornification, Twilight’s presence had caused the town to grow enough that it almost couldn’t be considered a hamlet anymore. The number of structures outside of Ponieville’s palisade was nearing the number of those within, though that was a distinction that would soon cease to matter. After a year of work, Mayor Mare’s town wall was nearing half completion, and the palisade would soon be pulled down; the completed structure would encompass not only Ponieville and its accompanying buildings but also a fair stretch of land for potential future expansion. The wall on the northwest bank of the Equestry River was almost done, and Mayor Mare was pushing the townsponies to finish it before the summer solstice ceremony so she could show it off. This was the primary reason she needed the Brave Companions to help her finish the ceremony’s preparations, as nearly everyone else had been put to work on the wall. An accompanying wall that would mirror the one on the northwest bank was planned on the southeast bank, across the river from Ponieville; it would enclose only a couple mills and mostly farmland, but Mayor Mare was planning big for the future. That wall, however, had only just begun construction and would likely take another year to finish.
“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Fluttershy tried to comfort her friend, whose downcast expression had begun to reflect her thoughts. “We’ll be back for the summer solstice ceremony.”
“Right,” Twilight said with a forced smile, and she opened a portal to Ponieville for her friends’ return home.
After they’d passed through and the portal snapped shut, she found herself facing her stained-glass portrait again. The pony staring back at her wasn’t her—and not just because she had been in the World Across the Divide when it had been commissioned and the gaffers had had to work without her posing for them. The pony in the window was a princess, a mare ready to rule, and Twilight … wasn’t.
***
“Everything is lining up nicely,” Spike reported later that evening. As Twilight massaged her sore wings, she went over the checklist one last time before bed. “There really isn’t anything else for you to do, Twilight, other than sit back and let the rest of the summer solstice preparations take place. We could easily go to Ponieville tomorrow and return before the ceremony.”
“That would be nice, and thank you Spike, but we cannot leave,” Twilight replied dolefully. “If something were to go wrong, I need to be here to address it. Celestia is depending on me to make sure everything goes smoothly, and I cannot let her down.”
“I know you won’t,” Celestia said as she strode into Twilight’s chambers unannounced.
“Celestia, your royal highness!” Twilight said in surprise, and she gave a bow to her mentor and liege.
“When did you become so formal, Twilight?” Celestia asked playfully, “This isn’t court; there’s no need for your prostrations here. I just came to see how preparations are going for the summer solstice ceremony.”
“Spike?” Twilight directed her page to give his report.
“Everything is on schedule,” Spike said, presenting the long and overly detailed checklist that Twilight had compiled.
“And your part in the ceremony?” Celestia asked, looking to Twilight.
“I am … still learning how to fly. I do not know if I will be ready in time for the ceremony,” Twilight admitted. Or ready to take your place.
“I am certain you will be ready, Twilight,” Celestia assured her. “As my student, you never disappoint.”
“Even when I tried to open a portal to Tartarus?” Twilight asked.
“Well …” Celestia said hesitantly. “We all have made mistakes, Twilight, and we all will continue to make mistakes. Looking back on my life recently has provided me with a perspective I lacked at the time. Many of my actions.… I did what I thought was necessary at the time, but not necessarily what I thought was right. You will need to make such decisions as well; whether they are right or wrong, whether they take a toll on you or bring you contentment, you must live with them and continue on.
“For a thousand years, I’ve had to live with my decision to banish Luna in order to defeat Nightmare Moon, as well as my actions that brought my sister and me to that moment in the first place. Every year, at the summer solstice, I’ve been reminded of that. While my subjects reveled in my display of power over the sun, I grieved for Luna and the time we could have had together.”
“I suppose I’d never considered that,” Twilight said quietly.
“But now I can look forward to the celebration, at least in some measure, for is it not also a reminder of our reunion? I have much to thank you and your friends for, Twilight, not the least for reuniting me with my beloved sister these past few years.”
“And for many years to come,” Twilight said hopefully, and Celestia got a distant look.
“Perhaps fewer than I could wish for,” the ancient sorceress replied softly, below what Spike could hear, before returning her attention to the present moment. “You are no longer my student, Twilight Sparkle. But as my heir, you may always depend on me, just as I trust I may always depend upon you.”
“Of course,” Twilight replied.
“I will leave you to it then, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said as she made her way out of Twilight’s chambers.
Twilight didn’t know what had disturbed her more: the worry Celestia now expressed openly in front of her about her possible death, or the ancient sorceress’s confirmation that Twilight was no longer her apprentice. Her role was to be Celestia’s heir now, and she must be prepared to take her place. Twilight didn’t feel at all ready for that, but at least things weren't so dire that she’d need to take Celestia and Luna’s place anytime soon. Twilight was sure she’d have time before she was expected to rule Cant’r Laht.
***
When Twilight Sparkle awoke, she was greeted by incessant knocking upon her chamber doors.
“Spike?” she asked blearily, but her page didn’t stir from his slumber.
Eventually rising herself, Twilight donned a robe before trotting from her bedchambers. Early dawn light shone through her windows, so it couldn’t have been too late in the morning. Had today’s preparations for the summer solstice ceremony commenced and run into a problem already? She reached her chamber doors, and the knocking stopped as she opened them. Two guards waited outside on the landing, though not her normal pair. (She’d decided to give Ream and Baldavin some time off while in Cant’r Laht.)
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” one of the guards said nervously as he executed a hasty bow. “Please get dressed and come with us. You are needed urgently in the council chamber.”
“What is the emergency?” Twilight asked, puzzled. Glancing around, she spotted Raven, Celestia’s page, hurrying up the stairs behind the guards.
“Your Highness,” Raven said, being overly formal despite having been acquainted with Twilight for years, “Please do as they say at once. We must hurry.”
“What is happening?” Twilight demanded. “What time is it?”
“Take a look at the sky,” Raven urged gravely.
Twilight trotted back into her chambers, and Raven followed after motioning to the guards to post themselves outside. A yawning Spike soon emerged from the bedchamber; the young dragon was visibly surprised to see Raven here but didn’t ask any questions, and he followed after the ponies. Twilight stepped out onto her balcony, where she could get a better view the sky over Cant’r Laht. The sun, as she’d suspected, was low on the horizon, bathing Equestria in a twilight glow. However, the moon also hung in the sky in the opposite direction; while this wasn’t unheard of, it was extraordinarily rare. Usually Celestia—and now Luna—rose and set the sun and moon at the same time, giving perfect symmetry to the day and night. But now, the two heavenly bodies appeared to be off their rotation.
“It’s hard to say what time it is. The sun and moon have been in these positions for at least the last two hours,” Raven disclosed as she trotted up next to Twilight, and she prepared herself to burden the sorceress with the more serious news that accompanied this. “Regents Celestia and Luna have vanished. We’ve searched the castle and Cant’r Laht as discretely as we could, but we have been unable to locate them.”
Twilight stared at Raven in disbelief. How could the two most powerful alicorns in the world have simply … disappeared?
“With the regents missing, we must look to you as our ruler, Your Highness,” Raven continued. “As crown princess, it is your duty to take up the role Celestia and Luna have vacated.”
“Do you mean … I am to be queen?” Twilight Sparkle asked, shocked at the suggestion.
“We can leave off the coronation for the moment, I think. I still hold out hope that Celestia and Luna may yet return, but in the meantime, you must take up rule in their names,” Raven said. “Both the council and the Lodge of Sorceresses would love to take this opportunity to seize control of the kingdom—you must not allow them to do so. If you step up and provide strong leadership in this time of crisis, they will have no choice but to submit to you. You must maintain order in the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht during Celestia and Luna’s absence. Now, please clothe yourself and we can be off to the council chamber, where your advisors are already assembled. I also think it would be best to wear your tiara.”
Raven stayed in the main chamber of Twilight’s rooms as she went off to prepare herself for an audience with the royal council—her council now. Her best robes had not yet been tailored to accommodate her wings, which left her with two options: her traveling robes, or the dress she'd worn for her ascension ceremony three months earlier. She had no idea what the council would be expecting of her. After some deliberation, she decided they would probably be more impressed by her dress and donned it with some help from Spike. Twilight also placed the tiara that marked her as crown princess upon her head, though she couldn’t help thinking that it didn’t look quite right on her as she gazed at her reflection in a mirror. She ended up wearing the Element of Sorcery as well; she felt more confident wearing it—especially after the ordeal she’d recently gone through to reclaim it—even though it may not match her tiara or dress.
Raven and the two guards joined her and Spike on the way out of her chambers, and together they marched down from Twilight’s tower and across to the castle. Twilight, with her enhanced alicorn senses, could vaguely hear the distress and questions coming from the ponies outside the walls of the castle grounds. Raven seemed to believe that Celestia and Luna’s absence had been successfully kept a secret, but ponies were going to figure it out eventually, even just by looking up at the sky. The longer this went on, the harder it would be to keep the regents’ disappearance under wraps.
The council chamber of Cant’r Laht Castle had once been one of several audience chambers constructed for Celestia’s use. However, following the transformation of Cant’r Laht from dominions to kingdom, and the formation of a council that had gone with it, the room had been repurposed. Twilight could remember wandering through the castle as a foal, and she noted the changes between the council chamber of her memories and the renovated setup; the plush seating around a fireplace with a low table for serving beverages had been replaced with a long, sturdy table surrounded by stiff, high-backed chairs. Everypony on the council would have an assigned seat at the table, with the more ornate chairs at its head reserved for Celestia and Luna. Twilight noticed that one of those chairs had been pulled aside and pushed up against the wall, though she was unsure whether that was ordinary or had been done specifically for her. At the moment, the councilors were not seated at the table but standing around it, engaged in a heated discussion that ended as Twilight entered the room and was announced by Raven.
“Crown Princess Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun,” Raven declared loudly and authoritatively.
“Your Highness,” the various councilors replied and gave bows with differing levels of obeisance.
The ponies arrayed before Twilight were mostly nobles. They were also mostly unicorns, though there were a few exceptions, such as a pegasus from the Hill Kingdoms and earth ponies from White Tail Wood and Appleoosa. Academically, Twilight knew who they were and what roles each member each held. Unfortunately, she’d never gone into too much detail on the subject and her knowledge was quite shallow overall. The majority of the council were loyalist, at least, and had been directly appointed by Celestia and Luna. Even so, there were some whose allegiance was ambiguous, and loyalties to Celestia weren’t necessarily guaranteed to translate to her heir.
“Your highness, have you been filled in on the situation?” Chancellor Midwinter asked and Twilight nodded, suppressing her desire to look to Raven for confirmation and call her authority into question. “The council stands ready to govern the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht until the regents’ return or your accession.”
“No,” Twilight Sparkle said, shocking the chancellor. “I know my duties and yours. Until Celestia and Luna return, I shall govern Cant’r Laht, and you shall advise me and enact my decrees.”
“This is a most … unusual situation, your highness. I think you’ll find it requires a smooth transition,” the chancellor said, biting back his words. “Now, I wasn’t suggesting that you should be denied your rightful position, but we must consider all options if we are to keep the realm from panic and survive this crisis. The council is full of experienced members ready to take up the responsibility you may not be prepared to—”
“Why don’t you speak clearly and say you want more power for yourself?” the pegasus councilor spoke bluntly.
“It’s not about power, it’s about fitness to govern,” Duchess Reigna Pardassus, a prominent Cant’r Laht noble and member of the Lodge of Sorceresses, entered the debate. “The Lodge has governed Cant’r Laht for centuries and should take command until Twilight Sparkle is ready to rule.”
“Celestia governed the Dominions of Cant’r Laht for centuries,” Twilight said authoritatively, reminding her councilors that she was there. “I do not deny the Lodge’s role, rights, or place, but this is not it. According to the charter, governance of the realm is the right and duty of the monarch, and I am ready to rule. I will not be swayed on this. Is my council prepared to follow and advise me, or must I appoint a more capable one?”
The councilors made no reply, but their chastened looks were enough of a response to satisfy Twilight. She knew their compliance wouldn’t last, but hopefully Celestia and Luna would return before the council grew too restless.
***
The council was tasked with continuing the search for Celestia and Luna behind the scenes, but Twilight Sparkle had given them freedom in what methods they chose. She needed sorceresses to employ any kind of magical means, but that inherently carried a risk of the news getting out or being used to plot a coup. To ameliorate these dangers, she’d ordered any sorceresses recruited for the investigation to be bound with a spell of silence if they wished to leave the castle. It would all come to light eventually, but Twilight needed to stave off panic as long as possible. She also tasked her council with searching for spells to move the sun and moon. Celestia had cycled them for centuries on her own, and despite the ancient sorceress’s declining power, Twilight knew she was not yet on the same level as her mentor. Even with the appropriate knowledge, she would not be able to accomplish the feat on her own. If she could cast the spells with Cadence, then she might have a chance. If only Nostracom had finished his Stellaetrix.… The stars wouldn’t be a problem, but that wasn’t what ponies were looking at.
Twilight couldn’t leave things entirely in her council’s hooves, though, so she was conducting her own search in a room she’d designated as her headquarters. Using the throne room had seemed wrong and her own chambers—at the top of a tower—were far from convenient when somepony needed to reach her, so she’d chosen a room that had once been occupied by Prince Blueblood. It rightfully belonged to her family ever since her father had become Prince of the City, but since the Haltrotsuns preferred to remain in their ancestral manor, the chambers had stayed vacant.
Upon the table before her, Twilight had laid out maps of Equestria, Stygra, and the Eastern Continent. There were rolled-up maps of cities throughout Equestria piled at the edges of the table, but she thought it prudent to start with the larger maps, given her experience with this spell two years earlier when looking for Cadence. She spoke an incantation to a silver coin before sending it spinning across the map of Equestria. The coin meandered up the Equestry Valley, past Stalliongrad, and through the North before circling back down toward Cant’r Laht. As the coin spun to a halt, it was to the south of the city—in the center of the Everfree Forest. What is Celestia doing there? Twilight repeated the spell for Luna, and again the coin led her to the center of the Everfree. According to the spell, Celestia and Luna were both there together, or at least close to each other.
“Spike, is the water ready?” Twilight asked, and her page approached with a basin for scrying.
Gazing into it, Twilight drew her vision out from Cant’r Laht, where ponies seeking answeres still milled about the castle’s gates. She directed her vision southwards, across the White Mountains and down to the Equestry Valley. When her scrying reached the Everfree Forest, however, the image in the basin grew cloudy and indistinct. Twilight tried to maintain her focus, but that didn’t seem to be the issue. Sweeping her vision around, she found that the fuzz originated a league or more away from the forest’s boundaries. A terrible thought crossed her mind, and she redirected her scrying around toward Ponieville, where she was met with a similarly clouded vision.
“Your highness!” Raven announced as she pushed open the door. Feeling troubled, Twilight let the vision in the basin vanish. “This Hunter brings news!”
The pegasus that entered the room was in a frightful state, her armor looking as if it could fall from her body at any second. She was caked in dried mud and blood, both her own and from the beasts she’d been fighting. Her unique physiology had allowed her to regain her breath already after her long and frantic journey, but she still looked exhausted.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the Hunter addressed her, clearly surprised that she was speaking to Twilight and not to Celestia or Luna. “I came as quickly as I could. Monsters are pouring out from the Everfree Forest, and the forest itself is expanding rapidly. We Hunters cannot hold it back alone. The sorceresses of Cant’r Laht must intervene.”
“Ponieville,” Twilight mouthed with a sinking feeling in her heart.
***
Ponieville was in chaos. It had begun with Fluttershy trying to herd the wildlife from the Everfree Forest into town, which was met with passionate objection from Mayor Mare and her guards. However, soon it wasn’t just Fluttershy and her animals seeking shelter within Ponieville’s newly constructed walls. Farmers on the east bank of the Equestry River all flocked to the town, including the Apples, Granny Smith riding atop Big McIntosh’s back. The mayor finally agreed to let the refugees in when monsters began to get past Rainbow Dash and the other Hunters in the area.
Due to Ponieville’s proximity to the Everfree Forest, the Hunters had done a fairly thorough job over the past years of hunting down monsters in the adjoining region of forest or discouraging monsters from attempting to leave in the direction of Ponieville. Thanks to their efforts, most of the swarm had stayed away from the town while evacuating the forest. Unfortunately, they were now receiving a wave of monsters from the deep forest—ones that had grown large and powerful as they’d fought amongst themselves without worry of Hunters. Lamias, monstrous timberwolves, fiends, and ursa majors and minors were emerging from the forest to descend upon the town. As fighting reached Ponieville’s streets, the population had retreated into the Mayoral Keep.
The monsters were merely the first of their problems; black thorn-covered vines were snaking out from the Everfree Forest, creating a dense second forest around the hamlet. The Hunters had to contend with the vines, which constantly got in the way, in addition to fighting off the monsters. Distressingly, it was soon discovered that once the vines wrapped around a living being, they caused it to vanish. Guards atop the walls of the Mayoral Keep soon had to prod and slash at the vines as well as the demonic plant growth filled the streets, tearing up the dirt paths and stretching to cover buildings.
A blast of flame came from near Golden Oak’s laboratory, and the vines burned away in the streets around it. One of the guards atop the wall of the Mayoral Keep called out and pointed at the figure ascending from the epicenter of the blast. Twilight Sparkle flew shakily over the vines and made an ungraceful landing atop the walls. A second later, she teleported Spike next to her.
“Rarity! Applejack! Fluttershy! Pinkamena! Rainbow Dash!” she called out over the crowd of ponies congregated in the courtyard, all looking up to her expectantly.
The Brave Companions assembled from all around—from the courtyard, from within the keep, or from the sky where battles with winged monsters were still raging. Twilight Sparkle cleared a space outside of the Mayoral Keep’s gates where they could meet without being pressed in by the crowd.
“Twilight, darling, what is happening?” Rarity demanded. “First the sky, and then the monsters, and now these dreadful vines!”
“I do not have time to explain everything, but I can tell you this: the Everfree Forest is expanding in all directions, and we must stop it before it can go any farther,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“And how are we going to do that?” Fluttershy asked nervously.
“With the best tools we have at our disposal for averting crises: the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight announced as she produced the Elements and passed them out to her friends.
“Alright,” Applejack said excitedly as they donned the powerful amulets that accompanied the circlet already on Twilight’s head, now sitting there by itself. “Who do we need t’ point these at this time?”
“That, I do not know,” Twilight admitted. “For the moment, directing them at the Everfree Forest must be enough.”
The six of them formed a semicircle facing the Everfree Forest and the vines regrowing to replace those that Twilight had destroyed on her arrival. Spike backed away toward the Mayoral Keep as the Brave Companions focused, their Elements beginning to resonate with each other. They began to levitate as threads of magic, intermittently taking visible forms, coursed between them. All the power concentrated in the Element of Sorcery burst forth in a wave of magical energy from the Companions, manifesting as a dome that swept over Ponieville and spread out over the surrounding countryside. The magical shield completely eradicating the vines wherever it touched them, leaving not even dust behind. As the Elements of Harmony finished their work, the group of friends settled back to the ground and looked around to see if all was right with the world again. It certainly seemed to be, other than the fact that the sun and moon were still frozen in place. Rainbow Dash shot up into the air to observe the scene from above, but she didn’t look satisfied.
“Ponieville is clear, but the Everfree is still crawling with the vines, and they’re spreading again!” Rainbow Dash called down.
“Do we do it again?” Pinkamena asked as Twilight tried to figure out their next step.
“The Elements of Harmony won't be a sufficient defense, or perhaps Applejack is right. We may need to find who is behind this,” Twilight said.
“So, who is behind all this chaos?” Rarity asked, expectantly.
“Hmm … chaos,” Twilight mused. “I can think of one party who could stand to benefit.”
“Oh? Who? Who?” Discord asked from behind the group, and they all twirled to face him.
Cries and shouts came from Mayoral Keep; the ponies there had been the first ones to see the mad draconequus appear dramatically on the scene. Discord was reclining on thin air, and he brushed away the owls on his arms and horns as the Brave Companions repositioned themselves to speak to him.
“Discord!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “So you are behind this!”
“What? Of course not. Are your memories so short? Don’t you recall that I’m a changed draconequus, ready to reenter society as a solid citizen?” Discord said indignantly. “Well, maybe not that last bit, but the fact still stands that I had nothing to do with this. I merely recognized the Elements of Harmony being used and came to watch the fireworks.”
“As if we would believe that excuse,” Rarity sniped.
“Believe it or not, it’s the truth. Would I lie to you?” Discord asked, acting meek and innocent.
“Yes!” everypony replied—other than Fluttershy, who merely said, “Umm …”
“Now, this isn’t a very productive working relationship, is it?” Discord said huffily, “Where’s the trust? Why can’t you believe that I had nothing to do with the disappearance of Celestia and Luna or the Everfree Forest expanding?”
“I never said anything about Celestia and Luna’s disappearance,” Twilight said, trying to keep her voice down, mindful of the ponies watching from the Mayoral Keep.
“Celestia and Luna have disappeared?” Rarity asked, eyes wide with panic.
“Ha! So you are the one responsible! Caught red-hooved!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, and Discord checked his various appendages for the hoof she was referring to.
“Oh dear … Twilight Sparkle, you didn’t tell them?” Discord said condescendingly. “It seems I’m not the only one with whom you have trust issues.”
“Stop it, Discord,” Twilight demanded. “Do not try to tear us apart; it did not work last time, and it will not work now. I intended to tell them, but fighting back against the forest was more urgent. Do not try to distract us with this, when you have just admitted your own guilt. How could you know the regents were gone if you had nothing to do with this?”
“I pay attention, Twilight,” Discord replied. “You’ve been put in charge of Cant’r Laht, which means the normal big cheeses are either vanished or dead—and I didn’t receive any invitations to a state funeral.”
“Enough o’ this!” Applejack demanded. “Twi’s right, y’r just wastin’ time. Are y’ goin’ t’ turn things back th’ way they were, or do we have t’ turn y’ back t’ stone?”
“Wait! What if he really is innocent?” Fluttershy came to Discord’s defense. “We can’t condemn him to an eternity as a statue unless we can prove he’s to blame.”
“At last! A voice of reeeason! I was beginning to get a little worried,” Discord said as he yanked at a nonexistent collar.
“He should still dispense with the vines,” Twilight Sparkle said. “When we released you, it was on the condition that you would use your chaos magic for good, to help us.”
“Well, excuuuuuse me, princess, if I don’t feel like helping you out after you immediately start flinging accusations my way the moment I arrive,” Discord said.
“Fair enough, but what is done is done,” Twilight said somewhat apologetically. “If you do not intervene to stop the vines, they could consume all of Equestria.”
“Hmm, I suppose I could lend a hand,” Discord said as he removed one of his arms. “But I hate to be the one to break it to you: if your precious Elements of Harmony barely put a dent in them, what makes you think I’ll be able to overcome them?”
Twilight Sparkle sighed deeply. “Can you at least use your chaos magic to hem in the vines and keep them from spreading?” she asked. “That will give the rest of us more time to search for a permanent solution.”
“You see, it’s not so hard to be polite,” Discord said. “Or so I’ve been told. One wall around the Everfree coming right up! Should I close it in before or after your zebra friend makes it out?”
“Zecor?” Twilight asked.
Rainbow Dash flew up and confirmed that the zebra was fleeing from the forest, somehow having managed to survive the vines. Twilight opened a portal in front of her, and Zecor rushed through into the square before the Mayoral Keep. Twilight waited until Discord fulfilled his promise and raised up tessellated berms around the Everfree Forest to hold the vines back before closing the portal.
“Zecor, what are you doing here?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“My home has become too treacherous, Twilight’Sparkle,” Zecor replied as she rummaged around in her saddlebags. “I knew that you would come, so I have prepared a potion from the vines that now beset the forest. With the proper spell applied, it should give insight into their cause and how to undo them.”
Zecor produced a phial filled with a slightly luminous purple liquid from her bags, along with a heavy tome. She proffered them to Twilight, who accepted both items with a little hesitation. The truth was, she had no idea what the vines were or how to conquer them; what she did know was that the longer the strange black plants remained and Celestia and Luna were absent—while Cant’r Laht’s nobility was allowed to run around unsupervised in the capitol city—the worse it would be. The research she was familiar with involved poring through ancient tomes for information, but she was desperate enough now to try what Zecor had come up with. Twilight Sparkle examined the tome where Zecor had marked it, translating the Cainhiran Zebrikaanian until she had the spell down. She stared at the phial and pressed a spell matrix upon it until it transformed into a milky white substance.
“Twilight, darling … are you really going to drink that?” Rarity asked.
“I must,” Twilight said. Steeling herself, she took a sip of the potion.
Nothing seemed to happen at first, but then her vision flashed, and she found herself standing in the Royal Court of the Three Palaces of the Two Queens. It did not appear the same as it had when Twilight had last been here; instead, it was rebuilt to the same glory it held a thousand years ago. Upon the dais were two thrones, one gilt in gold for Celestia and the other in silver for Luna. How long has this been here? Twilight hadn’t ventured to the ancient seat of the Equestrian diarchy since she’d first met her friends in Ponieville, so she had no way of knowing. If I’m at the Three Palaces, then surely this is where Celestia and Luna are, too. Her suspicions were confirmed as Luna strode out from the passages that led to the Castle of the Night to stand upon the dais with the thrones. She had a bitter look in her eyes, though Twilight missed that in her overwhelming relief to see Luna alive.
“Take not one step nearer,” Luna commanded as Twilight trotted forward, and she slid to a halt.
“Luna, what is happening?” Twilight asked. “Why is the Everfree expanding? Why are you here? Is Celestia here?”
“This throne art not for thee,” Luna said with a frown. “Didst thou expect me to do naught, to stand aside or sit idly by whilst they basked in thy precious light?”
“Precious light?” Twilight asked in confusion, “Luna, I do not understand.”
“Equestria can have one queen alone, and that queen … shall be me!” Luna cried passionately.
Dark power exuded from Luna stronger than anything Twilight Sparkle had ever faced … and yet, it was familiar. It was the same black magic that Twilight and her friends had faced here three years earlier—the magic of Nightmare Moon. Indeed, Twilight watched Luna transform before her eyes into that creature of darkness once again, cackling evilly as the torches in their sconces were blown out, leaving only a few to weakly light the hall, fighting back against a darkness that was palpable. Nightmare Moon had returned, and Twilight was facing her alone.
Luna—or rather, Nightmare Moon—cackled to herself as her star-filled mane and tail swirled around her like a spiral galaxy. Twilight Sparkle could feel the alicorn’s power thundering against her, far stronger than when she’d fought her before. Even then, she’d only managed to defeat Nightmare Moon with the power of the Elements of Harmony and her friends. The Element of Sorcery was still upon her head, but it was useless without the other five. Twilight tried opening a portal to Ponieville to reunite with her friends, but she found the task impossible. Is it the Everfree Forest interfering, or is it those vines?
“Luna! Think about what you are doing!” Twilight cried out, bewildered that the alicorn who’d seemed so penitent for her rebellion was now making a second attempt to seize power. “If you do not stop, you will be banished to the moon for another thousand years!”
A storm raged out from Nightmare Moon, lightning coursing through the hall and tearing down tapestries, sculptures, and columns. Why would she destroy this place after going to the trouble to rebuild it? Twilight Sparkle conjured a shield to protect against the lightning before it reached her, but the blinding streaks were unexpectedly deflected by another’s spell. Twilight turned in surprise to see Celestia behind her, standing tall and regal with a severe frown distorting her features.
“Luna, be not a fool,” Celestia said as she strode forward, lightning crackling around her but never reaching her. “Dost thou truly thinkest that thou couldst stand against me? Give up this madness and lower the moon. ‘Tis thy duty to surrender to the day in its time, just as ‘tis mine to surrender to the night.”
“Yes, thou wouldst wish me to surrender, as in all things, but no more,” Nightmare Moon declared as she let her spell subside. “Luna is no more; I am Nightmare Moon, and I will never be in thy shadow again!”
“If thou wilt not yield, then I shall do what I must,” Celestia said with a hint of remorse.
“Thou wilt certainly try!” Nightmare Moon bellowed as she let loose her dark magic upon her sister.
Celestia struck back, and the true battle began. Flame, ice, blades, lances of pure energy, and corporeal darkness shot back and forth between the two alicorns faster than Twilight could follow. She stood dumbfounded below as the two sisters lifted into the air, floor tiles cracking beneath them from spell impacts. Twilight was broken out of her stupor as the building started to crumble around her and she had to dodge falling masonry. Celestia and Nightmare Moon’s duel moved out through a hole in the roof, and Twilight flew unsteadily after them in pursuit. She wasn’t sure what she would contribute to the struggle, but she could surely do something to help Celestia against her traitorous sister.
Twilight emerged into a night illuminated by an overlarge moon and came to a halt as she realized that things were very different from what she had expected. The Everfree Forest stretched out in all directions, but it wasn’t choked by mysterious vines at all. Were they only on the edges? But then, why couldn’t I scry the Three Palaces? It appeared that all three palaces had been rebuilt (though that effort had been undone with Luna’s destruction of the Royal Court) along with a city to the west of the castles. The city was illuminated by rampant flames, and Twilight could hear screams as pony fought against pony. She spotted a few figures circling over the buildings, some with bat wings: Luna’s captains.
Everything was finally starting to make sense: Luna’s change of heart, the rebuilt palaces, Celestia’s speech, an Everfree free of vines. Twilight wasn’t witnessing another attempt by Nightmare Moon to bring about eternal night—she was witnessing Nightmare Moon’s first Rebellion, the one that had taken place over a thousand years ago. Celestia and Luna had completely ignored her presence, so it was unlikely she was actually here, but she was able to watch history unfolding. There must be something here she needed to see in order to defeat the threat in the present (provided the potion Zecor had given her did what it was supposed to).
Twilight Sparkle searched the sky for Celestia and Nightmare Moon; ultimately, she was able to pinpoint them not by sight, but by the vast amounts of magic they were expending. She tried to fly to them, but just as she started to dip out of the sky, she felt stuck, as if she were swimming in molasses. While she felt almost frozen in place, everything around her seemed to speed up. The city below was demolished, and the fires burned themselves out. Celestia and Nightmare Moon darted around near and far, their struggle doing great damage to everything they passed, including the Castles of Day and Night. The temperature plummeted without the sun, snow fell profusely, and frost covered everything. With the moon motionless in the sky, it was impossible to tell how much time actually passed, but Twilight estimated it had been weeks; through it all, Celestia and Luna never ceased their battle. When Twilight was able to move again, she fell out of the sky and barely caught herself in time as she fell back through a hole in the Royal Court’s roof.
Celestia crashed through the ceiling shortly thereafter, smashing her throne to bits as she landed on top of it. She rose shakily, her clothes torn and body damaged from the constant fighting. Her eyes were bloodshot and sunken into her head from facing her sister in battle for so long, and she looked as if she couldn’t go on. Keeping her eyes to the sky, Celestia limped through the destroyed throne room.
“Forgive me, Luna,” she said softly. “Thou hast left me no other recourse.”
Reaching out with her magic, Celestia caused a stone tree to rise from behind the thrones, a gem perched at the end of each branch: the Elements of Harmony. Celestia reached out with her magic and was surprised to find how difficult it was for her to take possession of them. Perhaps Luna was right; had she really fallen so far that the Elements no longer responded to her?
As Nightmare Moon crashed through a stained-glass window, dark magic lancing out from her, Celestia desperately reached out and pushed. The Elements of Harmony came to her, weaving into a spell matrix around the ruler that deflected Nightmare Moon’s attack. Celestia’s eyes blazed with light as she struck out at her sister with the power of the Elements. Nightmare Moon attempted to fight back but the power was too great, the light of the Elements soon overwhelming her darkness and surrounding her. Nightmare Moon screamed as her body appeared to burn away in magical fire. As the searing light faded, the Mare in the Moon so familiar to Twilight could be seen in its cosmic satellite overhead. Celestia looked up in tears at her sister’s prison for the next thousand years before causing it to set, bringing the sun back into view to thaw the frozen world.
The sight vanished from before Twilight’s eyes as her vision flashed and she found herself once more in Ponieville, surrounded by her friends and Discord.
“What? Why are you all staring at me?” Twilight asked.
“Well, y’ were mumblin’ t’ y’rself for a bit there an’ then’ y’ got quiet,” Applejack said.
“We didn’t know if you were okay,” Fluttershy added.
“I am fine,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I witnessed Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion, though I do not know what connection it has to these vines, or to Celestia and Luna’s disappearance.”
“Perhaps you need imbibe more of the potion,” Zecor suggested, gesturing to the phial, which was still mostly full.
Twilight Sparkle complied and took another draught from the phial. Her vision went white again, clearing this time to reveal an all-too-familiar scene. The world around Twilight was a patchwork of confusing and conflicting vignettes, a world in which chaos reigned supreme. A swarm of fish flew overhead in the direction of a towering throne, over the top of which poked a twisted horn and an antler. The throne spun around without warning to reveal Discord’s lounging form, his serpentine body stretched out along it so that he coiled over and through himself.
“Oh-ho-ho! Come at last, have you?” Discord chuckled, unconcerned. “I don’t suppose you’ve come to pledge fealty to me?”
“No chance of that, Discord,” Celestia replied, and Twilight turned to see her mentor and Luna trotting up together. “We have come to end thy cruel reign once and for all. Thou shalt return Equus to the way it was before thee camest.”
“Hmmmmmmm, nah,” Discord said after momentarily pretending to ponder the idea. “I think I like things the way they are, completely unpredictable.”
As the landscape shifted, Celestia found herself upside down above Luna and launched herself off the spiraled hill to rejoin her sister.
“Oh, you both look so serious, so dreary, so … boooooooring! Here, why don’t you help me feed the fish?” Discord asked as he extended a pouch filled with black seeds, some of them spilling over the top. “Come on, only tuppence a bag! I’m sure with the ‘vast and unknowable’ alicorn magic you have, conjuring up two measly pennies should be a trivial feat.”
“Enough, Discord!” Celestia exclaimed. “We did not come here to play thy games, but to defeat thee!”
Reaching into their saddlebags, Celestia and Luna produced three Elements of Harmony apiece, the gems appearing just as they had in Twilight’s previous flashback. Trustworthiness, Mirth, and Allegiance hovered around Luna; and Compassion, Charity, and Sorcery floated close to Celestia. Together, the alicorns directed the power of the Elements toward Discord, their power building into a beam of multicolored light.
“Oh, you actually believe you can defeat me?” Discord laughed. “That’s just too funny!”
As Discord laughed, the power of the Elements washed over him, transforming the mad ruler into stone and freezing him in the position he would remain in for the next sixteen centuries. As the surrounding landscape was cleansed from chaos, Twilight’s vision flashed and she returned to the present.
“Well?” Rarity asked as Twilight shook her head, a headache beginning to form.
“I saw Discord’s defeat,” Twilight said, and the draconequus arched a bushy eyebrow. “But again, nothing that helps us out in our current situation. I need to go again.”
Twilight took another drink from the phial, and her consciousness fled to the past once more. This time, she found herself standing in an underground cavern, the space illuminated mostly by bioluminescent lichen and faintly glowing crystals. There was one orifice in the cavern’s ceiling that allowed a shaft of light to fall upon a large crystalline tree. Twilight stepped forward cautiously and examined the odd structure. In almost every respect, it was like any other living, growing tree, though there were some notable differences. The trunk and branches were translucent and shone like gemstones, and veins pulsing faintly with light were threaded throughout the otherworldly flora. From the branches hung long, weeping willow-like strands of glowing leaves; and hanging like fruit among them were the Elements of Harmony. The flapping of wings alerted Twilight to Celestia and Luna descending through the hole above to land near the tree.
“The Tree of Harmony,” Luna whispered with awe.
“I told you we would find it,” Celestia said with a smile. “Now we will have the means to defeat Discord once and for all.”
“Wait, sister,” Luna said, placing out a hoof to forestall Celestia as she began to trot toward the tree. “Art thou sure that we shall not harm the tree by removing the Elements?”
“Even without the Elements, the tree possesses a magic all its own,” Celestia reassured her. “And once we defeat Discord, we shall return here and keep the Elements nearby. This is necessary to restore our world, dear sister.”
Luna nodded, and the two of them approached the Tree of Harmony together. They each picked three Elements, though not the three that Twilight Sparkle had seen them wielding against Discord—nor did the Elements project the kind of power that Twilight was familiar with. Celestia and Luna may have secured the Elements of Harmony, but they could not face Discord until they managed to embody the qualities the Elements represented. Twilight’s vision flashed and she returned, for the last time, to the present.
“Did you find out anything this time?” Spike asked anxiously.
“About the vines, I am not sure,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “Although, I may have learned something about a way to defeat them. I saw Celestia and Luna retrieve the Elements from the Tree of Harmony this time.”
“The … Tree of Harmony?” Rainbow Dash asked dubiously.
“Yes; combined with the Elements, it may be able to drive back the vines,” Twilight said.
“Well, all right then!” Applejack said enthusiastically, “Where is this Tree o’ Harmony?”
“I think it may be … in the Everfree Forest,” Twilight said as she considered the question. “Celestia said they would return the Elements to be near it, and we know that she and Luna kept the Elements in the Three Palaces of the Two Sisters. We should start our search near the ruins.”
“Into the Everfree Forest,” Rarity mused. “It seems only yesterday we departed into the forest to seek the Elements of Harmony.”
“There were no vines that time,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“Yes, but just like then, we will all be together, and we can overcome whatever the forest may throw at us,” Twilight Sparkle said. “If we defeated Nightmare Moon, then we can defeat some overgrown plants.”
With some difficulty, Twilight opened a portal into the Everfree Forest. The Everfree’s peculiar magic kept her from opening a portal directly to the Three Palaces of the Two Queens, but with the power of an alicorn, she was able to conjure one reasonably close. It had taken the Brave Companions two days of walking the last time they’d traveled to the palaces, so however much closer she could get them was an improvement. The ruined spires were visible over trees weighed down by vines, and Twilight beckoned her friends forward. Once they’d all passed through the portal, she let it snap shut behind them, leaving them in the middle of hostile territory.
The forest was strangely silent, much its wildlife already having fled from the vines. The vines themselves made most of the noise as they rustled through the trees, strangling them and reaching out toward the Brave Companions. Twilight readied a spell to smite them, but the vines pulled back, repelled by the Elements of Harmony even in their inactive state.
“Any ideas, Twilight?” Pinkamena asked as she looked around.
“The Tree of Harmony was in an underground cavern with an entrance from above,” Twilight said. “We should search the Three Palaces first for any entrances.”
Once they were all in agreement, the group struck out toward the ruins of Celestia and Luna’s ancient seat of power. Spike stayed near Rainbow Dash as her sword struck down the vines in their path; the wicked black tendrils seemed to have no problem with pursuing the young dragon, since he was only member without an Element of Harmony. As the Companions made their way through the landscape, they gradually became aware that the vines were most powerful in this area. The ground had been rapidly reshaped, vines having burst from it in great bundles or pushed it to the side to form unnatural hillocks with trees sticking out horizontally. Fissures had cracked open in the ground, filled with green, glowing sap. One of these blocked their path until Twilight found a route across along a set of rocks.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew over while Twilight made her way across on hoof, only using her wings to steady herself. Her ability to balance was put to the test as the rocks began moving beneath her hooves, rising out of the bubbling sap to reveal they were part of a living creature. The sorceress flapped furiously to get away as a long snout filled with crystalline teeth snapped up at her.
“It’s a cragodile! Twilight, get out of there!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
Twilight tried to fly away but her wings failed her (albeit in an opportune way), and she fell beneath the cragodile’s jaws as they snapped at her. Thankfully, she was able to extend them into a glide long enough to cross the fissure of sap and put her hooves back on solid ground. By then, the cragodile was heaving itself up out of the sap, revealing the full extent of its massive, stony, crocodile-like body. It would undoubtedly be able fit a whole alicorn within its mouth, provided none of its teeth shredded the victim first. Twilight drew lines in the ground and prepared a spell to strike the cragodile as it lumbered toward her, jaw agape.
“Ye seni cavan’r affle![1]” she called out, and magic built up in front of her, prepared to drill a beam of pure energy through the cragodile’s body.
However, as Twilight should have expected so deep in the Everfree Forest, her spell went awry. The magical semicircle in front of her exploded with a light that temporarily blinded her and threw her back. She tumbled across the forest floor, smoke rising from her torn robes and scratches gouged across her body as she struck thorny vines. The cragodile continued its charge toward her until Rainbow Dash flew overhead, dropping bombs on its snout. The vine she had landed upon tried to wrap around her but failed, opting instead to begin coursing magic along its length in preparation to teleport her away. Applejack leapt the gap and bucked the vine away before it could zap Twilight, while Rainbow Dash continued her assault on the cragodile. As Applejack helped Twilight to her feet, the cragodile roared and charged again toward them, ignoring the pinpricks that Rainbow Dash was making in its flesh.
“Come on, Twi’!” Applejack yelled as the sorceress tried to clear her head.
The farmer grabbed Twilight’s foreleg and pulled her upward while leaping as the cragodile’s snout struck the ground where they had just been. Applejack landed on the cragodile’s nose and ran along its back while Twilight came to and tried to fly over it. The monster continued to snap up at her while she unsteadily flew over its back and it turned ponderously after her.
Rainbow Dash darted out of nowhere at incredible speed, a long branch held in her forelegs. The cragodile noticed her and tried to close its eyes, but she was already too close. While the tip of a makeshift spear glanced off the edge of the stony eyelid, the rest of the shaft still plunged into the vulnerable eye with a disturbingly wet sound. Rainbow Dash continued to force the branch in as the cragodile flailed in its death throes, its brain already pierced and its skull filling with blood. At last, the cragodile fell still, and silence descended over the Everfree again.
“That was too close,” Rainbow Dash said as she eased herself down against the immobile cragodile’s foreleg, her hooves resting in the great troughs its claws had carved into the earth.
“Twi’, are y’ okay?” Applejack asked the sorceress.
Twilight Sparkle’s ears were still ringing, but she patted at them with her hooves and they eventually quieted down.
“Yes,” Twilight said, a little too loud as she nodded. “I would be better, of course, if my wings would actually do what I want of them.”
“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it,” Fluttershy said as she flew Rarity across the fissure.
“Of course she will, eventually,” Rainbow Dash said as she heaved herself back to her hooves.
“Eventually may not be soon enough,” Twilight said morosely as she examined the burdens upon her back. “I cannot teleport reliably in the Everfree, so these wings are all I have to escape harm.”
“Twi’ …” Applejack said hesitantly, “Maybe … maybe y’ should return t’ Ponieville or Cant’r Laht until we find th’ Tree o’ Harmony.”
“What?” Twilight asked incredulously. “Why?”
“Well, y’ were almost killed back there,” Applejack said. “That cragodile could’ve snapped y’ up in one bite.”
“The same could have happened to any of us, perhaps barring only Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said.
“Yes, but …” Rarity said.
“But what?” Twilight asked.
“Twilight, darling, you are a princess,” Rarity said, pleading for her friend to understand. “Your life is more important than ours.”
“No, that is not true at all,” Twilight insisted. “You are all just as important.”
“Twi’, Celestia an’ Luna are gone, an’ there’s no way o’ knowin’ if findin’ th’ Tree o’ Harmony or defeatin’ these vines’ll bring ‘em back. You’re th’ closest thing th’ Kingdom o’ Cant’r Laht has t’ a ruler right now. What do y’ think’ll happen if y’ die?” Applejack asked.
Twilight could imagine what would happen. The kingdom would fall apart as the nobles and sorceresses fought among themselves. With no strong leading figure like Celestia, the kingdom would face invasion from all sides: from Los Pegasus, Vanhuv’r, Stalliongrad, Balte-Maer, and perhaps even Applewood & Mareagon. The dragonlords might even decide to rescind their peace treaties and Ingrirtireth himself would invade Equestria. Chaos and destruction would follow, and Twilight’s home would be no more.
“I’m not some waif to be locked away and protected,” Twilight protested weakly.
“We know that, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash assured her. “You’re the most powerful sorceress I’ve ever met, and you’ve got the guts of a hundred Hunters, but … here in the Everfree Forest, your magic can’t be depended upon, and your flying … well, it still needs some work. We don’t want to split up again, but … it may be for the best.”
“You really think so?” Twilight asked melancholically and she looked to her friends, who all nodded agreement sheepishly. “Well ... okay, then.”
Feeling defeated, Twilight took some items from her saddlebags and passed them off to Spike.
“Send me a letter when you find the Elements of Harmony, or … if you need my help,” she said. “I will be in Cant’r Laht.”
Twilight opened a portal to the mountainside city and reluctantly strode through it, looking behind her one last time as she let the portal close, cutting herself off again from her friends.
***
Twilight Sparkle sat morosely in Cant’r Laht Castle’s council chamber. She’d returned to find that the council had made no progress during her absence toward solving the current crises. Multiple sorceresses were now convinced that Celestia and Luna (or at least their bodies) were somewhere in the Everfree Forest. There were no records anyone could find about the mysterious vines, nor on how to raise and lower the sun. The day was beginning to heat up, already nearing temperatures common on only the warmest summer day, and it would only get hotter until the natural cycle of day and night was restored.
“We know that sorceresses were able to form cabals to raise and lower the sun and moon together before Celestia and Luna became alicorns, so it is not a lost cause,” Twilight told her council authoritatively. “You must continue the search. Has anypony checked the archives in the Crystal City?”
“The Crystal City?” Duchess Reigna asked dubiously.
“Yes. It is possible that Celestia had all records of spells for raising and lowering the sun and moon destroyed, much the same as her orders to destroy all records of Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion,” Twilight said. “However, the Crystal City disappeared before her purges, so there is a chance they may still have records of such spells.”
Duchess Reigna looked uncomfortable at having to seek help outside of her precious Cant’r Laht, but she would comply. Twilight turned next to Mother Hesperatia, her court chaplain, a position on the council Luna had insisted upon.
“What of the Church of One? Have you any records in your archives on the matter?” Twilight asked.
“Your highness, the Church is not in the habit of storing grimoires,” the priestess replied.
“Nevertheless, I want you to search for them,” Twilight said. “A bevy of information on Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion came to light from your archives after Luna’s return; you may have what we’re looking for squirreled away somewhere and not know it.”
“Yes, your highness,” Hesperatia said. “Perhaps you would wish to speak with High Priestess Rubius?”
“The High Priestess can wait,” Twilight said as she stood, dismissing the rest of the council who followed her lead. “I have other matters to attend to at the moment.”
As the councilors scattered to attend to their assigned tasks or whisper conspiratorially in hallways, Twilight made her way down to the makeshift office she’d set up in the Prince of the City’s quarters. She missed her friends but had to admit that they hadn’t been entirely wrong in sending her away. As the effective ruler of Cant’r Laht—temporary though she hoped that would be—Twilight had to be more careful with placing herself in danger. Still, she didn’t have to like it.
“Why the long face, Twilight Sparkle?” Out of the blue, Twilight heard the question in what sounded like Discord’s voice. She backpedaled upon noticing one of the torch sconces had morphed into his face.
“Discord!” she exclaimed, “Why are you not in Ponieville?”
“Oh, but I aaaam. What makes you think I can’t be in four places at once?” Discord asked as two more wall sconces transformed into his face, his voice multiplying with them.
“I just wish you would focus on your duty of holding back the Everfree Forest instead of using your power to come bother me here,” Twilight said as she resumed her trot down the corridor.
“Well, I can’t very well bother you in the Everfree Forest, now can I?” Discord sniffed as he made more of the sconces take on his appearance, staying ahead of Twilight as she trotted along. “You know, I never expected you to abandon your friends.”
“I did not abandon them,” Twilight insisted as she picked up her pace. “They decided it was too dangerous for me to trek through the Everfree until they found the Tree of Harmony.”
“Ah, so they abandoned you,” Discord said. “It all makes sense now.”
“They did not abandon me,” Twilight snapped as she came to a halt, though it felt like a lie saying it out loud.
“Whatever you say, queenie,” the wall sconces mocked. “If you agree with them that your life is more important than theirs, then you’re making the right decision. After all, what are friends to the Crown of Cant’r Laht?”
“Be silent!” Twilight commanded, sending a wave of magic down the hall that restored the wall sconces to their natural appearance.
Twilight mulled things over in her head, debating her course of action. She knew Discord was just egging her on and whatever he was pushing her toward couldn’t be good … but she so desperately wanted to take the bait. She couldn’t accept her friends’ premise that, as Cant’r Laht’s ruler, her life was somehow more valuable than theirs. She certainly didn’t feel that way anymore. And just like that, her decision was made—she wouldn’t have them risk their lives for her when she wasn’t willing to risk her own. Twilight Sparkle opened a portal in the corridor to the Everfree Forest and stepped through.
The forest’s magic had thrown her off course again, and she was alone among the trees near the Three Palaces of the Two Queens, in a different direction for when she’d last been here. The ruined spires, pierced with thorny vines in some places, were easy to see, and she made her way in their direction. The vines tried to block her path, but she skirted or flew over them whenever she could.
She was convinced by now that the vines possessed some form of intelligence, as they soon prevented her from taking to the air by forming a canopy over her head. If only she were better at flying, she could have broken free from them entirely and soared to the ruins; instead, she was stuck on the ground. Whenever the vines pulsed with magic, she put some distance between herself and the teleporting tendrils, constantly begrudging the fact that it was unsafe for her to use her own magic to blast a path through. As Twilight was starting to regret her rash decision to return here alone, she realized that she was completely surrounded, the vines forming a wall between the tree trunks and closing off the path behind her.
Dangerous or not, she wouldn’t be trapped like this, and Twilight prepared a spell to cut herself free. Before she could cast it, though, a new type of vine slithered out from between the gaps—vines ending in large, thorny, flower-like heads. As they unfurled, they filled the space with slightly glowing gas. Twilight Sparkle tried to hold her breath, but she became drowsy the moment the gas touched her. When she breathed in a lung full of it, she lost consciousness completely and collapsed to the ground.
***
While Twilight had been busy in Cant’r Laht and returned unannounced, her friends had been at work searching the ruins of Celestia and Luna’s old home for signs of the Tree of Harmony. Rainbow Dash flew through the canyon that separated the palaces from the town to their west, and the others searched the palaces and their grounds. The vines had completely infiltrated the ancient castles, making it even more difficult to search effectively. In spite of these facts, the ponies and dragonling managed as best they could.
“Oh, come over here,” Fluttershy called as they investigated the throne room.
At the base of the pedestal where they’d found the Elements of Harmony, next to where a vine had burst through the floor, there was a hoof-sized hole. After the group got closer to the new discovery, they could hear a faint wind blowing through it. There was something beneath, and Applejack attempted to push the pedestal aside. Miraculously, she was able to budge it some, but not enough for any of them to fit through the gap. They had to wait until Rainbow Dash was fetched; once she arrived, the Hunter used a bomb to expand the opening for them.
Using Spike’s breath to light torches, the companions descended into the hole, coming upon a set of stairs after the initial drop. The staircase wound down past abandoned hallways that were blocked off with rusted iron gates before continuing down into a larger cavern and hugging the wall. The torches proved mostly unnecessary as they descended into the cavern, whose walls were lit with glowing crystals and bioluminescent lichen. The black thorny vines smothered the light in some places, including in the center of the room, where they were wrapped tightly around a dimly glowing tree whose internal light pulsed weakly. Around the base of the tree was a massive bundle of overlapping vines with spines preventing anypony from getting too close.
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said as she flew toward the tree. “I think it’s dying.”
“It must be the Tree of Harmony,” Rainbow Dash said. “Twilight was right about it being connected to the vines.”
“Well, then, let’s save it already,” Applejack said as she trotted up to the tree and tried pulling at the vines. No matter how she tugged or bucked, they didn’t move in the slightest, those around the base having formed a shell nearly as strong as stone.
“Leave it to me,” Rainbow Dash said as she rushed in with her sword drawn. Before she could strike at the vines surrounding the tree, they struck out at her and batted her aside. Unlike the vines suffocating the forest, these seemed unconcerned about the Element of Allegiance around Rainbow’s neck and kept the Hunter’s attacks at bay.
“Valiant efforts, but we seem to have made no progress, darlings,” Rarity said. “The Tree of Harmony remains in jeopardy.”
“D’ you have any ideas on how t’ save it?” Applejack asked defensively, and Rarity grew sheepish.
“Twilight will know what to do,” Fluttershy said. “I wish we hadn’t sent her away.”
“Me, too,” Pinkamena admitted.
“We all agreed ‘twas for the best … for Cant’r Laht,” Applejack said.
“Maybe it was, but I still wish she was here with us,” Rarity said.
“A-hem,” Spike cleared his throat, and they all turned to look at him. “Twilight didn’t want to leave any more than you wanted to send her away. We send her a letter, and she’ll be back in two shakes of Pinkamena’s tail.”
That raised their spirits some, and they ascended from the cavern to allow Spike to compose his letter with better light. The dragonling soon became thankful that he usually only had Twilight dictate letters to him, as she was normally clear and thoughtful in what she wanted to say. Trying to write a letter composed by five ponies who all had different ideas of what should be included and how it should be phrased was a tricky task, but in the end, he managed to throw something together that would relay all the information that Twilight would need.
“Huh, that’s odd,” Spike said after igniting the letter and watching the smoke fly away.
“What is?” Rarity asked.
“Usually the smoke vanishes, unless the letter’s recipient is nearby.”
***
Twilight slumbered while the vines closed in around her, magic pulsing through their fibers as they prepared to teleport her away and imprison her. She was jerked out of her sleep by the sound of explosions and slashing. Rainbow Dash broke through the canopy of vines above her and decapitated several of the flowers spraying the alicorn with gas. As the air began to clear, the rest of the Brave Companions piled into the thorny cage, striking at the vines however they could, throwing debris and bucking at weak points cut open by the Hunter. Once the vines were driven back enough, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash grabbed hold of Twilight, holding their breaths, and dragged their groggy friend out of the trap. Midway through the flight, she regained enough consciousness to spread her own wings and glide unsteadily down to the ruins of the Royal Court.
“You saved me,” Twilight said with gratitude before drooping, “Again.”
“Y’ surely would’ve done th’ same for us in another situation,” Applejack said as she placed a hoof on her friend’s side. “Twi’, y’ may have more duties an’ responsibilities now, but we should’ve trusted y’. We need t’ be y’r friends first an’ worry about other concerns after.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said. “How did you find me?”
“We sent you a letter,” Rainbow Dash said.
“We found the Tree of Harmony!” Pinkamena exclaimed.
Any more questions would have to wait until after the Tree was safe. Twilight Sparkle trotted with her friends, more grateful than ever for their company, down to the cavern beneath the Royal Court. As they descended, her friends explained the trouble they’d run into, and the problem was quite apparent as they arrived before the Tree of Harmony. The vines continued to shift around the tree, attempting to strangle it, and the light within had nearly died. Twilight Sparkle examined it while pondering what she’d seen in her visions from past.
“I think I know what we have to do,” she announced after several long minutes, to the relief of those around her. “We need to surrender the Elements to the Tree of Harmony.”
“Surrender … the Elements?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously. “How are we supposed to protect Equestria without them? What if another world-ending threat arises?”
“Not to mention the world-ending threat we already have on our doorstep,” Rarity contributed. “How do we keep Discord from going back on his agreement if we abandon the option to turn him back to stone?”
“Twi’, th’ Elements o’ Harmony are what connect us,” Applejack said. “After what we’ve just been through, do y’ really want t’ give them up?”
“We need to be mindful of the threat of our present circumstances and not worry about possible futures for the moment. Besides, if another threat does arise, I am sure we can face it together—as we always have,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Applejack, the Elements of Harmony may have brought us together at first, but after the past three years, we have all forged new bonds and connections through our time together. Even without the Elements of Harmony, our friendship will not be broken. No, not even if we are apart for a time do we need to worry about such a possibility.”
“Now,” Twilight continued, “Are you ready to use the Elements of Harmony, perhaps for the last time?”
The others agreed and assembled around Twilight. The gems around their necks and upon the sorceress’s head began to glow, and they lifted off the floor of the cavern. Beams of light shot from the Elements of Allegiance, Trustworthiness, Charity, Compassion, and Mirth into the Element of Sorcery. Twilight Sparkle accepted the pure power of the Elements and channeled it into a spell that not even the Everfree Forest could make go awry. The six elements vanished, teleported to the positions they’d once held on the Tree of Harmony.
The vines recoiled from the tree as the Elements revitalized it, shriveling up from the magic that began to pulse from within the nearly dead organism. Light and life returned to the Tree of Harmony, and it sent out a wave of power that obliterated the vines into nothingness. The Everfree Forest was cleansed of all traces of the scourge as the Tree of Harmony shone with a blinding brilliance. As the light subsided, the Brave Companions could see, sitting at the base of the tree, a collection of unconscious ponies that the vines had teleported here. Some were dead, drained of life by the greedy vines, but most of them were still alive; these including Celestia and Luna, who rose unsteadily to their hooves as Twilight Sparkle ran up to them.
“Here?” Celestia asked as she looked up in awe at the ancient tree restored nearly to the glory it had embodied when she and Luna had removed the Elements from it. “The Elements of Harmony?”
“We returned them to the tree,” Twilight told her mentor. “With the Elements restored, the Tree of Harmony should regain its former glory and power.”
“To surrender the Elements must have taken great courage from you,” Luna commented.
The alicorns extended their wings to steady themselves as the ground shook beneath their hooves. Twilight feared at first that the vines might be making a return, but the Tree of Harmony glowed fiercely and its twisted crystalline roots shifted. One branch of roots pushed itself out of the ground near Twilight, revealing a nodule that didn’t look like it belonged to the tree. While the Tree of Harmony did appear crystalline, it still had the curved flow of a living thing—not so the tetradecahedron that detached from the root to fall at Twilight’s hooves, which had flat sides and sharp edges.
“A gift from the Tree of Harmony,” Luna said with awe.
“But … what is it?” Twilight asked as she examined the crystal curiously. When she placed a hoof against it, it seemed to be made of wood, in spite of its appearance.
“Six keyholes,” Celestia noted, pointing to the indentations on the upper six sides that ringed the box. “To find the six keys to open this mysterious case, I can think of no better ponies.”
Twilight Sparkle was joined by the rest of the Brave Companions. They didn’t have the Elements of Harmony to join them together any longer, though the Tree of Harmony had given them this. Twilight wasn’t worried; she knew that with or without Elements or mysterious boxes, the bonds she and her friends had were real, and they would all fight for them.
***
“My beloved subjects,” Celestia announced from the stage built for her in Cant’r Laht Castle’s grounds, “It is with great joy that I raise the sun in your sight and today usher in a new year on this, the summer solstice.”
Twilight waited behind the stage for her moment in the solstice ceremony. It had taken her some time to figure out connection between the vines and her visions. The flashback to Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion had revealed where to find the Tree of Harmony, and Celestia and Luna’s discovery of the Elements had shown her a previously unknown power that could combat the vines, but what about Discord’s defeat? Eventually, she’d realized that a seemingly insubstantial detail—Discord offering Celestia and Luna seeds—had been the clue she was supposed to see. Indeed, when pressed on it, Discord admitted that the vines had arisen from those seeds that had spilled upon the ground and had likely been held back by the Elements’ proximity to the Tree of Harmony until the Brave Companions had discovered them. The draconequus claimed to have forgotten all about that scheme, but Twilight suspected otherwise. Whether he’d planned it or not, it had eventually been to his benefit: without the Elements of Harmony, the Brave Companions were unable to turn him back to stone. He seemed to accept his position without that threat looming over him, at least for the moment, but it was something Twilight would need to keep in mind, along with all her other new duties and responsibilities.
“For so long, the summer solstice ceremony was a reminder to me of the banishment of my sister,” Celestia said, looking to Luna, who also stood on the stage nearby. “Now, however, it is a joyous reminder of my sister’s return. And so, it truly is with a joyous heart that I now raise the sun.”
The crowd looked eagerly to the east as light crested the White Mountains and the sun came into view.
“Forever may it be so, that sun and moon shall continue in their course through the heavens unhindered,” Luna spoke, “Guided by alicorn power.”
At her cue, Twilight took off from the ground and soared past the sun before circling back around to the stage. Her flight wasn’t the steadiest, but since most ponies weren’t expecting it, they weren’t paying attention too closely. She managed to land successfully and stood between Celestia and Luna, establishing in the crowd’s minds the continuity of alicorns from the two ancient sorceresses to herself. Celestia raised the sun and Luna the moon and, one day, Twilight Sparkle would be expected to do both.
Chapter 4:2.1 – A Court in Exile Spring, Year 1002 of the 4th Age
The port town known as Settler’s Folly wasn’t really much of a town at all. It had the necessities of a port town—buildings and docks—but of the two, only the latter was kept in a decent state. The town’s name itself was a warning to disabuse anypony of the notion that they could live here for an extended period of time. Built on the east coast of the Equestrian Divide, in the narrow strip of land between that desert and the Shimmering Sea, it had long served as an outpost north of the pirate kingdoms that dominated the lands south of Equestria’s border and the Duchy of Balte-Maer’s territory. It was an in-between place where disgraced pirates from the south or criminals from the north could lay low until it was safe to return home or carry on their flight, perhaps seeking passage on a ship bound for Los Pegasus or the Zebrikaanian Empire. Since the pirate kingdoms had begun to creep north in recent years, Settler’s Folly had lost some of its status as neutral ground, since any port, even one with access to nothing but sand, was valuable. Despite the dangerous and gritty conditions, there were still some brave or desperate individuals squatting in the town’s run-down hovels to witness a fleet of ships pull into port.
The ships and their banner were unfamiliar to those who braved a look: neither the style of a pirate crew nor an Equestrian merchant. Those that disembarked were also strange to the pirates and smugglers of Settler’s Folly. They were ponies, but all stood taller than most; they were well-armed, their attire more closely resembled garments worn in the Zebrikaanian Empire than here, and the mare at their head was crowned. The Saddle Arabians had arrived in Equestria and, turned away from other ports, found the one place they could land.
*** Summer, Year 1003 of the 4th Age
As Twilight Sparkle practiced hovering in place, keeping the Equestry River below her in case she fell, she looked out over Ponieville with a perspective she’d only had before when scrying. The last of the palisade that had surrounded the town when she’d first arrived here was being cleared away. Some stretches had already been removed for convenience in the later stages of Mayor Mare’s wall project, and the vines and monsters of the Everfree had demolished most of what remained, leaving only a few bits to be torn down to remove the division between the old Ponieville and the new. A more permanent dividing line had been drawn in the form of Mayor Mare’s stone wall; the barrier had been completed on the northwest bank of the river and now enclosed all the town’s buildings on that side, with some room to grow. Even with the extra land, there wasn’t quite as much space as the mayor had initially intended when she’d first set out her plans to expand the town’s boundaries. Ponieville had continued to grow after Twilight’s alicornification, and although many sorceresses desired solitude, they tended to attract ponies who saw them as a means of protection. Needless to say, becoming an alicorn had only increased Twilight’s pull.
Another unforeseen factor was the recent influx of loggers into the town. Since the events at the start of the year, the Everfree Forest had become considerably less frightening than before. Most of the monsters had fled and been cut down by Hunters or dispersed into the surrounding countryside. Even the strange magic that permeated the forest seemed weakened at the disappearance of the vines and the recovery of the Tree of Harmony, and spells cast within its boundaries no longer went so catastrophically wrong. Ponies were eager to begin harvesting the wood that had been out of reach for so long, and Mayor Mare was onboard with the construction of sawmills to help facilitate it. It wouldn’t be long before the walls the mayor had already built were filled to the brim.
Twilight Sparkle practiced rotating in the air to get a look at the land across the Equestry River. With the aid of a little sorcery, she was able to make out the posts driven into the ground that formed the outline of the other half of Mayor Mare’s wall project. It was mostly farmland now, but in time it would be covered in homes and businesses just like the other bank. There were rumors that Ponieville’s priestess was petitioning her masters in Cant’r Laht to establish a second or larger chapel across the river from the growing population, perhaps even a cathedral if Ponieville’s expansion continued on its current trajectory. As long as Twilight still lived in Golden Oak’s laboratory—a name that continued to stick despite her occupancy of it for over three years now—she suspected that it would.
One of the things that Twilight regretted about her flight practice was that she was unable to work on other studies while she was in the air. True, she often practiced some spells (she couldn’t force herself in times of crisis to focus on either sorcery or flying), but it wasn’t as in-depth or effective as when she was on her own four hooves or curled up on a cushion. She’d tried to have Spike read dispatches to her, but that only really worked when she was practicing hovering close to the ground. He was too large to carry on her back anymore, even when she wasn’t trying to hold herself up with her wings, and he could only shout so loudly without disturbing the townsponies. Without being able to do anything else during her flight practice, Twilight let her mind wander from thought to thought.
Her contemplation of Ponieville and its expansion at its end, her mind returned to a topic that had often occupied her thoughts in the last weeks. She had just saved her home again, and that was something to be proud of. However, there were others on her mind who had recently lost their home: the Saddle Arabians. Twilight had read the reports about the devastating Zebrikaanian conquest of the peninsular sultanate until she almost had them memorized. She’d sworn to do “everything within her power to defend them,” but there had been nothing in her power she could have done while she was away in the World Across the Divide. In fact, it was likely that she couldn’t have turned the tide even if she had been in Equus. Still, this reasoning did little to dispel her feelings of guilt for not being there to help the Saddle Arabians in their hour of need. Their home was now yet another province of the Zebrikaanian Empire, and Equestria had stood by and watched it happen.
Although Twilight knew she alone couldn’t retake the country, she felt that she had to do something. From the missives she’d read, the Saddle Arabian court hadn’t been captured by the Zebrikaanians, managing to escape and flee across the Shimmering Sea to Equestria. If there was a way to make amends, it would be found by seeking them out. With no reason to delay other than trepidation, Twilight resolved that, once she finished her flying practice, she’d find Spike and prepare to set out for the Equestrian Divide.
***
Across the mounts the enemy came a’clothed in darkened cloth. To claim the fortresses that held at bay the Empire’s wroth. From the shadows they struck out to claim the lives of all. That guarded fast those mountain hills and threw them from the wall. And so the border forts did fall, our shield torn away. Afore the dawning of the first of twelve terrible days.
***
Twilight Sparkle opened a portal to the Equestrian Divide, and an oppressive heat exuded from the portal and raised the already warm temperature of Golden Oak’s laboratory. Ream and Baldavin passed through the portal first to ensure it was safe before their charge followed. They’d been embarrassed by their absence during the crisis in Cant’r Laht and about being left behind during both of Twilight’s excursions to the Everfree, and they were trying to make up for it in some way. Though it seemed even more ridiculous for Twilight to have bodyguards now that she was an alicorn, it was something she’d learned to accept, and she could appreciate the logic of it. Even the greatest sorceress could be brought down by a mundane method if she were not careful, and that was especially true for Twilight Sparkle’s destination: the Saddle Arabian camp near Settler’s Folly.
Her sorcery would be no use at all if somepony had something to counter it, such as dimeritium. The metal was fairly uncommon (though not uncommon enough for sorceresses’ comfort), and the only place it was used more prevalently than with pirates was with the priests of the True Faith in Manehattan. While it would be a remarkably bold or stupid pirate who would actively seek out sorceresses, the chance that they would run into one on a raid and catch her unawares was not unheard of. A phenomenal profit could be made by selling captured sorceresses to the Zebrikaanians, so many pirates owned or had access to dimeritium shackles, collars, and other tools.
Traveling south of the Equestrian Divide had always carried this risk, but it was getting to be a problem now even in the south of the Duchy of Balte-Maer’s territory. The jungles south of the Divide had been the territory of pirates (and before them, slavers) for a long time, but something was changing. A satyr king had not only united the Storm Isles in the past few years but also expanded onto the Equestrian mainland and begun conquering and displacing the pirate kingdoms established there. Three years ago, the jungles had been home to fourteen pirate kingdoms; now only four remained, all clustered on the eastern coast and constantly fighting each other for the little bit of territory they could scrape out. The pirate kingdom of Kezzen, formerly one of the largest based around Slavers’ Bay, had fled all the way to Balte-Maeri territory. The chance that Twilight would encounter pirates in her journey to meet with the Saddle Arabians was much greater now that it would have been even a few years ago, and she was grateful that Ream and Baldavin would be along in case the worst came to pass.
“All seems clear, your highness,” Ream spoke back through the portal, and Twilight and Spike followed the guards, whose gambesons were already soaked through with sweat.
Twilight Sparkle had scried out the area in preparation and opened her portal to the south of Settler’s Folly, between the ramshackle town and the Saddle Arabian camp. A city of tents with vibrant colors and patterns even larger than Settler’s Folly had been erected to house the court in their exile. It followed much the same pattern as Maer-Dina, with few through routes and tents built up against each other forming complexes and blind alleys that wove through the camp. Twilight considered testing out her new skills with flight to circumvent the maze, but thought better of it. She didn’t want to alarm the Saddle Arabians when her very presence would be a surprise.
There were a few guards patrolling the camp’s perimeter, lethargic in the midday heat, and Twilight made sure she was seen by them before entering. None moved to stop her, though a several ran off, no doubt to bring news of her arrival to the sultana. The last time she’d visited Sultana Rashida, she’d been forced to endure interminable courtly maneuvering to gain access. She hoped that would not be the case this time.
The Saddle Arabians mostly stayed in their tents as she walked past, though a few showed themselves and expressed a mixture of shock and intrigue upon seeing her wings. Some actually sat outside in shaded areas, but even so, the camp seemed subdued compared to the lively streets of Maer-Dina. The Saddle Arabians had lost their homes to a Zebrikaanian invasion that took only twelve days to conquer their entire sultanate; what else could Twilight expect?
It was clear which complex of tents at the center of the camp was occupied by Sultana Rashida, and Twilight Sparkle eventually found her way to them through the camp’s meandering paths. When she arrived, though, she found her passage blocked by a cohort of guards. The Saddle Arabians bore stern expressions as they stood in double lines, the points at the top of their turban-wrapped helms gleaming in the desert sun.
“I am Twilight Sparkle Hatrotsun, Crown Princess of Cant’r Laht,” Twilight announced, hoping at least one of them spoke Low Equestrian. “I have come to speak with Sultana Rashida.”
“Dah sultana does not fish to speak fith you,” a stallion marked out as a captain by his yellow turban said. “Norrr does she fish you among gherrr tents.”
Twilight stopped her advance, surprised at being shut out so quickly.
“You should leafe now,” the guard captain said firmly.
Rebuffed, Twilight regretfully turned and trotted away from the sultana’s complex.
***
The zebra armies poured across the desert like a storm. ‘Til our own soldiers stood to hold at bay th’ deadly swarm. Blood flowed freely in those days, the desert sands did drench. An off’ring made in time of war not matched ‘til then nor since. And though our troops stood nobly to fight the zebras back. They could not stand forever ‘gainst the weight of such attack.
***
“What are you going to do now, Twilight?” Spike asked as she trotted through Settler’s Folly.
“I am not sure,” the sorceress admitted. “I need to make amends, or at the very least make an apology, but if I am not welcome in the Saddle Arabians’ camp, then how am I to deliver it?”
“You could always teleport into the sultana’s tent,” Spike offered.
“I doubt that would make a good impression,” Twilight humphed.
She needed to think of some way to deliver her thoughts to Sultana Rashida—perhaps a letter would convince her to allow Twilight Sparkle to meet with her in person. She wasn’t going to leave Settler’s Folly until she had figured it out; it would be a waste to come here only to return immediately to Ponieville empty-hooved. As she trotted down toward the town’s docks, Twilight spotted several Saddle Arabians perusing the (likely plundered) wares that had been off-loaded for sale from a few ships docked there. One of them, a unicorn, was familiar to her.
“Shazira!” she called out to the magus as she approached, and the Saddle Arabian sorceress looked up with an icy expression.
“Tfilight Sparrrkle, fhat has brrrought you gherrre?” Shazira asked without enthusiasm. “You’rrre a tad bit late, I’m afrrraid.”
“I know, and I am sincerely sorry for that,” Twilight apologized. “I tried to go to Sultana Rashida to explain to her, but I was turned back before I could enter her tents.”
“Fhat is derrre to explain?” Shazira asked, remorse creeping into her voice. “You ferrre not derrre fhen fhe needed you. Fhe trrried to contact Celestia, but she said you ferrre unafailable. I trrried to contact you and could not. You ferrre not derrre to ghelp, so Celestia fas not derrre to ghelp, and Saddle Arrrabia fell! You hafe seen ourrr camp, ghow small it is, ghow few of us made it out. Fherrre fere you?”
“Would you believe I was in another world trying to reclaim the Element of Sorcery?” Twilight asked.
“I was a hound,” Spike added, for what it was worth.
Shazira looked at Twilight and Spike, her eyes compassionate and distraught at the same time. Her gaze lingered on Twilight’s wings, marking her out as an alicorn now.
“Yes, I can beliefe dat,” Shazira said at last. “I know you liff a ferrry efentful and full life, Tfilight Sparrrkle.”
“So, will you explain to the sultana?” Twilight asked.
“I do not see fhat differrrence it fill make,” Shazira said with a slow shake of her head.
“I was unable to fulfill my oath,” Twilight said.
“Yes, you ferrre,” Shazira replied, “And fhile dat is not as terrrible as choosing to ignorrre an oath, dah rrresult is dah same. You know dis, oderrrfise fhy fhould you be herrre? You seek to clearrr yourrr name from blame, and ferrry fell, I beliefe you dat efents out of yourrr contrrrol kept you frrrom fulfilling yourrr oath, but dah fact rrremains dat yourrr oath fas unfulfilled. You must do morrre to amend dis dan to prrroclaim yourrr innocence.”
“Like what?” Twilight asked, feeling chastised.
“Dat is someding you must figurrre out, Tfilight Sparrrkle,” Shazira said as she placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder before trotting past her and back toward the Saddle Arabians’ camp. “I fill pray dat you do.”
***
The padishah sent ‘cross the waves a fleet of ships so grand. Their masts were like a forest to be planted ‘pon our land. But we sent out to meet them our magi oh so brave. To with the Staff of Kipit drown the foe beneath th’ waves. But tho’ we had that sacred relic of Nostrocom the Wise. The Zebrikaanian Padishah let loose a dark surprise. ‘Board the ships a horde of shamans great with sorcerous bent. Kipit’s Staff was broken, and with it our defense.
***
Twilight Sparkle sat in the shade of a collapsing building as she puzzled over what she could do to fix ties with the Saddle Arabians and regain their trust. Shazira had been right; Twilight’s own conscience had compelled her to come here and make amends, but what? Surely there was something that Twilight Sparkle could do, if only she’d thought things through more before coming. She was an alicorn now, crown princess of Cant’r Laht, and leader of the Brave Companions, but what could she really do to help the Saddle Arabians? What could they use that she could offer?
“Your highness,” Baldavin interrupted her musing. “There appears to be a disturbance to the south, by the Saddle Arabians’ camp.”
Twilight sensed the sizzle of magic a few seconds after her guard’s announcement, and she stepped out into the sun to peer around the building in the direction of the camp. It was difficult to see through the haze rising off the sand, but there was definitely movement there, watched by Ream and Spike. Just off the coast, she could also make out a couple of ships with colorful sails.
“Pirates,” Ream opined as Twilight came to the same conclusion.
“Come on,” the sorceress said as she opened a portal to bridge the gap between them and the Saddle Arabian camp.
Ream and Baldavin drew their swords as they stepped through the opening, and Twilight prepared protective and offensive spells. Pirates, most of them gryphons with colorful plumage, were trying to plunder the Saddle Arabians’ camp, slicing through tents or swooping down from above. The Saddle Arabian soldiers were putting up a defense, throwing spears into the air at the gryphons or coming at those on the ground with swords. More pirates appeared out of thin air, betraying the presence of a sorceress somewhere.
“Humbran’r ket![1]” Twilight called out, focusing on a point in the air at the center of the swooping gryphons.
A deafening thunderclap sounded in the air, sending out a shockwave that blew the gryphons from the sky and ruptured their eardrums. Twilight Sparkle left Ream, Baldavin, and the Saddle Arabian soldiers to deal with the gryphons as she sought out the pirate sorceress. She wasn’t hard to identify, standing in the shallows near the beach, currently engaged in a magical duel with Shazira. Twilight teleported herself nearer before casting any spells against the mare.
“Mrinessen’r ossi![2]” Twilight called, and the water froze in a cone of cold. The spell not only affected where the enemy sorceress was standing but also extended out nearly to the pirate ships, freezing waves in place only to have them crack as they were pummeled by the warm water behind them a moment later.
The pirate sorceress, however, managed to levitate before the water froze around her hooves, the many beads and fetishes woven into her mane and tail clacking as she ascended.
“Escand, leya nof ita sarey’i’r kalar![3]” the pirate sorceress incanted, and the sand along the beach rose into the shape of soldiers.
“Escand, ita Ye’r falan![4]” Shazira called, and the sand soldiers dissolved and swirled around her in a protective dome.
Seeing that she was outmatched, the pirate sorceress elected not to stand and fight, quickly teleporting away to one of the ships waiting offshore. She began teleporting the remaining pirates fighting at the camp back to the ships as well. It was the way of pirates to strike only when convenient and withdraw the moment things no longer became favorable, but Twilight wasn’t going to let them get away with attacking the Saddle Arabians that easily. She had failed to protect them once, but she wouldn’t again.
Twilight Sparkle reached out toward the ships with her alicorn magic as they prepared to retreat back out to sea. She altered the density in the water beneath the nearest two so that the vessels would rise out of the waves. Distant shouts could be heard as the pirate ships lifted nearly all the way out of the water; now top-heavy, they were unable to maintain balance and tipped toward each other. Splintering wood reached Twilight’s ears as the ships’ masts and rigging and then their hulls crashed into each other. She altered the density of the water again, and the ships rapidly sank down beneath the waves, cracking and shattering as they descended. There would be surviving pirates who could flee to the lone ship making for the open sea as quickly as it could, but hopefully this would serve as a deterrent. She hoped the message would be clear as retribution not only for their attack on the camp, but also for the Saddle Arabian ships sunk near Settler’s Folly’s harbor.
“Dank you,” Shazira said as she trotted up to Twilight on the beach, turning to look out across the waves at the disappearing wrecks and fleeing pirates. “Fe fled frrrom de zebrrras, and it seems fe hafe not been able to escape frrrom conflict since. I fear my people arrre doomed now to fight forrrefer and fill not find somefere fherrre fe can be at peace.”
Twilight stared out across the sea with her. The Saddle Arabians had lost their home and this place would never serve as a safe haven, what with how cut off and vulnerable to pirates it was. They needed their home back, though that seemed out of reach at present; until then, they needed somewhere to live. Perhaps there was something that Twilight could do after all.
“Shazira, please get me an audience with Sultana Rashida,” Twilight said, and the other sorceress gave her a curious look. “I think I have an idea of how I can make amends.”
***
We fought and fought against th’ foe, a futile fight it seemed. But still we fought them on and on, and of a vict’ry dreamed. The truth we had to face at last and let Maer-Dina go. Th’ sultana’s court departed thence, all their heads bowed low. Across th’ sands and o’er th’ hills, to Trasans they did flee. And tho’ we’d had enough, ‘twas there we found more treachery. While zebras gnawed on us from east, the dragons came from west. And burned to ash all we had left, with vicious fiery breath.
***
Twilight Sparkle stood before Sultana Rashida, in a much less ostentatious setting than when she’d last been in the sultana’s presence. They were still surrounded by riches, fine tapestries and rugs, golden and gem-encrusted treasures, and fine pottery, but the tent was a far cry from the palaces and gardens of Maer-Dina. The sultana’s surviving court was arrayed before her, nobles without lands to rule, stony-faced as they stared down the mare many of them blamed for their misfortune. Sultana Rashida looked down from a cushioned bench placed upon a carpeted pedestal, a veil of mourning for her lost sultanate draped over her face.
“Your majesty, I wish to express my profoundest apology that I could not come to your aid when you were invaded by the Zebrikaanians,” Twilight began her speech before the sultana. “I wish to swear a new oath to you.”
Murmurs of surprise and displeasure rose up from the assembled nobles, but Rashida silenced them with a raised hoof.
“You fish to make anoder oad, afterrrr you ghaff failed in yourrr last fone?” Rashida asked.
“If I could go back and change things, I would, but that is impossible,” Twilight said, “The best I can do is undo what has been done in another way. I swear that I will return your people to Saddle Arabia one day and your family will rule again.”
“A bold claim,” Rashida said.
“Nevertheless, it’s one I believe I can fulfill in time. Even if it takes my whole life to accomplish, I swear that it will be done. I, Twilight Sparkle Haltrotsun, Crown Princess of Cant’r Laht, promise that you will be restored to your homeland,” Twilight said. “But I know that a promise of an eventual restoration does nothing for you now, and so until I fulfill my oath, I will make you another promise. I want you, all of you, to come to Ponieville, at my invitation, to live under my protection and my provision. Until I can help you reclaim Saddle Arabia, I will support your court in exile however I can. Please, allow me to do this for you.”
The exiled nobles looked to Rashida for her answer, whispering their own thoughts among themselves. It was difficult to tell beneath her veil, but Rashida looked pensive.
“Ferrry fell, Tfilight Sparrrkle,” Sultana Rashida said at last. “I fill accept yourrr offerrr. Fe fill gho to Poniefille as yourrr guests, and fone day, you fill brrring us ghome.”
***
Upon the last ships the sultana left a burning, broken land. Fortresses, armies, magi fallen, none left to take a stand. It faded into distance, a home abused and burned. And as it did, Rashida swore, “One day we shall return.”
Rainbow Dash flew over the Saddle Arabian camp as she searched for Twilight Sparkle. The sorceress had been spending a lot of time here lately across the river, helping the Saddle Arabians get settled in a landscape wholly alien to them and prepare for long-term habitation. Failing to spot either the sorceress or Spike among the refugees, Rainbow swooped back over to Ponieville.
“Is Twilight here?” Rainbow Dash asked Baldavin, who was taking stock of a cart, as she landed in front of Golden Oak’s laboratory.
“Yes, she’s inside with the rest of you,” Baldavin replied before going back to sorting through crates and jars.
By “the rest of you,” Baldavin was referring to the other Brave Companions, as Rainbow Dash discovered once she entered the laboratory. Spike was carrying over a stack of ledgers to Twilight Sparkle, who already had an assortment of books opened atop each other on the pedestal before her. Her friends were arranged around the sorceress and her scribe; some standing, some seated, Rarity sipping a cup of tea.
“Some extra hooves could always help out on th’ farm, but we always run th’ risk o’ Mayor Mare choosin’ t’ interpret that as th’ Apples not bein’ able t’ care for th’ land ourselves—an’ usin’ that as an excuse t’ take it from us,” Applejack was saying as Rainbow Dash entered.
“Let me deal with Mayor Mare,” Twilight replied. “The Saddle Arabians need work, and they need to learn how to plant and tend crops in a land that is not all sand.”
“Twilight, do you have a moment?” Rainbow asked excitedly.
“Yes, I suppose I can take a break,” the sorceress decided after consulting a checklist and making some marks. Spike set down his ledgers and gave a sigh of relief.
“What’s the news?” Pinkamena asked as Rainbow Dash undid the straps on her saddlebags.
“I just saved a traveling merchant from an eikeibokuro, and he was so grateful that he gave me all three of the Daring Do volumes!” Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically as she pulled a trio of books from her saddlebags and set them down on the pedestal with Twilight’s other books. “So, I can return your copies now that I have my own!”
“Good for you,” Twilight said as she set her copies of The Tales of Daring Do, More Tales of Daring Do, and Further Tales of Daring Do to the side. “It was an incredible stroke of luck to secure all three at once.”
“Wasn’t it?” Rainbow Dash said, unable to cease grinning. “Now all I have to do is wait until another one is written.”
“You may be waiting for a long time,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I have heard from Countess Sundown that there will be no more books from A.K. Yearling.”
“What?” Rainbow asked, her smile falling away. “Why?”
“Well, the rumor is that A.K. Yearling has died,” Twilight said as she extracted herself from her piles of books and parchment and, looking at it with fresh eyes, realized for the first time what a mess she’d made around herself.
“But that’s just a rumor, right?” Rainbow asked desperately. “It’s possible there’s some other reason, or that the whole thing was a mistake?”
“It isn’t the end of the world, Dash,” Fluttershy said compassionately, seeing how worked up her friend was getting.
“I know that,” Rainbow Dash said, blushing in embarrassment. “But there were so many more adventures for Daring Do to go on, so many things left unfinished.”
“Somepony else will likely pick up the quill to continue writing tales about her, but no, they will not be the same as A.K. Yearling’s prose,” Twilight Sparkle said as she helped herself to some tea.
“Twilight, we could go to Countess Sundown, find out what’s really going on,” Rainbow Dash proposed as the idea came to her. “With your portals, we can travel anywhere—even to Stygra to speak to A.K. Yearling, if she’s alive!”
“We could,” Twilight admitted as she looked at the stacks of work still waiting for her, “But—”
“But you want to know what happened to A.K. Yearling as badly as I do, don’t you?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Come on, Twilight.”
“Well … okay,” Twilight caved. “I do want to know why the tales have ceased, and I suppose I have arranged things as well as I can so that the Saddle Arabians will be able to get by in my absence. We can leave for Adage first thing tomorrow.”
“Ooh, I want to come too!” Pinkamena exclaimed as she bounced up.
“Me too,” Fluttershy said, surprising everyone.
“I could take the time to come along,” Rarity offered.
“Well, if you’re all goin’, then there’s no reason for me not t’ come along as well,” Applejack said. “I’m not goin’ t’ miss out on another adventure wi’ th’ six o’ us.”
“Very well,” Twilight said. “I guess we will all leave first thing tomorrow.”
“Great! See you then!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed before shooting out of the laboratory and nearly knocking Baldavin flat in the process, eager to start preparing for the journey.
***
“It’s an honor to have you at my court, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Brave Companions,” Countess Sundown of Adage addressed them as they stood before her.
Via Spike, Twilight had sent ahead a message letting the countess know to expect them. Accordingly, she had assembled her court to impress upon them that she was important enough to have the crown princess of the kingdom and her legendary companions seek a personal audience with her. As countess of Adage, one of the three White Tail Wood ports along the Gulf of Sirens—along with Sonnet and Aria—she didn’t have an incredibly impressive court, nor did her county possess vast territory or influence. However, it had now hosted Brave Companions on two recent occasions; besides this visit, Applejack and Pinkamena had also stayed here the previous year. That had to count for something.
“Thank you for having us, your ladyship,” Twilight replied. “Might we have a private audience?”
“Of course,” Sundown said with a contented smile.
She descended from her throne and motioned for the Brave Companions to follow her to a private audience chamber. Her court would drive themselves into a frenzy wondering what she was talking about with them, which was precisely her intention. With any luck, word of her private audience would even reach her liege, Margrave Tristan, and increase her influence at his court. Of course, it could also backfire on her; Tristan was still suspected of purposefully leaving his fief open to attack from the Los Pegasans three years ago. Things could go south quickly if he suspected that Sundown was plotting to replace him. Even so, it was a risk she was willing to take.
“So, how can I be of help to you?” Sundown asked as she led them into a chamber with plenty of seating for all of them.
“We want to know the truth about A.K. Yearling,” Twilight Sparkle said, and the countess’s eyes opened wide in surprise at being asked something so trivial.
“She isn’t really dead, is she?” Rainbow Dash blurted out.
“Dead? I … I don’t know for sure,” the countess replied. “She stopped sending me letters and replying to my own messages. Any responses I got back from her court were tight-lipped about why she was unable to write back herself. I fear she is either dead or has been imprisoned for some crime against her regent.”
“But you don’t know for sure?” Rainbow pleaded.
“I believe that’s what I said,” Sundown replied tersely. “I’ve seen no corpse, but the facts I do know lend themselves toward that conclusion.”
“You were communicating with her. That means you know where she lives,” Rainbow Dash said, piecing things together.
“Of course. She is—or was—a scribe at the court of King Brama’an of Teoxecala. I’ve never been there, of course; we just correspond,” Sundown said.
“We could go there and find out what’s happening,” Rainbow Dash said to Twilight.
“To Stygra? I do not know, Rainbow,” Twilight replied. “Things are quite different there than in Equestria, both in how they do things and in language. We would have to find a translator who speaks something I understand, unless … well, there is a spell I have been looking for an opportunity to use. What language to they speak in Teoxecala?”
“Bruandish. Why?” Countess Sundown answered.
“Your ladyship, I have a favor to ask of you,” Twilight said.
***
Fortunately, Countess Sundown had been amenable to Twilight’s request, so they would have no difficulty communicating with the locals in the Kingdom of Teoxecala. The countess no longer understood Bruandish; instead, her knowledge of the language had been transferred by Twilight spell to the Brave Companions and Spike. It was a difficult spell for Twilight to maintain and it wouldn’t last forever, since the knowledge would eventually return to its source. However, it would make things easier than showing up unannounced in the heart of Stygra and trying to find a translator there.
The Kingdom of Teoxecala was located far from Equestria, in the jungles of the southern hemisphere. Twilight opened a portal among the trees outside the main city in order to allow them time to acclimate to the oppressive heat and humidity, but it didn’t do much to help. Many ponies they saw were wearing the bare minimum of clothing in order to cope, but Equestrian modesty wouldn’t allow such a thing, so they sweltered in silence. Only Spike seemed to be completely unaffected, weathering the heat as if it were a mild spring day.
It was cooler within the pyramidal palace of King Brama’an, and they were able to meet the pegasus king comfortably. The Brave Companions were recognized by name, if not by appearance, and Twilight’s wings were enough to distinguish them as the real deal. King Brama’an was happy to welcome them, though visibly surprised at their presence.
“I never expected to see such legendary figures in my own court,” Brama’an said in Bruandish, but the Brave Companions all heard his words in Low Equestrian. “Perhaps you can tell me why the sun stood overhead during the solstice?”
Applejack had noted how the trees didn’t look very healthy, the leaves on their fringes wilted or crisp. While the sun had hung on the horizon in Equestria, it had stood at noontime strength here while the Brave Companions had searched for the Tree of Harmony. If the temperature had been uncomfortable in Equestria, it must have gotten unbearably hot here.
“Celestia and Luna were absent temporarily, but rest assured, they are seated in Cant’r Laht once again,” Twilight replied, her words leaving her mouth in Bruandish.
“Well, I hope it doesn’t happen again. These past years, the sun and moon seem uncertain in their courses,” Brama’an said. “So, what brings you to the great Kingdom of Teoxecala?”
“We want to know what happened to A.K. Yearling,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Doesn’t everypony?” the king replied, his expression darkening. “That blasted scribe disappeared months ago without a word or note to explain herself. I’ve no idea where she is, and that Equestrian countess she corresponds with won’t leave me alone.”
“We can take care of Countess Sundown,” Twilight Sparkle replied.
“Where was A.K. Yearling last?” Rainbow asked with concern.
“Her home, probably,” Brama’an replied. “I had my soldiers search it when she first disappeared, but they didn’t find any clue to where or why she’d gone.”
“Could we search it?” Rainbow asked.
“You’re welcome to, but I doubt you’ll turn anything up,” Brama’an said. “A.K. Yearling is a very private pony.”
***
The king’s assertion was reinforced by the location he gave them. While there was plenty of space in the city and within the king’s palace for a scribe of his court, A.K. Yearling had elected to live outside the walls in the jungle, isolated from everypony else. Rainbow Dash was the first to spot the home, since she was leading the way, and was already flying all over it by the time the rest of the Brave Companions caught up to her.
“Oh my, what happened here?” Fluttershy asked as she caught sight of the home.
The adobe house had been thoroughly ransacked, its door torn off and possessions thrown out onto the lawn in front of the house. The thatching of the roof had been pulled out in places and strewn haphazardly among the possessions in front of the home. Scrolls and books were scattered across the ground, many of them irreparably damaged by the humidity.
“It looks like the king’s guards were … thorough in their search,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“This wasn’t them,” Rainbow said authoritatively. “King Brama’an said they searched her home after she first disappeared, but this was done recently, and it smells like sorcery.”
Twilight Sparkle reached out with her magic. Like the Hunter said, it did seem that sorcery had been used here recently.
“No monsters did this,” Rainbow Dash surmised as she landed at last. “This was the work of ponies.”
“What have you done to my home!?” a mare’s voice demanded from behind the Brave Companions.
They turned to face a wide-eyed mare with a golden coat staring in horror at the scene of destruction. Her black and gray mane was piled up into bun on the back of her head, and most of her body was covered in a lavender chamanto. A set of saddlebags bulging with books and scrolls was draped over her back.
“A.K. Yearling?” Rainbow Dash asked hesitantly.
“Yes, and who are you?” A.K. Yearling asked as she began to back up the path away from her house.
“We’re the Brave Companions, and I’m Rainbow Dash,” the Hunter nearly gushed as she flew to A.K. Yearling.
“Would you mind telling me why you destroyed my home, Rainbow Dash?” A.K. asked suspiciously.
“We didn’t do it!” Rainbow asserted a bit too quickly, only making the group look more suspicious.
“Your home was like this when we arrived,” Twilight said as she took over the explanations. “We came looking for you because we were worried something might have happened to you.”
“Me?” A.K. Yearling asked, though her focus didn’t seem to be on the conversation anymore as she hurried past the Brave Companions into her home without waiting for an answer.
“We’re big fans of your work,” Rainbow Dash said as she followed the scribe inside. “I’ve read your stories about Daring Do over and over since I discovered them!”
“Right, that,” A.K. Yearling said distractedly as she rooted through the overturned piles of tomes scattered around the interior of her cottage, searching for something.
The author rummaged through the detritus with single-minded focus until she found a particularly broad tome beneath a table. She lifted it up onto the table’s surface before running a hoof over the cover in a complex pattern; Twilight Sparkle (who’d followed Rainbow in by this point) sensed a surge of magic. The pages had clearly parted when A.K. had picked up the tome a few moments before, but when she opened it now, they were all hollowed out. Neat rows of inky letters had been replaced by a portal to a tiny pocket dimension, and within the space, nearly filling it, was a golden ring.
“Good, it’s safe,” A.K. Yearling breathed a sigh of relief.
A.K. Yearling tucked the ring into her saddlebags before ignoring Twilight and Rainbow Dash and getting to work straightening up her home.
“I have so many questions for you,” Rainbow Dash said excitedly.
“I’m afraid I haven’t the time to answer any of them,” A.K. Yearling said as she continued undisturbed.
“Do you have any more tales of Daring Do?” Rainbow Dash asked, and A.K. Yearling looked annoyed but didn’t cease her tidying.
“Rainbow Dash, come on,” Twilight said.
“But, I …” the Hunter protested before complying and following the sorceress out of the cottage.
“We accomplished what we came here to do. We should return home,” Twilight told her once they were outside. “We came to see if A.K. Yearling was safe, and she is.”
“But she isn’t,” Rainbow Dash disagreed. “Look at her house. Whoever did this may return, and A.K. Yearling can’t defend herself. She’s just a scribe.”
“Nevertheless, she has not asked for our help, and she clearly does not want it,” Twilight said.
“You don’t know that,” Rainbow Dash objected. “We should offer to protect her, or find who did this.”
Twilight sensed sorceresses teleport into A.K. Yearling’s house and, judging by her reaction, so did Rainbow Dash.
“She’s under attack!” Rainbow cried and rushed back toward the home.
“You are jumping to conclusions!” Twilight tried to forestall her from drawing her sword and rushing in. “There are no sounds of fighting. She may be expecting them.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t completely believe her, but she did stop and fly to a window instead of through the door. Within, facing A.K. Yearling with their backs to the window, were three well-muscled stallions in light armor in a style that was Stygran, but not native to the Kingdom of Teoxecala. Their weapons remained sheathed, but they stood ready to block the scribe if she tried to flee for the door. One opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak, A.K. jumped into action, flinging her saddlebags at one and her chamanto at another. After her outer garment was removed, it revealed a set of light leather armor—dyed green to match the region’s flora—and a pair of wings, which she used to propel herself toward the third stallion. Her hoof connected, and he staggered back as A.K. Yearling’s mane came undone from its bun and tumbled down.
“Th—tha—that’s—” Rainbow Dash said disbelievingly.
“Yes, A.K. Yearling is Daring Do!” an astonished Twilight vocalized what her friend could not.
“Daring Do is real,” Rainbow Dash said. “I can’t believe it.”
Within the cottage, the temporarily stunned thugs had recovered and attempted an attack from behind. Daring Do bucked them away before doing a flip and retrieving her saddlebags. The nearest thug, whose hood had fallen back to reveal a messily tousled mane, lunged out and grabbed hold of the saddlebags in his teeth. As he and Daring Do tugged it back and forth, another of the thugs drew a falchion and slashed down at the pegasus’ neck. Daring Do yanked her head out of the way, and the blade cut through the saddlebags instead. The blade became buried in the scrolls and tomes within but still cut a slash through the bags, and the contents tumbled out, including the golden ring.
The stallion who’d been punched earlier darted in to grab the ring, but Daring Do stomped down on his nose, breaking it even more than she already had. With a hoof, she shuffled the ring under herself to protect it. As the other two thugs advanced, she flipped it up on a wing and backed away. She drew a mace from her side and batted away the falchion swing that came at her but also exposed herself to a tackle from the other thug. He forced her back toward the wall, but she flapped up and kicked him away with her hindlegs. The thug with the falchion came at her again, swinging high, but she carefully dodged the attack in the limited space between him and the ceiling and flew toward the door.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash sensed another flash of magic, and Daring Do suddenly froze midflight and fell to the ground, her body completely rigid. The ring fell from her wing and rolled across the floor to come to a stop at the hooves of a new stallion who had just teleported in. He wore an elaborately embroidered set of robes with long, tapered edges that hung suspended in the air and fluttered at the slightest movement. His face had spindly (mostly unsuccessful) attempts at a beard, a combed-back black mane shot with gray, and bushy eyebrows—one of which he cocked as he grinned at Daring Do on the ground.
“Many thanks, Daring Do,” he said as he levitated the ring into his own saddlebags, “Once again, you have discovered what I could not, but in the end, it is I that shall benefit from your labors. It makes me wonder why I ought to expend any energy at all, rather than simply follow your trail.”
The berobed stallion cast another spell and Daring Do’s paralysis lessened enough that she could speak.
“Return the ring, Caballeron!” Daring Do demanded, “You don’t understand the kind of damage it could cause!”
“Caballeron!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “From The Razor of Dreams!”
“I know,” Twilight Sparkle added. “The self-proclaimed sorcerer supreme who Daring Do refused to join.”
“Um, shouldn’t we maybe do something to help?” Fluttershy suggested quietly.
“Oh, I understand far more than you think,” Caballeron said smugly.
“Ahuizotl put you up to this, then,” Daring Do replied. “Don’t give him the ring! He’ll use it to control the Fortress of Talacon and subject the valley to eight centuries of unrelenting heat!”
“Of course he will, but I don’t care about that,” Caballeron replied. “He can do whatever he wants with the ring, so long as I receive a substantial reward for my part in his scheme. If he wants to be overlord of Teoxecala, so be it. I’ll be far from here by the time the heat comes, and who knows? The way things have been the past few years, none may even suspect that Talacon has anything do with this.”
“I will, and I’ll come for Ahuizotl!” Daring Do exclaimed.
“Of course, my dear,” Caballeron said condescendingly. “But even if you truly had a chance to defeat a Great One, you won’t be given the opportunity. Your story ends here.”
“No, it won’t!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, finally propelled into action, and she crashed through the window, making the presence of the Brave Companions known to those inside the cottage.
Caballeron looked over at Rainbow Dash, but his eyes went wide as he spotted a stunned alicorn behind her. The sorcerer supreme teleported away, taking his baffled thugs with him a few moments later. Rainbow Dash hurried over to Daring Do, who was still paralyzed on the floor.
“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash called for someone with more sorcerous expertise.
Twilight Sparkle teleported into the cottage and dispelled the spell of paralysis over Daring Do. Rainbow offered a hoof to help Daring Do up as the other Brave Companions entered the cottage, but the pegasus batted it away.
“Let me be,” Daring Do said through gritted teeth as she struggled to her hooves by herself.
“Um, she was just trying to help,” Fluttershy interjected.
“Did I ask for help?” Daring Do asked with a pointed glare. “I don’t want or need your help. Leave. Me. Be.”
Daring Do stalked out past the surprised Brave Companions and back down the path she’d come up recently as A.K. Yearling. The Brave Companions filed back outside to watch her go, standing among the scattered contents of the scribe and adventurer’s home.
“We have to help her!” Rainbow Dash insisted.
“She does not want our help, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “She was quite transparent on that point.”
“We can’t stand by and let Teoxecala fall to eight centuries of heat!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“Maybe not, but it is none of our business,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Calamities happen all across Equus all the time, and we cannot be the ones to stop every one of them.”
“But we’re here now,” Rainbow Dash emphasized. “We can’t just return home without doing anything!”
“Forgive me if I misunderstood, but didn’t that Caballeron fella say that Ahuizotl’s a Great One, like Discord?” Applejack said.
“Exactly!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, though the farmer hadn’t meant to back the Hunter up. “We’re the only ones who have defeated a Great One, and we can do it again.”
“We defeated Discord with the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight pointed out. “And we are not the only ones to defeat Great Ones. Yliiena the First defeated many of them and imprisoned them in Tartarus.”
“Yes, and Yliiena was an alicorn, just like you. We can do this, Twilight!” Rainbow said.
“Perhaps,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “If we can locate the Fortress of Talacon, then perhaps we can remove or destroy the Rings of Scorchero—assuming everything in A.K. Yearling’s books are accurate—and in doing so, destroy the fortress. Fighting Ahuizotl directly should be a last resort; even Daring Do doesn’t battle him head-on, according to the books. It will have to be a well-planned strategy, but perhaps we can pull it off. The one thing we cannot afford to do is rush in without a plan and—”
“Um, Twilight, darling,” Rarity interrupted Twilight from her spiel of reasoning. “Rainbow Dash has already flown off after Daring Do.”
***
Daring Do had been able to vanish quickly, something Rainbow Dash would normally be impressed by, if it weren’t now impeding her ability to help her heroine. Luckily for her, though, she had a Hunter’s senses, which meant she could spot a camouflaged pegasus flying through the trees that would’ve been invisible to anyone else. She was nervous about what to say to her idol as she descended, but it couldn’t be put it off forever.
“Daring Do!” she called as she got closer—and was rewarded by a mace swung at her head that splintered the tree behind her as she dropped out of the way.
“Oh, it’s you,” Daring Do said in annoyance and put the mace away. “I thought I told you to stay away.”
“That’s not Rainbow Dash’s style,” the Hunter said as she flew alongside Daring Do. “I couldn’t let Ahuizotl take over the valley.”
“I’m the one who is responsible for foiling Ahuizotl,” Daring Do said saltily. “You should find some other monster to hunt.”
“My friends and I, we’re the Brave Companions, and we’ve done far more than hunt monsters,” Rainbow assured her. “Maybe you’ve heard of us?”
“Can’t say that I have,” Daring Do said grouchily.
“Just give me a chance, and I’ll show you I can help.”
“I. Work. Alone,” Daring Do said as she pushed Rainbow away.
“But, why?” Rainbow asked.
“Partnerships never work out for me,” Daring Do said, then sighed. “Listen, you’ve read my stories, right?”
“Yes, several times,” Rainbow Dash said ardently.
“Ever read a story where I was working with somepony else?” Daring Do asked with skeptical eyes.
“Well … no,” Rainbow said.
“That’s because they all ended badly, so I didn’t include them,” Daring said as she flew on.
“That doesn’t mean things will end badly this time,” Rainbow protested.
“I’d rather not take a chance on a pony I’ve just met.”
“Well, I can tell you all about myself if you tell me about yourself,” Rainbow Dash suggested hopefully.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Daring Do said with finality.
“At least let me come along,” Rainbow Dash pleaded.
“Since it seems I don’t have much choice in the matter,” Daring Do said angrily, looking pointedly at Rainbow Dash and accepting the situation, “Fine, but stay out of my way.”
Rainbow Dash nodded with excitement and gave herself a moment to enjoy the fact that she was accompanying the Daring Do on an adventure.
“So, did everything in your stories really happen?” Rainbow Dash asked the first of her long list of questions for Daring Do. The adventurer groaned, regretting her capitulation already.
***
It was dark by the time Rainbow Dash and Daring Do caught up to Caballeron and his goons. They had pitched camp in the jungle and were sitting around a fire, conversing in low voices, while the two pegasi watched and waited in the foliage. Rainbow Dash had either run out of questions at last or sensed the necessity of quiet. Daring Do looked over at her, the Hunter’s eyes glowing slightly in the dark, and wondered if she would truly stand back and let her do her work. The adventurer would be taking a risk by trusting this pony, but it was a necessary one to save her home.
Rainbow Dash noticed Daring Do staring at her, but before she could open her mouth to ask a question, Daring Do slithered off through the underbrush toward Caballeron’s camp. The group hadn’t thought to post any sentries, but Daring Do knew that Caballeron wasn’t quite enough of a fool to leave his camp undefended. Prizing a stone out of the ground, she tossed it to interrupt the magical field Caballeron was projecting around the camp; while he sent a thug to investigate, she slipped in from another direction. She ran a knife carefully down the back of the nicest tent and slipped inside to search for the missing ring.
Rainbow Dash waited impatiently for Daring Do to reappear. There was no disturbance in the camp, but she’d been inside for what Rainbow Dash thought was a long time. Perhaps she should attempt to sneak in as well and search another tent. She’d promised Daring Do she’d stay out of her way, but … surely that didn’t apply if Daring Do was in trouble, did it? The sound of toppling trees pulled Rainbow’s attention away from the camp, and she turned to see the towering figure of Ahuizotl step into the firelight.
“Caballeron!” the Great One bellowed, and Caballeron’s henchponies cowered upon coming face-to-face with Ahuizotl. “Where is my ring?”
“Oh, great Ahuizotl,” Caballeron said calmly, “I, of course, have your ring, but I believe we agreed upon payment.”
Ahuizotl grumbled and snapped the fingers on his tail. A sizeable pouch of coin materialized in front of Caballeron, dropping to the ground in front of the sorceror.
“Much appreciated,” said Caballeron. “The ring is within my tent.”
As Caballeron made to trot over and retrieve the ring from the tent Daring Do had vanished into, Ahuizotl reached down and tore the tent open, exposing Daring Do with the ring in her mouth.
“Daring Do!” Ahuizotl bellowed, as Caballeron and his thugs made themselves scarce.
The Great One slammed his massive fists down around Daring Do, but she deftly dodged his strikes. With a snap of his tail hand, Ahuizotl summoned into being a pack of wildcats made from jade. Together, they penned Daring Do in and kept her from flying away.
“Daring Do, that ring belongs to me!” Ahuizotl howled.
“Fat chance, Ahuizotl,” Daring Do retorted. “Your scheme will fail, just like all the ones before it.”
“You impudent little pony!” Ahuizotl yelled as he struck out toward her and his wildcats attacked.
Daring Do jumped and dodged and ran, narrowly avoiding attacks. She struck out at the jade wildcats whenever she could, cracking their exteriors; and as she jumped over one to strike at its already cracked head with her mace, she shattered it into dust. Ahuizotl grumbled and snapped his tail again, creating another wildcat to replace the destroyed one. Rainbow Dash thought she saw an opportunity to help, with Ahuizotl’s back to her and his focus on Daring Do. If she could slice off his tail hand, then he would be severely hampered. The Hunter emerged from the undergrowth and surged toward Ahuizotl with sword drawn, but the Great One spotted her and swiped her out of the air with a forehand. Rainbow Dash tumbled across the ground and would have recovered had Ahuizotl’s hand not pinned her forcefully down, sinking her into the dirt and causing the sword to fly from her mouth.
“No!” Daring Do called as Ahuizotl pushed Rainbow into the ground, accidentally allowing one of the jade wildcats to pounce on her.
“Surrender, Daring Do!” Ahuizotl demanded as he continued to force Rainbow Dash down, dirt cresting now over her.
“Fine, but leave her alone!” Daring Do demanded.
“Don’t do it,” Rainbow Dash tried to say, but she was having difficulty breathing.
Ahuizotl released his grip on Rainbow Dash, and when the Hunter saw him next, he was stalking away—Daring Do encased in jade held in one massive hand, the golden ring spinning on his tail finger.
***
Rainbow Dash remained encased in the ground for a while. If she struggled, she could probably work herself free, but she had no will to do so. Ahuizotl was going to win, and it was all her fault. Eventually, as sun started to filter through the leaves high above, the soil moved away from her and she was propelled back up to the surface.
“Oh, thank heavens you’re all right!” Rarity said.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked as she helped Rainbow Dash to her hooves.
All the Brave Companions were assembled around the Hunter, looking at her worriedly.
“No, I’m not okay,” Rainbow Dash said dejectedly, “You were right, Twilight. We should have left Daring Do and gone home. Because of me, she was captured by Ahuizotl and the valley is doomed. We should leave.”
“Leave? Now? It sounds like Darin’ Do needs our help more’n ever,” Applejack said.
“That’s what I thought, but my ‘help’ only led to more trouble. We should let Daring Do be the hero she is.”
“No, Rainbow,” Twilight said kindly. “You were not wrong about everything. We have become heroes as well, and to stand aside when we know there is a wrong to be righted would not be proper. I never thought I would see the day when Rainbow Dash did not recognize how heroic she herself is, but it seems idolizing Daring Do has done it.”
“But what can we do?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I saw Ahuizotl, and he is a fierce foe.”
“We will defeat him the way Daring Do has in the past—not by facing him head-on, but by outsmarting him.”
“But Daring Do doesn’t want our help,” Rainbow Dash objected.
“Maybe not, but it does sound like she needs it,” Twilight said. “The Fortress of Talacon is nearby. I, for one, intend to finish this journey. Are you with us, Rainbow Dash?”
“I am,” Rainbow replied after some thought.
“Then let’s get going before this place gets any hotter,” Pinkamena said as she bounded off through the jungle.
***
The Fortress of Talacon was a large overgrown ruin, but like many ancient ruins in Stygra, it was packed with still-functional traps and elaborate execution devices. Daring Do was entrapped in one such device, which, if it worked properly, would gradually submerge her in piranha-infested waters so that she would be slowly devoured before drowning. Ahuizotl had left her here in order to commence his ceremony to take control of the fortress, but she had no intention of waiting around. The braces holding her to the wall were sturdy, but the mortar holding them in place had become less so over time. Daring Do was slowly working her way free and had managed to get her hindlegs loose, but it was becoming apparent that the waters were rising too rapidly for her to escape before she was submerged. Piranhas were jumping from the water in anticipation of their forthcoming meal, when Rainbow Dash suddenly flew in through the chamber’s broken ceiling. Drawing her sword, she began loosening the rest of the restraints holding Daring Do.
“What are you doing here?” Daring Do asked as Rainbow broke her free.
“Saving you,” Rainbow replied, sheathing her sword as they flew up to an exit door.
“Daring Do doesn’t need saving,” the mare insisted.
“So you told me,” Rainbow Dash said skeptically. “But I don’t listen very well.”
“Apparently not,” Daring Do retorted before softening. “Come on, we have to stop Ahuizotl before he completes the ring-placing ceremony.”
Much to Daring Do’s appreciation, Rainbow Dash chose not to dwell on the “we” in that sentence and followed her without question through the twisting, sometimes collapsed, passages of the Fortress of Talacon. Their journey brought them to a vast chamber that had once been a feast hall. Ahuizotl lounged on a throne that had been stripped of its gold long ago, looking out over an army of spear-wielding followers tapping the butts of their weapons in time as two of their number carried the ring to the top of a pillar in front of the throne. The pillar had many rings already around it, decreasing in size the further up they went.
“If they place that ring, Ahuizotl will seize the fortress’s power, but if we can remove the bottom ring, the fortress will collapse in on itself,” Daring Do whispered. “If only we could get through this army.”
“I don’t think that will be much of a problem,” Rainbow Dash whispered back, and Daring Do looked at her quizzically.
Rainbow Dash signaled to her friends, strategically concealed across the feast hall, and chaos broke out. Twilight Sparkle revealed herself and a path of fire streaked out from her, consuming some of Ahuizotl’s followers. The others cried out in panic and rushed to attack the alicorn. Applejack and Rarity jumped out from the sides to attack them with plundered spears, adding to the confusion.
“Quickly, you fools! Place the ring!” Ahuizotl commanded, and the pegasi holding it hurried to lift it the rest of the way.
Pinkamena bounded out of nowhere and knocked one of them aside, and the other quickly flew up and dropped it toward the pillar. Fluttershy swooped down from above and grabbed it before it could fall down the pillar, spiriting it away with an “eek!” as she saw Ahuizotl’s enraged stare directed her way. She tossed the ring away into the crowd of fighting ponies as Ahuizotl pursued her, leaving the pillar open.
While magic and blows were exchanged throughout the feast-hall and the ring was knocked back and forth, Rainbow Dash and Daring Do hurried to the pillar and began removing rings. Fortunately, in the chaos, nopony noticed the golden rings falling to the ground and rolling away. They were soon at the bottom, but the final ring had been fused to the base of the pillar. Rainbow Dash rustled through her saddlebags and managed to find a vial of garkain blood that, after pouring it around the ring, broke the fuse and allowed them to lift it.
“I may not have asked for it, but I must admit I am grateful you came to save me,” Daring Do said as the pegasi together strained to lift the extraordinarily heavy ring. “If it wasn’t for your help, I might have had to return later with another plan to destroy the fortress.”
Rainbow Dash tried to contain her glee as she helped Daring Do lift the ring the rest of the way. As it neared the top, the fortress began to shudder in anticipation, ready to collapse into the ground the moment the ring was fully removed. Alarmed, Ahuizotl turned from his sorcerous battle with Twilight to spy what was going on behind him.
“Stop them!” he shouted, and he was struck in the side of the face by crystals, which he grasped with a hairy fist and threw back at Twilight’s magical shield.
Ahuizotl’s acolytes tried to stop Rainbow Dash and Daring Do, prodding at them with their spears, but it was too late. With one last heave, they tipped the last ring away from the pillar. As it thudded to the ground, the floor gave way beneath it. Walls collapsed and pillars gave way as the fortress, no longer sustained by the magic of the rings, gave in to its age, weight, and the vast open space its creators had foolishly carved out beneath it.
“This isn’t the end, Daring Do!” Ahuizotl shouted as he clambered through the rubble as it dragged him down.
As he reached out for the storied heroine, his hands closed on nothing. Twilight Sparkle managed to teleport all of them out of the crumbling fortress to the remains of Caballeron’s camp. In the distance, a pillar of dust obscured the sun, heralding the death throes of Talacon as it settled into the ground.
“Do you think that’s the end of Ahuizotl?” Rarity asked as she brushed stone dust from her clothes and was shocked to find a spearhead caught in her dress.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Daring Do said as she stared at the pillar. “Thank you, all of you, for your help. I need to make myself scarce for a bit, to lead Ahuizotl away from my home. Will you let King Brama’an know A.K. Yearling is fine, just on an … extended leave of absence? He’ll understand.”
“Of course,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“Thanks,” Daring Do said as she took off and flew away, vanishing among the trees.
“Well, at least I know she’s safe,” King Brama’an said, “Although, I wish she’d told me herself. I don’t know why I keep that scribe around.”
The Brave Companions, fresh off their adventure with Daring Do, had done as she’d asked and returned to King Brama’an with word that his scribe was alive but would be absent from court for some time—or rather, that such would be the case for her alter ego, A.K. Yearling. The king’s court within his pyramidal palace was much fuller than when the Brave Companions had been here before; understandable, since they’d first arrived unannounced. Even so, only a day had passed and already the court was replete with important ponies, gryphons, zebras, felii, and satyrs from both Teoxecala and beyond. The king had wasted no time in sending out messages bragging that the Brave Companions had come to visit his kingdom, and his neighbors had answered by sending their own representatives to see the ponies of legend. One felis shifted nervously back and forth on his padded paws during the audience, eyes fixed upon the Brave Companions with an intensity not found in the other attendees.
“I am glad you returned to tell me this,” the king said, “As is the delegate from Queen Arbetes, it seems.”
King Brama’an motioned to the nervous felis, who looked up at the king and nodded.
“Well, it is good that the queen and I have such fine relations,” Brama’an said somewhat threateningly. “Please, conduct whatever business you require.”
The court was released to do whatever they desired, but most remained in the throne room, talking amongst themselves. Some left down side passages, toward private rooms and refreshments. However, the felis that had been watching the Brave Companions approached them with a touch of hesitance. His coat was red like the bricks of Manehattan, with brown stripes running along it, though most of his fur was covered by a loose tunic draped over one shoulder. The tunic was of a simple, dull fabric, but the crescent-shaped golden plate that hung around his neck and stretched from shoulder to shoulder was anything but, studded with jewels and covered in elaborate engravings.
“Oh great Brave Companions, will you come with this one to discuss this one’s mistress’s request?” the felis asked as he bent at the waist until his torso was parallel with the floor.
“Of course,” Twilight Sparkle said, and the felis straightened. “What is your name?”
“This one is called Leyam,” Leyam responded as he led the group toward one of the throne room’s outward passages.
The Brave Companions followed Leyam to a modest room with various colored masks covering the walls. Plush divans and cushions waited for the ponies, dragonling, and felis to sit upon, and there was chilled mango wine available to sip while discussing business. The Brave Companions and Spike took seats, while Ream and Baldavin stood guard at the doorless doorway. Leyam also remained standing, interweaving and unweaving his fingers as he waited for the Brave Companions to get settled.
“Oh great Brave Companions, when this one’s mistress, Queen Arbetes of Sparz Eru—may her reign be bountiful and long—heard that the Brave Companions were at King Brama’an’s court, she sent this one to find you. This one speaks Bruandish and some Low Equestrian, so this one was chosen, you see,” Leyam said. “This one’s mistress seeks your help in a matter of great importance. For over a year now, we have been plagued by a sorceress’s tower that appeared mysteriously in Penum, the seat of this one’s mistress. The felii of Penum are assaulted daily by gargoyles from this dark tower, and no matter how many are felled by Hunters, they return the following day. No sorceress has been able to enter the tower and live, but this one’s mistress believes an alicorn may succeed where others have failed. Will you accompany this one to Penum, to speak to Queen Arbetes of Sparz Eru—may her reign be bountiful and long—and to save us from this plague?”
“Well, if I rightly followed ‘this one’s’ explanation, I don’t see how we can refuse,” Applejack said.
“I agree,” Rainbow Dash added. “If Hunters and sorceresses can’t take care of this, maybe they really do need the Brave Companions.”
“Yes,” Twilight Sparkle said, “It sounds like the felii of Sparz Eru are in serious trouble. I think Countess Sundown can wait a little bit longer to regain her knowledge of how to speak Bruandish.”
***
The Brave Companions wasted no time in setting off for Penum with Leyam, but they couldn’t go to the city immediately. Ever since the tower had appeared, Leyam shared, sorceresses had complained of an inability to teleport within Penum; the same was true when it came to opening portals, which intrigued Twilight to no end. The city was only a half-day’s journey away, but the Brave Companions were not equipped for a long journey through the sweltering jungles of southern Stygra. Fortunately, King Brama’an was generous enough (and grateful for the prestige granted by their appearance at his court) to provide them with more appropriate attire that would still fulfill Equestrian modesty. After spending the night in Teoxecala, they set out before dawn, in the cool of the morning, for Sparz Eru.
While Brama’an’s kingdom was predominantly pegasi with large minorities of gryphons and earth ponies, in the patchwork nature of Stygra, Queen Arbetes’s neighboring kingdom was felisne. The cat-people were in charge here, a fact abundantly clear as the Brave Companions entered through a side door off a main gate that was proportioned for taller creatures. Many buildings along the street they exited onto had upper floors reachable only by ladders with rungs that were too narrow and curved to work well for pony hooves but would be ideal for creatures with fingers[. Statues of felii in suits of harsh-edged armor were tucked between the buildings wherever space allowed.
“Where is everybody?” Pinkamena wondered aloud as they trotted down the empty street.
“They are hiding from the gargoyles,” Leyam said at a whisper. “It is near to the time they usually come to life, and nobody wishes to be caught outside.”
Ream, Baldavin, and Rainbow Dash stayed alert as they trotted through the silent town, the only discernable sound being horseshoes ringing off cobblestones. The buildings of Penum were closely packed, making it difficult to view the city’s scope or many features beyond what was immediately visible, especially when Leyam kept leading them down hidden passages and alleys in order to reach the royal palace while also avoiding the cursed tower.
As they emerged into a market square where the fabric covers of abandoned stalls flapped in the slight, hot wind, another sound broke the tense silence. The frantic pattering of paws against stone revealed a felis in similar attire to Leyam running between the stalls, a clay amphora sloshing with water held tightly to his chest.
“I thought you said nobody would be outside,” Rarity mentioned to Leyam, who was urging them with a forepaw to continue following him, his posture suddenly more hunched and stealthy.
“That one is a slave whose master or mistress neglected to send him out for water earlier,” Leyam disclosed in a whisper.
“A slave?” Fluttershy asked in surprise.
An ear-piercing shriek sounded from above, and Leyam instinctively hunched even lower. The slave’s eyes widened, and he put on a desperate burst of speed. Suddenly, a hideous gargoyle plunged down from the sky and grabbed him. The amphora fell and shattered as the monster rose into the sky, the felis kicking and screaming until his neck was snapped. The gargoyle dropped his prize, and the felis crashed into a market stand, the fabric draped over the top caving and wrapping him up by the time the broken body struck the ground. The necklace that had been around his neck soon followed, a broad iron crescent with simple engravings.
“Come, hurry!” Leyam said desperately. “We cannot linger! The palace is not far!”
Reluctantly, the Brave Companions heeded Leyam’s urging and left the felis’s body while the gargoyle winged away over the rooftops. The palace’s entrance dominated the eastern end of the market square, a long set of shallow stairs ascending to the grand doorway. Along the ascent was a progression of felisne statues holding spears regally. Many of the statues had lost their heads, long furrows from gargoyle claws gouged in the stone. There were no guards posted at the grand doorway, but Leyam led them through another side entrance. Through that door were several nervous felii, wielding fresh-forged gisarmes, who nearly attacked the group as they rushed in. Leyam conversed with them rapidly in a felisne tongue none of the Brave Companions could understand, and they were allowed to pass.
“Come, this way,” Leyam said to the Brave Companions. “My mistress will be awaiting us.”
“Leyam, are you a slave?” Rarity asked as they trotted into the grand entryway; it would usually be open to the market were it not for the gargoyle attacks.
“Yes, this one belongs to Queen Arbetes of Sparz Eru—may her reign be bountiful and long,” Leyam replied matter-of-factly.
“That must be awful,” Fluttershy said softly. “I’m sorry.”
“Do not be. It is a great honor to serve her majesty. This one is fortunate,” Leyam replied. He then stopped to consider that these foreigners would not understand how things were done in Sparz Eru, having come from a place that had eradicated slavery in any form long ago. “While all would prefer freedom, this one’s father failed to fulfill his debts, and so this one must atone for his sin through service. This one’s children, if this one were to have any, will be free of debt and free to do as they wish. This one’s slavery shall not pass to them.”
While the system sounded fair on the surface and a way to completely repay debt, Twilight knew from her studies that such systems were innately flawed, tending to keep families in slavery—even if only every other generation. Slaves’ children often ended up getting into debt as their grandparents had, whether maliciously or accidentally, condemning their children to servitude all over again. It was a cycle with no hope of breaking free, since it was in society’s interest to keep slaves around and to continuously create new slaves by forcing its free members into debt. However, this wasn’t something she could bring up to Leyam as they were approaching Queen Arbetes’s throne.
Queen Arbetes was a felis with light gray fur, with concentric rings of white, then black, around her eyes, causing the bright blue orbs to appear sunken and luminescent in her face. Her face’s fur was drawn out in tufts that made it appear wider than it truly was, and her whiskers were excessively long and painstakingly straightened. She wore no crown upon her head in the Equestrian sense, though a crescent-shaped golden plate studded with jewels hung on her forehead, suspended by string colored in colorful beads. Another strand of beads and jewels hung down from the bottom of the plate along her nose, ending in a sizeable sphere of amber. How she didn’t go cross-eyed from looking at it was a mystery. Her attire matched that of the statues lined up outside the palace, loose-fitting robes of fine orange silk draped over her body in an elaborate pattern of folding, wrapping, and tucking that must have taken considerable skill and time. A spear sat across her knees that looked to serve a purely ceremonial purpose, as the diamond-studded, golden, blunted tip would be no good in a fight.
“Hekí Tekkiteriko’un, metik g’deka tlega’ek dera melegelek tegeriga ezeme akerege[1],” Queen Arbetes said as she looked down at the Brave Companions from atop her golden throne.
“Brave Companions, Queen Arbetes of Sparz Eru—may her reign be bountiful and long—thanks you for coming at her request,” Leyam translated as he scurried forward to stand and face the ponies.
“When we heard of your problem, we could not help but come,” Twilight Sparkle replied, and Leyam translated for the queen.
“You will take care of the alicorn, tower, then?” Queen Arbetes said in Feltlaka and Leyam translated. “What would you ask in return?”
“Can we get paid for this?” Rainbow Dash asked the group.
“Well, we are here on our own, not at the behest of Celestia. I do not see why not, though we have never asked payment for our services before. If we did, it might change the perception of the Brave Companions,” Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully. “If it pleases your majesty, may we decide our payment after we have dealt with the … alicorn tower and know what it is we have faced?”
Arbetes nodded as Leyam translated and tapped her fingers on the shaft of her ornamental staff.
“That is acceptable to me,” the queen said. “Once you have accomplished your task, return here and we shall discuss your payment.”
“So, where is this mysterious tower?” Applejack asked.
The queen said something to Leyam in Feltlaka, and her slave nodded.
“The tower is beyond the market square, in the Plaza of Queens,” Leyam told the Brave Companions. “Come, this one shall take you there.”
Leyam led them back through the unusually dark and stuffy palace. All the windows had been covered to prevent gargoyles from entering and an excessive amount of torches had been lit to make up for the loss of natural light, resulting in a perpetual cloud of smoke hovering at the ceiling. They exited through the same door they’d entered by and descended the stairs to the market square. They kept to the walls this time, watching the sky for descending gargoyles, but none showed themselves. As Leyam led them through the square, he snatched up the fallen slave’s necklace without a pause and examined its engraving briefly before tucking it away in the pouch slung over his shoulder.
Past the market square was a street that had been closed off above as successive layers of homes had eventually joined together into an arch. At the end of the street, they emerged into a wide plaza filled with mostly defunct fountains and more statues like those in front of the palace. In the center of the plaza, surrounded by shattered statuary, was the tower that had caused Penum to grind to a halt. Twilight Sparkle gasped when she saw it, for it was familiar to her. Over a year ago, she’d spent a long time staring balefully at this tower. At that time, it had been located in the Principality of Stalliongrad, within the walls of Castle Garland. This was Yliiena’s Tower, absurdly out of place here with its gray northern Equestrian stone, teetering on the brink of collapse yet standing unmoved. When Castle Garland had been destroyed by chaos magic, Twilight had assumed the tower had finally fallen; instead, it apparently teleported itself here and started causing havoc. Twilight could sense waves of magic exuding from the tower, though they felt somehow broken or twisted.
“This is as far as this one goes,” Leyam told them, staying to the cover of the street. “This one has other business but will return and will report to this one’s mistress if it seems to this one that the curse is lifted from the tower.”
“Thank you, Leyam,” Rarity said and gave a slight bow to the slave, which seemed to shock him.
“Good luck to you,” Leyam said. “This one must be going.”
As Leyam departed, the Brave Companions approached the tower. Screeches from a gargoyle could be heard distantly but none seemed nearby, and those still perched on the tower (many missing large portions of their body) seemed inert. It became apparent as they got nearer why the queen must have considered an alicorn’s magic necessary to vanquish the tower. Twilight Sparkle had never gotten a chance during the Siege of Castle Garland to see Yliiena’s Tower up close, but now she could see that the base featured a weathered pattern of alicorns ascending in a spiral. When there had still been a wooden staircase wrapped around the outside to reach the door above, they would've appeared to be climbing it. The original staircase must have rotted away long ago and the most recent one destroyed by the teleportation of the tower, but getting up to the door (again flanked by alicorns) would be no problem for the Brave Companions.
Twilight was reluctant to use her magic here when she wasn’t certain what effect it might cause, so she flew up to the door instead, only once faltering in her flight. The door was unlocked and creaked open as she pushed a hoof against it, revealing a room flooded with darkness. The other winged members of their party flew up while carrying others. While they were still moving everybody from the ground to the tower entrance, unearthly cries sounded nearby.
“Hurry!” Twilight called as Rainbow Dash grabbed Ream and Spike scrambled onto Fluttershy’s back.
The two of them reached the door as gargoyles flew over the plaza toward the tower, and Twilight slammed the door shut behind them. They stood tensely for a minute arrayed around the door, but the gargoyles didn’t attempt to break in and instead flew off in search of other prey. Apparently, protecting the tower didn’t involve attacking intruders once they were inside. Yliiena probably had something else prepared for that. It was clear to Twilight now that she was among the spell matrix that permeated the tower—that Yliiena the First’s complex web of magic she’d laid over her home over six thousand years earlier was deteriorating, to disastrous effect. Teleporting from Castle Garland all the way to the middle of Stygra had been the final straw that had broken the ancient alicorn’s enchantments. If they were going to end the gargoyles’ repeated terrorizing of the Penumians, then Twilight was going to need to dismantle what Yliiena had built so long ago.
Around them, reality seemed to flicker back and forth between what the tower had become as part of Castle Garland and what it had been in Yliiena’s time. Barrels holding spare weapons gave way to ornate cabinets. A banner from Vasil’s rebellion traded places with tapestries featuring Yliiena. The only thing that stayed constant through the shift were the mummified bodies on the floor, mostly felisne. There were some who had entered the tower and never gotten farther than this room. Twilight felt the spell matrix strain as it struggled to keep two opposing realities in place within the same space. All at once, it snapped, and everything resolved to how Yliiena had left her tower.
“Um . . . could you please get down?” Fluttershy asked Spike.
“Oh, sorry,” he said as he sheepishly dismounted Fluttershy.
He would never admit it, but he missed riding upon Twilight’s back. Both because of her new wings and his own growth, he was no longer allowed to occupy the place he once had, easily taking notes for Twilight as she handled the locomotion. Now he stood nearly eye-to-eye with most adult ponies and was too heavy for most to carry him comfortably. If only he had his own wings to help carry him around—though from watching Twilight get accustomed to hers, he had the feeling he wouldn’t be able to fly immediately.
“What now, Your Highness?” Ream asked.
“Well, it appears that Yliiena the First’s protective spell matrix is disintegrating.” Twilight explained what she’d only been analyzing in her own head up to this point. “It must have brought the gargoyles back to life and be maintaining them. That is the least of our worries, though. If the spell matrix collapses, it could wipe out most of Penum.”
“What are we goin’ t’ do?” Applejack asked.
“I am going to collapse the spell matrix,” Twilight Sparkle announced, to shocked reactions. “Carefully and in a controlled manner, it should merely fold in on itself and dispel rather than erupting explosively. I can sense several key nodes above us that I will need to dismantle.”
“Well, up it is, I suppose,” Rarity said.
Pinkamena bounded ahead up the stairs, holding one of the cold-flame torches that had appeared on the walls as the tower shifted back to how Yliiena had left it, and the others followed. The struggling spell matrix made a hum that was audible to all, not just Twilight, serving as a constant companion as they ascended. They passed by and through several floors furnished by the first alicorn, for both living and study. Twilight longed to pore through the scattered books, but there was no time for that; perhaps later, if they remained after the spell matrix was destroyed. Twilight warned the group when they were about to enter the floor where she sensed the nearest node, and Baldavin cautiously advanced first, sword drawn. A quick double-tap of a hindhoof near the stairway let them know it was safe to follow.
“Well, I certainly didn’t expect this,” Baldavin expressed as they joined him.
“Oh my, that is a lot of red,” Fluttershy said.
When Twilight Sparkle entered the room, she saw what they were talking about. This entire floor had been converted into a chapel, with stained-glass windows ringing the walls. Between some of them were bookshelves, but the remainder of the walls were covered in banners of the Inquisition. The banners were blood-red and featured the “I” character with an eye atop it and three thin crossbars representing Faust’s wings. Yliiena the First had lived during the Age of Uncertainty, a chaotic time following the Conjunction. With the appearance of sorcery, the Church of One, like many things, had been left divided and in disarray. There was disagreement whether they should view sorcery as a gift of Faust or a dark power gained from communion with Ruthus and his Sundered. A schism rent the Church and threatened to tear it apart completely, so the Pontiff formed the Inquisition to investigate sorcery and determine the appropriate response to it. Inquisitors of both persuasions roved Equus with a free hoof, often abusing their power to persecute fledgling sorceresses; in the end, the consensus was that sorcery was good, not evil. As the story went, it was Yliiena the First’s actions that had finally forced a determination, so perhaps that was why she had so many accoutrements of the Inquisition here.
The Brave Companions looked around the room, unsure what to do, as Twilight paced to a vestibule, grabbing a book off a shelf and idly flipping through it. It was written in Old Equestrian, as she’d expected, so she could only recognize one word in thirty from half-remembered scholarly research on truly ancient texts. This language was closer to the Language of the Horns than modern High or Low Equestrian, and it was what Yliiena would have spoken in her day and age. There was one word Twilight did recognize, repeated over and over: alhikon, Old Equestrian for alicorn. There were also familiar diagrams sketched in the tome, detailing how to undergo alicornification, but they were not quite the same as those in the book Celestia had given her prior to her alicornification. It must have been part of Yliiena’s study of how to undergo the process she’d pioneered and every sorceress since then had tried to mimic. How had she come up with such a mad idea to transform one’s body and gain immense magical potential?
Twilight Sparkle looked up from the book at the stained-glass windows in the alcove; impossibly, direct light shone through all of them. Each window featured Hea and Eoi, the mythical original ponies the Church of One claimed to be the progenitors of all intelligent life. Together the four windows told the story as the mare and stallion were created, rejoiced in Paradise, were deceived by Ruthus into releasing his Discordant Hymn, and were finally expelled from Paradise. Prior to the Crusade for Equestria, the pair had usually been depicted as unicorns, but in attempt to convert the pegasi the unicorns had conquered, the Church had taken to depicting them as a conglomeration of races. Faust was depicted as a six-winged alicorn and her Holy Chargers as four-winged alicorns, so they had chosen to make Hea and Eoi two-winged alicorns. They didn’t look entirely like the alicorns Twilight knew, with cloven hooves and scales upon their backs, but it was clear that this was where Yliiena had gotten her inspiration for alicornification. She had been attempting to restore ponykind to a more ancient, more complete form, and what shocked Twilight most was that somehow, in some way, it had worked.
“Twilight, come look at this,” Rainbow Dash called, and Twilight turned away from the vestibule, closing her book.
At the other end of the room was a wooden ponnequin wearing an Inquisitor’s attire: blood-red robes and a wide-brimmed hat. Rainbow Dash had been examining it but was now looking at a portrait hanging on the wall nearby. The painting depicted several mares and stallions in Inquisitorial robes, though one in the group caught Twilight’s attention: a unicorn mare with a blue coat and golden mane. It was, without a doubt, Yliiena. Nopony ever thought of Yliiena the First as religious, but this room proved that not only had she been a believer in the Church of One but also a member of the Inquisition, at least before she had become an alicorn. Twilight suspected that her role in causing the Inquisition to rule favorably on sorcery had been rather greater than anypony guessed.
“Stand back, everypony,” Twilight warned as she stared down Yliiena’s set of Inquisitorial robes.
While she could easily spend all day here perusing Yliiena’s tomes on alicornification (and rather less time on her religious texts and Inquisitorial guidebooks), Rainbow Dash had led her to the node on this floor. The local nexus of the spell matrix’s power was within the ponnequin. Twilight didn’t know what to expect as she reached out with her magic to dismantle the node. There were more mummified corpses here from sorceresses that had tried and failed to do the same thing, and it wasn’t hard to see why. The spell had been created by the first alicorn at the height of her power, and the node was incredibly strong. The pushback from it would’ve certainly destroyed Twilight Sparkle had she not been an alicorn, but with her newfound power, she began to collapse the spell matrix—slowly, carefully, compressing it so that it would burn itself out.
“Twilight!” Pinkamena cried in alarm, and Twilight opened her eyes.
The ponnequin no longer stood in front of her, but rather a hulking monstrosity, a golem formed from candelabras, Inquisitorial banners, and stained glass wrapped around the ponnequin. It bellowed, shards of glass tinkling, as it faced down Twilight. As Twilight had suspected, the gargoyles weren’t the only defenders Yliiena had left in her tower. The alicorn used her wings to dodge out of the way as the stained-glass golem attempted to crush her. Rainbow Dash, Ream, and Baldavin rushed in with their swords, attempting to help Twilight slay the awoken creature. Blades shattered glass but glanced off the candelabras, and the golem swung back at them. Ream and Baldavin were saved only by Twilight using her sorcery to push them away. Rainbow Dash hacked at the golem from above, but it ignited its candles to send gouts of flame shooting at the ceiling, forcing Rainbow to return to the ground. Its banners blazing, the golem stalked toward Twilight.
“Noya fekoti Ye’r ilardy![2]” the golem somehow managed to speak, accusing Twilight of not being Yliiena.
“Twilight, move aside!” Rainbow Dash called and she complied, dodging the golem’s attack at the same time.
The Hunter hurled a bomb at the golem, and the explosion sent glass and twisted iron flying.
“Falan otha Ye![3]” Twilight called, putting up a shield before she was perforated.
The explosion had torn a chunk of glass from the golem, opening a hole in its surface through which Twilight could see the node she had been attacking, now visible and glowing. With melted candle wax, Twilight quickly drew a magical semicircle on the ground in front of her.
“Ye seni cavan’r affle![4]” she cried, and a bolt of magical energy shot out from her, passed through the gap in the golem’s armor, and struck the sorcerous node.
The glow grew blindingly bright as Twilight’s attack joined with the immensely compressed power already there. After a moment, the light faded as it collapsed in on itself and shrunk away to nothing. Stained glass, candelabras, and banners crashed, clattered, and fluttered to the ground as the golem lost its shape, leaving the ponnequin at the center of the mayhem, the Inquisitorial robes untouched.
“Well, now we know what to expect,” Twilight said as she wiped her brow. “Come on, we should keep moving up.”
Twilight Sparkle led the way as the companions passed through more floors of Yliiena’s tower, ascending until they reached the next place she sensed a node. This floor, despite being higher up, was considerably larger than the ones below. Clearly this tower contained some powerful layered compressions spells. If they released unexpectedly, the tower would spread across Penum, crashing through buildings as if they didn’t exist as the tower tried to expand to fill its true size and beyond. Yliiena had taken advantage of this space to construct an orrery imbued with sorcery. The model of Equus at the center was twice the height of Twilight and actual water clung to the surface, tides shifting in tune with the moon that swung around it. Light beamed from the sun, which also orbited the globe at the center. Farther out still were various bands containing constellations, none of them familiar to Twilight.
Yliiena’s next great achievement after becoming an alicorn had been to create a way for a single pony to control the movement of the celestial bodies which no longer moved themselves after the Conjunction. Sorceresses had already discovered how to move the sun and moon when assembled together into cabals, but Yliiena had wanted to take that burden from them for herself. So far as Twilight knew, the spells that Yliiena had created for this purpose were the same spells that Celestia and Luna now used and kept very secret. Twilight examined the books lining the shelves along the walls and confirmed her suspicions; they were on Yliiena’s research into how to move the sun and moon. Perhaps somewhere in here were grimoires containing the final spells, which would have been useful to know at the solstice. Twilight Sparkle appreciated that her mentor desired to keep some important things secret like how to move the sun, lest her rivals attempt to imitate her power and dethrone her, but it made things difficult when she was unable to perform her duties. Her search at the solstice for spells to move sun and moon had been completely unsuccessful, so meticulous had Celestia been in eradicating them, and this room might be the last place to find them outside of asking her mentor to share the secret.
However, Twilight wasn’t going to learn anything at the moment. She needed time to decipher the texts and translate them from Old Equestrian into a more modern tongue, and in order to have that time, she needed to collapse the tower’s spell matrix. She examined the matrix here until she was confident in her plan to collapse the local nexus without causing the compression spells to release and explode the tower. They would need to be released eventually, but ideally after the rest of the spell matrix had been collapsed (and Twilight had saved the ancient, irreplaceable texts within). She approached the orrery, where the node was concentrated. Ream, Baldavin, and Rainbow Dash drew their swords, ready this time for a defender to appear. Twilight Sparkle followed the same pattern as before, unraveling and compressing the node in on itself to engineer a fizzle-out.
She kept her eyes open this time and was witness to the appearance of not one, but two elemental defenders. The light of the sun was siphoned off to form a flame elemental, and the water left the globe of Equus to join the moon before coalescing into a water elemental. The two elementals were unlike the stained-glass golem below, with upright torsos and arms instead of pony shapes, but they shared its intent to destroy Twilight for the crime of awakening them without being Yliiena.
As they came at her, the sorceress teleported away and cast an ice spell on the water elemental to freeze it. Its body fell to the ground, and the sword-wielding ponies began to hack at it, shattering the ice to pieces. There wasn’t much they could do about the fire elemental, but it pursued Twilight, screeching with a hot, throaty voice. Twilight stayed one step ahead of it, teleporting, as she tried to figure out how to defeat it. She was stunned when she found herself struck by water from behind and turned to face the water elemental. It had melted and reformed, none the worse for wear after her attack.
She tried to dodge attacks from both of them as they came at her more quickly, attempting to drown or burn her depending upon the composition of their bodies. As they pursued, she began to anticipate their reactions and used it to her advantage, positioning them by teleporting around the room. At last, she teleported to stand atop the globe of Equus, nearly slipping upon the north pole. Both elementals charged her instinctively, and she teleported away at the very last instant. The elementals collided and vanished in a puff of steam, extinguishing each other. As they did so, the node within the globe of Equus began to fold in on itself, fizzling out to nothing in a matter of seconds, just like the elementals Yliiena had created to protect it.
“How many more of these are there?” Rarity asked as Twilight examined the detail on the globe of Equus, including the ocean floor—visible now that the water had been removed.
“That should be half of them,” Twilight Sparkle announced as she made to lead them higher in the tower. “I can sense four nodes, and then a final lynchpin.”
“What kind of lynchpin?” Pinkamena asked.
“It is at the top of the tower and holds the whole spell matrix together,” Twilight explained as she climbed. “I need to collapse all these other major nodes first; otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous.”
The Brave Companions continued up the tower, with Twilight at the lead. The tower was littered with Yliiena’s possessions, left here for over six thousand years, and while Twilight wished to take the time to examine each and every one of them, they had to keep moving. Up they went until they arrived at the floor with the next node. Unlike the locations of the previous nodes, this floor was not devoted simply to one purpose, but divided into multiple rooms. The Brave Companions investigated them as Twilight made her way to where the node was.
A study was tucked into one corner with a lectern and several bookcases. Twilight leafed through a few books, and she recognized in one the exercises that she, and most every other sorceress, had practiced when learning how to teleport. Other books contained studies on how to create portals. Sitting open on the lectern was a tome turned to a diagram of Yliiena’s tower with fields drawn around it. Twilight realized that it was a diagram of the spell that Yliiena had used to prevent other sorceresses from teleporting into her home. Examining the diagram, it appeared Yliiena had found a way to prevent instantaneous transportation into the home but had allowed it within. Twilight hadn’t considered when she was fighting the fire and water elementals that she wouldn’t be able to teleport; she’d just done it on instinct but should have realized there was something strange about it working. From Twilight’s brief studies, she had found that only an extraordinarily sorceress or large cabal could create places where teleportation and portals would not work, but they all acted as a singular field. Yliiena had managed here what Twilight knew did not exist anywhere else: a field that blocked teleportation but had a pocket in the middle where it would still be allowed.
The node was centered on the book, and Twilight focused on collapsing it while preparing to face whatever defender she also conjured in the process. As the node neared collapse, mist began to billow from the book, coalescing into an ephemeral guardian. Instead of making a move to attack her, it instead glided past her and passed through a wall. Twilight chased after it, determined to get it before it got her friends.
“There is a phantom!” she cried as she burst into the room where most of them were assembled.
The apparition made itself known by phasing through a wall and vanishing through another, but it made no move to attack. It didn’t seem aggressive, but Twilight had a hard time believing this defender was any different from the ones on the floors below. It would likely attack from behind when they weren’t looking and hide until then. Twilight divided the Brave Companions into groups, and they set off to find it. The ephemeral creature flitted about both through the current floor and above and below as they spread out. It would appear for a moment and a group would cry out for Twilight, only to have it vanish by the time she joined them. Gradually, they managed to corral it by moving through rooms and boxing it in.
“Get it, Twilight!” Spike cried as the groups all met up in the room where they’d first assembled.
The phantom tried to ascend to the next floor, but Twilight didn’t give it a chance to escape again. She went all out with her alicorn power, zapping it with so much raw magic that it burst in an instant and the explosion took out the ceiling. Twilight watched in horror as stone, furniture, and books fell through while the node within the phantom burned itself down to nothing. The tower shifted slightly but settled after a moment and remained standing; it didn’t seem to be in danger of collapsing soon.
The Brave Companions continued up the tower to find the final node. Occasionally, a gargoyle could be heard from outside now as they neared and then passed the altitude of their perches. The last node led them to a floor more familiar than the last, with a large open room apart from the stairs. Each of the previous floors with nodes had had a theme, and this one seemed no different. Here the theme was monsters and Hunters. Ancient Hunter equipment was scattered around a workshop, something Rainbow Dash flew around and examined with delight. Yliiena the First had had a close relationship with the Hunters, much closer than most sorceresses had. She had been rumored to actually go out into the field with them and kill or capture monsters herself. Some of her trophies remained in this room, stuffed and hung from the walls or suspended overhead. The bookshelves were filled with incredibly thick tomes containing the results of her dissection of many monsters.
It hadn’t just been common monsters that she and the Hunters had gone after; they had also hunted the greatest monsters of all: the Great Ones. Twilight found a tome that seemed to be a comprehensive guide to all known Great Ones, with listings on some she recognized, either through studies or in the flesh, like Tirek and Ahuizotl, as well as others she had never heard of, like the Smooze and the Glassmare. Upon one wall was a framed map of Tartarus with its many layers and defenses constructed by Yliiena to imprison the Great Ones she and the Hunters had captured for all eternity. Perhaps it could prove useful, now that the Elements of Harmony were beyond their reach, to know how to imprison Discord here if he ever changed his mind.
On the table beneath the diagram lay another project Yliiena had apparently been working on near her death. Hunter orders had existed prior to the alicorn’s life, but not in their current form. She’d had a hoof in shaping them and, it seemed, in another important aspect of them. On the table were plans for an elite order that would recruit only a few members: the Wonderbolts. Parts of Wonderbolt armor also littered the table, dyed blue and yellow, the same colors as Yliiena. If they were able to remove things from this tower when they were done, Twilight wouldn’t be the only one eager to do so.
“Okay, everypony, one last time,” Twilight Sparkle told the group as she prepared to collapse the final node.
As it compressed near to the breaking point, a final defender revealed itself. The various trophies that Yliiena had collected during her life combined to form a hulking flesh golem in the center of the room that stared down Twilight with glassy eyes.
“Relax, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said as she drew her sword. “This is my expertise.”
The Hunter, emboldened by the memorabilia of her profession all around her, charged the flesh golem. She dodged its claws as it tried to swipe at her and circled around, drawing her blade across its side. Its maul-like tail struck her and flung her back into the stuffed remains of a serpent, but she soon recovered and flew back down at the golem. It snapped at her with three sets of mouths, but she dropped a bomb down one of its open jaws, blowing that head off. She sliced through the neck of another as she circled around, decapitating it. The golem tried to pin her with a paw, but she managed to wriggle free and slice at the wrist. She flung knives from her belt at the beast, but it shrugged them off and barreled at her, knocking aside tables in the process. The Brave Companions scattered as the golem charged Rainbow Dash. Doing the unexpected, she leapt into the open mouth of its final head and drove her sword up through where its brain ought to be, were it not stuffed. It seemed to have at least some effect, as the beast became confused and struggled to stay upright, the crude spell powering it at odds with its perception of life and death. Twilight Sparkle took the opportunity while it was crippled to strike the node within with a final burst of magic and collapse it.
“Is that it?” Fluttershy asked as the flesh golem returned to inertness and the spell matrix covering the tower shuddered.
“Only the lynchpin is left, and that should not have a protector,” Twilight replied.
There were only a few floors left in Yliiena’s tower, and they quickly ascended them, ending in the ancient alicorn’s bedchamber. The lynchpin was even higher, and Twilight found a trapdoor in the ceiling.
“Locked,” she cursed as she tried unsuccessfully to open it.
“I can get it,” Pinkamena offered, and Twilight humored her and lifted her up with her magic.
The bard produced some tools from her saddlebags, and in a few minutes the lock clicked open. The trapdoor fell down and a ladder descended, opening the way to the room above.
“Have you always been able to pick locks?” Twilight asked uneasily.
“Of course,” Pinkamena replied cheerily.
That did nothing to ease Twilight’s mind as she ascended the ladder into the small room above. There wasn’t much room here beneath the eaves for more than one pony, so Twilight went alone. There were no windows here, and darkness abounded. As Twilight felt her way forward, she found rows of candles on the floor and crossbeams and lit them with a short incantation. She gasped as she saw what they illuminated; a skull larger than any pony’s hung on the wall, wires holding the jaw to the cranium.
“Yelo’rf helesen oren m’yelo ostaart, caerf Yelo fent?[5]” a voice sounded in her head as the jaw moved up and down, mimicking speech.
“What are you?” Twilight wondered aloud as she looked at the skull-lynchpin.
“I am sorry,” the voice sounded in her head again, “I find it … difficult. Time is … hard for me. My purpose is to hold together the enchantments Yliiena placed around this tower. I’ve failed in my task, haven’t I?”
“I am afraid so,” Twilight said.
“I thought so,” the skull replied, “When I jumped the tower it … didn’t go quite according to plan.”
“Who are—or were—you?” Twilight asked.
“I was once the Great One Scorpan. When I learned that my brother, Tirek, intended to consume all life in Equestria, I came to Yliiena to warn her, but I was … betrayed,” the skull said. “She believed that she needed to imprison me to learn what I knew, but I would have shared it openly in order to stop my brother’s scheme. I gave her the idea for what would become my brother’s prison: Tartarus. For Yliiena to embrace the idea, first she had to know if a prison was necessary. When she discovered she could not truly kill me in her lifetime, she found another use for me, here.”
“I had no idea,” Twilight said. “Nopony did.”
“Of course not. It had to be kept a secret,” Scorpan chuckled, though it seemed to strain him. “I’m so very tired of existing. I tried to do my job for six thousand years, but it looks like I’ve failed at last. Will you destroy me, alicorn, and finally free my spirit for whatever fate I am destined? It should be possible now, after Yliiena’s enchantments have worn me down and broken me.”
“If I destroy you, will Yliiena’s tower be destroyed?” Twilight asked.
“Not immediately, not if you don’t wish it,” Scorpan said. “I hold the enchantments all together, but you’ve disassembled them enough that I can leave the spell matrix together to sustain itself long enough to let you dispel it in your own time. Is that what you wish, alicorn?”
“Yes, it is,” Twilight said. “I will release you from this existence, from this slavery to a pony who has been dead for thousands of years. I do not know anything about you, Great One Scorpan . . . but I hope that you rest well.”
***
When the Brave Companions emerged from the base of the tower, Queen Arbetes and her court were assembled outside in the Plaza of Queens. When Twilight had destroyed Scorpan, the gargoyles had fallen from the sky, and some lay shattered on the ground around the tower. Leyam must have reported this to the queen, and she’d had plenty of time to get here while the Brave Companions descended. Twilight was reserved after her conversation with the remains of a Great One.
“Is it done?” Leyam asked on behalf of his mistress as they approached the queen.
“The gargoyles will trouble you no longer,” Twilight Sparkle responded. “I will be able to collapse the tower safely now.”
“Well done, Brave Companions,” Queen Arbetes said. “Now, to the matter of payment. What do you wish in compensation for ridding us of this menace?”
“Your majesty, we wish to take the contents of the tower,” Twilight said. “It contains many ancient texts valuable to scholars and sorceresses, written or used by Yliiena the First.”
“This is acceptable to us,” Queen Arbetes gave her response. “The … riches of the tower shall be yours. I can think of no better reward for the newest alicorn than that which once belonged to the very first.” life.
“Hold still, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack mumbled in exasperation through the cord in her mouth as she tried to tie the Hunter’s wings to her body. “Th’ sooner I can get y’ tied up, th’ sooner we c’n leave.”
“I just don’t see why it’s necessary,” Rainbow complained. “It’s not like anypony’s going to see my wings anyway.”
“But they’ll certainly see if y’ take off flyin’ in th’ heat o’ th’ moment, an’ what’ll y’ think’ll happen then?” Applejack asked.
“Manehattanites don’t hate pegasi the same way they hate unicorns,” Rainbow Dash protested.
However, Applejack had a point. While the True Faith espoused by King Hadish and the red priests wasn’t outright hostile to pegasi, it certainly couldn’t be called friendly. Anything “un-earth pony” was an abomination, and Hadish wished to stamp it all out. Rainbow Dash had another reason to travel incognito, as they all would: just a few weeks earlier, King Hadish had issued a proclamation barring Hunters from entering the Kingdom of Manehattan. He’d always hated his reliance on them to keep monsters at bay, and now he’d decided that the force of knights he’d assembled to fill their role was ready for action. There would be no more contracts issued to Hunters in Manehattan, except by those willing to risk the wrath of Hadish the Rash. The keeps there would have to be abandoned or ready to endure sieges from the Manehattanite army.
“What if we’re found out anyway and it comes to a scrap?” Rainbow continued to bellyache. “How am I supposed to fight if I’m tied down?”
“I’m sure if y’ really have t’ then y’ll be able to break through th’ cords. They’re more of a reminder anyway,” Applejack sighed as she finally finished tying Rainbow Dash’s wings against her body (rather tighter than they needed to be in reciprocation for the endless moaning).
Rainbow Dash began to pull on fresh clothes over her wings, adjusting them as she went and feeling along the seams to make sure she could bust out if the Brave Companions got into a fight. Nearby, Fluttershy was already dressed and ready, having submitted to the binding over her own wings without any fuss. The rest of the Brave Companions were in various states of dress around the sitting room of Golden Oak’s laboratory, all similarly attired in clothes far different from what they normally wore. It wasn’t just their garb that was different; their manes and tails had been styled differently or tucked away as well, apart from Pinkamena’s, which Rarity had given up on after a determined effort to tame the untamable floof.
Soon, though, it wouldn’t be just these minor things that altered their appearance. While Spike braided her mane, Twilight Sparkle worked to enchant a set of pendants; these would alter their appearances entirely so that all six of them seemed to be earth ponies. It was necessary for them to set hoof in Manehattan that they no longer be recognized for who they were. Besides the fact that four of their members were non-earth ponies and one was a sorceress, the Brave Companions were widely established as agents of Celestia. The Manehattanites had many unpleasant names for the elder Regent of Cant’r Laht—the Devil Queen, the Old Witch, and the Perfumed Corpse to name a few—and a growing list for Twilight Sparkle as well. No, the Brave Companions would not be welcome anywhere within the Kingdom of Manehattan. However, they would still be going, with different appearances and under different names, because Rarity had sensed an opportunity.
Her business in Cant’r Laht as a tailor to its nobility had seen steady but slow growth over the past few years. Transportation of her wares from Ponieville to the Ivory City wasn’t free and Hoity Toity preferred to keep most of the profits, as well as relegate Rarity’s creations as a sideline to his own. She needed a windfall to avoid stagnation, and she’d found the chance of gaining one in perhaps the most unlikely location after Tartarus and Tyrannus: Manehattan. When she’d learned that the well-off families of Manehattan hosted a yearly Parade of Dress where they invited designers to bring their creations to be judged and chosen by the families to provide their attire for the next year, the wheels had begun to turn in her head. Even if she wouldn’t be able to permanently set up shop in Manehattan, obtaining at least one yearly contract from a Manehattanite house could set her up with enough to move herself out of Hoity Toity’s shadow. It would mean a risk, but Twilight had provided a far better solution than Rarity every could have: they would participate in the Parade magically disguised, with the others acting as Rarity’s assistants. If things got too hot, Twilight could always open a portal back to Ponieville and they’d be gone in an instant.
“Everypony ready?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she finished enchanting the last of the pendants and Spike jumped off her back.
There was a pendant for each of the six ponies, all fashioned to look like the necklaces worn by adherents to the True Faith, a cross within a circle hanging at the end of a simple cord (hopefully minimizing the chance that they’d be removed). As they draped them around their necks, their appearances transformed, a glamour coming over them to change the colors of their coats, manes, eyes, and hooves. The unicorns’ horns vanished, illusory mane filling the gap, and any hint of wings disappeared. If somepony had entered the room, they would not have seen the Brave Companions, but rather a random collection of earth ponies dressed as up-and-coming Manehattanite townsponies.
“You sure you’ll be all right, Twilight?” Spike asked (leaving off without me).
“Do not worry, Spike. I will portal us out at the first sign of trouble,” Twilight Sparkle assured her page. She then turned her attention to the crystal ball upon the lectern where she’d enchanted the pendants.
The crystal ball had been a gift from the Saddle Arabians, and though it tended to distort images, it was far easier to carry around for scrying than a basin of water. Twilight cast her mind’s eye far afield, across the White and Blue Mountains, to the northernmost of the Three Sisters. The red brick city of Manehattan smoldered in the oppressive summer heat, only made worse by the fires blazing at every temple of the True Faith. Outside the city, Twilight found a spot near the road with no ponies in sight where they could emerge and not be immediately pursued by witch hunters.
Once she’d settled on their destination, the Brave Companions trotted out of Golden Oak’s laboratory to a cart filled with Rarity’s creations, instruments, and supplies. While Applejack hitched herself up to it, Ream and Baldavin worked to clear away the crowd that always gathered whenever the Brave Companions got together at the laboratory. (After all, it wasn’t like the citizens didn’t have anything better to do.) The crowd was naturally surprised to see the appearances of the Brave Companions so changed, but before they could make too much of a ruckus, Twilight had opened a portal ahead of the group. In an instant, they trotted through and into the Kingdom of Manehattan.
Manehattan was a name that belonged to many places. There was the Kingdom of Manehattan; within it, the Isle of Manehattan that the Brave Companions now stood upon; and the city of Manehattan built on that isle. It was a rather big island, much larger than the Fiery Isle out in the harbor, and had once contained multiple realms until King Hadish’s ancestors had unified the isle under the Duke of the Isle of Manehattan. Over the subsequent centuries, the Duchy had invaded the mainland and grown, dukes becoming grand princes and eventually kings, and “isle” had been dropped from their titles. This was the heart of Manehattan, the seat of Hadish, and the origin point of the True Faith. All of these were hostile to the Brave Companions, and they were heading straight into them.
They’d emerged among the trees, just in case anypony slipped Twilight’s sorcerous gaze, but they had nothing to worry about other than Applejack navigating the trees to get down to the road. They saw nopony at first as they trotted down the dirt and wood track to the city, but activity picked up as they neared the dusty red walls. Villages grew larger and appeared more frequently, until they all merged outside Manehattan. There were old and new signs of destruction among the wooden buildings, either deliberately from pogroms or from the problems that inevitably arose from having fire near so much tightly packed flammable material. Most of the homes were deserted at this time as their residents were out working the fields, but there were a few around performing housework. They watched the Brave Companions with scrutiny, though it was with the suspicion of strangers rather than disdain for witches or servants of the greatest witch of all, Celestia. Their disguises were flawless, so long as nopony touched their wings or horns.
Most of the actual city of Manehattan was built upon another island within the flow of a river, requiring the Brave Companions to cross a bridge to reach it. Before that, however, there was a gate manned by a trio of guards who waved the group off to the side before they could enter. One of them trotted over, the mail under his tabard clinking noticeably. Sweat soaked his mane and face beneath his peaked helmet and he looked unwell, but Hadish probably had a rule with severe penalties requiring guards to be battle ready at all times. This meant the helmet stayed on, even in the dizzying heat.
“What’s your business in Manehattan?” he asked, his voice squeaking a little. “What goods are you carrying?”
“Hello, I am Shining Shore of Colton,” Rarity introduced herself using the alias they’d established. The guard seemed unfazed. “I’m here for the Parade of Design. My assistants are with me to—well—assist. Our cart is carrying some of my finished works, my equipment, and material.”
“I’ll have to take a look,” the guard said without enthusiasm, glancing up at the blazing sun overhead and immediately regretting his decision.
Meticulously, he picked through the contents, with the Brave Companions unloading chests and bundles so that he could look through them, before repacking each one and loading them back on. While he went about his search, Twilight noticed another pair of ponies standing just past the gates, probably the reason the guards were compelled to carry out their jobs to the letter. The duo was dressed in attire also at odds with the day’s heat: long leather coats and tall, dark hats. Bandoliers wrapped around their bodies were stuffed with vials, pouches, and stakes. Some of those stakes, along with many of the studs and buckles on their outfits, were the silvery blue of dimeritium, the magic-killing metal. While they had no official uniform and weren’t technically an official organization answering to the king or the True Faith, they were unmistakably witch hunters. Twilight Sparkle was fairly certain that her concealment spells would hold up against the paltry amount of dimeritium that was visible, but there was no telling what was concealed in their saddlebags. Keeping their distance would be the best move, though it would be difficult without appearing suspicious.
The guard at last finished his inspection and looked around in surprise at seeing that Rarity was missing. He looked ready to sound an alarm before she reappeared with a sopping wet scarf. While he’d searched through their cart, she’d slipped away to a nearby well and soaked the scarf in the groundwater. The guard looked surprised as she offered it to him, before wrapping it around his neck to cool himself off.
“Thank you ever so much,” Rarity said, surprising the guard even more. “I know it must be an uncomfortable job you have, but ever so important, I’m sure.”
“Well … yes,” the guard said, at a loss for words, before clearing his throat. “You can pass into Manehattan.”
The Brave Companions set off again as the grateful guard escorted them to the gate and rejoined his compatriots. Twilight held her breath as the cart trundled past the witch hunters, but Applejack’s glamour remained intact. The same held true as the rest trotted past the dark pair, but they had sufficient dimeritium that the sorceress faltered in her steps as they walked past. Fortunately, the two witch hunters were too preoccupied with watching traffic on the river in the other direction to notice, and her friends helped her carry on.
They made it across the bridge to the city proper, surrounded by its high wall of red brick. More guards in their peaked helmets were visible patrolling the top of it, able to receive some measure of relief from the heat through the high winds. As tall as Manehattan’s wall was, there were still structures that could be seen over it, among them the burning peak of the Temple of the Divine Cleansing Flame, the spires of St. Cassius’s Basilica, and the imposing Kings’ Redoubt, which was set high atop a craggy isle upriver of the main city.
Once the Brave Companions passed through the other gate awaiting them at the end of the bridge, they could only see the towering sights of the city in passing. Homes and businesses were tightly packed here within the walls, looming over the streets. Ponies moved beneath them hurriedly in the shadows cast by the buildings, trying to avoid the scorching sunrays. Nosebags seemed to be the fashion here, the reason for which was abundantly obvious; the filth running down the center of the street stank fiercely in the vicious summer heat, despite the frantic efforts of city servants attempting to wash it away into the drains that would funnel it to the river.
Every so often between the wood and brick buildings, there would be a space cleared for a pagoda of fresh-cut stone with a blazing brazier burning at its center, adding to the oppressive warmth. These braziers were usually accompanied by red-robed priests ranting about the evil of monsters, witches, and non-earth ponies. A particular target at the moment seemed to be goats and the necessity of driving them out so that the king or the temple (depending on the priest) could seize the banks they administered and protect the wealth of Manehattan from being turned to devious ends. Most of the priests had a few ponies gathered around them, though usually at a distance from the blazing fire behind them, and many of the crowds were small. These ponies had heard the priests preach thousands of times.
The crowds of adherents to the True Faith grew larger as the Brave Companions approached and passed the Temple of the Divine Cleansing Flame. Here, too, the priests were preaching fiery tirades against the goats of the city, taking a break from directing bile at their more immediate neighbors. Nearby was St. Cassius’s Basilica, the last holdout of the Church of One in Manehattan. Applejack longed to visit the massive church again and speak once more with Cardinal Iessus and the basilica guard, but to visit the basilica would provoke suspicion. The Brave Companions didn’t need any unfriendly attention if they were to maintain their charade.
“I was here b’fore as a filly,” Applejack said, her voice low to avoid attracting attention to her accent, as the Brave Companions escaped the narrow streets into an open plaza. “There was a palace here then.”
They were standing where the Court of Dragons had once been, the former palace of the Vasa-Elutria kings of Manehattan. For generations, the gaudy palace had been the residence of the King of Manehattan, hosting lavish feasts, games, and other amusements. It was here that King Wexel the Wide had gorged himself and given generously of his wealth, and his subjects had loved him for it. His son and heir, however, had always despised the Court of Dragons and all it stood for. When his father had died and he’d been crowned king, one of Hadish’s first acts had been to relocate his household to the neglected Kings’ Redoubt and have the Court of Dragons demolished. In its place an open brick square had been laid out, known as the Burning Plaza. Hadish hadn’t done so for the purpose of providing space for his subjects to gather or conduct business (though there were some market stalls set up along the periphery), but to serve his fiery faith. At even intervals around the plaza, tall posts had been driven into the ground, ready to be turned into pyres at a moment’s notice to burn witches, unicorns, and anyone else that the True Faith (and King Hadish) deemed undesirable. There were no poor souls strapped to the large poles currently, but the burn marks that surrounded them told the tale of frequent and repeated usage.
The Manehattanites made their way through the square completely unfazed by the symbols of death looming over them, and the Brave Companions resumed their path so as not to stand out. Even the citizens were avoiding the far end of the plaza, though, which was empty of market stalls. Recently, more buildings had been pulled down in a line to provide space bordering the plaza for new construction. One of the new buildings was already done, a structure mostly of wood with steep roofs and sharp angles at one corner of the square. Outside milled a group of witch hunters who’d decided to abandon their stuffy headquarters for the moment and stand beneath the blazing sun instead.
At the other corner of the plaza a fortress was underway, workers stacking stones to construct the walls. While it was far from livable yet, a few of its future residents stood nearby. They were knights in shining, polished armor with red caparisons draped over them. Their helms all came to a point past their muzzles, giving them the appearance of birds, and tall plumes of various colors sprouted from their crests. Officially, they were the Scarlet Chapter of Demon Slayers, though most ponies called them just the Scarlet Chapter, slayers, or demon hunters (to match the witch hunters); and they were Hadish’s intended replacement for Hunters. They didn’t look very impressive in Rainbow Dash’s eyes. Their plate armor would provide some protection, but all experienced Hunters knew that when facing monsters, it was better to be quick than armored. These knights could take blows, certainly, but only so many; then, they would be swarmed in an instant and overwhelmed with no way to escape.
There was an empty space between the two new buildings, but the Brave Companions had no more time to ponder what kind of hunters Hadish might want to see placed there before they left the Burning Plaza and entered another overshadowed and stinking street. Though it had been fifteen years since Applejack had spent extended time in Manehattan, she was still surprisingly familiar with its layout, and she unerringly led them through the twisting streets and crowds of ponies to their destination. Or, at least, where it had been when she’d visited it as a filly, only to find it wasn’t there.
“It’s s’posed t’ be right here!” Applejack said, dumbfounded, as they came to a halt in a busy intersection.
The Parade of Dress was hosted at the Sphere Theatre, and Rarity hadn’t heard anything to indicate the locale had changed; disturbingly, the Sphere had seemingly vanished. When Applejack had attended a play here with her Aunt and Uncle Orange, it stood against the city wall so that the guards atop it could look down on the theatre and watch the plays themselves (or sell spots to ponies who hadn’t been able to gain admittance to the theatre itself). Now, however, in its place stood a guardhouse. The bells of St. Cassius’s Basilica chimed distantly to mark the hour, followed shortly thereafter by the bell in the steeple of the witch hunters’ house. The Parade of Dresses didn’t begin until the following day, but Rarity still needed to register so that she could participate, and she didn’t have much remaining time to do so.
“Hey!” a voice barked sharply from behind the Brave Companions, and they turned to see the guard from the gate approaching through the packed street.
He had removed his helmet, revealing a sweat-soaked, unruly brown mop of a mane, and was apparently off-duty.
“Shouldn’t you be at the Sphere Theatre?” he asked with concern, not accusation.
“Yes, though it appears it’s not where it was when … I was here last time,” Rarity said.
“They moved the Sphere two years ago down to Cutter’s Point,” the guard explained. “Took it to pieces and carried it. It was really quite a sight.”
“Thank you ever so much,” Rarity said before looking to Applejack. “How long will it take to get to Cutter’s Point?”
“We won’t reach it in time,” Applejack said as she looked at the packed street.
“Oh dear,” Rarity said in disappointment before composing herself. “We can still try. If we don’t reach it in time for me to register for the Parade of Dress, then I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Well,” the guard said hesitantly as he looked down at the scarf still draped around his neck, “I suppose I could give you an escort. The cart won’t make it, but the two of us should be able to get to Cutter’s Point much more quickly.”
“Oh, thank you a million times over,” Rarity said, delighted to see her charity to the suffering guard coming back to reward her. “The rest of you should find an inn to stay at. Send somepony to find me when you do.”
After the others promised they’d do just that, Rarity looked expectantly to the guard. With resolve, he strapped his helmet back on and cleared his throat.
“Make way! Make way!” he shouted at the ponies in the street, and upon spotting him they scrambled to followed his orders.
Together, Rarity and the guard cut through the crowd and were soon out of sight of the rest of the Brave Companions.
***
With the help of the guard, Rarity was able to make it to the Sphere Theatre’s new location on time. After showering him with thanks, Rarity trotted into the building.
“I’m here for the Parade of Dress,” Rarity blurted out to the first pony she saw, a mare in the small room attached to the main theatre where ponies paid for admission. “Did I make it on time?”
“Only just,” the mare replied sardonically, and she pulled an inkwell across the desk toward her. “Name?”
“Shining Shore,” Rarity replied, and the mare scratched it down while squinting at the parchment in front of her.
“Lady Prim Hemline is within, addressing the other candidates,” the mare said when she was done, motioning toward the door to the theatre. “You’d better scurry along.”
Bobbing her head in thanks, Rarity stepped through the curtain and emerged among the theatre’s seats. Several other designers—all earth ponies, of course—were assembled on the stage in a line. Rarity hurried to join them, arriving just as a severe-looking mare in a high-collared dress emerged from backstage.
“Punctuality,” she said with acidity as she directed a glare at Rarity, “Is a virtue. I pray all of you can follow instructions and arrive on time, with more than moments to spare, in the future.”
The line of ponies gave various responses that all equated to yes. None of them were very forceful, intimidated as they were by Prim Hemline’s icy gaze that searched for even the most miniscule fault.
“I’ve been appointed by his majesty King Hadish the Righteous to oversee all important cultural events in Manehattan,” Prim lectured as she walked down the line, examining the candidates. “This year’s Parade of Dress will be a proper, upright, pious affair. Even the slightest whiff of impropriety will see you thrown out immediately. Do I make myself clear?”
Again, the candidates replied weakly in the affirmative.
“Over the next two days, you will exhibit a selection of your works, all in a matching set, to some of the most prestigious and powerful families of Manehattan. You will need to impress if you wish them to pursue you, and that does not mean exhibiting something vulgar just to be eye-catching and draw their attention. Your attire should speak for itself and be realistic as something to be worn to court. Am I understood?”
The candidates replied “yes” again, some who were now on the end where Prim was no longer standing growing bolder in their response before receiving a glare.
“Work hard, and you will receive your just reward. You will exhibit your works in the order you arrived, half tomorrow and half the day following, but I strongly encourage you to attend both days to see the works of your competitors and ensure there is an adequate variety available for the nobility to choose from. Works deemed by myself to be too similar will not be exhibited. Understood?”
The yeses came again, and Rarity began to wonder how long Lady Hemline planned to keep them here, lecturing and asking for affirmation as if they were simpletons.
“We must maintain a certain quality, so present a sample of the fabrics you intend to use to my assistant, Janine, on your way out. You are dismissed,” Prim Hemline said coldly before turning on her hoof and vanishing back behind the stage.
The designers started to make their way back to the theatre’s entrance to present their fabrics to Janine, but one hung back with Rarity. The pink-coated mare seemed less self-assured and haughty than the others did, now that Prim Hemline had departed.
“I don’t think we’ve met before,” the mare said as she approached Rarity. “Are you Seam Idyll?”
“Goodness me, no,” Rarity laughed, despite having no idea who Seam Idyll was. “I’m Shining Shore of Colton.”
“New to Manehattan? So am I,” the other pony said, “I’m Suri Polomare. Is this your first Parade of Dress, too?”
“Yes, it is,” Rarity said as they stepped down from the stage and made their way to the entryway. “I must admit, I’m not sure what to think of Mistress Hemline.”
“Lady Hemline,” Suri corrected her. “King Hadish has gone and ennobled her.”
“Of course,” Rarity said. “She seems a bit strict.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” Suri said was a chuckle, “But she has to be, doesn’t she? What’s her purpose otherwise, and what reason does the king have to keep her around?”
“I suppose so,” Rarity said as the last other designer moved off and she stepped up to Janine. “I just hope my work lives up to her standards.”
“So do I,” Suri said, her eyes lighting up as Rarity produced a bolt of fabric from her saddlebags and presented it to Janine for her inspection. “Although, if that’s what you’re working with, I think I have a lot more to worry about than you do.”
“Oh, that’s still quite good,” Rarity said appreciatively as Suri presented her own fabric to Janine and got approval.
“It will work, but I need something to set it off well,” Suri said as they trotted out of the theatre together, “What you’ve got there would do beautifully. I don’t suppose I could borrow a bit of it?”
“Here, take the bolt,” Rarity said after deliberating internally a bit, and Suri looked at her in shock.
“Really?” the stupefied mare asked. “Don’t you need this?”
“I have plenty more; I wasn’t sure exactly how much we needed to bring or if we would be getting it back,” Rarity said. “Please, I want you to have it.”
“Well, thank you very much,” Suri said as she accepted the fabric. “I’ll be seeing you tomorrow. May the best mare win the most contracts.”
***
Rarity waited around the Sphere Theatre until Pinkamena came to fetch her in the guise of a green-coated, brown-maned pony. The others had managed to find an inn nearby, and Pinkemena led her to it with only a little diversion as she momentarily lost her way. Though it had cost a dear price, they’d managed to rent a pair of large adjoining rooms to provide plenty of space. Even so, Rarity preferred to put the finishing touches on her work in the inn’s courtyard, where Applejack had left the cart with her supplies and equipment. It was a bit like working in the smithing yard of her home back in Ponieville, and she didn’t mind. Besides, despite all the efforts of the opened windows on every floor of the inn, it was still less stuffy outside, especially once the courtyard became cast in shadow.
The following morning, the Brave Companions made their way together to the Sphere Theatre to watch the first day of the Parade of Dress with Rarity, and to make sure they could escape should things go wrong. If anything had happened to Rarity during their separation the day before, the others would never have forgiven themselves. The Brave Companions were not the only ponies at the Parade who were not part of a noble house putting on the event. Witch hunters also sat in the cheap seats at ground level, and the friends made sure to pick a spot distant from them. Even brushing against the hunters could be disastrous, should dimeritium come into contact with their coats or manes and dispel the glamour around them.
As the Parade of Dress was almost about to begin, a stallion in fine clothing stepped onto the stage and drew the attention of the assembled ponies. Behind him, back by the curtain, stood Prim Hemline, and if looks could kill then the back of the stallion’s head would be inundated with daggers.
“Attention, everypony!” the stallion called out, oblivious to the death glare behind him. “I bring an edict from King Hadish the Righteous! This is the last year the Parade of Dress will be held in this or any theatre. His Majesty has decreed that after this event has concluded, all theatres within the Kingdom of Manehattan are to be used only for their intended purpose: the showing of plays.”
In Manehattan, the choices one had when showing a play were severely limited. Every performance had to be approved either by the king or by the priests of the True Faith, which meant the only performances allowed to be shown were either morality plays or dreary histories about the rise of the Vasa-Elutria dynasty. Prim Hemline had been put in charge of enforcing this, so she should have been overjoyed. However, it seemed that any pleasure she might have felt was overshadowed by her anger at this messenger for interrupting the start of her event and usurping her right to make such an announcement.
“Thank you, everypony. On with the show,” the messenger said before turning and nearly stumbling off the stage upon seeing Prim’s face.
Without further ado, Lady Hemline got things moving again. The designers who’d preceded Rarity trotted out their collections for the nobles in the boxes to view, hoping to catch their attention. Rarity’s confidence grew as she watched. The others were all very good, perhaps some of the best in Manehattan, but she was on par with them. She had a very good chance to win at least one contract from a Manehattanite noble house, and just one would be all she needed.
During the show, Twilight Sparkle kept a wary eye on the witch hunters as they moved around the seats. It wasn’t safe for them to be here, but they couldn’t abandon Rarity or convince her to leave. She was enthralled by the Parade of Dress, loving every minute of it—right up until Suri Polomore trotted onstage.
The clothes that Suri exhibited were nearly identical to those that Rarity had waiting back at their lodgings. With the bolt of fabric Rarity had given her, she’d made duplicates of everything Rarity intended to show the following day. The nobles in the boxes overhead made appreciative and interested noises, but Rarity could barely hear them. The charity that Rarity had shown to the gate guard had been rewarded, as it often was. She knew enough not to expect such a repayment for kindness every time, but this was going beyond that. Suri had not only scorned her charity but also exploited it in the worst way possible. Rarity couldn’t possibly show her line now; all that time and expense was wasted, and Suri had to know that.
As soon as Suri was offstage, Rarity rushed to the back entrance, leaving her friends in their seats calling after her. The next designer was preparing to bring their works out, but Suri was still there with her copycat line, looking quite pleased with herself.
“How could you?” Rarity exclaimed as she ran up to accuse her. “You stole my entire line!”
“I didn’t steal anything,” Suri said calmly as she pushed Rarity back. “You gave the fabric away, and if you didn’t want your designs to be seen, then you shouldn’t have had them out in the open.”
Suddenly all the open windows surrounding Rarity as she’d worked the day before seemed sinister.
“But, I gave you that fabric just for accents,” Rarity protested. “How did you even manage to make all these garments so quickly?”
“Quickly?” Suri scoffed. “They were barely ready to exhibit, all thanks to Coco Pommel here.”
Suri indicated the pony picking up and packing away her copycat dresses, a cream-coated mare with a wilting red flower in her teal mane.
“Well, you wanted everything to be exactly to the design, and I didn’t have much fabric to work with, so I had to be clever and efficient with how I cut things and that took—” Coco said softly.
“Quiet!” Suri demanded, cowing Coco. “Did I ask you a question? Only speak when spoken to, remember.”
“If I go to Lady Prim—” Rarity said, simmering.
“You’ll be thrown out,” Suri said assuredly. “Whose word do you think Prim will take? You’ll look like you’re trying to copy me if you show your collection now. It would be best for you just to pack up and head back to Colton.”
“I …” Rarity said, at a loss for words.
“Oh, it’s not so bad,” Suri said patronizingly. “At least you’ve learned this lesson now. It’s dog-eat-dog in Manehattan, and the only way to survive is to look out for yourself and nopony else. We’re both new here—I never lied to you about that—but I guess I’m just a faster learner than you.”
In tears, Rarity left a very satisfied-looking Suri and an uncertain Coco Pommel.
***
“It’s despicable what Suri did, but is there anything we can do about it?” Fluttershy consoled Rarity later once the Brave Companions had returned to their rooms at the inn.
“Nothing!” Rarity sobbed. “Accusing her wouldn’t accomplish anything, and I can’t show what I’ve already prepared, else I’ll be accused of copying her! I’ve always tried to be charitable to everypony, but now my charity has ruined me.”
“Is that it, then? Do we return home now?” Rainbow Dash asked the room. “If we were able to get some more fabric, could you start again?”
“That is right,” Twilight Sparkle said. “What do you need, Rarity? Maybe we can still salvage this.”
Rarity sniffed and looked up from her curled-up position on the bed. Her friends were all willing to do whatever she asked. A steely determination filled her; perhaps she could still accomplish this and crush Suri after all.
The part-time smith, part-time clothier set to work designing a whole new set of clothes for the following day’s exhibition. Once she began to have an idea of what she would need, she sent her friends off to retrieve it. However, there were complications, and Rarity was less than pleased about that. Witch hunters seemed to be everywhere, blocking off everywhere they wanted to go. The red priests’ sermons had been whipping them into a frenzy during the past couple days, and they stood guard at the port, the market, and the smithing district. Homes were broken into at a moment’s notice and ponies dragged out before being subjected to a test by dimeritium. The Flaming Plaza was packed, and pyres burned constantly as goats and alleged rebels and witches were dragged in to be burned. What’s more, some of the witch hunters had acquired devices capable of detecting sorcery, and there were several close calls that the Brave Companions barely managed to escape while the witch hunters accused somepony else.
Rarity would have none of it, however. Now that she’d set her mind to continuing her participation in the Parade of Dress, no risk was too great. She seemed to have taken Suri’s words to heart; she had to look out for herself first, and if others were willing to give, then she would take. Her tirades compelled the others to venture back out into the dangerous streets to find the materials Rarity needed. Then, when some of them returned without what they’d been told to acquire because they didn’t have enough coin, they got another earful. Less than legal means were used to acquire everything Rarity requested, and even then, it didn’t stop.
In the sweltering, stuffy rooms of the inn, they worked endlessly to bring Rarity’s designs to life. Terrified of having her designs stolen again, Rarity had closed and shuttered all the windows and they worked by lamplight under an unmerciful overseer. Resentment began to grow in them toward their friend, and yet Rarity didn’t seem to care. Any complaints were met with hostility and accusations, and the mood grew incredibly stale. The work lasted the rest of the day and all through the night, but Rarity’s new collection of clothing was ready by the time the second day of the Parade of Dress was to start. With only a perfunctory word of thanks that carried no genuine gratitude, Rarity left on her own for the Sphere Theatre.
***
It was agony as she waited throughout the day until all the rest of the designers had presented their work to the crowd of nobles above and curious onlookers below. When it was time for her clothing to go out, she watched nervously from the stage door. The response was positive, far more so than she could have hoped for. It seemed every noble box had at least one pony straining forward in interest to see what she’d brought. One by one, the nobles in charge called over ushers to ask about the new designer who’d brought these creations. It was all Rarity had ever wished for; she’d surely outshone Suri Polomare and her stolen dresses besides.
“Oh, this is brilliant. It’s a success, and all thanks to …” Rarity whispered, but paused in her reverie as she saw no familiar faces out in the crowd, “… my friends.”
They hadn’t come, and looking back with a sudden clarity, she couldn’t blame them. She’d succeeded, but at what cost? Suri had taken advantage of her generosity, and then Rarity had turned around and done the same thing to her friends. Except, her sin had been far greater in that she’d taken advantage of her friends’ love and care for her. She’d gotten away with so much, putting them in danger, asking too much, mistreating them—all because she’d been jaded by a single uncharitable act. She thought she’d gotten away with her callous act, since her friends hadn’t abandoned her … until now. If this is what it took to win, it wasn’t worth it. She looked out over the audience, and just for a moment, a shimmer of light seemed to pass over the dimeritium buckles and icons on the witch hunters seated where she and her friends had been the previous day. She made up her mind what had to be done.
“Mistress Shore!” Prim Hemline was calling behind Rarity, in a tone that implied she’d been calling it for some time now. “It is time for you to go out and introduce yourself to those who might want to make a contract with you.”
“I … I have to go,” Rarity said as she galloped backstage and out the rear of the theatre while Lady Hemline shouted after her to come back.
Rarity galloped back to the inn, but when she arrived, there was no sign of her friends. Surely things hadn’t gone so wrong that they’d returned to Ponieville and left her here in Manehattan on her own. However, Rarity had no other ideas where they could have gone, so she wandered around the city looking for them. She hadn’t ventured out much the day before and had been in such a hurry that morning that she had no idea how bad the streets truly had gotten. Plumes of smoke rose into the air across the city as homes were burned down. Taking care to avoid witch hunters (Rarity now heeding Twilight’s warnings about their sorcery detectors), she eventually found her path looping back around to the inn. It was there that she found her friends standing with, of all ponies, Suri Polomare and Coco Pommel.
“There you all are!” she cried as she rushed to the rest of the Brave Companions, but Suri was in the way.
“I’d avoid returning to the Sphere anytime soon,” she advised. “Lady Hemline’s on the warpath after you abandoned the Parade of Dress the way you did. All props to you, it looked like you were going to scoop up every contract until that blunder. Now you’ll be lucky to ever get a contract with any of those noble houses.”
“Um, yes,” Coco Pommel said timidly as Suri looked at her.
“Well, I suspected, but I suppose knowing it will make it easier to sleep at night. None of that matters anymore,” Rarity said as she moved past Suri, stunning her.
“We are sorry we were not able to make it to the Parade to be there for you,” Twilight Sparkle apologized. “After working through the night, I am afraid we all slept too long to make it in time.”
“I’m the one who should be apologizing to you,” Rarity said as she prostrated herself in the street in front of her friends, eliciting a small gasp from Coco Pommel. “I was absolutely dreadful to all of you. I thought my charity had failed me, and so I took advantage of our friendship to take far more than you should have had to give. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Of course we can,” Twilight Sparkle said as she raised Rarity up, and even though she appeared nothing like her true self visually, Rarity could clearly see the nobility and grace of Princess Twilight Sparkle. “Yesterday, you were not at your best, but we would never let just one bad day change our relationship.”
As they took turns embracing each other, the duo outside of their circle departed, though not, as they failed to realize in the moment, in the same direction. Their relationship mended and its durability to weather storms reinforced, the Brave Companions returned to their rooms in the inn. The remains of the previous day and night of work remained strewn around the chambers, but they pushed them to the side.
“Sorry things didn’t work out, Rarity, but I guess we’re t’ return home now,” Applejack said as they sat around the room.
“Getting out of Manehattan may be harder than getting in,” Rarity said thoughtfully as she remembered the condition the streets were in. “Twilight, could you open a portal here?”
“Only if there are no witch hunters around. I do not want to attract attention,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “Would it not raise suspicion if we were all to suddenly disappear, though?”
“I don’t care anymore,” Rarity said wearily. “It was a dream to get work in Manehattan as somepony else, but now that I’ve failed, I don’t think the identity of Shining Shore of Colton needs to be protected.”
“That is true,” Twilight admitted.
“Finally, we can take these off,” Rainbow Dash said with relief as she pulled the enchanted pendant from around her neck and reverted to her usual appearance. “Nothing against your sorcery, Twilight, but that felt like being wrapped in a cocoon.”
One by one, the others all removed their pendants as well, changing back to their real selves. Twilight needed a minute to prepare before she could open a portal, but they would be in Ponieville shortly; all looked forward to returning home. While the sorceress was still getting the spell ready, the door opened without warning. In the doorway stood Coco Pommel, looking justifiably shocked. They’d all been caught in their true appearances: unicorns, pegasi, and alicorns all, and the enemies of Manehattan. Twilight Sparkle released the portal and began to conjure something more useful for the situation, and Rainbow Dash reached for her missing sword.
“Oh …” Coco Pommel said softly, eyes wide, before trotting into the room and pulling the door shut, “I thought there was something special about you!”
“You’re not going to tell the witch hunters about us, are you?” Fluttershy asked fearfully.
“No, of course not,” Coco Pommel said. “I know what King Hadish and the True Faith say about you, that you’re devils and witches and monsters and spies for Celestia, but all you did here was make gorgeous attire for the Parade of Dress. I’ve heard other tales, of course, those that haven’t gone through Hadish’s censors, and after seeing how you came together, I think those are the truer ones. When I saw how charitable your assistants—Companions, I guess—were with you and how you longed to be the same to them, it made me think that Suri had been wrong all along. Here, this is for you.”
Coco Pommel took a parchment from her saddlebags and presented it to Rarity.
“This is … a contract for a year’s wardrobe,” Rarity said in disbelief as she read the parchment.
“Not everything Suri told you was a lie—she’s good at that,” Coco said. “You really were set to take all the contracts, and your sudden departure did lose most of them for you. Despite Prim Hemline’s strong recommendations, however, House Geddrick insisted that they wanted you and nopony else. They left this contract at the theatre, should you ever return. Suri thought she could take it for herself, but when I saw what you did for each other, I ran back to the theatre to get this for you. I’m sure this will end my apprenticeship with Suri, but I don’t mind. Working for her is like drinking poison.”
“That does put you in a tough place, and not at the best time,” Rarity said. “How would you like to be my assistant?”
“In Ponieville?” Coco asked in surprise.
“No, I was thinking you could be my contact in Manehattan and manage my affairs here,” Rarity said, “I can’t do it myself for obvious reasons, but if you were my face in the city—”
“I’ll do it!” Coco said enthusiastically.
***
The Brave Companions had to postpone their departure from the city so Rarity could meet with Baron Haltor Geddrick to take his orders and introduce him to Coco Pommel, but things thankfully began to cool down within a few days. They were soon able to leave Manehattan peacefully and take a portal outside the city back to Ponieville. Before they’d left, Twilight Sparkle had taught Coco Pommel a means of contacting her so that she and Rarity could communicate without exposing their relationship. Rarity hoped Coco would be careful and not risk being caught performing witchcraft, but she was always glad to hear from her. In her first real message, Rarity received both a letter and a gift from Coco thanking her for everything. The gift was a spool of the finest-quality thread in an iridescent color that had come all the way from the Zebrikaanian Empire. Rarity wrote back to thank Coco for the gift and, before bringing the letter to Twilight Sparkle to send, placed the spool in a prominent place in her workroom as a reminder. As she left, the thread seemed, just for a moment, to shimmer with an unnatural light, not something Rarity noticed or remembered. The same couldn’t be said about the pony who’d gifted it to her, or the lesson in Charity she’d learned.
Chapter 4:8.1 - Mother and Daughter, Princesses Both
Chapter 4:8.1 – Mother and Daughter, Princesses Both
As Twilight Sparkle trotted through the corridors of Cant’r Laht Castle, she resisted the urge to teleport directly to her destination. Every servant she passed immediately paused what they were doing to bow to her. There was a large concentration of them along her route, and many of them were carrying things; that meant she caused quite an unintentional commotion and more than a few accidents as ponies lost focus on whatever items they were transporting and let them fall to the floor. This wing of the castle was in a tizzy at the moment anyway, since Twilight’s parents had finally been persuaded to move into the chambers that belonged to the Prince of the City. Prince Blueblood’s rooms had been abandoned for two years, and quite a lot of cleaning had been required, both to remove all traces of the prince’s untimely death and to clear away the paraphernalia of the defunct House Blueblood. House Haltrotsun was now ascendant, and Twilight saw that a few of their banners had already been hung up in the hallways. The standard—an impaled shield with half an eagle and two seven-pointed stars upon a white background with a red diagonal stripe—had been familiar to Twilight Sparkle all her life. She still used it from time to time, though now as an alicorn she had the right to create her own personal standard. It reminded her of her youth, when she’d dwelt in the Haltrotsun Manor alongside her rambunctious brother and her bookish mother and father.
Opening the doors to the Prince’s chambers, she found one of them. Twilight Velvet Haltrotsun, formerly Eorlessa of House Haltrotsun and now Princess of the City, stood at the center of the room, directing the servants around her on exactly where to place the possessions that had been carted over from the Haltrotsun Manor. Twilight’s mother, like her father, was a sorceress-scholar first and a member of the nobility second. Her purple-and-white striped mane was pulled back into a practical bun, with several strands having escaped; the silver circlet that proclaimed her rank had been looped around it, since it couldn’t currently occupy its proper place against her horn. Twilight thought of the circlet in her own saddlebags as well as the stories of her poor father’s frequent mangling of his own circlet by stuffing it into his pockets. Twilight Velvet’s robes were finely tailored, with no such pockets, but a set of overfull saddlebags sat in the corner of the room spilling out scrolls and magical trinkets. As she directed the servants, Velvet consulted a complicated diagram with many charts and foldaway panels that she levitated in front of her with her sorcery.
“No, no, no,” she lectured a weary pegasus with a hammer in his mouth. “Three nails, the center of which is 2 pasterns, 2 ¼ fens from the ceiling, centered over the mantle; that is to say, 3 pasterns, 1 ½ fens from either edge. The outer nails are to be 2 pasterns, 6 fens from the center nail and 3 ¼ fens lower than it.”
What Twilight Velvet was trying to accomplish was the hanging of a portrait that had held a prominent place in the Haltrotsun Manor for many years. It depicted the entire family and had been commissioned shortly after Twilight Sparkle had been chosen as Celestia’s apprentice. At the back stood the patriarch and matriarch of the family: Night Light and Twilight Velvet. Because it had been a formal portrait, the artist had done their best to capture the noble qualities of each, but there was no hiding the truth without making them unrecognizable. Night Light was in his finest robes and was at first glance every bit an imperious earl … until one looked to his face and could see that he was contemplating something that had nothing to do with ruling the small parcels of land the Haltrotsuns owned. Twilight Velvet, on the other hoof, had plenty of practice posing for portraits when she’d still been a member of House Szorniy prior to her marriage to Night Light; it was easy to capture her nobility but not without also conveying that her mind was busy planning something else or that she was carefully examining the portraitist, and by extension, anyone who looked at the portrait. In front of them were their two children. A much younger Twilight Sparkle stood in front of her mother, excitement written on her face as she looked forward to learning more sorcery. She was dressed in the new robes her parents had had made for her as she prepared to follow in their hoofsteps and become a sorceress. Next to her was the only pony in the portrait not dressed in sorceress robes; Shining Armor stood proudly in his guard uniform, the most suited to a portrait. Ever since his birth, he had been heir to the Haltrotsun titles, though whether that remained true after the Grand Ducal Charter of the North was unclear since he wasn’t actually lord over anything in the north, merely consort to the grand duchess.
As the door to the chambers swung shut, Twilight Velvet looked back and noticed that Twilight Sparkle had entered.
“Oh,” she said in surprise, and folded up her diagrams, leaving the servants to decorate without interventions, then turned before pausing and giving a bow to her daughter, “Your Highness.”
It was an odd situation they found themselves in, and without any precedence to establish the protocol. Both mother and daughter were princesses, and neither were standalone titles. Twilight Velvet was a princess because her husband was Prince of the City, and Twilight Sparkle because she was heir to the Crown of Cant’r Laht. In the complex interplay of titles and relations, it was unclear who was superior in rank to the other, but the least Twilight could do for the mare who’d borne and raised her was to reciprocate.
“Your Highness,” Twilight Sparkle replied, bowing in turn. Spike mimicked her, no complex decisions facing him.
Neither of Twilight’s parents were powerful (or vain) enough mages to perform youth spells, and wrinkles crinkled around Twilight Velvet’s eyes as she smiled at her daughter.
“I’m glad to see you again,” Velvet said, “And that you can help your mother out. I don’t doubt that you have many, many other things keeping you busy.”
“Well, you were much clearer in your letter than Father was last year,” Twilight chuckled.
“Oh, I couldn’t believe it when he told me what he’d done,” Velvet laughed. “Honestly, he should have just asked me to write the letter for him. How hard is it to say, ‘Count Bersian is cross because I cannot reward him now that I’m Prince of the City. I need your help to smooth things over?’”
“It worked out in the end, at least,” Twilight said. “Where is Father?”
“At the Lodge. They—take those to the secondary dining room, I’ve already told the servants there how I want everything set up,” Velvet said, interrupting herself as a group of servants trotted through carrying boxes. “They made him a member of the 2nd Council, and he insists on going even if nopony will listen to him.”
“Maybe one day they will,” Twilight suggested.
Thanks in no small part to the efforts of Twilight Velvet over the past year, the nobles of Cant’r Laht now (begrudgingly) accepted House Haltrotsun’s new place as Prince of the City. All of them would like to see them fall back into obscurity or even lower, but for the moment they were no longer constantly petitioning Celestia to reverse her decision. In time, perhaps they would show them the respect that had been allotted the Bluebloods, but for that to happen the Haltrotsuns would have to conquer the next challenge facing the family. That was the reason Twilight Sparkle had come to Cant’r Laht, and why she and her mother would be traveling on a procession together.
When Celestia had appointed Night Light as Prince of the City, they’d inherited all the Blueblood lands, but also the Blueblood debts; only one of the two was solid. Rhaegis Blueblood had been a terrible ruler who’d both frittered away the family wealth, racked up the aforementioned debts, and mismanaged his lands to an appalling extent. The thorough survey Twilight Velvet had compiled revealed that most of the princely demesne was either abandoned or had neglected to pay their taxes and tithes for many years. Theoretically, the income these lands were capable of yielding (even without excessive taxation) would make their overseer one of the richest families in Cant’r Laht. Due to Prince Blueblood’s mismanagement, however, they barely brought in enough to cover the interest on the outstanding debts.
Twilight Sparkle was here to help her mother bring the princely lands back under the control of the Prince of the City and ensure they dutifully paid what was owed. Only then could House Haltrotsun take its place among the great houses of Cant’r Laht that it should have had upon the bestowal of the princely title. Twilight Sparkle aldo had another motive for helping her mother secure these funds. Typically, the personal funds that Twilight had accumulated, along with the modest allowance she collected from Celestia as her apprentice, was enough to see her by comfortably, but that had been when she only had herself and Spike to pay for. Now that she’d made herself responsible for providing for the Saddle Arabian exiles in Ponieville, that would no longer suffice. She hoped that once the income of the princely lands was restored, she would be able to use some of it herself, but that was a topic best left until after it had been accomplished.
“Do you have everything you need to depart?” Twilight Sparkle asked her mother.
“Yes, yes, of course … somewhere,” Twilight Velvet said as she tried to recall where, before giving up and pulling a sheet of parchment from her saddlebags. “Ah, yes, my travelling saddlebags are in the primary dining room.”
Velvet left her diagram, along with strict instructions, for how she wanted the princely chambers set up with the pegasus who’d just finished hanging the family portrait before leading Twilight and Spike to the dining room. They had to dodge more servants on the way who were dusting, decorating, and painting, but eventually they made it to their destination. It was clear why Velvet had left her saddlebags here the moment they entered the room; stretched out across the dining table was a large and recently created map of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. Twilight’s mother had made prodigious annotations upon it to mark the territories that belonged to the Prince of the City and had pinned various other sheets of paper, containing notes and itineraries, to the map when she’d run out of room. Twilight had her own ideas for how to approach the task ahead, but it looked like her mother already had things well in hoof. Their procession through the princely lands was well planned out and would allow them to visit every disparate patch in turn. Twilight Velvet folded the map deftly before tucking it into her saddlebags and pulling them on.
“Right,” the elder Twilight said, “We’re expected at the court of Baron Torsgold tonight, and we have to visit Telfenn, Ömist, and Outria before we arrive at Thorgate, where his castle is.”
That was Twilight’s mother. Whereas she’d gotten her inquisitive and anxious nature from her father, Twilight had inherited her tendency to plan out every detail from her mother. Dutifully, the daughter opened a portal in the dining room to Telfenn’s square, and they stepped through to greet the crowd of ponies awaiting the beginning of their procession.
***
The lands of the Prince of the City were scattered throughout the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. Nearly every time the realm had grown as the Dominion of Cant’r Laht, a parcel of land or a hoofful of vassals had been set aside for the prince. That meant the prince’s lands were far from contiguous, and a continuous procession was impossible without portals. Some of Rhaegis Blueblood’s ancestors had been a bit brighter than him and had attempted to consolidate their lands through deals and exchanges with other lords, but the lands were so spread out that it would be impossible to completely do so without taking over half the kingdom. The first set of visits Twilight’s mother had planned were to a cluster of territories in the north of the kingdom, near White Tail Woods and the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r. Some were personal lands of Prince Night Light, while others were the lands of ponies who owed fealty to him. There was one of those in particular that Twilight Velvet had planned this first leg around, one who was farther out of line than any of the others.
Count Oakin Preceps had not only been negligent in his tribute and duties, he’d acted as if he was no vassal of the prince at all. His allegiance to even Celestia was tenuous at best, and if something wasn’t done about this, his lands could soon be lost to the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r. Twilight Velvet’s intentions were to bring the headstrong count back under control. After a few days passing through nearby lands, they arrived at his castle, a jumped-up fort perched upon a promontory overlooking a minor river.
“Welcome, Your Highnesses,” Count Oakin greeted them pleasantly enough when they arrived at the feast thrown in their honor. Once the meal was consumed and talk turned to more heady matters, things began to deteriorate.
“I understand you are having some difficulty with your timber production,” Twilight Velvet mentioned to the count. “Something about bandits coming from White Tail Wood?”
“Bandits?” Oakin scoffed before downing a draught of ale. “It’s Duchess Periwinkle’s woodsmares that raid the logging camps. The border between our lands is not the edge of the wood, however much she would prefer it to be.”
“Well, perhaps I or my lord-husband could help resolve this matter for you,” Velvet offered.
“Unnecessary,” Oakin said bluntly. “I can deal with Duchess Periwinkle myself, though your highness’s … generous … offer is noted.”
“Obligated, I would say,” Velvet said. “It is, after all, the duty of a lord to see to the concerns of their vassals, especially when the integrity of territory is at stake, for it is of equal concern to both.”
“You’ve studied Estacles,” Oakin noted. “My tutor as a foal beat those lessons into me as well, but I can’t say I see how they apply here. I’ve made no oaths to you or your lord-husband, nor do I intend to. I’m perfectly content on my own.”
“Your fealty is rightfully owed to the Prince of the City,” Twilight Sparkle pointed out.
“By what right?” Oakin said obstinately. “Because two ponies centuries ago—neither of whom are related to either of us—made an agreement? You may think I’ve become accustomed to my freedom during the time that the princely title was vacant, and you may be partially right, but I’ve acted on my own for a long time. Rhaegis Blueblood knew to leave me be, and I don’t see any need to keep up appearances for your sake, or for your lord-husband’s. Why should I care about the Prince of the City? It may come as a shock to you, but the ivory city is not the bright shining center around which the world turns. We have our own lives out here in the extremities of Celestia’s kingdom that have nothing to do with you or your sorcerous lives, so go home and leave us be.”
Twilight Velvet sighed in frustration and looked down at her platter before looking back up at the count.
“Count Oakin, I see you have no appetite for carrots, so let’s try the stick instead,” she said before levitating a scroll from within the folds of her dress. “Do you know what this is?”
“A hex to make me do as you wish?” Oakin ventured, his voice dripping with skepticism.
“Close, but no,” Velvet said as she unrolled and flattened the scroll on the table before lifting it back up to present the text to Count Oakin. “This is a treaty between Prince Ahrman Blueblood and the Lords of White Tail Wood agreeing that in exchange for the prince surrendering his lands in the west of White Tail, the lords of the Wood would never acquire through any means the lands of the Prince of the City bordering White Tail on the east. Specifically, it refers to your lands.”
“In other words, I’m safe from Periwinkle,” Oakin said, unimpressed.
“Hmm, not quite. She may be trying to bend the rules—and that can be easily straightened out—but she would never break them. Unless …” Twilight Velvet said as she hovered the treaty near one of the candles on the table, “You claim not to be a vassal of the Prince of the City, so this treaty is worthless except as kindling.”
“You would throw me to Periwinkle?” Oakin asked dreadfully.
“What concern is it of mine?” Velvet said icily. “This treaty is between ponies neither of us are related to, signed centuries ago. It has nothing to do with you or I, and there is no other relationship binding us together, so why keep it around?”
“You came here just to threaten me,” Oakin accused, his jaw tightening.
“No, my initial strategy was to convince you to do the honorable thing, but seeing as you would rather throw away all protection you have for personal gain, I moved on to the next strategy. Has it proved effective?”
“Fine. You win,” Oakin spat the words. “I’ll make my oath of fealty to your husband.”
“Yes, you will,” Velvet said as she pulled the treaty away from the flickering candle flame. “Before I complete my procession of the princely lands, you will go in person to Cant’r Laht to make your oath to my lord-husband and bring with you all the tax left unpaid to him and to Prince Blueblood before him. Agreed?”
Twilight Sparkle looked in amazement at her mother. This was a side of her she’d never really seen before. The Haltrotsuns hadn’t taken part in political maneuvering for a very long time, and that hadn’t changed when Twilight Velvet had joined the dynasty. The family’s matriarch wasn’t accustomed to doing such things, but the lessons of House Szorniy hadn’t escaped her mind. Nothing was ever truly forgotten by Twilight Velvet Haltrotsun, only filed away for later. She’d chosen to turn her analytical mind toward the complex planning of enchantments, but as she was now proving it could just as easily be repurposed for scheming. Twilight Sparkle had wondered how much she would have to assist with the diplomacy on this procession, as she had with her father when dealing with the Bersians, but it seemed her mother had it thoroughly handled.
***
The next stage of the princely procession took the mother-daughter duo far south of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht, into disputed territories. The Prince of the City ruled over a string of lands along the border of what had once been the Kingdom of Los Pegasus but was now mostly the Kingdom of Applewood and Mareagon. The south Equestry Valley was a land that knew little in the way of solid governance. Although the threat from the South Equestrian Bison before the Treaty of Boulder Brook was no longer a problem, two main sources of trouble remained: powerful neighbors who claimed they ought to rule over the valley and the negligence caused by distant lords in Cant’r Laht who failed to take any meaningful interest in seeing to the lands. The Bluebloods had been as guilty as any others in the latter respect, and it was doubtful that many of the ponies here knew Prince Night Light Haltrotsun was their lord (or even that a new Prince of the City had been appointed). Much of the land was abandoned and lay fallow, overgrown as nature reclaimed what ponies had once planted, tilled, and reaped. However, there were still plenty of ponies here, most living in small villages scattered throughout the landscape.
One thing that wasn’t here was lords. Not all the land here in the southwest was technically part of the Prince of the City’s demesne, but effectively it was. The lords meant to govern these lands as the prince’s vassals had all either abandoned them or died out, leaving it all as the prince’s personal property. Most of the lands hadn’t returned revenues to Cant’r Laht for generations, since the Bluebloods had no desire to put any effort into ruling the most distant of their possessions. Instead of counts, earls, and barons, Twilight Velvet and Twilight Sparkle met with mayors, aldermares, and village headstallions, depending on how organized the peasantry was. The hamlets they passed through were no Appleoosa or Ponieville (even before Twilight’s arrival had triggered a population surge), and many were often no more than homes of local farmers clustered around a small chapel tended by a priestess who could barely read.
Throughout the journey, Twilight Velvet spoke to her husband’s subjects, inquiring about governance and what Blueblood had left behind, and every night she summarized what she’d learned to Spike, who copied her words down in copious notes. The final night of this leg of the procession, she reviewed the notes, all laid out before her on the floor, and tried to formulate a plan to bring the prince’s lands here back under control. The local village had treated them to a modest feast and afterwards the sorceresses had retired to the nearby manor house. It had been abandoned for quite a long time; the locals now used it for grain storage and a source of building materials, but some of the rooms were still livable. While Spike tried to stoke a fire in the fireplace, Twilight Sparkle had created an orb of light that hovered over her mother, illuminating the room and the outspread notes.
“It needs a rearrangement, yes, definitely,” Twilight Velvet said as she shuffled together some of the parchments into a stack.
“What are you thinking?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“It’s a wonder the Los Pegasans haven’t swallowed these lands up already. Although, lately, they’ve been too busy fighting each other,” Velvet said. “As much as Celestia’s maps may proclaim it so, this is no part of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. These lands are completely adrift. They need lords?”
“Do they?” Twilight asked, and her mother gave her a look she’d seen many times in her youth whenever Twilight Sparkle asked her a somewhat rhetorical question. “Perhaps local nobility is unnecessary here. In the North, Cadence had to deal with peasants who proved quite adept at ruling themselves without lords between them and her. The same could be used here, at least to some extent. Not all the lands here have fallen vacant, and those that are managed continue to produce crops and revenue. If you can persuade others to fill the empty lands, then all this territory could become the Prince of the City’s personal demesne in truth. There is no reason to place lords between you that you will have to then negotiate with and govern when the ponies already here can govern themselves.”
“Dear, it’s not peasant self-governance that I’m worried about,” Velvet said with a loving smile. “Capable as they may be, their duties lie elsewhere. The time they must spend in the fields to make them bear fruit is time they cannot spend learning the finer arts of diplomacy or war. That is the purpose of the nobility, though in Cant’r Laht the latter art might be lacking, which I confess is something neither I nor your father are guiltless of. When our lands were small, we had the Bersians to rely on as allies to lead our armies were we to be attacked, so there was little need for either of us to pursue that course. It is much the same with many of Cant’r Laht’s nobles, in varying patterns. Because of your father’s ascension, we must shift our family’s pattern since it is too late for us to meaningfully change ourselves, though your father may try, bless his heart. We need strong military vassals, here more than anywhere else. King Alfons of Applewood and Mareagon or Queen Harmonia are sure to attempt seizure of these lands at some point, and these ponies here will not be able to defend themselves alone. This land must be garrisoned, not left vacant.
“There’s another reason, besides that; your father and I cannot personally govern these lands. There is much work to do here, and we cannot devote ourselves entirely to the rebuilding and census-taking that will need to be done. A go-between is necessary for this to run smoothly, even if that means a smaller amount of tax paid directly to us. Someone must collect that from our subjects on our behalf, for we cannot go on processions constantly, as nice as it is to spend the time with you,” Velvet continued. “We must choose good vassals, certainly. They must be capable warriors, loyal, honest, fair towards both their lord and their subjects, diligent, and intelligent. Hard ponies to find, to be sure, but we shall do our best—and we must. Perhaps there are some among the locals who could benefit from an ennobling, but we will have to draw the majority from elsewhere, for the integrity of the western border is of paramount concern.”
“I see what you are saying,” Twilight Sparkle said as she considered her mother’s words. “Can’t Laht is the ground open to us from which to recruit new vassals, but it is not a very fertile one, is it? Especially after many of the likely candidates have gone to the North already. Unless … I may have an idea.”
“Oh?” Velvet said.
“You mentioned that our family has relied on the Bersians for years for military protection. Perhaps they could do so still, just in a different way. Not all of Count Starlit Mere’s noninheriting sons left for the North,” Twilight Sparkle said, and her mother smiled cryptically.
***
In the morning, they departed for their next destination. However, Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, showed up unexpectedly in the middle of the night. There was a Great Hunt in the area put on by King Alfons, and the Hunter was experiencing a bit of a crisis of conscience in the midst of it. Twilight Sparkle tried to give her friend the best advice she could, but she regretted that she couldn’t accompany Rainbow to the Great Hunt and support her; Twilight and her mother were due in the last cluster of the prince’s lands.
These were also in the south Equestry Valley but in the east, on the other side of Appleoosa, near the border with the Duchy of Balte-Maer and the southern edge of the Everfree Forest. There were a few local lords that the mother and daughter had to meet with, but most of these lands were part of the prince’s direct demesne. Here, so close to Balte-Maer and the only way to cross the White Mountains without going through Manehattan, disorder was not such an issue. Night Light’s subjects did pay their taxes, just to the wrong ponies. The local lords who were not vassals of the Prince of the City had taken advantage of the Blueblood’s general disinterest in the region to act as if the lands belonged to them. Speaking personally to every subject would not only be impossible, it also wouldn’t be enough. Unless the local lords were properly chastised, they would continue to send their tax collectors into the prince’s lands and the locals would have no choice but to pay.
Fortunately, they wouldn’t have to go to every lord individually to speak with them. All the offending lords had conveniently gathered themselves together on Count Baukus’s lands. The count had just married his daughter to Mayor Mare’s son, and in celebration a tourney was being held. It was the autumnal equinox, so the implications of a competition with the White Tail Tourney couldn’t be missed. That was why the local lords were all in attendance, along with as many of their household as could be mustered; they were attempting to make this tourney equal to the one held in White Tail Wood, perhaps even usurping it one day. That wasn’t likely to happen, though, especially after the Haltrotsuns were through with them.
They hadn’t been rude enough to arrive unannounced or uninvited, at least technically. The procession was public knowledge and the invitation to the tourney was open to all, so they were expected by the lords in the box set aside for them to watch the jousts. In the most prominent position sat Count Baukus in his full regalia: crown and mantle both, despite the warm weather. The count had a cream-colored coat, a long red mane and a bushy red beard, and seemed jovial until Twilight Velvet and Twilight Sparkle arrived. Next to him sat his new son-in-law—Fengold—and his daughter, Rolina. Soon, Twilight would be seeing her in Ponieville alongside her new husband and his scheming mother, who now sat on the other side of Count Baukus. She had no crown like Baukus or the other lords and ladies that sat around them in the box, but she wore the only symbol of office she possessed: her mayoral chain, which was merely gilded in gold instead of forged from it entirely. The mayor didn’t make any effort to disguise her displeasure at seeing Twilight Sparkle here, disrupting her triumph at finally making a link (however tenuous) between her family and the nobility.
“Twilight Velvet, Princess of the City, and Twilight Sparkle, Crown Princess of Cant’r Laht, both of House Haltrotsun,” a page nervously announced them as they entered the private box.
“It’s an honor to have two princesses attend the Equestry Tourney’s inaugural games,” Baukus said diplomatically. “Perhaps you would consider making an annual appearance in the future?”
“Perhaps,” Velvet said. “However, I’m afraid we won’t be staying this time for very long, as I am here only for two purposes. The first is to wish the new couple a future of peace, prosperity, and marital bliss.”
Fengold and Rolina made their polite thanks quietly, both overshadowed by the presence of their parents.
“And your second purpose?” Mayor Mare asked acridly.
“I wished to inform you all that the Prince of the City will be sending his own tax collectors to his lands from now on,” Velvet addressed the ponies in the box. “My husband appreciates you collecting tax for him in his absence and looks forward to you sending it to him in Cant’r Laht, but it is unnecessary for you to continue.”
The assembled lords grumbled, and some laughed before seeing how serious Twilight Velvet was.
“You can dress it up however you like,” Baukus said as he faced the sorceress down. “These lands you speak of may have been the Prince of the City’s once, but no more. We tend them now, not some distant lord in Cant’r Laht. Rhaegis Blueblood knew this, which is why he never sent his own tax collectors here. It’s time your husband was informed of the reality.”
“I’m afraid it is you who is mistaken,” Twilight Velvet said. “Things have changed. My husband is not Rhaegis Blueblood. House Haltrotsun is not House Blueblood. My husband was appointed by Regent Celestia. We will soon reside in Cant’r Laht Castle alongside her and Regent Luna. My daughter-in-law is Grand Duchess Mi Amore Cadenza. My daughter is Celestia’s protégé and heir to the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. We may have once been a small and inconsequential Cant’r Laht house, but now we have the backing of all four living alicorns. Do you really think it is prudent to violate our rights?”
“Are you threatening me, madam sorceress?” Baukus asked.
“Yes, I am,” Twilight Velvet said calmly. “I have kept meticulous track of the Haltrotsun income and expenses for years, and I do not want to see one penny out of place in these lands from now on. If you truly think it is wise to continue as you have, then you will see where that gets you, and it will not be pleasant. Haltrotsun is no longer a toothless house. Now, I must be getting back to Cant’r Laht … for now. Enjoy your games.”
Twilight Sparkle followed her mother as they left the box and the thoughtful lords that occupied it.
“You keep surprising me,” Twilight admitted once they were outside of the tourney grounds. “I have never seen you be so forceful in defending our family.”
“It was what was planned for me, but not the route I wished to go down. However, it seems I found my way to it anyway. Sometimes the unexpected occurs in life and we are forced to change roles. You must understand that better than many.”
“Indeed, I do,” Twilight said.
“More changes will be asked of you,” Twilight Velvet said as she regarded her daughter. “You are an alicorn and Crown Princess of Cant’r Laht. Celestia has always expected much from you, but she will ask even more. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Twilight said, thinking about all the changes she’d already undergone after leaving Cant’r Laht for Ponieville, and what Celestia had confided in her about her help. “Mother, I wanted to ask a favor of you.”
“You want funds to help the Saddle Arabians in Ponieville,” her mother stated, no question in her voice.
“How did you know?” Twilight asked.
“My shining star,” Velvet used her pet name for Twilight she hadn’t in years as she looked at her compassionately, “Do you think I didn’t keep an eye on you after you left Cant’r Laht? I’m your mother. I solicit reports as often as I can about how you are faring and what you are doing. The Saddle Arabians need housing, and you feel responsible to provide it. I anticipated that you would need help and would ask for it. Why do you think I put together this procession?”
“For me?” Twilight asked disbelievingly.
“You know how I plan everything. If all goes well, we should be able to spare enough for your needs,” Velvet said. “And, I would like to spend some time with you again, when pressing matters in Cant’r Laht are not calling on either of our attentions.”
“It was good to see you again, mother,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“You, too,” she replied. “Now, traipsing hither and yon across the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht had made me quite exhausted. I think it’s time we return home … to our new home.”
Rainbow Dash banked beneath the clouds as she neared Castle Falcon. Nestled among the northeastern fringes of the aptly named Red Mountains, the stone structure was built in the same strange architectural pattern as many Hunter fortresses. The exterior ring of walls, towers, and parapets was the same as any castle, but the keep was nearly pyramidal in design. The ziggurat-like structure rose in several tiers, walkways ringing it at different levels, interrupted by asymmetrical clusters of square and circular towers. The outer walls would provide defense against most earthbound monsters as well more mundane enemies, and the keep’s structure would protect from aerial attack.
It had been a while since Rainbow Dash had last been at the home of her Hunter Order. Usually, she worked around Ponieville and never ventured too far away, until the past few years when her time with the Brave Companions had taken her places she’d never dreamed of going. Despite all that travel, even beyond Equestria, she hadn’t returned to this nearby keep. It was barely a day’s flight away, but to get here, Rainbow Dash had to leave the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht. That normally wouldn’t matter to a Hunter, who owed allegiance to no one crown. However, because of her ties to Regents Celestia and Luna through the Brave Companions, Queen Harmonia likely wouldn’t welcome her presence in the Kingdom of Los Pegasus.
Fortunately, another successor to the late Queen Helianthus might be willing to. At least, that was what Rainbow Dash and Grandmaster Threll expected to happen. King Alfons of Applewood and Mareagon had called Hunters from across his newly minted kingdom and beyond to participate in a Great Hunt. It was rare that such an event happened; rare enough for Dash’s grandmaster—who usually left the Hunters beneath her to themselves—to command her to come to Castle Falcon. A Great Hunt could be called by any monarch when they wished to draw in Hunters from far and wide to deal with a great threat, but they avoided doing so as much as possible since they were then compelled to provide a truly stupendous payment to the Hunters—usually an incredibly valuable relic or artifact. King Alfons hadn’t shared the reward he planned to give, but there had been rumors. If the Hunters weren’t impressed by what he offered when they arrived, they’d all quickly disperse and end the Great Hunt before it even began. The king really had to bring the best he could.
Rainbow Dash landed in the courtyard outside of the fortress and made her way to the keep’s main entrance. Landing on the walkways above would’ve put her closer to her destination, but their doors into the keep were most likely securely locked and barred, unlike the main doors which were flung open. Castle Falcon, like many Hunter fortresses, was usually sparsely populated, its residents out pursuing work, so there weren’t enough ponies to patrol everywhere. The few Hunters that were here only had to keep an eye on the one entrance that was unbarred, and that worked well enough.
Rainbow Dash saw no fellow Hunters until she reached the castle’s great hall. Within, three other pegasi awaited her. Grandmaster Threll sat atop a table as she addressed the others while running a stone strapped to her forehoof up and down a blade to sharpen it. The Order of the Falcon’s grandmaster was nearly a century old, yet still looked to be in fine fighting shape, even if her close-cropped mane had gone completely gray. Her right eye was covered in a patch, and the scar from the wound that had taken her sight on that side ran along and across her muzzle from under it. The other two were Hunters that Rainbow Dash had met and worked with several times in the past. On the left was Mangonel, a heavily muscled stallion whose iconic spiked horseshoes hung from his flank armor so as not to disturb the floors of the castle. Beside him was Ren, a mare with a strangely timid demeanor. Upon meeting her for the first time, Rainbow Dash had wondered how she’d managed to make it through the training in the Order of the Sparrow, but all doubts had been dispelled after she’d seen her fight. She was more than competent in combat, though she fought with a silence that could be unnerving.
“So, you’ve decided to join us, Rainbow Dash,” Threll scolded her, and the others turned toward her at Threll’s remark.
“Apologies,” Rainbow Dash said without really meaning it.
She wasn’t late, she just hadn’t gotten here first—which was really the same thing in Threll’s eye. Rainbow Dash herself had felt the same way once, but things had changed. She’d still gotten here as quickly as she could, outside of Twilight Sparkle opening a portal directly for her. Twilight hadn’t been available to perform such a task, though, busy as she was with her mother, so there was nothing more Threll could expect of her.
“I was just telling the others about King Alfons’s Great Hunt,” Threll said as she turned her attention back to her sword. “They can fill you in on the details as you fly south. Do the Falcon justice. Remember whose symbol you wear.”
Threll gave a look at Rainbow Dash’s medallion. Though all of them wore the symbol of the falcon to denote their Hunter order, hers was different, ringed as it was by the barbs of the Order of the Thorn. Rainbow Dash got the message, not that she needed it. The Order of the Thorn didn’t truly exist; it was simply a way for the Wonderbolts to single out future candidates to join their ranks. Her true allegiance was to the Order of the Falcon, who that had supported her for years and given her a second chance after her disgraceful killing of another student and her time in the ignominious Order of the Magpie.
“Are we really the best team?” Ren asked timidly. “What about Windrose?”
“Windrose is too far away and busy with Hunts in the Snowshear Mountains,” Threll replied. “No, you are the best our order can offer. King Alfons is too impatient to begin his Great Hunt to wait for Windrose to arrive.”
For a monarch, a Great Hunt was an efficient way to draw in many Hunters to take care of a particularly troubling infestation. For the Hunters that came, though, it was a competition. Because of the requirements for exorbitant compensation, the reward the monarch offered was often a single item that could not be split evenly among all the Hunters involved. Long ago, the Hunters had come up with a solution to determine who would receive the coveted prize of the Great Hunt. Each order sent a team of three Hunters, theoretically their best. Among themselves, they knew all the rules of the Great Hunt and how to determine the winner. All would participate, but only one team would walk away with the reward. It would not go to the individual members but to the entire order, with the grandmaster deciding the best use for it.
“We’d better get going, then,” Rainbow Dash said. “Mangonel, Ren, we can talk while we fly.”
Threll dismissed them, and the two other Hunters followed Rainbow Dash out of Castle Falcon. Soon they were in the air, headed south.
***
There wasn’t really much for the others to fill Rainbow Dash in on as they flew; Grandmaster Threll simply wasn’t in the habit of repeating herself. The known details were that King Alfons was preparing to start the Great Hunt in three days’ time at the southern border of his kingdom, along the fringe of the great forest of Wyrdwood that—along with the Equestrian Divide—separated the kingdoms in the north from the pirate kingdoms of the south. Not that there were many of those left anymore; over the past few years, all but the few stubborn bands of pirates clinging to the east coast of the continent had been conquered by the satyrs of the Storm Isles. Most of the southern border of the Kingdom of Applewood and Mareagon was taken up by mountains, apart from a narrow strip on the coast and another in the east, right next to the South Equestry River. That river marked the border with the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht (according to Celestia), but the Mareagonese and the Los Pegasans before them claimed the land across it as their own. King Alfons was respecting the border in practice for now, though. His camp was pitched on the river’s west bank, and he intended to expand south instead of east. That was why he had called the Great Hunt: to deal with the monsters that infested the southern forest so that he could begin settling it.
It was no small task that lay ahead of Alfons and the Hunters he’d called. Wyrdwood was nearly as infested with monsters as the Everfree Forest had been before the events at the end of the past year, and it was much larger. Alfons didn’t expect them to clear out all the monsters in one Great Hunt, something he’d made clear in his invitation to ensure Hunters actually showed up. He knew it would be a long task and he’d need to pay individual Hunters to protect his settlements as he pushed south, but there was one pressing issue that needed to be solved before he could expand. There was a reason that ponies hadn’t pushed into the Wyrdwood; monsters had had a long time to grow old and large here. There was a particular beast—an ancient rikeswyrm—that Alfons wanted to see gone before he could set his plans into motion. That was the prey of the Great Hunt, the monster all the assembled Hunters would be questing after.
Quite a few had arrived already by the time the Falcon Hunters appeared. Their simple tents were scattered around in groups of three, contrasting with King Alfons’s pavilions and the neat lines of his camp followers’ tents. Most had chosen positions near a tree so they could hang a medallion or banner to denote their orders. Rainbow Dash and the others followed suit, picking a spot near a gnarled old oak to pitch their camp. Ren hung an oversized wooden medallion with the symbol of the falcon from one of the branches for the sake of passers-by.
The Great Hunt would begin the following day. After the few hours of sleep Hunters needed, the groups assembled before Alfons’s pavilion to await his announcement of the Hunt’s commencement. Things started out normally enough as they waited, Hunters standing in their teams stoically, only rarely chatting with each other, but that began to change before Alfons’s appearance. Murmurs of surprise went up throughout the crowd of Hunters, and it didn’t take long for the reason to pass around to everypony. The subject of conversation was the team that had arrived at the last minute and taken a position near the front of the crowd. Even without the buzz, it wouldn’t have been difficult to spot them. Unlike everypony else, whose armor was mostly black, gray, and brown, the Wonderbolts stood out in their bright blue and yellow barding. The surprise wasn’t just about competing against the most elite team of Hunters in Equestria; the Wonderbolts had never taken part in a Great Hunt in the past. What had changed now?
Before Rainbow Dash could puzzle it out, King Alfons made his appearance. Members of his court preceded him, emerging from the pavilion to line up and face the crowd of Hunters. When Alfons exited the pavilion, he was followed closely by a sorceress in long, flowing robes. She could only have come from one place—Applewood Tower—sent as a reminder that Alfons had had to cede absolute sovereignty in his kingdom in order to create it. Despite occupying a position closer to royalty than any other member of his court, the sorceress was not the tower’s Grand Enchanter and thus not an equal with the king, so she stayed back as King Alfons ascended the podium set up for him. He looked disappointed to see that some of the Hunters were hovering and thus denied him the advantage of his podium, but quickly recovered.
“Hunters from across Equestria, I’m pleased to call you all to a Great Hunt!” King Alfons announced. “Your quarry is the ancient rikeswyrm that haunts the lands south of the Pyreneighs! Whoever dispatches this beast will be victorious!”
The Hunters remained, waiting. King Alfons had declared the Hunt, but he hadn’t completed his duty to the satisfaction of those assembled yet.
“Bring out the prize!” he called back to the sorceress.
She concentrated for a moment before a portal split the air atop the podium next to Alfons. A servant pushed a chest through, and Alfons unlocked it with a key about his neck, revealing what was within. Inside the chest was a single item, a mace head with a long chain wrapped around it. Though it would mean little to most ponies, to Hunters this was an extraordinary prize.
“The reward for killing the rikeswyrm shall be this!” King Alfons declared. “The Chain-Whip of Stormbreaker, one of the original Wonderbolts!”
It had been rumored that the chain-whip was in the possession of the Dukes of Alcyon, and Hunters had wondered when the duke-turned-king had announced the Great Hunt if he might trot it out. Now it was confirmed, and it became clearer why the Wonderbolts were here. During her brief stay in Castle Thorn, Rainbow Dash had seen the fabled weapons of the other six original Wonderbolts, collected over the years and preserved as nigh sacred relics. All that was missing was the Chain-Whip of Stormbreaker, and the Wonderbolts intended to gain it here to complete the array.
“Now, do that which you do best!” Alfons commanded after relocking the chest. “Hunt!”
The teams of Hunters took off one by one and began to spread out as they headed south. Rainbow Dash, Mangonel, and Ren had made a plan the night before, anticipating what the day would bring, so they all knew exactly what path to take over the Wyrdwood. The Wonderbolts shot past them, determined to slay the rikeswyrm first, and Rainbow Dash identified them as they flew. Spitfire took the lead, Soarin and Fleetfoot following. They must have truly been serious about winning the Great Hunt to have sent both the captain of the Wonderbolts and her lieutenant. The three of them were quickly out of sight, as were the rest of the Hunters, leaving the Falcon Hunters alone apart from distant specks in the sky and the monsters roaming the forest below.
Traditionally, the first day of a Great Hunt, especially when it involved such a large and troublesome foe, was spent scouting out the terrain and locating likely spots to ambush the quarry. That’s exactly what the Falcon Hunters had decided to do. All they knew of the rikeswyrm was that it lived somewhere south of the Pyreneighs, the peaks of which shifted from the west to the north as they flew around them. It couldn’t have been too far, not if the locals knew it existed, since they didn’t venture far south of the forest’s border and the Pyreneighs themselves were mostly populated by satyrs.
Locating the monster, though no simple task, was the most straightforward part of the quest. Rikeswyrms were difficult adversaries, even under normal circumstances. The many-limbed serpents were flesh and blood, but they were also pseudo-ethereal, able to phase through solid matter. This allowed them to slip away more easily than almost any other monster that Hunters faced, since they could submerge themselves in the earth to escape. Rikeswyrms built their dens far beneath the surface soil, phasing through layers of dirt and rock until they carved out their dens where nothing could touch them. If a rikeswyrm remained in its den, no Hunter could reach it. Fortunately, they had to leave their homes in order to hunt, since prey existed only on the surface. That was when Hunters would strike.
So far as anypony knew, there was no limit to how big a rikeswyrm could grow. Although they started small, barely larger than an earthworm, they grew with every year of their lives. Usually Hunters were called in (later than they should have been) to deal with them when they were the size of a large hound, but they’d been known to grow as long as a sailing ship if left to their own devices. Thankfully, the more they grew, the easier they were to find if one was in the right place at the right time. For some unknown reason, exceptionally large rikeswyrms began to attract other monsters when they surfaced; the larger the rikeswyrm, the greater the concentration. If the size of this particular rikeswyrm wasn’t being exaggerated, the commotion caused by its surfacing ought to attract the attention of every Hunter in the area.
Rainbow Dash, Mangonel, and Ren flew to and fro across the Wyrdwood, keeping a lookout for the telltale signs of a rikeswyrm: disturbed earth and stone and concentrations of other monsters. There was no sign of the former, indicating that the rikeswyrm had not recently excavated a new den or had been smart in spreading out the detritus, but plenty of the latter. Whenever they descended to the trees, they found themselves under attack from monsters of all types, forcing them to shift tactics and equipment on the fly to stay alive, or else retreat back to higher altitudes. The sky didn’t always keep them safe, though. There were plenty of flying beasts—harpies, manticores, skyrays, and the like—that either pursued them or flew up unprovoked. There was no choice but to cut these down, and the Falcon Hunters managed well enough against them.
“What’s going on over there?” Mangonel asked as the three of them regrouped after some solo scouting, pointing to a flurry of activity in the east.
The three Hunters bore down on the swarming monsters, picking up the pace as the situation became apparent. Swords flashed and bombs exploded in midair as the Wonderbolts fought against an overwhelming attack. A large flock of perytons and a scatter of drakes had converged on them, putting aside their differences (mostly) for the moment to attack these interlopers instead. Winged deer and pseudo-dragons fell from the sky as Equestria’s greatest Hunters fought them off, but it was a losing battle.
Rainbow Dash came to their rescue first, not stopping as she streaked past a drake about to bite into Fleetfoot from behind, decapitating it and clipping its wings with her sword. She dodged a blast of lightning from a peryton’s antlers before tossing knives into its neck. As it fell braying, she retrieved the blades and slit the beast’s throat. By that point, Mangonel and Ren had also joined the fray, and the six Hunters were able to turn the tide. The monsters’ numbers were falling, but they continued to attack as if crazed. Mistakes started to happen, and the beasts got some hits in against the ponies trained from foalhood to kill them. Any wounds were superficial, until a peryton managed to gore Soarin while he was busy holding off a drake. Spitfire’s second-in-command grimaced as he swung his sword through the drake’s wing joint and kicked the peryton away. The winged deer fired a blast of lightning as it tumbled, managing to hit Soarin purely by chance. Soarin’s sword fell from his mouth as he dropped out of the sky, tumbling freely.
“Soarin! Pull up!” Spitfire yelled down at him between strikes against an overgrown drake, but he was unresponsive.
Rainbow Dash managed to strike through the two perytons in front of her before streaking downwards after Soarin. She was barely above the trees when she managed to get under him and carry his bleeding, unconscious body away from a fatal impact. She could hear growls and splintering branches from the other monsters eager to attack them as she streaked barely above the ground. Before she shot up again, Rainbow Dash caught a glimpse of the forest floor below her, a layer of translucent scales shimmering just over it, moss and grass shivering in anticipation of those scales becoming corporeal. Then, they vanished, sinking back beneath the soil. The rikeswyrm was right here but had decided not to surface. The Wonderbolts had found their quarry, but that didn’t matter at the moment. All that mattered was getting Soarin to safety before he bled out.
***
With the Wyldwood full of monsters, there was nowhere to land to treat Soarin’s wounds, so the Hunters did the best they could in the air while Rainbow Dash carried him back to the camp east of the Pyreneighs. Night had fallen by the time they arrived, and Dash left Soarin with the other two Wonderbolts. The rest of the night was spent washing Soarin’s blood from her armor and planning with Mangonel and Ren for the next day. Relocating the place where she’d where she’d seen the rikeswyrm would be difficult, but that might not matter so long as they could find the general area. It wasn’t likely to emerge in exactly the same spot, but if they could determine the territory near its den, they’d have a chance to trap it in the open. After a sparse few hours of sleep, they prepared to leave again. Before they went, though, Rainbow Dash left Mangonel and Ren to check on how Soarin was doing. The news was not good when she spoke to Spitfire and Fleetfoot outside of Soarin’s tent.
“It’s worse than we thought,” Spitfire confided in her. “It’s not just the chest wound; that last lightning blast injured his wing as well, and you know how hard it is for wings to mend properly. Even if he can stand and hold a sword, Soarin’s not going to be able to fly for the next few days.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Rainbow Dash said. “I don’t suppose there are any other Wonderbolts nearby you can call in? It’s going to be tough with only two.”
“I’m afraid not,” Spitfire replied.
“Although,” Fleetfoot said thoughtfully as she eyed Rainbow Dash’s medallion around her neck, “You are a Hunter of the Thorn …”
“So you could join us,” Spitfire finished the thought.
The rules among Hunters at a Great Hunt were that each team was composed of Hunters from the same order. However, both the Wonderbolts and the Order of the Thorn were unique, and they were linked together. Though it had never been done before, technically Wonderbolts and Hunters of the Thorn could be considered part of the same order.
“Join you?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I do have my own team to look after.”
“Not permanently, just until Soarin’s recovered,” Fleetfoot assured her.
“You can still hunt with the Falcons, but we could really use your help to scout and prep,” Spitfire said as she trotted over and put a wing across Rainbow Dash’s back. “Think about it, Rainbow Dash. We’d be honored to have you fly with the Wonderbolts.”
This was the dream she’d had since she was a foal. How could she turn down such an offer, to fly with her heroes, even if only for a little while?
“All right, I’ll do it,” she said.
“Wise decision,” Spitfire said with a smile. “You’ll be a Wonderbolt in no time.”
***
For the next few days of the Great Hunt, Rainbow Dash split her time between the Hunters of her own order and the Wonderbolts. She never told Mangonel and Ren that she was helping the Wonderbolts with their scouting whenever they split up. They likely wouldn’t understand, and she’d be back with them full time as soon as Soarin was back in commission, so it wouldn’t do any harm. At least, that’s what she told herself.
There was much to do to prepare to take down the rikeswyrm. They managed to narrow down the areas in which it hunted and did some preemptive clearing out of monsters to make their job easier and deny their quarry easy prey. Once word got around that the rikeswyrm’s territory had been found, all the Hunter teams descended upon the region, aiding in the process. Only one team could be proclaimed victorious, but it would likely take more than three Hunters to defeat the rikeswyrm.
Unless, perhaps, those three Hunters were Wonderbolts. As much as Rainbow Dash tried to tell herself she still belonged with the Falcon Hunters, hunting alongside the Wonderbolts was what she wanted and where she felt she deserved to be. After a day of fighting together, she began to familiarize herself with how Fleetfoot and Spitfire moved and worked seamlessly alongside them. Though she didn’t have their distinctive armor, it was almost like she was a Wonderbolt already. She tried to juggle both teams, but it soon became apparent which one she preferred; the longer Soarin remained out of commission, the more it felt like she could fly with the Wonderbolts forever.
“Rainbow Dash, we’ve got something to ask you,” Fleetfoot said as the three of them perched in the splayed branches of a tree, resting after clearing out nearby monsters and setting a trap for the rikeswyrm.
“This Great Hunt’s going to come to an end soon, and it doesn’t look like Soarin’s going to be healed in time to help us take down the rikeswyrm,” Spitfire said. “We want you to join the Wonderbolt team—officially.”
“As a member of the Order of the Thorn, of course,” Fleetfoot said. “You’ve really been proving yourself, though, and taking down this rikeswyrm with us is the last proof I need to recommend you get moved to the top of the list to be the next Wonderbolt.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked hopefully, but then her thoughts turned to Mangonel and Ren. “But … the Order of the Falcon really needs me, too.”
“We’ve all had to make that decision eventually,” Fleetfoot said, “Between our order and the Wonderbolts. Let’s face it, once you think it through, it’s obvious who the right choice is.”
“Think about it,” Spitfire said as she prepared to take off, “But let us know by tomorrow morning what your decision is.”
***
Rainbow Dash glided over the darkened landscape, her path lit only by the moon and stars. After leaving the Wonderbolts, she’d spent the rest of the day wrestling with the decision ahead of her. She could stay with Mangonel and Ren and the Order of the Falcon, or she could join the Wonderbolts instead. She had a reason to be with each, and it was causing a crisis inside of her. While fighting alongside Mangonel and Ren, her absent mind had caused her to slip up and suffer a sting from a venomous scorponid. When they returned to camp, she used her wound as an excuse to turn in early, only to slip away in the night. She needed somepony to talk to about her dilemma, and fortunately for her, there was a friend nearby who might be able to offer her advice. Word was passing through Alfons’s camp that Celestia’s pupil, Twilight Sparkle, was in the area, visiting the lands across the South Equestry River as part of the procession with her mother. Rainbow Dash managed to obtain enough rumors to determine where to go and located the old manor house where her friend was supposed to be.
“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight Sparkle asked in surprise when she answered the door. “What are you doing here?”
“Sorry to interrupt your time with your mother,” Rainbow Dash apologized, thinking of her own lack of a matronly figure for the first time in years. “I have a dilemma, Twilight, and I could use your advice.”
“I see,” Twilight Sparkle said after the Hunter had explained. “It is quite the situation you have gotten yourself into, Rainbow Dash. Torn between your dream and your existing ties. If I had had to choose between my family and becoming Celestia’s apprentice …”
“What would you have chosen?” Rainbow Dash asked, hoping for some insight.
Twilight looked thoughtful for several seconds before responding.
“The situation is different, and I was merely a foal at the time. It would not gain you anything to learn such a thing,” Twilight said instead of answering directly. “Rainbow Dash, I think you know what decision you must make, but it must be you who makes it. I should not interfere. Do you understand?”
“I think so,” Rainbow Dash said, disheartened. Twilight thought she knew what she should choose, but Rainbow Dash was still unsure. Hopefully she would have the answer by the time she returned to the Hunters’ camp.
***
No answer came to her during the flight back, nor by the next morning, but a solution did occur to her. When her fellow Falcon Hunters and later the Wonderbolts came by her tent, she played up her injury from the day before, insisting that she needed rest to combat the scorponid’s venom still in her body. Truthfully, her Hunter physiology had already mostly burned it out, but it wasn’t unknown for particularly powerful scorponid strikes to take days to recover from, so her excuse wasn’t questioned. Mangonel and Ren had at first insisted on staying with her, but she’d eventually convicned them that they still needed to go out and fight for the sake of their order. Fleetfoot and Spitfire had been easier to convince, acting professional and taking off to hunt the rikeswyrm once Rainbow Dash had explained her temporary infirmity.
As she lay in her tent, looking up at the canvas above her, she continued to agonize over the choice between the Order of the Falcon and the Wonderbolts. She’d found a temporary solution, but choosing not to choose didn’t feel like a real decision. She’d have to remain in camp until the rikeswyrm was slain to avoid giving an answer, which could be soon or days away; and her excuse wouldn’t hold up forever. As she wrestled with her plight, she saw a shadow move past her tent and got up to see who was moving around the camp—perhaps somepony sent by Alfons to spy on or steal from the Hunters.
“Soarin?” she said in surprise as she poked her head out of her tent and spotted the shadow’s source.
“Oh, hi, Rainbow Dash,” Soarin said, also in surprise. “What are you still doing in camp? I thought I was the only one here.”
“Spitfire and Fleetfoot didn’t tell you?” Rainbow Dash asked, before realizing that they couldn’t have if they’d headed straight out to hunt the rikeswyrm.
“No, they, um … they haven’t spoken with me much since I was injured,” Soarin admitted.
“How’s that going?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Your wing looks good as new.”
“Yes, well, the thing is, I, uh … I’m perfectly fine … and have been for a while now,” Soarin said. “I’ve always been a quick healer, even by Hunter standards, but Spitfire and Fleetfoot insisted I stay behind to mend fully. They told me not to worry, that they’d manage victory for the Wonderbolts even without me.”
“Because they thought I could be your replacement,” Rainbow Dash said, too softly for Soarin to hear.
Things were beginning to come together. Spitfire and Fleetfoot had seen in Rainbow Dash a chance to boost the Wonderbolts’ chances of winning the Great Hunt and crippling another team at the same time. They knew how desperately she wanted to be a Wonderbolt,and they’d tried to use that and her link through the Order of the Thorn to manipulate her into doing what they wanted. All they needed then was to keep Soarin out of the picture so she could take his place. And yet, even after figuring this out, Rainbow Dash still wanted to hunt alongside them. She looked back at her camp; at Mangonel’s and Ren’s tents, the embers of the campfire, and at the wooden Falcon medallion hanging from the nearby tree that, implausibly and just for a moment, seemed to shimmer with light. She knew the decision she had to make.
“Soarin, get your gear. We’ll head out to the hunting grounds together,” Rainbow Dash said.
“What? Why?” Soarin asked, dumbfounded.
“Both our teams are going to need us.”
***
It wasn’t difficult to find the other Hunters as they awaited the rikeswyrm’s appearance; they had been setting things up for days. Rainbow Dash and Soarin managed to cause a bit of a commotion when they arrived. Soarin’s injury had been well known for a long time, and word of what had befallen Rainbow Dash had also spread quickly. Mangonel, Ren, Fleetfoot, and Spitfire flew out and met them in midair.
“Rainbow Dash! You managed to fight through the venom, huh? Good for you!” Fleetfoot said, completely ignoring Soarin as Spitfire glared at him.
“That’s Rainbow Dash for you,” Ren said quietly. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”
“I’m fine,” Rainbow Dash assured her.
“So, Rainbow Dash, are you with us?” Spitfire asked.
“I know where my allegiance should lie,” Rainbow Dash said. “I may aspire to be a Wonderbolt, but my loyalty is with the Order of the Falcon.”
“You sure about that?” Fleetfoot asked, almost making it a threat.
“You lied to me about the extent of Soarin’s injuries so I would help you, you played off my desire to be a Wonderbolt, you took advantage of my place in the Order of the Thorn, all to help you win the Chain-Sword of Stormbreaker. Is it really worth all that?” Rainbow Dash accused Fleetfoot and Spitfire as she advanced on them. “My dream has always been to join the Wonderbolts, but it seems every time we meet, I learn something about you that I didn’t want to know, something that taints that dream. If you want to be treated like heroes, maybe you should act like them.”
“You’re full of surprises, Rainbow Dash. You have been since the first time I heard about you,” Spitfire said as she stared Rainbow Dash down. “You say it’s your dream to become a Wonderbolt, but every time you get close to achieving that dream, you strike out and do something to sabotage yourself.”
“I’m just trying to do what I think is right,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Yes, I think you are,” Spitfire said as she looked past her to Soarin, who was still patiently waiting to be acknowledged by his fellow Wonderbolts.
Whatever the captain of the Wonderbolts had been about to say to her lieutenant was lost as cries went up from the other teams of Hunters in the area. Trees shook, and Hunters in the distance started fighting off incoming flying monsters. The rikeswyrm had decided to surface, and the legion of Hunters took off from their perches to intercept it. Foul sounds rose from the forest as monsters rushed in to fill the space that had been cleared by Hunters in the previous days, as eager as those above to be there when the rikeswyrm emerged.
Its head appeared first, beginning as an ethereal shimmering outline of a snout until it had passed through the trees and was able to become corporeal. The head was long and smooth, with an appearance somewhere between that of a serpent and a fish. Large black eyes with glowing gold irises peered out from beneath slight brows, taking in their surroundings quickly. This rikeswyrm had remained unhunted in the Wyrdwood for ages and had grown to a truly phenomenal size. The head alone was as large as the biggest sailing ships, reaching a level of magnitude bigger than the largest recorded rikeswyrm. It was a truly monstrous specimen and would require many Hunters to take down.
The rikeswyrm hadn’t grown so large by being a fool; it knew the threat facing it if it were to continue surfacing, so it tried to drop back beneath the soil. However, the enchanted stones the Hunters had placed all over the forest in the preceding days prevented it from doing so and it found itself stuck with its head above ground, unable to turn ethereal again. The rikeswyrm swiftly realized this and decided the only recourse was to fight. Its long serpentine body began to reveal itself as the rikeswyrm reared up, swimming through the air as ably as it had through the soil. A massive pillar of flesh covered in flailing, clawed arms rose into the air seemingly without end, until the rikeswyrm decided it had reared its head high enough.
The Hunters were closing in, the sheer scale of the beast only really dawning on them as they drew near. Steam gushed from the rikeswyrm’s nostrils, placed on the bridge of its head, back from its eyes, and its head was soon obscured in a thick cloud. Light flickered from within the cloud as the rikeswyrm opened its mouth and began to build up an electrical charge between its jaws. Lightning lanced out from the cloud, but the Hunters had prepared for this. Kites attached to iron stakes perforated the area and surrounded the rikeswyrm, drawing the lightning strikes away from the Hunters for the most part.
As the Hunters reached striking distance of the rikeswyrm, the sky became crowded and confused. Flying beasts swirled around the serpent’s body, drawn by its inexplicable magnetism to other monsters. The Hunters had to contend not just with them but also with the rikeswyrm’s flailing limbs, each as thick as a tree trunk. It became chaos as they had to juggle attempts to strike their quarry and defend against the minor monsters in their way. Thrown bombs and grenades boomed and crackled, blades sliced through the air, and crossbow bolts flew every which way.
In the midst of all the chaos, Rainbow Dash and her fellow Falcon Hunters managed to slice their way through to the rikeswyrm’s body. Mangonel held off the monsters that descended on them, pulping them with his spiked horseshoes, while Rainbow Dash and Ren tried to pierce through the rikeswyrm’s thick hide. Its scales, while no larger than a pony’s hoof, had many layers, eventually fusing into much larger plates farther down, and it seemed impossible to cut straight through. Rainbow Dash led them upward, chopping through the forest of limbs toward its neck, where they might have a better chance of finding an opening.
The rikeswyrm, meanwhile, was not content to rest on its laurels and let the cloud of smaller monsters defend it or to allow its lightning strikes to vanish uselessly into the ground. Stretching its jaws wider, it allowed the power there to grow until it focused into a beam of energy and swept it across the aerial battlefield. Monsters were burned up or vaporized, and some of the Hunters unable to get out of the way in time joined them. Many fought desperately now to close the distance and contact the rikeswyrm’s body, where they would be safe from its beam.
As the rikeswyrm prepared another blast, the Wonderbolts flew in formation directly at the glow coming from its mouth. Each of them was laden with bombs they’d picked up from caches down in the forest, ready to be released from their armor at the pull of a cord in their mouths. When the rikeswyrm released its built-up energy and shot another beam from its mouth, the Wonderbolts split off in three directions. Soarin released his bombs first, and they detonated the moment they struck the rikeswyrm’s beam, cutting it short. Fleetfoot released hers next, cutting the beam shorter still, and Spitfire finished the drop, her bombs detonating nearly within the rikeswyrm’s mouth. The blasts dispelled much of the cloud around its head and struck its face, causing it to recoil instinctively and shake smoke from where minor damage had been dealt.
The three Falcon Hunters had to take evasive action to avoid being struck by the massive head, but they were able to get back to it after the rikeswyrm had calmed down. That the Wonderbolts had managed to deal any real damage to the beast at all was impressive, but it was nowhere near what was required to bring it down. More Hunters had made it through to the rikeswyrm’s body but were running into the same issues of getting through its flesh. Something drastic would be needed to pierce those scales.
“I’ll be back,” Rainbow Dash told Ren and Mangonel. “Stay alive until then.”
As they continued to advance up the rikeswyrm’s neck, Rainbow Dash shot up into the sky, flying free of the chaos surrounding the massive beast. It took a long time for it to dwindle beneath her, but eventually Rainbow Dash was high enough that the rikeswyrm looked like no more than a snake. Gripping her sword firmly in her teeth, she started to descend. Wind whistled as she picked up speed rapidly on the way down, and she could feel resistance begin to build against her. She knew she could push past it and kept going, building tension until she was right on top of the rikeswyrm. Then, she struck. A sonic rainboom exploded from where her sword met the rikeswyrm’s neck, and the shockwave threw monsters and Hunters alike back from the cut.
As she circled around beneath its neck in the aftermath of her strike, she knew it hadn’t been enough to bring the beast down. Cresting it from the opposite side, she saw that she had managed to open a large gash in the rikeswyrm’s neck but had come far from severing it. The massive serpent howled in pain and rage as it flailed around, and the Hunters struggled to stay ahead of the twisting neck as it swung back and forth. Lightning began to build between its jaws again, some also emerging from the gash Rainbow Dash had opened, keeping Hunters from exploiting the opening she’d made. It did mean, at least, that she’d managed to cut through to its windpipe.
The rikeswyrm swung around with supernatural speed as it released another beam of energy, trees igniting where it went wide. Hunters circled the wounded creature as it twisted around, limbs grasping at them, claws slicing past them. The Wonderbolts flew toward its mouth again as the beam ceased. A roar shook the air and it began to build for another strike, but Fleetfoot shot ahead and tossed a bomb into the growing power, detonating it. It began to build again, but this time Soarin shot ahead and extinguished the power with a blast. Spitfire, carrying a frankly absurd amount of bombs, plunged through the smoke and between the rikeswyrm’s jaws as they instinctively snapped shut. Seconds passed with no sign of Spitfire until she emerged, hacking wildly, through the gap Rainbow Dash had opened.
“Get back!” she yelled as she emerged, dripping with blood and gore.
Hunters pulled away from the rikeswyrm’s head while fighting the monsters still circling around, but they had plenty of time before the bombs Spitfire was no longer carrying went off. Detonations sounded wetly from within the rikeswyrm’s head and neck, accompanied by splintering bone and tearing flesh. A sickly roar expelled by the blast sounded from the rikeswyrm’s mouth before its jaw split and cheeks blew out. The gash on its neck expanded and the head began to tear away from the monster’s body. The earth below cracked violently as the rest of the rikeswyrm’s body beneath the ground became just as corporeal as that above. The rikeswyrm’s long, sinuous form fell slowly through the air, crushing hapless monsters as they tried to flee, and crashed to the ground with an impact that toppled hundreds of trees.
***
Rainbow Dash, Mangonel, and Ren packed up their camp and prepared to return to Castle Falcon. Now that the Great Hunt had ended, Hunters all around them were doing the same, all returning to their own fortresses or headed back on the road. Some would return to help with the clearing of monsters as King Alfons pushed settlements south, but for the time being there was no more work to be had here.
After slaying the rikeswyrm, the Hunters had all sat down and hashed out the rules for the Great Hunt to determine the winner. The Wonderbolts had been chosen, and it was Spitfire who carried an eye of the rikeswyrm, nearly as large as she was, to King Alfons as proof. The Wonderbolts had won the Chain-Whip of Stormbreaker, and without Rainbow Dash assisting them in the final battle, though she did feel a bit cheated for helping them cache all the explosives they’d used to finish the job.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash,” Spitfire said as she trotted by the partially disassembled Falcon camp, Fleetfoot and Soarin following her, and all three Falcon Hunters looked up.
Spitfire tossed Rainbow Dash the icon the Wonderbolts had hung up at their camp to mark its allegiance. The Falcon’s icon had been a wooden medallion, but the Wonderbolts had a winged lightning bolt made of gold.
“Keep it,” Spitfire said as Rainbow Dash looked up from it. “I know, it’s useless to you right now—you made that clear—but maybe it’ll come in handy someday.”
“Thanks,” Rainbow Dash said before packing it up with the rest of her things, not noticing the unnatural light that shimmered across it even after it had been wrapped up.
Spike ran through the streets of Ponieville, tightly holding a bundle of scrolls in his arms. In the years since he and Twilight had moved to Ponieville, every part of him had lengthened, including his legs and tail, and he was able to move at a good clip, no longer waddling as he ran. His tail whipped behind him as he diverted into an alley, avoiding the ponies cobbling the town’s main street, under Mayor Mare’s orders. She was determined to make Ponieville into a true town, but it was still far from Cant’r Laht. Taking side streets, Spike made his way to the square in front of Golden Oak’s laboratory. He narrowly avoided running into Big McIntosh hauling a cart of produce, managing to spin out of the way without dropping any scrolls. The dragonling hurried across the square without any more near-collisions and used his tail to open the door to his and Twilight’s home. He very nearly threw all the scrolls onto the floor just inside the door, but then thought better of it and dropped them in a stack next to it instead. It wasn’t where Twilight would want them, but he was in a hurry.
On the move again, Spike ran out of the laboratory and headed toward the river. He needed to reach Twilight to tell her what he’d learned while picking up her scrolls. There was a rumor passing through Ponieville that there was another dragon nearby, a dragonet who’d been seen in the Everfree. He desperately longed to speak with another dragon about their more typical draconic life and to learn about the homeland he’d never seen, but he wasn’t going to go alone, not after what had happened the last time he’d tried to talk with other dragons. While he was no longer a hatchling—he’d grown taller, and his scales were developing and hardening—he still had no wings and rather unimpressive fire breath, leaving him vulnerable if the strange dragonet were to have ill intentions.
Carts had been parked on the nearest bridge, blocking his passage over the Equestry River, but he jumped up onto the railing and crossed anyway. Now that the western walls had been completed, Ponieville’s palisade had been torn down, but parts of it had been reconstructed on the eastern bank of the river where the town’s wall was still underway. Spike scurried between the wooden gates, disturbing the ponies standing in the way chewing the fat, and took off for the Saddle Arabian camp. The tents were more spread out than when the Saddle Arabians had first arrived on the east bank of the Equestry River at Twilight Sparkle’s invitation. This was both because there were more of them here now, other exiles finding their way to the sultana’s court after learning of it, and because of the planned construction.
Anticipating a windfall from the Prince of the City’s lands, Twilight had gone ahead and taken out considerable loans to fund the construction of more permanent housing for the Saddle Arabians. These tall equines were used to living in a scorching desert, and though autumn was only beginning to take hold of Equestria, they were already struggling to cope with the lower temperatures. They couldn’t stay in tents through the Equestrian winter; Twilight wouldn't be able to return them to Saddle Arabia before then, so they needed homes to live in. Skeletons of the proposed structures were clustered near the heart of the camp, where Spike would find Twilight, involved in the nitty-gritty as she wished to be. The cottages of Ponieville would have been easy enough to build, but their style was not to the Saddle Arabians’ liking. They liked to live close together, with their homes all abutting and overlapping, blending together into a labyrinthine structure. Twilight was trying to figure out a way to incorporate their desires into buildings that could be practically constructed using the materials and techniques at hoof, but so far, she’d had only lackluster success.
When Spike found Twilight Sparkle, she wasn’t alone. That in itself wasn’t peculiar, but her company was. With her was Shazira, the Saddle Arabian magus with whom Twilight had struck up a friendship during her stay on the sandy peninsula and who had become her contact in the Saddle Arabian exile community. They had been working together to mastermind how to keep the Saddle Arabians warm and dry throughout the coming winter, so her presence was expected. The six other ponies with her were the surprise. Spike had met three of them before: Penumbra Redallion, Amaranth Eeethok, and Solth de Perth—collectively, the Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre. The other three were a mystery, but all had the distinctive look of sorceresses about them: robes, strange accoutrements, and haughty expressions. They were having an animated discussion when Spike arrived.
“Twilight! Twilight!” Spike called as he ran up to the group, drawing the attention of all eight magic-users.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Twilight told the others as she trotted out of the group to speak to Spike.
“Be quick about it, Twilight Sparkle,” one of the unknown sorceresses, a mare with a white and gray mane, said imperiously. “Every second is precious.”
“What is it, Spike?” Twilight asked. “I am afraid I will need to leave very soon.”
“What? Why?” Spike asked.
“The White Procession is raiding the Grittish Isles,” Twilight spoke quickly. “We may have a chance to learn more about them, but we need to leave right away before they vanish through their portals. Did you have something you wanted to tell me?”
The White Procession was such a serious thing, it left Spike unsure how to proceed. The otherworldly raiders had been attacking Equus for millennia, and nopony had ever been able to learn anything about them besides what one saw when they arrived. They left nothing behind, and there was no way to track where they came from. Compared to the possibility of changing that, Spike’s desire to speak to another dragon seemed feeble.
“There’s a dragonet in the Everfree Forest. I was hoping we could go speak to him, so I could learn more about dragons,” Spike went ahead anyway. At least Twilight would know his wish.
“Oh, Spike, I wish we could, but …” Twilight said, then bit her lip and looked around, “Ream! Baldavin!”
Twilight’s guards were nearby, attempting to communicate with some Saddle Arabians, but they hurried straight over when they heard her call.
“Your Highness?” Baldavin said as the two of them bowed.
“I need you to take Spike into the Everfree Forest. Keep him safe. He will explain the rest,” Twilight said, speaking quickly as the sorceress from before cleared her throat loudly.
“Of … course … your Highness,” Baldavin said hesitantly, having never received such an order from her before.
“Thank you,” Twilight said, before turning to rejoin her fellow sorceresses. “I am ready. Let us go.”
Three portals split the air, and the nearby Saddle Arabians whinnied in alarm as snow blew through them. The Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre passed through one, Twilight and Shazira through another, and the rest through the third. Ream sighed deeply as Twilight Sparkle vanished out of sight.
“So, young master Spike, what is it we are to do?” Baldavin asked, and the dragonling turned back to face the stallions.
***
Before they could set out into the Everfree, they needed to pack supplies for the journey, which meant returning to Golden Oak’s laboratory for Spike, and Ream and Baldavin to their lodgings. It was unclear from the rumors just how far into the Everfree Forest the dragonet was, and there was no guarantee they’d find them before nightfall. Even drained of monsters, the Everfree could be a perilous place simply due to the twisted growth of its trees that made navigation difficult. Spike was certain they could find their way out if he climbed up to the forest canopy, but that wouldn’t help them in locating the dragon they were searching for.
Spike led the way, followed by Ream and Baldavin. It was strange for him to be leading, both because of how much younger he was than the two stallions following him and because he’d never been in such a position before. Whenever he’d been with Ream and Baldavin before, all three of them had been following Twilight. Now, however, they were following his lead while keeping an eye out for his safety. Not that there was much to threaten him between Golden Oak’s laboratory and the Everfree Forest; past Ponieville’s rising walls (progress accelerating on their construction thanks to the Saddle Arabians), there were just rolling hills covered by fields and copses, and then the lumberjack camps.
Since the Everfree’s monsters had boiled out at the start of the year, ponies previously too frightened to attempt cutting down its trees had commenced with logging operations. Already a large band of stumps and disturbed earth been cleared as the loggers pressed onward. There was high demand for the wood as Ponieville expanded, especially for the Saddle Arabians’ new homes, and the loggers here were making a tidy living. There was still the occasional monster attack since the Everfree wasn’t totally safe yet, but the loggers could afford to send Hunters to deal with the problem. There were already a few Hunter tents on the outskirts of the camps for those who had come to supplement Rainbow Dash’s efforts. The sounds of saws and axes were prevalent as Spike walked through the camp and neared the new border of the Everfree Forest.
“Look, it’s another one,” a logger pointed out to his comrade as Spike walked past.
“Excuse me!” Spike called out as the logger’s friend tried to explain to him who Spike was, “You’ve seen the other dragon?”
“Why, you tryin’ t’ meet up?” the logger said antagonistically as he rose from the stump he’d been resting on. “We don’t need no more o’ you lizards getting’ t’gether t’ burn our ‘omes down.”
“Careful,” Ream warned as he advanced to stand alongside Spike, “This dragonling is son of the dragonlord Ingrirtireth.”
“A royal lizard, then,” the logger said, remaining unfriendly, though he’d surely heard the name before.
“He’s also the personal page to Crown Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Ream added, which had the desired effect using Ingrirtireth’s name hadn’t.
“Oh, I …” the logger said as he blanched.
“I tried to warn you,” his friend told him as he pushed him back to his stump. “Sorry, you wanted to know about the other dragon? We saw him a couple days ago, flying over the forest. Uh, green scales, black spines. About half again as tall as you. Anything else?”
“Do you know where he landed?” Spike asked.
“You got me. For all I know, he flew straight to the White Mountains,” the logger said.
“Thanks,” Spike said, before shooting the other logger what he thought was a terrifying look.
Spike turned to the nearby row of trees that marked the new border of the Everfree Forest. There was still an ominous air about the place, but if he wanted to speak to another dragon, he’d have to brave it.
“Having second thoughts, young master Spike?” Baldavin asked, seeing his hesitation to enter the forest.
“Nope. Let’s go,” Spike said as he led the way between the trees.
***
Despite the monster exodus from the Everfree, the forest was still far from empty. Spike, Ream, and Baldavin saw plenty of wildlife as they traveled, only now it was more of the mundane variety. Rabbits, owls, squirrels, and the like all moved about freely now that they didn’t have to worry so much about being devoured by otherworldly beasts. There were still monsters in the Everfree, to be sure, but most of those were very large and lived at the center of the forest instead of the fringes. If Rainbow Dash hadn’t been busy, they might have brought her along to deal with the more dangerous beasts, but Ream and Baldavin would have to suffice. They were both soldiers of Cant’r Laht, and they’d at least be able to stall monsters long enough for Spike to escape.
They remained vigilant as they trekked deeper into the Everfree Forest and stood guard when Spike climbed a tree from time to time to search for any signs of the dragonet breaking through the leaves. So far, he hadn’t had any success. The Everfree Forest was vast, nearly filling the Equestry Valley, and they could easily wander for days and never even get close to the dragonet. Spike was trying to lead well but was realizing that he didn’t really have a plan for how to find the dragonet. He wasn’t Twilight Sparkle, who could use sorcery to search (though even she would find it difficult to do so within the Everfree). He was starting to lose faith and consider returning home, when there was a rustle in the undergrowth ahead.
“Young master Spike,” Baldavin said as he beckoned for Spike to get behind him and drew his sword.
Ream already had his out, and the two of them stood between Spike and whatever was disturbing the forest. The bushes parted as a zebra jumped out and faced down the stallions.
“What is it you are doing here?” the zebra asked, and Spike recognized her voice.
“Zecor?” he asked as he stepped out from behind Ream and Baldavin, who had sheathed their swords.
“Spike, it is you, and … the guards of Twilight Sparkle,” Zecor said as her expression softened. “I do not doubt your intentions, but my question remains the same. Why is it you have come here?”
“We’re looking for a dragonet. Have you seen him?” Spike asked.
“One like you, yes?” Zecor said, puzzled by the distinction between dragonlings, dragonets, and dragons. “I have seen him flying around.”
“I don’t suppose you’ve seen him land anywhere?” Spike asked hopefully.
“Northeast seven leagues,” Zecor said as she pointed with a hoof. “He has bedded down there the last three nights.”
“Really?” Spike said excitedly.
“I observed him, but dared not get too close,” Zecor said with a slow nod. “Some of the moon worshipers’ hexes remain on the way. I have marked them, but be wary.”
“Thanks, Zecor!” Spike said as he charged off into the forest. “C’mon, let’s go!”
***
Daylight was dwindling by the time the trio reached the spot Zecor had spoken about, but there was no sign of the dragonet. The place in question was a small clearing bordered on one end by a stream and on the other by an outcropping of rock that formed a natural, cave-like overhang. It was a good spot to camp, but even after waiting and searching from atop the rock and the nearby treetops, Spike didn’t see the dragonet. Perhaps it was because they had arrived or because the dragonet had chosen to move on, but he was a no-show.
As the sun sank below the horizon and stars came out, Spike, Ream, and Baldavin sat around a campfire. While Spike had watched the skies for the dragonet, the stallions had pitched camp, knowing they would not be returning to Ponieville that night. Baldavin had also done some hunting at his behest, though he’d had to travel some distance away in order to bag the quail that Spike was now devouring. The dragonet had done some hunting of his own over the past few days, and the local game had either been eaten already or scared off. Ream looked a bit uneasy as Spike finished the roast bird, throwing the bones to join the pile left by the dragonet who’d preceded them. He knew that the dragonling was partial to meat when he could get it, and that he needed it for proper growth, but it was still an unpleasant sight for an herbivore to see flesh devoured.
“It’s a beautiful night sky tonight,” Ream said as he looked up to take his mind off Spike licking the grease from his wickedly sharp teeth.
“Luna must be in a fine mood,” Spike said as he lay back to also take in the starscape.
“Indeed, young master Spike,” Baldavin said as he also admired the thousands of glittering points scattered across the canopy above.
“You know, you don’t have to call me that, at least not every time,” Spike said as he sat back up, “Or call Twilight ‘Your Highness’ all the time.”
“Forgive me, but … at least for Mistress Twilight, I’m afraid I must,” Baldavin said, “She is a princess, an alicorn, certainly. But above all else, she has earned it.”
Baldavin turned his gaze from the stars above to their campfire. He’d stripped off his helmet and set it with his saddlebags, but he was still wearing mail under his tabard in case something should emerge from the forest and attack them suddenly; the firelight turned its links to gold. His white coat also seemed engoldened by the light, and the scars on his neck and face from past scrapes stood out in stark contrast where they parted the hair. His black mane was also distinct from the rest of his face, especially combed back over his crest. The edges were beginning to recede and the hair on his jaw was rough and unkempt, showing the first signs of age. Baldavin was older than Twilight by over a decade, though younger than her father, yet he showed weathering that the Cant’r Laht sorcerer did not. The flames of the fire reflected in his thoughtful eyes as he stared into the blaze.
“I’ve served many different masters in my time as a guardstallion,” Baldavin said as he continued to stare into the fire. “I called them by their titles, too, at least to their faces. It didn’t mean anything, just part of the job. ‘Yes, ser.’ ‘Yes, m’lady.’ I was a useful tool, and as a tool I didn’t question what I was being used for or why. The nobles of Cant’r Laht need us for more than just standing at their gates to keep out the riffraff.
“I don’t know why or how I ended up as a guard at Cant’r Laht Castle. I wasn’t hired to protect Celestia, that’s for certain. How could anyone seriously think Celestia needed protection she didn’t already have with her sorcery? It was more of the same. Then, I was sent off with you and Twilight Sparkle to Ponieville,” Baldavin said, turning at last look at Spike, “I figured it would be more of the same again, though perhaps there was a chance my services would actually be needed as a guard now that I was outside of Cant’r Laht. I didn’t know what to make of Twilight Sparkle, personal protégé of Celestia. She seemed so much like any other Cant’r Laht sorceress at first: haughty, superior, standoffish. Even after she settled in and began to change, she kept us at a distance. I understood no sorceress of her caliber truly needs protection, and so I resigned myself to her negligence; I turned to drink and mares as I always have.”
“Then … things changed again,” Baldavin said as he looked back up. “Truly, Twilight Sparkle needs no guards to protect her, now more than ever, but she called us back to fulfill our duties, nonetheless. She has ponies she cares about, and if we cannot protect her, we can protect them. She’s made me want to protect them. She has grand plans, and while I cannot be privy to every detail, I am included more than I ever was and in more ways. I used to regret being sent to Ponieville, and even considered it a punishment. Now, there is nowhere I would rather be so long as I can continue to serve Mistress Twilight.”
Across the fire, Ream made a noise.
“Something to say, Ream?” Baldavin asked accusatorially.
“No, it’s just that … I feel the same,” Ream said.
The younger of the two guards released a long breath as he too stared contemplatively at the fire. Ream had also removed his helmet and saddlebags but kept his mail. His coat was already yellow, and so unaffected by the light of the fire. Ream’s mane was brown, thick, and lustrous, and he kept it oiled and tied off next to his neck. Spike watched him as he thought for a while before speaking.
“I know why I joined Celestia’s guard,” he said as he looked to Spike. “I wanted renown, to make a reputation for myself. When I got the news I was assigned to Twilight Sparkle, at first I thought it was the perfect opportunity, but when I learned we’d be staying in Ponieville … well, I thought it was a death sentence for my hopes. There’s no opportunity here to make a name for myself that matters, so I despaired. I hated Twilight for a while, for keeping me here doing nothing when I’d rather be anywhere else. ‘How dare she deny me my dream,’ I thought, and ‘how just like a Cant’r Laht sorceress.’ I wasn’t wrong.
“She was a Cant’r Laht sorceress,” Ream said firmly. “Then, like you said, Baldavin, she changed. Maybe she always had a good heart—I don’t know, I can’t speak personally, and you would know best, Spike—but she didn’t show it at first. But … she’s not the mare she once was. A change has come over Twilight Sparkle, and one that has made my assignment to serve her not only bearable, but laudable. She seeks to help both here and across Equestria and beyond. I thought in her service I had no opportunity to earn renown, but now it seems inevitable. She is ascending fast, and I just want to be along for the ride.”
“Wow, I had no idea,” Spike said, looking at both Ream and Baldavin. “I mean, I’ve seen you around the past few years, but I guess I never really thought about it, or how Twilight was reaching out to you more. I know she appreciates your help.”
“We want to be even more helpful to her,” Baldavin said earnestly, looking to Ream for confirmation that they were still on the same page, “I would speak to her personally, but perhaps you might have a better chance at convincing her. Whether she knows it or not, Mistress Twilight is accumulating a household. The Brave Companions, the Saddle Arabians, she’s tied herself to them; and a pony in her position will be expected to provide for and protect them. She needs a household guard composed of more than just Ream and me. We can take care of assembling such a force and commanding it, but she is the one who must give the orders. She has no lands or seat or court yet, but if Grand Duchess mi Amore Cadenza is any indication, she soon will, and she’ll need to be prepared. She has to begin thinking like a ruler. It’s not something I could ever tell her, but perhaps you can.”
“I’ll think about it,” Spike said as he pondered the idea.
Everything Baldavin was saying made sense to him, but how would Twilight take it? The guardstallion was right, she would probably receive the advice better from Spike than them; but he was also right about Twilight changing, so maybe she’d agree immediately. It was strange to think of the mare who’d raised him and whom he’d worked alongside his whole life as a princess and a future ruler, but it was something he—and especially she—would have to get accustomed to.
***
The next morning, the trio set out early in search of the dragonet. Now that they’d located where he’d been, it was easier to find signs of where he’d gone. They wandered for a bit, chasing down places where he’d descended through the trees in the last few days, but eventually found a path of signs that led north and tracked him down. It was before midday when they came upon the dragonet and approached him cautiously. He’d managed to find another clearing and was laid back on a rock, wings outstretched, sunning himself. He was as the logger had described, covered in green scales (a lighter patch on his chest) with long, curved, black spines running from the top of his head to the tip of his long tail. Ream and Baldavin, even with their horns, would come up only to his jaw, and Spike only to his shoulders.
“Spike, how do you wish to proceed?” Baldavin whispered to him.
“I think … I’ll introduce myself,” Spike said, and he took a step forward before pausing. “The two of you had better come with.”
Spike stepped out into the clearing, followed closely by his companions. Though the dragonet must have heard the clinking of the guards’ mail by now, he gave no indication and continued baking on the stone. Though he didn’t look it, Spike wondered if he might be asleep.
“Hello there, my name is Spaaku,” Spike introduced himself, using the more dragon-like version of his name.
“Hey, I’m Öster,” the dragonet said as he opened an eye, took in Spike and his two guards, and closed it again. “There a reason you came all the way out here?”
“Well, I was wondering what you’re doing here, for one. But more than that, I want to learn about being a dragon and about Tyrannus,” Spike said.
The dragonet opened both eyes and considered the hopeful dragonling before patting the stone next to him.
“I’m having a look around. Tyrannus is too small for all the dragons there, and I wanted to check out some other places, see if I can find a good spot to live and build a hoard once I choose my clan,” Öster explained as Spike scrambled up onto the stone with him.
“You get to choose a clan?” Spike asked as he lay down next to Öster and started sunning himself as well.
“Sure I do,” Öster said matter-of-factly as he waved a claw idly. “Every dragon chooses when they reach adulthood. My father’s Kaladornkhara and my mother is Mustétirmal, so I could join Clan Dorn like my dad and be Österdornkhara or I could join my mother’s clan if I wanted to be Östertirmal. Clan Tir is really something.”
“Hey, I’m part of Clan Tir!” Spike said as he puzzled out the draconic naming convention, “Or … I will be if I choose my father’s clan.”
Just from this brief exchange, Spike realized just how little he knew about dragon culture. He was always aware just how lacking he was in knowledge of his people, but the fact that he didn’t even know what names meant until a random dragonet in the Everfree Forest told him drove the point home that he knew even less than he thought he did. He also realized that he had no idea what clan his mother was from, or even what her name was. Like all things about dragons, it didn’t matter much in his everyday life, and the only reason he knew his father’s name was because of how infamous he was. Still, he wished he knew something, anything, about the dragon who’d laid his egg.
“Clan Tir’s a good clan,” Öster said appreciatively as he continued to lay back with his eyes closed, twitching his wings slightly to keep the membrane from sticking to the stone. “I’m really thinking about joining. Ingrirtireth is probably the greatest dragonlord to ever exist.”
“What’s he like?” Spike asked, hesitant to learn about his terrifying father but still wanting to know all the same.
“They say he’s as big as a mountain and his wingbeats can whip up hurricanes. He has a hoard beyond measure and breath that can boil away seas. The air from his nostrils alone can strip the flesh from ponies, and he can devour full-grown dragons in a single bite. He has a thousand names, all of them earned. Kingeater. The Living Flame. Destructor of Realms. King of Scorched Bones. Fire Eternal,” Öster praised Ingrirtireth while Spike listened, terrified of the feats his father was apparently capable of. “Of course, I’ve never seen him myself. I don’t live anywhere near Ingrirtireth’s dragonhold. I’ve been in the southern forests of the island till now, preying on ships from and to Saddle Arabia.
“What’s it like there?” Spike asked, eager to move the discussion away from Dragonlord Ingrirtireth.
“Fine, I guess. There’s plenty to hunt, but it’s nothing like the mountains or the lava plains at Tyrannus’s heart,” Öster said. “The powerful dragons live there, though, and they don’t like you getting too close unless they summon you.”
“So, I have to ask,” Spike said as he sat up, “The wings; when do I get them?”
A growl sounded from the forest nearby, and Ream and Baldavin turned to face the potential threat, drawing their swords. Öster suddenly moved more and faster than Spike had seen him move the entire time he’d been here, grabbing Spike with his arms and clutching him to his chest.
“Hey, what’re you doing!” Spike shouted as Ream and Baldavin heard the scuffle and turned around.
“Just like you couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come find me, I can’t pass up an opportunity like this,” Öster said as he held Spike between him and the guards. “You’re Ingrirtireth’s son, and I’m sure he’ll be very grateful to see you back home in Tyrannus.”
“Put him down!” Ream demanded through his sword’s hilt as he and Baldavin tried to advance from separate directions. They were at an extreme disadvantage, both in speed and elevation, but that wasn’t going to stop them from doing everything they could to save Spike.
“Not likely,” Öster said as he spread his wings wide. “This little dragonling is my ticket to Clan Tir, and no pony is going to take him from me.”
Spike was held tightly and couldn’t move most of his body much, but his tail wasfree, and he whipped it around to strike the joint where Öster’s wing met his body. The dragonet flinched at the strike, and his arms budged just a little. Spike took advantage of the moment to jerk his head back, striking Öster’s jaw with his skull, and the arms loosened enough that he was able to force them open. Spike scrambled down from the stone and Öster lunged for him, but Ream and Baldavin rushed in to block.
Öster batted aside their blades, but while he tried to bowl his way past Baldavin, Ream spun around and bucked him hard with his armored hooves. The dragonet tumbled over the stone before crawling on all fours across the top and launching into the air. Spike was still trying to put some distance between them, but he looked back in time to see Öster swooping down and ducked. Öster’s dive missed and he landed near the edge of the clearing, turning to face Spike, who’d retrieved his backpack from where he’d dropped it to join the dragonet on the rock. He threw the bag aside, pulling a flail from it as he did so.
“Really? A pony weapon?” Öster asked derisively as Spike gave the flail a few practice swings.
Öster brandished his fangs, claws, and tail spikes before charging at the trio. The dragonet jumped over Ream’s swing and batted the back of his helmet with a claw as he passed, knocking it askew. As he landed, Spike ducked under his other claw and swung the flail into Öster’s back. The elder dragon stumbled forward at the strike, but quickly recovered and turned in time to avoid a slash of Baldavin’s sword. Öster lunged toward Spike, but a helmetless Ream jumped in the way and the dragonet’s claw closed around his sword instead. He tried to pull it from Ream’s jaws, but the guard held the blade tightly and Öster was forced to give up and release it. His scales were more developed than Spike’s, but even he couldn’t hold onto a sword’s blade indefinitely without hurting himself.
Baldavin swung at the back of Öster’s head, but he used his wings to somersault out of harm’s way. Spike swung his flail at Öster, but the dragonet stayed out of the way and disengaged from the trio. Staying just above the ground, he circled around the group before shooting toward Spike. His claws were ready, and he expected Spike to dodge under him like last time, but instead the dragonling stood his ground. Baldavin jumped in the way to intercept Öster’s claws at the last moment, and the points broke through his chainmail and scored lines into his shoulder. Baldavin had not stopped Öster’s charge, but he’d slowed him enough to allow Spike to deal a truly devastating blow. The dragonling swung his flail into Öster’s back again, though this time the spiked ball at the end cut through the dragonet’s wing membrane before cracking off one of his spines.
Öster yelled in frustration and pain as he flapped unevenly upwards, out of the range of his opponents’ weapons. After glaring at them for several long seconds, he decided further injury wasn’t worth the risk to kidnap Spike, and he flew off. The ponies and dragonling below didn’t let down their guards immediately in case it was a trap, but eventually it became apparent that Öster didn’t intend to return.
“Looks like we did it,” Baldavin said as he lowered his sword.
“Baldavin, are you alright?” Spike asked as he looked at the blood seeping through the mail from the fresh wound.
“I’ll be fine once I get it wrapped up,” Baldavin assured him. “What’s one more scar?”
“Say, you’re pretty good with that flail,” Ream commented as Baldavin began stripping off his armor to bind his wound.
“Twilight’s brother Shining Armor gave me some lessons when we were still in Cant’r Laht,” Spike said as he looked at the shreds of wing on the flail’s head and the spine sitting in the grass nearby. “I’ve practiced a little in Ponieville, ever since Twilight had me fight a gryphon for her.”
“Really?” Ream asked incredulously as Spike mentioned the gryphon.
“It was a ritual fight, so I probably was never really in danger of dying,” Spike admitted. “Although, I would’ve never had to fight if she’d brought along help like she was supposed to. … I’ll talk to Twilight, put in a good word for the two of you and your ideas.”
“Thank you, Spike,” Baldavin said, clapping Spike on the back with an armored hoof and nearly knocking him over after he finished binding his wound. “Ready to head back home?”
“Yeah,” Spike said as he glanced back at the rock where he’d had at least a few short minutes with another dragon to learn about his kind and the place he’d come from. “Let’s get back to Ponieville.”
“No, no, dis fill not do,” Shazira sighed in disappointment as she reviewed the diagrams with Twilight Sparkle for the Saddle Arabians’ new homes, specifically the future home of Sultana Rashida and her family. “It is farrr too closely packed.”
“If it is too spread out, then you will need a hearth for every room. The amount of firewood needed to keep warm in the winter will be immense,” Twilight explained. “The latest design already takes up much more space than a structure with similar capacity. I am afraid that we cannot—at least for this winter—have perfection. We will be running short on time soon; is having protection from the snow not more important than having the perfect homes to start with?”
Shazira shivered involuntarily at the mention of snow. Equestria’s summer had barely left, yet the magus was already swathed in heavier clothing than she’d ever worn in her life. Equestria experienced high and low temperatures over the course of a year, but in Saddle Arabia there had been only one extreme: heat. Shazira and her fellow Saddle Arabians knew how to deal with heat, but they were pitifully equipped to deal with the cold.
Rents suddenly opened in the air nearby, startling the workers waiting for orders on what strange structure they would be building today, as well as some curious Saddle Arabians. Three sorceresses trotted out of each portal and closed them once they were through, cutting off images of a Cant’r Laht manor. Twilight Sparkle was familiar with the first group through their repeated collaborations during White Procession invasions and wars: the Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre. The other trio she also knew, but only by reputation: the Cant’r Laht 1st Mage Cadre.
At the head of the group stood Olgalômme du Candlais, the leader and founder of the cadre. After Celestia, Olgalômme was the most ancient and powerful of Cant’r Laht sorceresses, renowned for acts of greatness going back over two centuries. Her coat was pure white; her mane, pulled into two braids on either side of her head, was a steely gray with growing white streaks. This change in color was also accompanied by prominent wrinkles around her eyes. There was no question Olgalômme used sorcery to extend her life, but she wasn’t so vain as to have tried maintaining perpetual youth. She stood regally and with a stern expression, amplified by the fact that her face had very little fat on it, causing the skin to appear stretched across her skull. Navy robes trimmed with dazzling patterns of golden thread covered her body. She carried nothing else: no tools for directing spells, no pouches filled with components for casting magic. Olgalômme was famed for her mastery of sorcery to such a degree that she needed nothing more than her mind to cast spells—a truth that her opponents knew all too well.
To her right was Katchan Battlar, a unicorn stallion dressed in robes so dark it was nearly impossible to tell if they were black or blue. He was swathed from head to tail, making it difficult to divine his coloration, but a bit of the gray hair on his shaggy fetlocks peeked out over his black hooves and the tip of his black tail could be seen as he flicked it under his robes. A hood covered his face apart from his horn, and golden eyes could be seen staring out of the darkness. As he stepped forward, Twilight caught a glimpse of the long lines threaded with crystals that hung beneath his robes but over his armor. Sometimes called the Darkmage in Cant’r Laht, Katchan was well-known for his abilities with illusions and pocket dimensions, and he often appeared from the shadows when least expected.
The third member of the cadre, the sorcerer Bellerophon Ioxacos—more commonly known as Bellerophon the Red—stood to Olgalômme’s left. Bellerophon was an oddity among powerful Cant’r Laht sorceresses: a pegasus, but one who had proven his people’s potential to be as powerful as any unicorn long before Cadence had come to the city and done the same. His coat, mane, tail, and wings were all red, giving him his name, though his robes were blue to match the rest of his cadre, of a lighter shade than both Olgalômme’s and Katchan’s. A scar ran down the right side of his face over an empty eye socket, but the loss hadn’t seemed to have affected him much. Upon his head was a golden circlet with two wings rising up to flank a sizable blue crystal located where his horn would’ve been if he were a unicorn. Upon his back was a long staff wrapped in red-dyed leather with an ornate golden head holding even more crystals, a strap halfway down allowing him to use it with a hoof and foreleg as Solith of the Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre did with her much simpler staff.
“What are you doing here?” Twilight Sparkle asked, looking back and forth between the two cadres. “Both of you?”
It was rare for one of Cant’r Laht’s mage cadres to show up unannounced, but for both to do so was unheard of. Worried thoughts swirled around Twilight’s mind. Had something happened in Cant’r Laht? Was Celestia’s condition growing worse? Surely I’d notice if she died … wouldn’t I?
“Twilight Sparkle, your highness,” Olgalômme said without a hint of deference, “I have been given to understand that you have fought the White Procession in the past, at times alongside the Cant’r Laht 2nd Mage Cadre?”
“That is correct,” Twilight replied, still confused but grateful that this visit didn’t seem to have anything to do with her ailing mentor.
“The White Procession is at this moment raiding a town in Grittish Conifex,” Olgalômme said. “I sensed an opportunity and decided that the Cant’r Laht mage cadres should join forces in this endeavor.”
“We decided to join forces,” Penumbra objected, his perpetual sneer from his injuries seeming altogether legitimate in the moment.
“Yes,” Olgalômme said coldly, though it didn’t sound anything like an admission. “Having another powerful sorceress along would only help our chances.”
“Your chances at what?” Twilight asked. “Why rush to the aid of a town on the Eastern Continent? Are the sorceresses of the Grittish Isles not equipped to handle it, or is there something different about this raid?”
“The White Procession is raiding the same as they have since the False Winter,” Olgalômme brushed off the suggestion. “However, I have a plan to take advantage of this incursion and enter Judd Caradain.”
Judd Caradain was the mythical world from which the White Procession came. The name had been learned long ago during the Long Winter, but little else in the way of knowledge had been gained. All they really knew was that it was the home of centaurs and bat-ponies, and it was colder than Equus. The White Procession was always invading from Judd Caradain, but nopony who’d ever tried going in the opposite direction had returned. Sorceresses had figured out how to open portals to the world, but immediately after stepping through them, the portals had closed for good. The hypothesis was that sorcery as ponies understood it did not work in Judd Caradain; only the White Procession’s magic could function there. Sorceresses had long given up on reaching this mysterious realm—except, it appeared, for Olgalômme.
“Will we not just become stranded there?” Twilight Sparkle asked, quite sensibly she thought. Though it was obvious, apparently it needed to be stated.
“I have a plan,” Olgalômme repeated. “If we can capture a centaur wizard and force them to keep a portal open, then we will be able to enter and return. We must leave soon in order for this to work and capture the wizard before they begin to return to Judd Caradain.”
“I see,” Twilight Sparkle said as she considered it. This plan just might work.
“Who are you?” Olgalômme asked as she looked past Twilight, apparently noticing Shazira for the first time.
“I am Shazirrra, a magus in dah serrrfice of Sultana Rrrashida of Saddle Arrrabia,” Shazira answered.
“I see,” Olgalômme said as she quickly took in the tents around them. “You are welcome as well, if you can face the White Procession.”
“Trrruly?” Shazira asked.
“As time passes, we must make adjustments to counterbalance,” Olgalômme said. “We must leave now if we are not to have your assistance.”
“I will accompany you,” Twilight Sparkle said, and Shazira nodded to indicate that she would as well.
“The town under attack is Rokegrath, located two leagues north of the Gratham Cut,” Olgalômme said.
“White Procession forces are spread through the forests to the north and east of the town,” Bellerophon relayed after unslinging his staff and staring into a ruby to scry the situation.
“I can find my way there,” Twilight assured them.
“Twilight! Twilight!” Spike called as he rushed toward the group, drawing each of their attention.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Twilight Sparkle said as she stepped out of the circle to intercept her page.
“Be quick about it, Twilight Sparkle,” Olgalômme commanded. “Every second is precious.”
“What is it, Spike?” Twilight asked as she reached the dragonling, who looked like he’d run all the way from Golden Oak’s laboratory. “I am afraid I will need to leave very soon.”
“What? Why?” Spike asked, and Twilight could feel Olgalômme’s eyes on her back.
“The White Procession is raiding the Grittish Isles. We may have a chance to learn more about them, but we need to leave right away before they vanish through their portals,” Twilight explained the situation as quickly as she could. “Did you have something you wanted to tell me?”
“There’s a dragonet in the Everfree Forest,” Spike said. “I was hoping we could go speak to him, so I could learn more about dragons.”
Twilight Sparkle felt for her assistant. She had raised him as best she could, but she, like most ponies, knew next to nothing about dragons. His last expedition to learn from dragonets had nearly ended in disaster, but that hadn't stopped his hunger for knowledge about where he came from. The White Procession was more important, though, and though Twilight made a mental note to contact Cadence and ask if she could teach Spike anything she’d learned during her long stay in Tyrannus, she knew what her answer had to be.
“Oh, Spike, I wish we could, but …” Twilight started, but then an idea came to her, and she looked around until her eyes lit upon the guards Celestia had assigned her. “Ream! Baldavin!”
The two stallions hurried over from the Saddle Arabians they’d been speaking to.
“Your Highness?” Baldavin asked as they bowed to her.
“I need you take Spike into the Everfree Forest,” Twilight explained, and sped up as Olgalômme cleared her throat. “Keep him safe. He will explain the rest.”
“Of … course … your Highness,” Baldavin said hesitantly.
“Thank you,” Twilight said before hurrying back to the other sorceresses. “I am ready. Let us go.”
Each of the cadres and Twilight opened a portal to Grittish Conifex. The pine trees of the forest that surrounded Rokegrath were visible for only an instant before the blizzard conjured up by the White Procession obscured everything and blew snow through the openings. Nearby Saddle Arabians whinnied in alarm, and the sorceresses hurried through before closing off the portals.
In an instant, they’d traveled across the Shimmering Sea all the way to the North of the Eastern Continent. They were still in the narrow band along the sea where the Zebrikaanian Empire had not yet come, but this land had been conquered all the same. Rather than governed by a local power or one of the Three Jewels farther south, Grittish Conifex was ruled by the Grittish Isles, a pair of islands in the Shimmering Sea that bridged the gap between the Eastern Continent and Equestria and defiantly refused to be classified as part of either. Ponies spoke Low Equestrian here, with little to no trace of Draenglic left, though this likely wouldn’t hinder the sorceresses in their quest.
They were here for one purpose only: to fight the White Procession. Somewhere in the blizzard that now surrounded Rokegrath were teams of wizards creating the blizzard and holding open the portals to Judd Caradain. There were also teams of armored centaurs and bat-ponies attacking the town and stealing food and other supplies, but they weren’t the sorceresses’ concern. They quickly found each other and set off in the direction Amaranth was certain they would find wizards, a protective bubble projected from Solith’s staff protecting their group from the worst of the storm. Twilight cast an enchantment over Shazira to keep her warm, earning her a dubious look from Olgalômme, but she knew she had more than enough magical reserves to handle keeping her friend from freezing to death and fighting the White Procession at the same time. Olgalômme was powerful, but she was no alicorn.
It was a rather small squad that they finally came upon; the White Procession must have been certain they would not face serious opposition here. Three armored centaurs carried the glowing staffs that marked them out as wizards. While one maintained the swirling portal behind them, the other two conjured up the unnatural weather. The trio was protected by six centaur soldiers in full plate and eight bat-ponies in lighter armor.
“¡Sïnettölï Equsïtïer balederenï![1]” one of the centaur wizards shouted in warning as he sensed the approaching sorceresses and ceased his weather magic to prepare for combat.
The eight ponies jumped forward to face the centaurs, crackling with energy. Solith whipped her staff around and threw a ball of resin from the tip, landing it near the centaur wizards. As it struck, a sphere expanded from it that held off the blizzard around all the combatants so that they could clearly see each other. All except for Katchan, that is, who vanished into a pool of shadow before reappearing on a centaur’s back. The centaur’s helm rang as he struck his hooves against the sides, whispering magic words, before vanishing back into another shadow as the nearby centaurs swung their swords at him. The centaur he’d bewitched began to scream and struck out at his fellow soldiers until they managed to cut him down.
“Bei’r magia acca Ye’r accael![2]” Penumbra shouted, and ribbons of flame burst from the ground where he stomped his hooves, streaking through the snow toward the centaur wizards before striking the ice shield they raised.
The bat-ponies launched into the air to begin raining down crossbow bolts on their attackers, but Bellerophon flew up after them. He closed in on one as they tried to shoot him, but before even a single bolt was fired, he swung his staff around as a blunt weapon. A thunderclap and the crack of splintering wood resounded as it struck the bat-pony, but the staff suffered no harm. The same could not be said for the bat-pony, who was instantly decapitated; her head struck one of her comrades in the air, startling him.
“Nefertit’r Ost, seysa nof kaya se’r fayaten hostoi![3]” Bellerophon yelled, and the crystal on his circlet shot out a beam of blue light that cut through the stunned bat-ponies one by one.
Shazira cleared away the snow beneath her and placed her hooves against the soil. Slight ripples passed through the ground in a path toward the centaur wizards, and the earth beneath their hooves began to suck at them and draw them down. One of the wizards turned from defense to counteract Shazira’s magic, and his ice barrier fell to a blast as the cards Amaranth had been throwing into it transformed and detonated. More cards zipped through the air toward the wizard and turned into glowing lances that pierced his armor in multiple places before he could bring his staff back up to protect himself.
Olgalômme stood unmoving except to step aside and avoid crossbow bolts while she directed sorcery with her mind. A sinuous line of spellfire wove through the sky, burning through the armor and wings of the bat-ponies Bellerophon didn’t get. She flicked her gaze back down as one of the centaur warriors charged her, lance couched beneath his arm. Olgalômme kept her eyes locked on him as she lifted her head, and his hooves left the ground. The centaur turned upside down, panicking, as he flew through the air before becoming impaled on a nearby tree.
“Cant’r majia tanya Ye’r fecorar’i[4]!” Twilight Sparkle called as she bent the unnatural storm clouds above to her will.
Lightning bolts lanced down from the sky in a torrent that temporarily blinded both groups of combatants. The air was superheated and the smell of ozone permeated everypony’s nostrils as the remaining centaurs were cooked in their armor, all apart for a single wizard who stumbled back from his dead compatriot. Scorch marks appeared on his armor where lightning had arced from the nearby wizard, but Twilight had directed her spell well enough to keep him from being seriously harmed.
“Ye seni cavan’r doros’i[5],” Twilight said as the wizard tried to flee, and glowing chains appeared to hold him in place.
“¡Sïnettölï müsepetætïer ïssatesönï vitta dilky!” the centaur yelled in defiance before repeating himself in Low Equestrian. “Kill me already, foul wizards!”
“Bellerophon, Solith, hurry,” Olgalômme ordered as she trotted toward the restrained centaur. “We need him to open a portal before the others return to Judd Caradain.”
The wizard stared at Olgalômme with a stunned expression as he realized what she intended him to do.
“¡Tæn, tæn, tæn, tæn, tæn, tæn, tæn![6]” the centaur gibbered as he tried to strain against the chains holding him in place while the pony sorceresses approached him.
Penumbra removed the silvery helm from the wizard’s head, sliding the guards past his long, curved horns and revealing his face. Like all centaurs, his face was abnormally tall and flat to pony eyes, and without hair apart from a few patches over his eyes and upon his chin. In many ways, the face was similar to that of the humans Twilight Sparkle had encountered in the World Across the Divide, except the centaur’s nose was flatter and wider than any human she’d encountered, his ears were pointed, and his eyes were larger. Those eyes with their speckled blue irises shifted as the centaur’s emotions changed from afraid to angry to defiant.
He tried to bite Penumbra, using the only part of his body that was free to move, but Olgalômme fixed him with a glare and his neck became frozen in place as well. Solith and Bellerophon stood to either side of the centaur and raised their staffs so that the ends were positioned over his head. The defiance in the centaur’s eyes faded away, not gone but stuffed down as they took control of his mind on the surface level. Amaranth placed the staff back into his hand and Twilight released her restraints so that he could move with it freely.
In a trance, the wizard raised the staff and lights began to circle the end. A rift opened in the air ahead of him, tearing a hole in reality. It was not clean, like the portals sorceresses opened to travel across Equus, but unstable, the edges constantly in flux as the two worlds sought to destroy this abnormality that bridged them. Cold air blew from the rift, barely noticeable since the White Procession had dropped the temperature here to a similar level. Through the portal, the sorceresses got their first glimpse of Judd Caradain. It was a momentous occasion, even though all they could see for the moment was more forest. The intent had been to open a portal somewhere the sorceresses could enter without immediately being attacked by the White Procession; it seemed Solith and Bellerophon had been successful in forcing the centaur wizard to do just that.
Olgalômme led the way through the rift and the others, apart from the two maintaining control over the centaur, followed her into Judd Caradain. The six ponies walked slowly through the forest they’d entered, trying to take in as many details as possible. A chill permeated the air and the trees here (although coniferous) were not any species they’d seen, nor was the undergrowth at all familiar. Otherwise, Judd Caradain seemed very much like their own world.
The most extraordinary thing was that their sorcery seemed to still be available to them. Twilight Sparkle did not feel the same lack she’d had after arriving in the World Across the Divide. The others quickly realized as well that they were still able to cast spells and tried them out on some of the nearby trees. No sorceress who’d gone to Judd Caradain had ever returned, and the assumption had been that they’d been unable to create a portal back because their sorcery did not work here. However, that appeared to be untrue. Perhaps it was the rift back to Equus kept open by the centaur wizard, or perhaps something else had kept the other sorceresses from returning. The fact remained that each of the sorceresses here now still had their magic.
The sorceresses subconsciously picked up their pace as the edge of the forest came into sight. and they hurried toward it to see what lay beyond. The tree line came to an abrupt halt and was met, after a short span of stumps, by fields filled with pale stalks of unknown crops suited to the cold environment. The fields were not what captured the ponies’ attention, as strange and expansive as they were. Instead, the city that lay beyond was what drew them on through the fields to get a better look.
Across the horizon, dominating the skyline, was a city so massive that they could hardly believe their eyes. Crystalline spires soared into the heavens in the hundreds alongside massive fortifications of white stone. The city could easily swallow a thousand Cant’r Lahts, and though Twilight knew there were cities on the Eastern Continent that dwarfed those in Equestria, she doubted even Zebrikaan could compare to the metropolis before them. Judd Caradain no longer seemed quite so familiar, and the true threat of the White Procession became apparent.
“They are too many,” Olgalômme said.
“I never took you to be a defeatist,” Penumbra criticized, though he didn’t take his gaze away from the city any more than the other sorceresses.
“Not too many to be defeated. Too many to live off Judd Caradain alone,” Olgalômme clarified. “Their world is colder than ours. It has less land to grow crops, and their population is so great that, even if this city is above average, if they continue to multiply, they will soon run out of food to feed themselves. This is why they take our crops, why they keep coming no matter how many times we drive them off.”
“There must be a way to stop them … permanently,” Katchan whispered. “Our sorcery works here, despite our assumptions. We can invade them in turn and force them to cease their raiding.”
“A fohrr betfeen forrrlds,” Shazira said, daunted by the scope of such a conflict.
“If they are invading us to feed themselves, how could we convince them to stop?” Twilight Sparkle asked rhetorically.
The sorceresses’ ponderings were interrupted by a crossbow bolt that nearly struck Penumbra. A squad of bat-ponies approached from the sky, clad in simple armor far inferior to that worn by their counterparts who’d invaded Equus. Penumbra struck back, and two of the bat-ponies spontaneously combusted. The others drew back in shock and horror, seemingly as surprised as the interlopers that Equestrian magic worked here.
“Back to the portal!” Olgalômme commanded as other bat-ponies reinforced their retreating comrades.
The sorceresses ran back through the fields toward the forest in the distance, pursued by a growing swarm of bat-ponies. Intermittently they fired back with spells to thin their pursuers’ ranks and deter them, but the winged forces kept coming, driven by the same desire to defend their world that every pony felt whose home had been attacked by the White Procession. As they jumped irrigation ditches, it became apparent just how far Judd Caradain’s residents had gone in conquering their own world. The ditches were spaced precisely the same distance apart, and an overhead view would doubtless reveal a perfect grid. As they neared the forest, they could see now that the trees were arranged in exact lines. Is there any wildness left, or have they conquered the entirety of their world, as Olgalômme supposes, and have now come for ours?
As they left the fields and broke for the tree line, shouts came from their right. Armored centaurs stood beside others wearing only work clothes and holding axes. Fallen trees showed where the lumberjacks had been working and seen the sorceresses emerge, then left to call for the aid that was now pursuing the ponies. Several of them pointed toward the group, and the centaur soldiers took off toward them. They too were momentarily stunned by the sorceresses’ ability to do sorcery but soon recovered and continued to pursue them.
A blast of ice tore through the trees from the ponies’ left as a centaur wizard appeared, but Penumbra managed to deflect it with a wall of fire that set the shattered trunks ablaze. Amaranth threw cards ahead of the group to lead the way back to the portal, and they burst into colored flames to light the way through the trees. They had roused the anger of Judd Caradain by daring to do exactly what they had been doing to Equus for millennia; it was a fighting retreat all the way, but eventually the portal back home came into sight.
Shazira was the first through, skidding across the ground in front of the captive centaur wizard before turning to face the portal. Penumbra backed through while continuing to shoot tongues of fire at the pursuing centaurs until the portal warped his shots and he was forced to stop. Twilight Sparkle came through next after knocking back a centaur wizard who was attempting to trap Katchan in ice.
As she turned to look back at those still in Judd Caradain, disaster unfolded. Amaranth tripped as the cards around her providing a protective shield suddenly fluttered to the ground as if they were no more than paper. The copies Katchan had made of himself to mislead the centaurs vanished into thin air, and a group homed in on the real one. Olgalômme, who had been levitating herself through the air in order to avoid obstacles and fight the bat-ponies above, fell from the sky and crashed through branches before landing heavily on the ground just on the other side of the portal.
“Olgalômme!” Bellerophon yelled in alarm as he saw the leader of his cadre crash into the undergrowth, and his staff rose the tiniest distance away from the centaur wizard.
A measure of the centaur’s control over his own body returned, and he swiftly reached for the knife at his belt and slit his own throat. With that decisive move, he collapsed like a marionette whose strings had been cut, gurgling his last words as he drowned in his own blood. As he perished, his hand left his staff, and the portal to Judd Caradain collapsed.
The remaining sorceresses stood frozen in shock as the White Procession corpses, along with their armor and weapons, began to disintegrate into ash now that the last link to Judd Caradain had been closed. Nopony knew what had just happened or why. They had succeeded in opening the door to the world of the White Procession, and their understanding of magic in that world had turned on its head only to turn back again just as they were on the cusp of returning home.
Why? Twilight Sparkle wondered as she stared at where the rift had been only seconds earlier, where she’d been able to see her fallen companions. Why did sorcery cease to function the moment I left? Did it have anything to do with me, or was it merely a coincidence? In the past few years, Twilight had learned not to trust coincidences, especially around the Brave Companions. Why did sorcery function in Judd Caradain in the first place? We thought we could learn about the White Procession’s world, but we’ve only gained more questions. What really happened? And what is going to happen to those trapped in Judd Caradain?
***
Grandmaster Nattalïer stalked angrily through the halls of the Great White Bastion, lesser members of the White Procession giving the wizard a wide berth. Though he was the most powerful of the White Procession’s four grandmaster wizards, it was unreasonable and unjust for Knight-Commander Bittræen to place every mishap at his hooves. The Knight-Commander has an axe to grind with me, that is all. Though our beliefs align on the White Procession’s proper purpose, he’s never been able to tolerate any questioning of his brother’s commands. Emperor Hæsthür the Gold-Draped will lead the Third Empire to starvation and destruction—I know Bittræen believes the same—but he is too loyal a sibling to speak it openly or take any action.
Nattalïer had not been involved in the slightest with what had occurred during the raid into what the Equus-dwellers called Grittish Conifex, yet he was expected to answer for the incursion of pony wizards into Judd Caradain. It wasn’t as though they had appeared in the Imperial Palace at Yar Tussych to threaten the emperor; the pony wizards had apparated far from anywhere important, within the lumber-fields near Nörs Præedu, and the local garrison had chased them off. The issue that had the wizards of the White Procession in an uproar, the Imperial Secret Service on the hunt to contain the information, and the local garrison left decimated was this: somehow the pony wizards had managed to work magic in Judd Caradain.
That they had learned how to do so was troubling, to say the least. Though the occasional pony wizard had managed to find their way to Judd Caradain over the past few millennia, they’d always lost their magic upon arriving in this world that was not their own. To think that their magic could ever work here was impossible to believe for everyone but the wizards of the White Procession.
When the first centaur wizards had discovered the existence of Equus and how to travel to the ponies’ world, the situation had been much the same. They could travel to Equus, but their magic would no longer work once they stepped through their rifts, leaving them with no way home. Then, they had discovered the source of magic in Judd Caradain: the Seven Relics of Creation. Long ago, one had been carried with the White Procession whenever they entered Equus, and so long as it remained there, their magic would continue to work. After the Betrayal millennia ago, only six of the ancient artifacts remained in Judd Caradain. As long as the Betrayers remained in Equus with their stolen Relic, no more needed to be carried into the other world. All this was a closely guarded secret of the White Procession, so knowledge of ponies being able to do the same was rightfully alarming for anyone else. Have the pony wizards managed to find the source of magic in their world and discovered the effects bringing it to another realm can have?
If so, they were just beginning to discover how to use their own version of the Relics of Creation. Their incursion into Judd Caradain had been imperfect. They’d come only with wizards, and three of them had been left behind, magicless. Nattalïer made his way down to Judd Caradain’s dungeons as he pondered the implications of the pony incursion. Perhaps the Knight-Commander’s charge to him was not an outlet of the hostility between them, but a chance for him to redeem himself in Bittræen’s eyes. He was rightfully concerned about this, and if anyone could get to the bottom of it, it would be the greatest grandmaster wizard of the White Procession.
Nattalïer stopped before the cell of the wizard the other ponies called “Ölgulöm.” The door’s lock glowed as he tapped his staff against it, and the door swung open. Within was the pony who appeared to have been the leader of the invaders, a powerful wizard according to witnesses, but now no more than a fragile mare. There were no chains or guards; there was no need. Stripped of her magic, there was nothing she could do to fight back against her captors. Still, she stared up defiantly at Nattalïer as he strode into the room.
“Congratulations, you made it to Judd Caradain. How do you find it?” Nattalïer asked, but the mare remained stone-faced. “How did you enter our world?”
“As if I would tell you anything,” the mare replied haughtily.
“You have no chance of returning to your home. Why not make your life here easier?” Nattalïer asked, but Olgalômme refused to respond. “The lavender wizard with you, did she always have wings?”
Olgalômme studied the centaur curiously before responding, “No.”
I knew it! She is the same wizard who bested me at Ponieville twice. What does she have to do with this? The strange power I sensed in her the last time I saw her, could that be the key to how they were able to work magic here? No, that power was of neither Judd Caradain nor Equus. Then what then? Has something changed?
“Who is she?” Nattalïer asked, and Olgalômme continued to stare at him inquiringly.
“Twilight Sparkle … of Ponieville,” Olgalômme dropped and saw the twitch in Nattalïer’s cheek. “So it is you. Oh, you are right to be afraid of that one. She’s ascended to alicornhood since you last met, and her power only continues to rise. She’s beaten far more terrifying foes than you, and if anypony is to burn Judd Caradain down, it will be her.”
“Tell me about this Twylyt Sparkul,” Nattalïer demanded. “Was it she who discovered how to bring Equus’s magic to Judd Caradain?”
“You know all you need to,” Olgalômme said confidently as she continued to stare down the grandmaster. “I’m finished speaking with you.”
“No, you aren’t,” Nattalïer said forcefully as his staff began to glow and he extended a hand bursting with runes toward Olgalômme. “You are going to tell me everything.”
Ponies and bison watched in surprise as the sun peeked over the eastern horizon. Surely there had to be some mistake—there was no way the celebration had lasted the entire night without ceasing. The sun rising at unusual times had become frequent in the past few years, though usually it only occurred around the solstice. However, nothing had gone wrong with the sun in this instance; the revelers had simply been too caught up in the festivities to have gone home when they’d ought to.
It was only the third night festival to be celebrated in Appleoosa, and the townsfolk had expected it to be much like the past two. Though Celestia had decreed an end to the fear-driven Nightmare Night, most ponies still found it hard to celebrate when they were worried about the beasts and cultists that roved the countryside during the accursed night (though the latter had recently decreased rather substantially). This year everything had been different, thanks to the strange newcomer Thane Silver Star had entrusted with the planning. As the designs for the festival had begun to come to light, the McLellan Apples and other ponies of Appleoosa had found themselves joined by the South Equestrian Bison, who were in the area, as well as more distant inhabitants of the south Equestry Valley, including some of the new lords and ladies that had been appointed to oversee the lands of the Prince of the City.
The party had commenced at sundown and hadn’t lulled for a minute as the dark hours passed by. Dancing, feasting, and singing had filled the time, as well as games and stories to keep all entertained. When Regent Luna had arrived in the small hours of the morning, surprised (and secretly pleased) that the festival in her honor was still ongoing, it did nothing to convince the revelers to cease their merriment. In fact, if anything, it seemed to spur them on to a second wind that carried them through the rest of the night. Now, as day dawned, they finally realized how long they’d been at it and how tired they had become. Yet, some reluctance remained, and rather than all dispelling at once, they began to leave in small groups, peeling off to return to homes, inns, or yurts to sleep the morning away.
Atop the town wall lounged the pony responsible for the festivities, having retired from them an hour or so earlier, allowing things to begin to settle down. His mustard-colored coat and springy brown mane and tail were mostly concealed by the monkish gray robes he wore with a hood that covered even the flat-brimmed hat atop his head. Across from him sat a taxidermy chicken whose feathers had been dyed a multitude of colors in no discernable pattern.
“Well, Boneless, what do you think?” the pony asked the chicken.
The chicken slumped to one side, further deforming its body, which had been only partially filled and had no supporting frame to maintain its shape.
“I agree; a successful party, all thanks to me, Cheese Sandwich,” the stallion said.
Boneless, drawn inexorably by gravity, flopped onto its side.
“Okay, Cheese Sandwich and Boneless,” Cheese Sandwich said with a roll of his eyes. “But I get first mention, okay?”
Cheese Sandwich gave Boneless a light kick with a hindhoof, standing it back up into a seated position, legs splayed out to either side.
“Yes, I think our work here is done,” Cheese Sandwich said as he stood and stretched.
As he picked the stuffed chicken off the wall to deposit onto his back, he suddenly began to shiver. The seasons were turning and leaves were preparing to fall from their trees, but it wasn’t the cold that made him shiver. Boneless fell from his hoof to thump on the wall’s walkway, discarded as his owner shook uncontrollably.
“Did you see that, Boneless?” Cheese Sandwich asked excitedly as he bent down to look the awkwardly positioned chicken in the face. “That premonition was a real doozy! I know our next destination now: Ponieville!”
***
Nearly a week later, Pinkamena bounded happily through the streets of Ponieville. The other ponies in the streets, especially those trying to sell wares from their carts, would’ve normally been slightly annoyed by this behavior, even if they would later excuse it; there was no stopping (or reasoning with) the excitable pink pony, and there was generally goodwill toward the village’s resident bard. The extent of this leeway had been widened by the events of the past year’s spring, when the town had been temporarily enclosed in a pocket dimension and Fluttershy had taken on Pinkamena’s role, to disastrous effect. Though the townsponies who had lived through the event remembered little other than hazy recollections of a time when everything had been wrong but had seemed to be right, the sensations and gratitude toward Pinkamena had remained.
Today, there wasn’t any annoyance at Pinkamena’s antics, even a surface-level agitation. Some ponies even preemptively moved aside to let her pass or called out words of greeting and encouragement. The reason for their good nature was that Pinkamena was on a mission that would soon benefit all of them, in more ways than one for many of the vendors. She was planning a party rumored to be her greatest yet, even greater than the celebrations thrown to celebrate the return of Luna or Twilight Sparkle’s ascension to alicornhood, and everypony in Ponieville and the surrounding area was invited to attend. Massive amounts of food and supplies would be required to host such a festive event, and since the bard couldn’t produce such things out of thin air (no matter the rumors), she would be traveling around the village to procure them from others.
“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkamena cried as she hopped around a corner near the Mayoral Keep and spotted the Hunter.
Rainbow Dash had little time to react as her friend plowed into her, bowling her over. As Pinkamena bounced off of her and landed on her hooves, the Hunter also recovered and rose from the ground. The tumble had deposited them near the rest of the Brave Companions, who’d assembled at Pinkamena’s request. For the moment, however, all her attention was on Rainbow Dash.
“Are you excited? I’m so, so, so excited!” Pinkamena said without giving Rainbow Dash a chance to reply to her original question. “Rainbow Dash, do you understand that I’m going to prepare the greatest, most awe-inspiring, most incredible party for you ever?”
“Well … yes,” Rainbow replied, trying to appear suitably excited now that Pinkamena had gone gravely serious. “Of course I know that if you’re in charge of it, Pinkamena, then it’ll be truly incredible.”
“Because this isn’t just any birthday celebration, you know?” Pinkamena said as she got up close and personal with Rainbow Dash.
“I know,” Rainbow said, thinking that was obvious given that it was her birthday.
“It’s your quadranscentennial!” Pinkamena blurted out.
“I know,” Rainbow said again.
“Good!” Pinkamena said, all smiles again, before turning back to the rest of their friends. “There’s a lot to do in the next two days! Who’s ready to help me plan this party?”
“I am,” an unfamiliar voice said from the crowd of ponies that had followed Pinkamena or gathered to see why the Brave Companions were assembling.
Cheese Sandwich stepped out of the crowd, hat brim pulled down to obscure his eyes in shadow.
“Who are you?” Pinkamena asked the strange pony. “I don’t think I’ve seen you in Ponieville before.”
“No, you wouldn’t have,” Cheese Sandwich said mysteriously as he stopped just outside the circle of Brace Companions. “My name is Cheese Sandwich … and I plan parties.”
“Well, what a coincidence! So do I! When I can, anyway; baking and saving Equestria from certain doom take up a lot of time!” Pinkamena rambled. “But, right now, I am planning a party!”
“Yes, I know,” Cheese Sandwich said, remaining aloof. “And it was no coincidence that I arrived when I did. I had a premonition that I would be needed here, so I came immediately after running Appleoosa’s night festival.”
“That was you?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
She had other questions, especially about his premonitions, especially if they were anything like the ones Pinkamena experienced. Were his premonitions born of sorcerous power or, like those of her friend, had they come from another world during the Second Conjunction? That would be a greater shock than nearly anything else, for both Twilight and Celestia had assumed that only the Brave Companions had received powers from that event and the Sonic Rainboom. For the moment, however, the conversation was focused on Cheese Sandwich and his party planning abilities. Luna had spoken highly of the night festival in Appleoosa—so highly, in fact, that not only had Twilight Sparkle heard of it, but she’d also shared it with her friends. If the pony responsible for the event was before them, it was an unexpected opportunity just as they were planning a celebration of their own.
“Yes, indeed,” Cheese Sandwich answered evenly. “Whether it be fête, faire, or festival, I’m the pony you want: the greatest party planner and entertainer in all of Equestria. If a celebration needs my touch, I’ll be there.”
“Well, that’s just perfect!” Pinkamena said, brushing off his claim to be the best at something she’d always considered herself to be preeminent at, “A pair of party planners in Ponieville to presently premiere flawless festivities for Rainbow Dash’s birth!”
“Remember, Pinkamena,” Rainbow Dash reminded her, “It’s not just my birthday we’re celebrating. It’s also the ten-year anniversary of when I became Ponieville’s permanent Hunter.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t tend to celebrate her birthday, no matter what Pinkamena had wanted. Her foalhood years, when such celebrations would have been most meaningful, were not happy memories for her, and she didn’t willingly conjure them up. The year before, she’d been involved in her training and testing at Castle Thorn and had let the day slide right by. This year, however, she’d allowed Pinkamena to celebrate the event, and the pink mare was going all out. It wasn’t her twenty-fifth birthday that Rainbow Dash was most excited to celebrate, it was her ten years of living near Ponieville. It had been ten years since she’d come here after leaving the Order of the Magpie and joining the Order of the Falcon. Ten years since she’d discovered that Fluttershy was still alive. Ten years that she’d fought the monsters of the Everfree Forest and protected this town from them. That was a milestone worth celebrating, and it was why so many ponies were invited to the festivities.
“Oh, I think together we can more than do both celebrations justice,” Pinkamena said happily.
“I don’t think so,” Cheese Sandwich said darkly, causing Pinkamena to recoil in surprise, “I know so!”
As Cheese Sandwich made the exclamation, he threw off his monkish robes and hat, flinging them high into the air (along with Boneless) and revealing the pony beneath. Under his robes, he was garbed in a cloak that looked like a more extravagant version of Pinkamena’s usual attire, composed of hundreds of multicolored patches that atop them had more multicolored patches loosely attached so that they fluttered and flapped as he moved. His mane, no longer confined beneath his hat, sprung to its full extent, nearly as wild and expansive as Pinkamena’s own tresses. From somewhere under his cloak, he produced a hurdy-gurdy and began to play a lively tune.
“The~ best ent’rtainer in Equestria, you see,”
“Is the pony that I always knew that I was meant to be!”
“When I was just a colt, I ne’er wanted play to quit,”
“Tho’ ev’rypony said that there just was no worth in it.”
“But~ when I shared the mirth in me, they finally understood,”
“And saw ov’rflowing revelry could be a force for good!”
“The greatest entertainer in Equestria, you see,”
“Is the one who stands before you now, the pony who’s named Cheese!”
“I’ll~ never let you down when there’s a party to be planned.”
“Ask anyone you like from anywhere across the land!”
“The festivities are always great when Cheese Sandwich is near,”
“The greatest glee you’ll find in this or any other year!”
“There’s~ food and drink and song and dance and prizes you can win,”
“To last you through the day and night until it’s day again!”
“The greatest entertainer in Equestria, you see,”
“Is the one who stands before you now, the pony who’s named Cheese!”
“My~ guarantee is ironclad that laughter will be found,”
“With joy and cheer and happiness for ev’rypony all around,”
“Presented in a celebration never dull or plain,”
“Where cheerfulness is constant, be it under sun or snow or driving rain!”
“You~ know you’ve got the best when good Cheese Sandwich comes your way,”
“To plan a party just for you, be it tomorrow or today!”
“The greatest entertainer in Equestria you see,”
“Is the one who stands before you, the pony who’s named Cheese!”
As Cheese Sandwich concluded his song with a flourish, he got enthusiastic cheers from the gathered ponies, including from some of the Brave Companions.
“All right!” Rainbow Dash said as she swooped into the air and back down. “That sounds great! I’m sure that together, the two of you will throw the best celebration ever!”
“Heh, heh, yeah … together,” Pinkamena laughed uncomfortably as she looked at the grinning Cheese Sandwich.
***
As the day went on and the planning progressed, Pinkamena found that her scheme for Rainbow Dash’s celebration was becoming increasingly transformed. The process seemed to slip out of her hooves as it became more and more co-opted by Cheese Sandwich. Not that it seemed he was deliberately trying to take over (as far as Pinkamena could tell). For all her unease with the stallion, it seemed he truly was willing to work with her; many of the changes came about because Rainbow Dash almost exclusively took his suggestions whenever they conflicted with Pinkamena’s plan. Gradually, she found herself speaking up less and less, until she just let Cheese Sandwich handle everything himself.
“Pinkamena!” Twilight Sparkle called as she tried to slip away. “Where are you going?”
“I’m … just going to head back to Sugar Cube Corner. It looks like Cheese Sandwich has everything under control, and I don’t want to get in his way,” Pinkamena said, forcing a smile.
“Are you sure?” Twilight asked skeptically.
“It’s quite all right,” Pinkamena replied with a forced chuckle, and Twilight reluctantly let her leave while keeping an eye on her. It’s clear that Cheese Sandwich is much better at planning parties than me. I always thought that that was my talent, but I guess not.
Pinkamena did as she’d told Twilight Sparkle, returning to her chambers above Sugar Cube Corner, feeling dejected. The Cakes were busy taking orders for the upcoming festivities at the moment, so there was nopony to bar her way or ask questions as she morosely climbed the stairs. Curled up on her bed, she pitied herself as day slipped into night. Ever since she’d gotten her cutie-mark, she’d thought her destiny had been to bring others joy through planning celebrations. She was (or had been) the bearer of the Element of Mirth, and she’d taken on a particular duty after the defeat of Nightmare Moon to bring that mirth to her newfound inner circle of friends. Now, however, somepony else had stepped in to fill that role and Pinkamena had been pushed aside.
“No!” Pinkamena said as she bolted upright in her bed.
She’d never failed her destiny before. Her first celebrations with her family had brought joy to them of a kind they’d never experienced before. She had traveled across Equestria spreading cheer to many ponies, on her own and then with the Renegades’ Troupe until she’d finally ended up in Ponieville. Twilight Sparkle’s welcome celebration had been her doing, as had the festivities to welcome Luna back after Nightmare Moon’s defeat. She’d also had a hoof in planning Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding feast, as well as many other events of great or lesser importance in the past four years alone. She had always been the premier party pony, and she wasn’t going to let Cheese Sandwich waltz in and change everything in a single day. She was still more than capable of bringing mirth to her friends, and she was going to fight for her title.
A plan forming in the convoluted passages of her mind, Pinkamena descended from her chambers and found, to her surprise, that a new day had come during her lament and decision. Ponies about town were already up and busy with festive preparations, but Pinkamena ignored them as she made her way past to the Mayoral Keep. It was there that she found the other Brave Companions … clustered around Cheese Sandwich.
“Cheese! Sandwich!” Pinkamena cried out, her voice ringing in the courtyard, causing everypony to turn and see her standing defiantly with a hoof pointed at Cheese Sandwich. “I challenge you a duel!”
Everypony (except Pinkamena and Cheese Sandwich) gasped. They were words nopony had ever expected to come from Pinkamena’s mouth.
“Pinkamena, what are you doing?” Twilight asked worriedly.
“A duel, eh?” Cheese Sandwich said contemplatively. “I’ve never been in a duel before. What’s your preferred weapon?”
“Oh, I love it,” Cheese Sandwich said as he clapped his forehooves together. “But do you think you can outparty me?”
“Oh, I don’t think so. I know so!” Pinkamena said seriously.
“Well, I suppose there’s still time before Rainbow Dash’s celebration,” Cheese Sandwich said with a hoof to his chin.
“Those are the stakes,” Pinkamena said. “Tonight, we duel, and whoever wins will plan Rainbow Dash’s party for tomorrow. So, do you accept, Cheese, or are you … boneless?”
“I accept your challenge. Nopony calls me boneless,” Cheese Sandwich replied seriously before turning to his taxidermized chicken. “Isn’t that right, Boneless?”
“Well then, you’d better get ready, because I’m bringing everything I’ve got,” Pinkamena said gravely before hopping away.
***
Ponieville was abuzz with the news that there would be not one, not two, but three celebrations in the next two days. It was also abuzz with activity, even as planning and preparation temporarily halted on Rainbow Dash’s celebration and two new parties sprang up needing supplies and food that very day. Despite her objections to the idea of the duel, even if it didn’t involve anything lethal, and her hope that Pinkamena and Cheese Sandwich could work things out amicably, Twilight Sparkle was roped in to lay down and enforce rules she was entirely unfamiliar with. Both Cheese Sandwich and Pinkamena had been given a designated area of Ponieville in which to conduct their festivities: Pinkamena’s around the square in front of Golden Oak’s laboratory, and Cheese’s around the Mayoral Keep. Since the prize up for grabs (in addition to the title of greatest entertainer in Equestria) was the ability to plan Rainbow Dash’s party, the Hunter had been made the judge of the duel to determine the winner at the end of the night. It was a role she was none too pleased about, but neither Pinkamena nor Cheese Sandwich seemed willing to back down, so she agreed to play her part.
Work proceeded through the day as stages and decorations went up at a rapid rate, food was baked or cooked in massive quantities, and ale was brought in by the cask. Despite Pinkamena’s fears that everypony had abandoned her for Cheese Sandwich, she was able to enlist plenty of help from the townsponies. It meant that everything not related to party business in Ponieville had ceased, but these celebrations were looking to be altogether the party of the century, so most ponies didn’t much mind. Pinkamena had drawn in so much support that she was shocked to find Cheese Sandwich’s preparations moving apace with her. There were rumors that some ponies had seen supplies carried about by multiple colorful taxidermized chickens; however, nopony could ever corroborate the reports, and whenever somepony went to Cheese Sandwich, Boneless was with him and completely lifeless. After reports that some of the chickens had been seen wearing pointed hats, the rumors were dismissed as foals trying to get attention, but Cheese Sandwich managed to complete his preparations by sundown somehow.
Lanterns lit up the dusk as the twin parties began and the duel commenced. Townsponies and some residents from the surrounding area who’d begun to arrive for the celebration tomorrow attended the dual parties, cycling back and forth between them. It was a new experience for everypony involved to have two parties to choose between. Word passed back and forth between groups of what was happening with the other, drawing ponies first one way and then the other. Twilight Sparkle kept watch as the oddest duel she’d ever witnessed took place, keeping track (with the help of Spike) of the rules Pinkamena had shared with her.
While for most attendants it was a glorious prelude to the festivities on the morrow, it was a rough time with a lot of pressure attached for one particular pony. Rainbow Dash found herself constantly yanked back and forth between the two parties, pressured to enjoy herself and display that enjoyment openly in a way that Twilight or any other pony could witness and understand. It wasn’t that the festivities themselves weren’t enjoyable—under any other circumstance, she’d be having a blast—but the constant back-and-forth and the tension of choosing between a good friend and a pony who’d so far only impressed her left her tired out long before the parties were meant to end.
As some of Rainbow Dash’s fellow Hunters dragged her to Pinkamena’s party for the umpteenth time that night, the bard spotted her from the stage in front of Golden Oak’s laboratory and prepared to play a special song just for her. Her hooves stopped before plucking at the lute’s strings, though, as she recognized the expression on Rainbow’s face. She was smiling, but it was a pained expression. She wasn’t enjoying herself; it wasn’t real mirth she was experiencing. She was just putting on a happy face because she didn’t want to upset her friend. Pinkamena stayed silent and observed Rainbow Dash closely as she continued to pretend to be having a good time before being dragged away by another group of ponies to Cheese Sandwich’s party. It was against the rules of the duel Pinkamena had herself declared, but she followed Rainbow Dash to the Mayoral Keep, where she witnessed the same mimicry. Rainbow Dash wasn’t happy, but it wasn’t Pinkamena’s party that was making her so. As the crowd lifted Rainbow Dash in a throne and Cheese Sandwich placed a scepter in her hoof, light shimmered off the scepter’s silver tip and Pinkamena had a revelation.
“The duel’s over!” Pinkamena exclaimed loudly, startling everypony.
The ponies holding Rainbow Dash aloft dropped the throne, though the Hunter was able to use her wings to keep herself in place. Everypony looked to where Pinkamena was standing in the gateway to the Mayoral Keep’s courtyard.
“Pinkamena? You’re not supposed to be here,” Spike said, and he scribbled something down on a long scroll of parchment.
“If the duel’s over, then who won?” one of the ponies in the crowd asked, directed at Rainbow Dash.
“Cheese Sandwich has won,” Pinkamena said painfully. “I forfeit.”
“You do?” Cheese asked, confused as he brushed feathers from his cloak.
“I do,” Pinkamena said as she approached Rainbow Dash and the crowd parted before her. “You’ll plan Rainbow Dash’s party tomorrow … alone.”
“Now wait a minute, Pinkamena,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ve been talking to Twilight. I know I got carried away with letting Cheese Sandwich help plan my party, and I’m sorry about that—”
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry,” Pinkamena cut her off. “I was so concerned that I wasn’t good enough at bringing you joy that I let the joy slip away entirely. This duel isn’t making you happy, so there’s no reason I should’ve called for it. I shouldn’t have challenged Cheese Sandwich just because you wanted him to plan your party instead of me. It doesn’t matter where the mirth comes from; it’s enough for me to know that my friend is happy.”
“That’s great, Pinkamena, but … that doesn’t mean you have to completely step aside,” Rainbow Dash said as she descended to stand next to her friend. “I never wanted to replace you, and if we’re going to have a big, spectacular party, I still want you to be part of it.”
“You mean it?” Pinkamena asked.
“Of course!” Rainbow Dash said. “And you’ll always be around to spread mirth anyway, party or no.”
Nearby, Cheese Sandwich cleared his throat, drawing their attention.
“I never meant to replace you, Pinkamena,” Cheese Sandwich said haltingly. “I just … wanted to impress you with what I could do.”
“Impress me?” Pinkamena asked, puzzled.
“Yes, you see I … may not have been entirely truthful with you,” Cheese Sandwich said, pausing to look at his hurdy-gurdy before tucking it under his cloak. “With all of you, in fact, if you heard my song, anyway. When I was a little colt, I was never wild or big on parties. Life in the village of Linwood was … well, rather dull. And then, one day, a filly no older than me wandered into town and the whole place came alive! That’s when I knew what I wanted to do with my life: that I wanted to be an entertainer and party planner just like you, Pinkamena. It was you that inspired me to go out and become the greatest entertainer in all of Equestria. It took me a while, but … well, when I finally felt I’d done it, I came here.”
“That’s incredible!” Pinkamena exclaimed. “I had no idea that one of my parties inspired another amazing party pony!”
“Yes, indeed; if it wasn’t for you, I never would’ve come here!” Cheese Sandwich said.
“And you never would have had this ridiculous duel,” Rainbow Dash cut in before they could get trapped in an interminable back-and-forth. “Now that all that’s out of the way, can you two work together to make tomorrow’s party the best ever?”
“Oh, I don’t think we can,” Pinkamena said cheekily.
“I know we can!” Cheese Sandwich finished for her.
***
By all accounts, the celebration for Rainbow Dash’s twenty-fifth birthday and ten years protecting Ponieville was the greatest celebration known, at least at the time. Plenty of planning was still required, but Pinkamena and Cheese Sandwich worked together through the night. By late morning of the next day, the separate parties from the duel had been joined together and further embellished to create a festival that even the inhabitants of the North with their Crystal Faire would be jealous of. It was the most festive, fantastic, and fun celebration the inhabitants of that corner of the Equestry Valley had ever seen, and none were fatigued by the two non-stop days of partying. Not a dull moment passed as everypony celebrated Rainbow Dash, and her smiles this time were completely genuine. As the party charged on toward midnight with no sign of slowing down, Pinkamena spotted Cheese Sandwich slipping away and bounded after him.
“Cheese! Cheese! Where’re you going?” she exclaimed as she caught up with him.
“My work here is done,” he said as he tipped the hat he’d regained, along with his monkish robes. “It’s time for me to move on and find another town, and another party. Before I go, though, here’s something to remember me by, for the pony who taught me my destiny.”
With a shrug of his whole body, Cheese Sandwich bounced Boneless over from his own back to Pinkamena’s.
“You’re giving me your one-of-a-kind chicken … friend?” Pinkamena asked as she observed the taxidermy chicken, and the moonlight seemed to shimmer through its multicolored feathers.
“Oh, Pinkamena, you ought to know,” Cheese Sandwich chuckled, “I have far more than just one ‘friend.’”
From under his cloak and robes, he produced a second chicken with feathers in a slightly different pattern and a ruff around its neck.
“Come on Boneless II, it’s time we were off,” Cheese Sandwich told it as he trotted off into the darkness, jumping from time to time to knock his hooves together.
“What a strange pony,” Pinkamena said admiringly as he vanished into the distance, before returning to the party.
Rain beat against the crumbling walls of the Sea Keep, widening cracks in the gray stone and chipping away loose bits. Braziers had been lit within the castle to keep the inhabitants warm, but in King Alhert’s bedchambers the heat was stifling, packed as it was with ponies. The rooms normally had too much empty space, a bit too much unused area between the furniture; big and small blazes were commonly lit here to warm it even in the summer when cool sea breezes blew in from the royal porch. Now, however, it was stuffed with nearly every important noble, sorceress, and priestess in Fillidelfiyaa. They talked quietly with each other while Alhert lay in his bed, barely holding on to his life.
Near the bed, not partaking in any conversation, was Ser Gavron, whose eyes glistened as he watched the labored rise and fall of his fourth cousin and sovereign’s chest. He was the only blood relative Alhert had in the room, and he only shared half of the king’s crest on his emblem. Alhert’s sole surviving daughter Persimmone was on her way as quickly as a carriage could go. She’d been summoned when it became apparent that her father was in his last days, but Gavron was convinced she wouldn’t arrive in time—not without the aid of sorcery, which wouldn’t be allowed. When she did arrive, she would bring trouble with her in the form of her husband, Robar, Crown Prince of Manehattan. The son of King Alhert’s bitter enemy King Hadish was the heir to his throne, not his daughter or the knight who’d loyally served him all his life, no matter how distantly they were related. Fillidelfiyaan succession laws were very clear on the matter, and Gavron cursed them now daily. House Caramon had been plagued by unforeseen disaster, clearing it out so that the unthinkable was now true after King Alhert drew his last breath, an enemy would sit on the Fillidelfiyaan throne.
“Persimmone? Where is Persimmone?” the king asked weakly as he rolled his head upon his royal pillow, his once lustrous mane now brittle and dry as it scraped against the fabric.
“She is not here, my liege,” Gavron choked out, and Alhert turned his head to face him. His gaze was unfocused, but there was a brief light in it as he locked eyes with the knight.
“Ah, Gavron,” the old king said, comforted. “Tell me when Persimmone arrives.”
“Yes, my liege,” Gavron said sorrowfully for the twentieth time that night.
A nearby group of ponies looked over at Gavron, and one motioned to a compatriot, the sorcerer Massif, who trotted over to the knight.
“Come, Gavron,” Massif said as he placed a massive hoof upon his armored shoulder. “There’s nothing you can do for him.”
Reluctantly, Gavron was led away to join the cluster of ponies nearby. Mostly they were nobles, though there was a sorceress besides Massif in the group.
“What will become of Fillidelfiyaa?” a noblemare bemoaned as she looked between Alhert’s dying form and her drink.
“I’ll tell you what’ll become of Fillidelfiyaa,” a shorter-than-average count with a fiery red mane and beard and temperament to match said. “It won’t exist anymore. We’ll be just another province of Manehattan. It may happen slowly, but it’ll happen.” He gave a shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.
“It’s already been happening,” Baron Hadrian said evenly as he inclined his head at another group of nobles.
In most ways it resembled their own cluster of ponies, apart from one significant detail: around their necks or on their clothing, they wore a red gem or a crossed circle instead of a seven-pointed star. They were adherents of the True Faith, as opposed to the majority of the kingdom’s population, which still followed the Church of One. They were also devoid of unicorns or sorceresses and didn’t seem quite as concerned as the other ponies milling around the king’s bedchambers.
The others turned back to Hadrian after surreptitiously observing the True Faith adherents. Though nothing had been said, he was recognized as the leader among them. Long had he been King Alhert’s favored general, most recently winning him new southern lands in the Seventeenth Trade War but not the victory the king had wanted. Perhaps if he’d sent me north instead of insisting on leading the army there himself… History was full of “what ifs” and dwelling on them wouldn’t change anything in the moment. Alhert had not sent Hadrian to the north, but to the south, and then granted him lordship over the lands there but not a new title. On parchment, Hadrian was still just Baron of Trotston, but he didn’t begrudge his liege that … much. He was loyal to the death to King Alhert, but could he be as loyal to Robar? Furthermore, would Robar accept such loyalty? A shakeup of the magnitude that would soon strike Fillidelfiyaa’s throne would certainly cause the fall of old favorites and the rise of new ones. Hadrian looked over at the True Faith adherents again.
“We should have stopped this long ago,” the short count grumbled as he glared openly at the group that would soon rise in status.
“We should have,” Hadrian agreed, “But what’s done is done. All we have now is what we will do.”
“And what will you do?” Gavron asked with suspicion as he looked at Hadrian with still-tearful eyes.
“I don’t know,” Hadrian admitted, glancing between Gavron and Massif before turning back to look at Alhert.
The frail king was beckoning weakly with a foreleg, and Bishop Hairus approached him. A grave look crossed her face, and she motioned the other priestesses forward to give Alhert his last rites.
“This is it then. Come, let us observe the end,” Hadrian said as he placed a hoof behind Gavron and propelled him to Alhert’s bedside.
“… thus I do proclaim thee reconciled to thy goddess and no longer consigned to the Long Dark and Torment of the Abyss,” Bishop Hairus was saying as they approached, and she looked up briefly at the crowd pressing in before continuing the script she’d completed many times before, one of the few rites spoken in Low Equestrian so that all could understand the words immediately. “When thy soul departs its flesh, may thou wash up safely upon the Frozen Shore, and may thy journey to the gates of the Heavens be short and free from trial. Holy Faust shall embrace thee and thou shalt be reunited with thy true-believing kin and the trials and tribulations of this life shall be naught but a memory. With these words, my stewardship of thou art finished, and I entrust thee into the care of Faust and Her Holy Chargers.”
A silence fell over the room, smothered as it was by heat, smoke, and incense. Bishop Hairus stepped back from the bed, and Alhert turned to face away from her and her priestesses and toward the assembled nobility. His throat and jaw moved as if he was trying to say something, but no sound came out. At last he managed to get his mouth open, and his breath rattled for several long seconds before he was able to speak.
“I’m … sorry,” he said, so quietly that only those nearest him could make out the words, “I … failed … I … failed you.”
Alhert’s breathing grew more labored, and if he was intending to say anything else, he never got the chance. The air hissed out of him, and his chest remained motionless. The royal physician beside the bed approached cautiously and examined his king. Looking dour, he stepped back, all eyes in the room on him.
“King Alhert VI of Fillidelfiyaa, Lord of the Blue and White Mountains, has breathed his last,” he announced solemnly. “The king is dead!”
“The king is dead,” the assembled ponies repeated somberly.
***
Three days later, the Brave Companions assembled outside Golden Oak’s laboratory. After King Alhert’s death, sorceresses had spread the news quickly across Equestria. One message sent by pegasus relay had winged its way across the Blue Mountains and over the White Mountains to Ponieville, presented to Twilight Sparkle but addressed to all six of them. Despite having no real ties to the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa, they’d been invited to the funeral of King Alhert. Games were being played, but Twilight Sparkle wasn’t sure by whom. It could be a trap to lure some of Cant’r Laht’s greatest assets into unfriendly territory, or it could be thanks for saving Alhert from possession by Discord and a recognition of the weight the famed Brave Companions would add to the event. It could also be part of yet another plot to prevent Robar from taking the throne of Fillidelfiyaa and melding it with Manehattan, though Twilight felt that it was too late for that now. The djinn was out of the bottle, as some might say. Now that Robar was king, even if he hadn’t yet been coronated, he and Persimmone’s children would inherit if anything were to happen to him. Twilight still wouldn’t discount an attempt to drag them into any burgeoning schemes.
The safest decision might have been not to go at all, but that could send the wrong message as well. The Brave Companions had gotten a reputation for coming when needed (even when they weren’t asked); to abandon Fillidelfiyaa and ignore their call now that Robar was on the throne would send a slight that could propel the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht into a war both with Fillidelfiyaa and Manehattan—something that neither Celestia nor Luna wanted. The Brave Companions would be going to Fillidelfiyaa, to attend Alhert’s funeral and to see what was going on, but they would have to be careful.
Though the funeral wasn’t until the next day, they would be arriving in Fillidelfiyaa early and staying the night. The Fillidelfiyaans had prepared for their arrival, as it said in their letter; Twilight confirmed this after scrying the spot where she was to meet them. A collection of dignitaries had assembled and was awaiting their appearance; meanwhile, the sorceress was trying to get everypony in order back at home. That task was more difficult than it rightfully should have been. For such an important and formal event as a king’s funeral, Rarity had insisted upon making the Brave Companions fitting attire, but since the invitation had come so soon before they had to leave, her dressmaking work was still in progress. She had a lot of raw materials and instruments she needed to complete them that night, which had to be redistributed so that they could be carried in saddlebags. Ream and Baldavin were willing to bear a large portion of the load, but it was still no easy process. Fortunately, Twilight had talked Rarity out of making anything new for herself or Rainbow Dash, since the sorceress already had appropriate clothing and Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be seen in anything but her Hunter armor. On top of the sartorial situation, remnants of the party thrown in the square a week earlier were still being cleaned up and taken away in front of the laboratory, not to mention that ponies kept approaching Pinkamena to ask questions.
By the time everything was sorted and they were ready to leave, the sun was nearing the horizon and had probably already sunk below the mountains in Fillidelfiyaa. Before anything else could delay them, Twilight Sparkle opened a portal and led the Brave Companions through. Her portal opened beneath a canopy that had been set up for them in the fields outside Fillidelfiyaa, where the kingdom’s army had been encamped when Twilight and Rainbow Dash had come here before the Seventeenth Trade War. The ponies waiting to greet them roused themselves as the eight ponies and dragonling stepped through and the portal snapped shut behind them, cutting off the calls of ponies disassembling a stage. Servants unfurled banners for the lords and ladies; Twilight briefly regretted not bringing her house’s crest or having one made for the Brave Companions, but there was no reason to further burden Ream and Baldavin.
Five members of the Fillidelfiyaan nobility had arrived to meet them, and Twilight tried to identify them by their banners, having spent most of her time since receiving the invitation reading up on Fillidelfiyaan houses and politics. Beneath the banner of House Clayborn was Duchess Ocean Sight, a mare with a blue coat and silvery mane whose tresses were piled high upon her head. Count Runik of House Gama stood beside her, a stallion standing no taller than Spike, his spiky red beard and mane contrasting with his pale blue coat. Standing somewhat apart from the others was Countess Alain of House Shoen, a mare with a navy coat and violet mane. She eyed the Brave Companions dubiously while toying with a pendant around her neck that declared her adherence to the True Faith. Forming the core of the group was Baron Hadrian of Trotston, Lord of House Rimmel. He was taller than the other ponies, perhaps due to some Saddle Arabian blood in his lineage, and stood regally, his coat mostly a creamy yellow other than the brown on his muzzle and fetlocks that matched his mane. Before him stood the pony who had greeted the Brave Companions on both their previous visits to Fillidelfiyaa: Ser Gavron of House Inthrid-Caramon. His tabard was made in far deeper shades of blue and green than usual, the fabric nearly black, a sign of his mourning for the king.
“Greetings, Brave Companions, from Fillidelfiyaa,” Gavron said as he approached, acting much more subdued than in previous encounters.
“Greetings, Ser Gavron, Duchess Ocean Sight, Count Runik, Countess Alain, Baron Hadrian,” Twilight Sparkle replied, looking to each in turn, evoking interest from most but worry from Alain. “Our condolences on your loss.”
“The king is dead,” Gavron said mechanically, his eyes drifting to the ground.
“Long live the king,” the others replied with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
“Come, a place has been prepared for you in the Outlanders’ Quarter,” Baron Hadrian said as he beckoned for the group to begin their journey to Fillidelfiyaa before the twilight dimmed enough to make finding the way difficult without torchlight.
“Th’ Outlanders’ Quarter?” Applejack asked.
“Yes, it’s a bit more crowded than usual at the moment, but we managed to find enough space for you,” Hadrian replied.
It seemed that this time the Brave Companions shouldn’t expect any special accommodations. It was too much to hope that Robar would grant them space in the Sea Keep as King Alhert had (especially with the rebuilding going on from the last time they’d entered the ancient stone fortress); and Countess Arethea wouldn’t be putting them up in her manor, not after she’d been executed for her plot to kill the king. They’d be staying in the usual place designated for foreign ambassadors important enough to warrant special attention but not important enough to be granted proximity to the king. The Outlanders’ Quarter was located at the base of the cliff upon which the Sea Keep was built, near the coast (at least until Fillidelfiyaa’s next unscheduled burning and rebuilding). Unlike an inn, it would cost them nothing to stay here, and it was safer; but the guards that patrolled the perimeter weren’t just for their own protection. The message was clear: don’t stray. The party of nobles led them there, making mostly meaningless small talk on the way, before leaving them to get settled in for the next day’s event.
When Hadrian had said that the Outlanders’ Quarter had been more crowded than usual, he’d given Twilight the impression that there were many foreign visitors who’d come to pay their respects to King Alhert and see King Robar crowned. While there were some staying there for that purpose, they weren’t the primary occupants of the quarter. Instead, a large group of Saddle Arabians who’d fled their homeland after its conquest were housed there on a more or less permanent basis. While Rarity finished her work on the Brave Companions’ funeral attire, Twilight Sparkle spent her time speaking to them and offering to unite them with their kin in Ponieville. While some refused, most agreed to Twilight’s offer and would leave with the Brave Companions after the funeral. It was late at night when Twilight finally returned and everyone took to their beds, prepared as well as they could be for the ceremony on the morrow.
***
The day of the funeral dawned cold and gray, but no rain fell from the clouds above. Those who had been invited to King Alhert’s funeral made their way in small groups up to the Sea Keep, proceeding up the twisting path to the bluff lined with banners bearing the flag of Fillidelfiyaa, the standard of House Caramon, and King Alhert VI’s personal standard, flapping weakly in the wind. The Brave Companions joined the staggered procession going to the summit, keeping silent among themselves for the moment. Rarity’s work had paid off in the dresses that she, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkamena wore, tailored to suit their individual personalities and professions while remaining appropriate for the solemnity of the occasion. She had even managed to create an outfit for Spike, finally becoming accustomed after years of practice to tailoring for a dragonling’s anatomy. Rainbow Dash wore the Hunter armor she always did, though she had spent considerable time the night before cleaning and oiling it so that the leather now shone dark and rich, and nopony could complain. Twilight Sparkle wore her sorceress robes meant for such important events, complete with a stole covered in archaic runes that hung down nearly to her hooves. She had to be constantly mindful of it and occasionally levitated the ends to keep from tripping or dragging them across the grimy cobblestones. Such attire would normally be accompanied by the traditional wide-brimmed, pointed hat, but instead Twilight wore her royal tiara. It was the first time she’d worn it since her brief temporary rule of Cant’r Laht at the beginning of the year; and though it had been designed to be worn either alone or interlocked with the Element of Sorcery, it had looked strange to her sans Element when she’d viewed herself in a looking glass. She wondered if a redesign was possible and knew Rarity would likely have some ideas, but it would have to wait until they’d fulfilled their duties here and returned to the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht.
Guards in Fillidelfiyaan livery lined the last span of the approach to the Sea Keep, standing at attention with eyes fixed forward. Though there was no submission of invitation to confirm that only invitees were entering the keep, the guards were ready to deter and, if necessary, detain anypony who looked like they shouldn’t be admitted to King Alhert’s funeral. The Brave Companions were allowed to pass without comment, and Ream and Baldavin split off from them as they entered the castle to join with the other guards who had accompanied their charges to the funeral. Castle servants waited inside, but it wasn’t difficult to find the way to the great hall even without their direction. They merely had to follow the attendees ahead of them.
Banners of the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa, House Caramon, and King Alhert VI hung within the great hall as they had outside, interspersed with tapestries portraying Alhert’s reign. Most of them depicted events early in the king’s life, when he had been a young and dynamic ruler, long before the tragic loss of most of his house and the onset of old age. The tapestries hung low, but it was still difficult to make out the details higher-up. Like most of the Sea Keep, its great hall had walls of thick stone, and the only windows were set up high and didn’t allow much light in even on a sunny day. Braziers and torches had been lit, but not nearly enough to fully illuminate the space, so as not to disturb the king’s body.
Alhert was in the center of the hall, his body lying upon its back in a square-ended canoe that floated in a basin of water, as was tradition. The king looked even more aged than the last time the Brave Companions had seen him, but a peace and vitality seemed to have returned to his features beneath the wear and wrinkles, due to a short-term enchantment meant to preserve his corpse until burial. He was dressed in his finest garb and bedecked with gold, silver, and gem-studded jewelry in the form of necklaces and torcs, including a crown upon his head that had been made for his burial – the real crown of Fillidelfiyaa waiting for its next owner elsewhere. A sheathed sword was tucked beneath his forelegs, its pommel nearly touching his chin, and other weapons and treasures had been placed in the canoe alongside him. Ice floated in the water around the vessel, the reason for keeping the braziers far and dim, but that was likely unnecessary apart from efficiency; Twilight could sense that the ice was maintained by sorcery. She looked around for the pony responsible and spotted Massif standing at a distance but facing the king directly, and he motioned to the Brave Companions.
After finishing paying their respects, the Brave Companions heeded the gesture and made their way over to Massif. When Twilight and Rainbow Dash had first come here during the Seventeenth Trade War, Massif had been behind the conspiracy to assassinate Robar and Persimmone, but Twilight had been unable to acquire any solid proof of his involvement that could be presented to the king, and so he had gone free. He couldn’t be trusted, but neither could he be ignored. The funeral’s attendees stood in knots around the great hall speaking in low tones, and one cluster had formed around Massif that included the ponies that had greeted the Brave Companions the night before apart from Countess Alain.
“Brave Companions,” Baron Hadrian greeted them before introducing the unknowns in the group, “Baron Fellwinter, Countess Dorea, the sorceress Billingsbrook.”
“Greetings and well met,” Twilight Sparkle replied for the group.
“I must ask,” said Baron Fellwinter, a pegasus lord whose long mane was held back by the simple circlet on his brow, “How does Celestia intend to respond?”
“And Luna,” interjected Billingsbrook, a unicorn whose stole featured no ancient runes but did include many stars and constellations.
“What do you mean by ‘respond’?” asked Twilight.
“When Queen Helianthus of Los Pegasus died, she—they sent the Brave Companions to broker peace,” Fellwinter said, correcting himself after a glance from Billingsbrook.
Nopony outside of the Brave Companions and Cant’r Laht’s regents knew about their true mission to retrieve the Stellaetrix, and so their coincidental meetings with the factions fighting for the Crown of Los Pegasus last year were considered the reason for their journey by most.
“There was a civil war in Los Pegasus. Do you expect the same here?” Twilight asked carefully.
“I pray Fillidelfiyaa doesn’t fall into such circumstances, or meet the same fate,” Baron Hadrian said, referring to Los Pegasus’s eventual division into three separate realms. “Yet, I cannot discount the possibility.”
“Queen Helianthus died with no clear successor,” Rarity interjected. “I thought the succession was established here.”
“It is, but not everypony may be willing to accept Robar on the throne,” Duchess Ocean Sight said.
“It’s no secret how King Hadish deals with non-earth ponies, sorceresses, and worshipers of Faust,” Baron Fellwinter said.
“But … Robar isn’t Hadish,” Fluttershy spoke up.
“No, a son is not always his father,” Fellwinter begrudgingly admitted. “But is that a risk worth waiting for?”
He looked past the Brave Companions, and some of them turned to follow his gaze. Standing at a distance was Robar with another group of courtiers. Like his father, his coat was red, though his was closer to wine than cherry, but his mane and tail were a burnt orange instead of pitch black. His attire was simple but still respectful for the funeral of his father-in-law. Upon his head was no crown, merely the circlet that denoted him as crown prince of Manehattan, a silver band with a prominent ruby upon his forehead. Nearby stood a priest of the True Faith, standing out in his red robes and looking about with discomfort and disdain at the funeral. Countess Alain stood among the courtiers around Robar, and it wouldn’t have been a shock to discover that the others were followers of the True Faith as well. They were all earth ponies, but then, so were most of the ponies in the room. The time in which unicorns ruled Equestria was long past.
“He is not Hadish,” Hadrian said firmly, “But, to bring things back around, do Regents Celestia and Luna intend to let the Vasa-Elutria dynasty, and their persecution of all who disagree with them, spread?”
“I don’t see as there’s much choice,” Rainbow Dash scoffed.
“There is always a choice,” Hadrian said, though his eyes were on Ser Gavron, not the Hunter.
“The Kingdom of Cant’r Laht will not be going to war with Manehattan and Fillidelfiyaa,” Twilight Sparkle said, putting an end to that line of questioning. “Though Los Pegasus is splintered and Vanhuv’r is dealing with the bison, there are too many threats on our borders to engage in such a conflict.”
“In other words, High Priestess Rubius would have to call a crusade, and unite all the other realms against them,” Count Runik said gruffly. “Fat chance of that.”
The diminutive count was right; a crusade hadn’t been called in thousands of years, not since before the Conjunction. Even if she were to call one, it was uncertain if anypony would actually answer the call, even to join forces against King Hadish and his kin, or if the cardinals and bishops would support the high priestess’s actions. It could be just the thing to give them the opportunity to oust her and put a more malleable mare in her place.
The hum of conversation in the great hall died as the sound of bells could be heard coming from Fillidelfiyaa’s cathedral, one of the few buildings in the city constructed from stone aside from the Sea Keep. They marked the departure of Bishop Hairus and her retinue, who would be starting their procession through the streets up to the keep, so that King Alhert’s former subjects could see the priestesses on their way to bury him. Ponies began to move from their groups, coaxed and directed by castle servants, to make way and prepare for the coming of the priestesses. The castle’s bells began to chime as they arrived and filed into the great hall, some chanting verse in the Language of the Horns while others carried censers and scrolls or books of the Word of Faust. They proceeded past King Alhert to the far end of the great hall where space had been cleared and halted.
Bishop Hairus read from the Word of Faust in the Language of the Horns, so only the priestesses and sorceresses and a few learned nobles understood what was said. Then she launched into a sermon that was both on kingship and the afterlife. Robar and his clique looked uncomfortable through the ordeal and the red priest had vanished, but to their credit, no objections were voiced during the bishop’s funeral sermon. Once she’d finished preaching (at least explicitly), Bishop Hairus recounted King Alhert’s reign and the deeds he had done, before finishing with his death and voyage to the Frozen Shore for one final journey to meet his goddess.
King Alhert’s mortal remains would be interred with his ancestors, and the bishop called forth those who would accompany his body to the House Caramon crypt. Typically, members of the king’s house would do so, but because he was so bereft of close relations, distant relatives had to fill the roles that Persimmone and Robar didn’t fall into, including carrying his body to the crypt. Among those who stepped forward was Ser Gavron, who waited for the lid to be affixed over Alhert’s prone form, turning his canoe into a coffin. Together, six ponies lifted it from the ice bath it had been floating in and carried it away to where it would be sealed in a stone casket as the kings of Fillidelfiyaa had been for many years.
Those left behind began to congregate again now that the funeral had concluded so far as their part in it was concerned. Some would be staying or return later for the funeral feast, but many of the ponies in the room were from minor or distant fiefs and hadn’t received an invitation for that part of the ceremony. They began to leave almost immediately after the priestesses and funeral party had vanished. The Brave Companions were in the group that had been invited to the funeral but not the feast and could return to Ponieville at any time, after retrieving their belongings from the Outlanders’ Quarter and taking the Saddle Arabians there with them. For the moment, though, they stayed, and found themselves part of the same circle they had been speaking with before.
“There will be some rebellion, of one sort or another,” Massif said as he watched some of the ponies leaving the great hall, able to speak more freely now that he no longer had to maintain the ice in the pool for King Alhert’s coffin. “The question is how far it will spread, and how organized it will be.”
“Do you think rebellion is inevitable?” Pinkamena asked as she cocked her head to the side questioningly.
“It is the way of things when one monarch is replaced by another,” Massif said as he stroked his long, white beard, “Especially when the new king is unpopular with a large portion of his new vassals.”
“All heeded the summons and were here today,” Duchess Ocean Sight pointed out.
“For the burial of a king who, in spite of his faults and errors late in life, was still very much beloved,” Hadrian said. “Who attends, or rather who is absent from, Robar’s coronation, will speak much more loudly.”
“It may be only subtle acts or rebellion, such as failure to pay taxes as a negotiation of their relationship to the king, but I don’t think it will end there,” Billingsbrook said, “Robar is not his father, but he is too much his father’s son and too much a student of the Fiery Isle. Sorceresses are already unwelcome in the Sea Keep, and soon I fear they will no longer be welcome in Fillidelfiyaa.”
“What are lords and ladies denied their court wizards to do?” Massif, former court wizard of King Alhert, asked.
Privately, many thought they could get along just fine without their interference and the whispers they placed in their masters’ ears, but they were useful, and anypony without one would be at a disadvantage. As the group continued to speak about the possibility of rebellion while skirting anything explicitly treasonous, the burial party returned to the great hall. Ser Gavron, for the moment, stayed with some of his relatives instead of rejoining the group. Robar surprised the hall by trotting past his group of loyal co-religionists and making his way instead straight for the Brave Companions. At his side was his wife, Persimmone, who had removed her veil of mourning now that her father was buried, and her eyes could be seen, swollen from the tears she had shed but dry now that the deed was completed and she’d bid farewell to the king. Robar looked discomforted (either by what he was doing or the mere idea of striding so close to sorceresses) but also resolved as he made his way across the floor and stopped in front of the dignitaries from the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht.
“Brave Companions, I know you were a friend to my father-in-law, and I thank you for coming to his funeral,” Robar said, with the anticipation of something else in his voice.
“Of course,” Twilight Sparkle replied, “King Alhert did not always—or ever—heed our counsel, but he had the wisdom to hear it, and sometimes that is all one can ask.”
“Indeed,” Robar said, though his terseness and the stiffness of his jaw made it clear that he found the idea of hearing the Brave Companions’ counsel objectionable. “I wish for you to stay in Fillidelfiyaa for my coronation in two days’ time, as thanks for saving my life and that of my wife.”
“We would be honored,” Twilight said, surprised by the invitation.
“Do not mistakenly think my view of sorceresses has weakened,” Robar said as he stared Celestia’s apprentice down, “Just as I have not forgotten your service, I have not forgotten that it was a sorceress that was behind our attack in the first place. Indeed, had such not been the case, I would have questioned your sincerity in saving me, suspecting it to be a plot to gain sympathy for your kind. Nevertheless, I do harbor gratitude for your act, and would grant you and your companions some measure of leniency.”
“Thank you,” Twilight said. I think.
Robar gave the other members of the group, particularly Massif and Billingsbrook, dubious looks before trotting away to speak to others in the hall. Perhaps, despite Robar’s hard words assuring them of his hardness, there was some hope for sorceresses in Fillidelfiyaa yet, or at least the opportunity for the Brave Companions to influence a change. It seemed they would be staying there for a little longer.
***
The development that they would be attending not only one, but two important events put Rarity all into a bustle, and she insisted on making the Brave Companions another set of fine attire. This time, Twilight didn’t try to exclude herself, though Rainbow Dash still insisted that her Hunter armor was just fine. While Rarity and the others spent the day after the funeral scouring Fillidelfiyaa for the fabrics she needed (and some that would be cheaper to buy here and send back to Ponieville for future projects), Twilight worked to reunite the Saddle Arabians with their fellows in Ponieville via portal. A few more that had originally turned down her offer had even changed their minds and decided to add to the growing community on the east side of the Equestry River. As homes for them went up continuously, they could quickly find a place to live, sheltered from the impending winter.
The clouds cleared temporarily on the morning of the coronation, revealing a red sunrise over the Shimmering Sea and a crisp blue sky once the sun had ascended. The coronation was also to be held in the Sea Keep’s great hall, so ponies once again made the ascent to Fillidelfiyaa’s castle. Banners lined the path again, though naturally there were changes. Gone were the standards of House Caramon, the heron on a blue and green checkerboard replaced with the two-headed fire-breathing dragon on a shield over indented black and red of House Vasa-Elutria. The personal standards of King Alhert VI were also gone, replaced by the new standard of Robar, the banners freshly created. It was a variation of the House Vasa-Elutria standard, with the crown of Fillidelfiyaa draped over the upper right corner of the shield bearing the dragon, leaving space on the left for the crown of Manehattan he would eventually inherit.
The Sea Keep’s great hall had also been redecorated since the funeral, and not just with the banners replaced. The ice bath in which King Alhert’s body had lain had been removed, and great braziers had been brought in to light up the sizeable room. Though it was a chill day, the high windows were opened to allow the smoke and some of the heat from the great bonfires to escape. Thronelike seats, but not the actual throne of Fillidelfiyaa itself, had been placed at the head of the room, the banners of House Vasa-Elutria and House Caramon draped behind them. The seats currently were vacant, and Robar and Persimmone were seated in separate chairs off to the sides. The gathering was far less informal than the funeral, and servants in Fillidelfiyaan livery—now with a dragon crest sewn to the shoulder—directed the Brave Companions to their places. They would stand with the observers, ponies who had no part to play in the coronation other than to witness it. A few dignitaries from across the Shimmering Sea stood with them, as well as prominent Fillidelfiyaan merchants.
Bells rang in the Sea Keep’s belfry to signal the start of the ceremony, and the red priest Robar had been speaking to at the funeral called the room to order. In the intervening day, the Brave Companions had learned that the earth pony stallion was called Gallivant, and was Robar’s personal priest, recently raised to the rank of episcope in the True Faith. His first act after coronating Robar would no doubt be to establish a major temple in Fillidelfiyaa and bring the scattered temples already throughout the kingdom under his control. Simple red robes such as all red priests wore were draped over his mossy green coat, and a thin iron circlet with a crossed circle at the front rested upon his head and held back his silvery white mane.
Gallivant would be leading the ceremony and placing the crown upon Robar’s head, but he would not be doing so for his queen. Persimmone was still a member of the Church of One, and so there were priestesses from Fillidelfiyaa’s cathedral here to fill that role. It was a divided ceremony, with Robar’s coronation at the forefront, but with Gallivant giving way at the appropriate times to let the priestesses do their work. Persimmone’s part in the ceremony was nothing like what Celestia and Luna had experienced upon becoming regents; she was not being coronated, merely crowned. There was no anointing with oil or oaths for her to speak, other than a charge to be loyal, diligent, and wise and so add to her husband’s reign. Mares could not inherit the royal throne in Fillidelfiyaa, and so though the crown came to Robar through their marriage, she would have no official power. The crowning ceremony took less time than a true coronation, and Robar’s part occupied the last and largest portion of the event.
“Robar, son of Hadish, son of Wexel,” Gallivant said after a long monologue of interspersed readings from the True Faith’s holy texts and kingly charges, “Draw your sword.”
From his belt, Robar drew an oddly shaped sword whose length was composed of four points twisted around each other.
“Do you offer your sword to the fire?” Gallivant asked.
“I do,” Robar said after thrusting the blade into a large brazier ahead of him so that the hilt still stuck out, but the rest of the sword was engulfed in flames.
“Do you swear to rule with zealous fervor, to defend the tenets of the Faith and the lives of your subjects, consigning all that is evil to ash?” Gallivant asked.
“I do,” Robar swore.
“Do you swear to provide for your subjects, to enrich their lives with a bounteous flow of mercy and justice in equal measures?” Gallivant asked.
“I do,” Robar swore again.
“Do you swear to be steadfast and resolute, to be a king to which your subjects can look for guidance and solidarity and an unchanging, unflinching resolve to support them?” Gallivant asked with great emotion.
“I do,” Robar swore.
“Do you swear to bring greatness to your kingdom, to raise it up beyond what it is, and to keep it moving safe from any spears that would be flung against it?” Gallivant asked.
“I do,” Robar swore.
“Do you offer your life to the fire?” Gallivant asked.
“I do,” Robar said, reaching into the pouch on his belt, situated on the opposite side of his body from where the sword had been, pulled out a piece of parchment bearing his name, and tossed it into the fire.
“Draw out your sword!” Gallivant commanded.
Robar obeyed and pulled the sword from the fire, the coils now red hot. The intense heat caused his eyes to narrow and water, but he didn’t shy away from or drop the sword and instead held it high for all to see.
“Robar, Crown Prince of Fillidelfiyaa is dead, consumed by the flames,” Gallivant said as he dramatically gestured to the brazier. “By the fury of fire, the cooling provision of water, the stalwartness of stone, and the freedom of air, I now declare you King Robar, First of His Name, King of Fillidelfiyaa and Lord of the Blue and White Mountains!”
Gallivant turned swiftly to another red priest standing nearby with the crown of Fillidelfiyaa and took it before reaching over the still-glowing sword and placing it upon Robar’s head.
“All hail the king!” Gallivant shouted.
“All hail the king! All hail the king! All hail the king!” the assembled nobles replied.
Robar trotted back to the twin seats and sat in the higher-backed one, joining his already crowned wife. The nobility of Fillidelfiyaa were then called forward to give their oaths of fealty to the newly crowned king. Robar kept the sword in his mouth until it had fully cooled and then laid it down crosswise before him, a reminder of his rebirth now that he was crowned. As the nobles filed forward to make their oaths, it was impossible not to notice that there were fewer than there had been at Alhert’s funeral. More importantly, there were some conspicuous absences, particularly from the group the Brave Companions had spent time speaking with. Massif and Billingsbrook were absent, but that was to be expected; they held no landed titles, and sorceresses were now barred from the Sea Keep except under special circumstances. Duchess Ocean Sight and Baron Fellwinter were both here, their adherence to the laws of Fillidelfiyaa apparently winning out over their uneasiness at the idea of Robar’s rule. Count Runik and Countess Dorea, however, were missing, as well as any members of House Inthrid-Caramon, including Ser Gavron, though he wouldn’t have been invited to the coronation since he held no title. Most conspicuously of all, Baron Hadrian was missing, something that the Brave Companions heard whispered multiple times among the nobility as they made their way up to swear to Robar.
After oaths had been made, there would be a feast in the same great hall, which required a temporary move of the nobility to the throne room where they could beseech King Robar for coronation boons. While they relocated themselves, Robar would step outside to present himself to his new subjects. First, however, he made his way to the observers to thank them for attending the coronation and setting into motion plans to improve relations between his kingdom and theirs. He approached the Brave Companions last, looking once again uncomfortable in their presence.
“Brave Companions, I thank you for coming and wish you … safe travels as you return home,” Robar said.
“Thank you, your majesty,” Twilight said. No invitation to the feast, then. No surprises there.
“As I have said, I am willing to grant a certain … leniency to you in remembrance of past service and in recognition of how well known you are throughout Equestria,” Robar continued. “However, I do not intend to grant you the same latitude as my predecessor. Do not attempt to come to me or enter the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa without first requesting my permission. Am I clear?”
“Like crystal,” Rainbow Dash said with a sarcastic tone. Robar narrowed his eyes at her, but let it slide.
The new king looked like he might say something else, but a servant then burst into the mostly empty great hall and ran directly to him, breathing heavily.
“Your majesty, I bring fell news,” he said before looking in surprise at the Brave Companions standing nearby.
“Excuse me,” Robar said and wisely trotted away for some privacy, but not too far. Rainbow Dash’s Hunter hearing and Twilight’s sorcery was able to pick up what was said next.
“Your majesty, there is a great revolt in the south that has gathered many of your vassals,” the servant reported. “Baron Hadrian of Trotston has declared that you are no fit king for Fillidefiyaa and has raised his banner in rebellion!”
Word spread fast throughout Fillidelfiyaa about the rebellion in the south; and, even though they were not invited into the private councils of King Robar, the Brave Companions were soon aware of its extent. Baron Hadrian had gone south to the lands granted him after the Seventeenth Trade War and there declared that he would not kneel to a king who did not worship Faust. Others had rallied to his cause, mostly minor lords and ladies whose lands were near his in the south, but he had also gained the support of nearly every sorceress in Fillidelfiyaa. The absences at King Robar’s coronation lined up closely with the nobles in rebellion, but not exactly. The pegasi of the White Mountains had not come to swear before Robar, but neither had they declared loyalty to Hadrian. They were undecided for the moment, though they may just have been waiting to see if Hadrian had any success before throwing in their lot with him.
The Brave Companions would not be welcome for much longer in Fillidelfiyaa, but Twilight Sparkle did not intend to return them immediately to Ponieville. When the letter arrived from Celestia and Luna, she was already preparing to do as it asked: venture south to speak to Hadrian and his rebels. The hope was that such a visit wouldn’t be seen as an endorsement, but that might prove inevitable; they would just have to explain themselves to Robar later. Ascertaining the goals and strength of the rebels was more important than returning home right away, even if it put a burr in Robar’s muzzle.
As the Brave Companions left the city, they saw dispatched messengers galloping hard with orders to raise the levies. Robar would be strongly testing the loyalty of his subjects so soon after becoming king by raising an army, but with a quarter of his lands already in rebellion, he didn’t have much of a choice. It was also an inopportune time of year to do so, with harvests still wrapping up and the winter so near. Hadrian no doubt hoped this would be to his advantage and would deter Robar from attacking, but so far, the strategy didn't seem to be working. As a new king, Robar needed to present a stalwart image, and that meant marching south to crush the rebellion before it spread—no matter the time of year.
There was no delegation to see the Companions off, so they made their way out to an isolated spot alone before Twilight Sparkle opened a portal. If things were busy in Fillidelfiyaa, they were even more so at the heart of the rebellion; to avoid accidentally bisecting somepony, Twilight brought them out some distance away from their destination, upon a beach. The Shimmering Sea roared as they made their way up the strand to where Castle Crosswind stood upon a bluff. Until a few years ago, the castle had been the seat of Marquis Heavyshoes, a vassal of Duchess Seaspray, but he’d died in the Seventeenth Trade War and his lands had gone to Baron Hadrian as a reward for bringing the fight all the way to Balte-Maer’s walls. Much like the Sea Keep, it was a castle that had seen better days, made of rough stone worn and buffeted by the waves and sea winds. Damage had also been done to it by Hadrian’s siege engines during the war, but repairs had already been undertaken to fix it and was ongoing with the help of pegasi. Castle Crosswind had once been a foothold for unicorn crusaders as they crossed the Shimmering Sea but had quickly fallen out of favor compared to nearby Balte-Maer, sheltered as it was by Horseshoe Bay. If Hadrian intended to make this his new seat of power (which seemed likely, given that he’d abandoned Trotston), perhaps a new town would spring up around it. For now, the castle was one of the few permanent structures in the area.
Stairs and ramps carved out of the natural terrain led up from the beach to the bluff, and ponies atop it ran to report as the Brave Companions began to ascend. Emerging out onto the top of the bluff allowed them to see the expansive preparations taking place around the castle. Though the rebellion had just started, there was already a sizeable camp pitched and more tents going up constantly as an army was assembled. Across a tramped-down and roped-off field, a trio of sorceress held open a portal allowing ponies to come from all across the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa and beyond. Through one portal filed or flew groups of gryphons. Apart from the rest of the camp, the Brave Companions could see tents of the Griffon Free Companies rising. The last that Twilight knew, they had been encamped near Vanhuv’r, expecting King Hyelliff to eventually break down and pay them for their help in combatting the northern bison as they burned and pillaged their way across the land. Either they’d given up on receiving a contract from Hyelliff or Hadrian had made them an offer they couldn’t refuse, and they were being transported here to fight in the rebellion against Robar.
As the Brave Companions made their way toward Castle Crosswind, they were watched by soldiers and guards, but none barred their passage. At the castle’s entrance hung banners hastily erected, evidenced by the fact that they weren’t all evenly spaced. One was the flag of Fillidelfiyaa, a crowned black bear rearing on a field of green with blue waves below its feet. The other banner was a bit of a surprise, but hinted at what they might find inside. It was not the banner of Hadrian’s House Rimmel that hung, but that of Inthrid-Caramon, dimidiated per pale with half of the crossed sword and staff on the left and half of the heron on the right.
After ascending the stairs to the keep’s entrance, the Brave Companions passed right through the great hall where supplies were being stockpiled and into the throne room where planning for the rebellion was progressing. It had become a common occurrence for the group to be allowed to simply walk into the midst of schemes when visiting warring nobles, so much so that it was shocking how little others seemed to care. At least here, though, Baron Hadrian had the sense to motion for the others to cease their conversation, and he rolled up the maps upon the planning table as he spotted them entering the chamber.
“Ah, Brave Companions,” he said, “I was expecting you to show up. I suppose it’s too much to hope that you’re here to help us?”
Standing around the planning table or back in corners of the room were all the missing lords and ladies from the coronation—barring the White Mountains pegasi—as well as Ghunthar zar’Ghrisna. Several sorceresses were also in attendance, including Massif and Billingsbrook.
“Maybe not help in th’ way y’ want,” Applejack replied, “Y’know th’ Brave Companions don’t directly involve themselves in other kingdoms’ wars.”
“No, but I thought perhaps Celestia and Luna might have reconsidered their previous stance,” Hadrian said as a shadow fell across his eyes. “You’re just here to learn and report, then?”
“Yes, and offer advice, if we are able,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Before we can do that properly, though—”
“We need to know your intentions!” Pinkamena cut in.
“Our intentions should be very clear,” Hadrian said, and Twilight noted that he’d avoided attributing them solely to himself. “Regardless of whether Robar is Alhert’s heir or not, no true believer in Faust could rightly swear fealty to such a heathen. And so, we’ve raised our banners in rebellion behind the one who should be king.”
“You?” Fluttershy asked. Hadrian was the most forceful and experienced pony in the room, but the banners outside indicated otherwise.
“No, me,” Ser Gavron said from where he stood next to Hadrian. “As next in line for the throne, the duty to falls to me to stand against Robar and contest his right to rule.”
Gavron’s words were strong, but his attitude was reluctant, and he seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as the Brave Companions as he spoke. Gavron had long desired the throne of Fillidelfiyaa, that was no secret, but there had never been proof that such resentment of the pony before him in line would motivate treason; even at Alhert’s funeral, he’d seemed resigned to Robar taking the throne. Twilight suspected that it was the persistent arguments of the others in the room that had only recently brought him around to the idea of rebellion and claiming the crown. Even if this rebellion succeeded in all of its goals and placed Gavron on the throne, it was likely he’d never rule in his own right. The powerful nobles around him who’d fought for his right to claim that throne would have the real authority.
“Faust willing, one day Gavron will rule from Fillidelfiyaa, but for now survival is our intent,” Hadrian said. “I had hoped that the season might dissuade Robar from attacking us immediately and give us time to prepare for a clash next spring or summer, but the son of Hadish the Rash is moving rapidly. The strategy of King Alhert in the Seventeenth Trade War was flawed, but ultimately sound in its assumption that a key decisive battle would make or break the war, and the same is true in our situation. Robar and Hadish will send an army south soon, and we must crush them to buy some time until after the winter to make our ultimate moves.”
“Not to tell you how to run a rebellion—I am just a Hunter, after all—but wouldn’t it be easier to portal your army to Fillidelfiyaa and take Robar out all at once?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Hadrian looked at Twilight Sparkle, before turning back to answer the Hunter where she hovered.
“It’s true we have an abundance of sorceresses, including several powerful enough to open portals, but not nearly enough to transport the army we’d need to seize Fillidelfiyaa in a manner other than assassination, which would just lead to more problems,” Hadrian explained. “There’s also the need to keep our forces nearby and able to move swiftly for the time being. As soon as word arrived that King Alhert was dead, Duchess Seaspray began to prepare her own troops. She anticipated the chaos that would come were Robar to be crowned and seeks to take advantage of it to reclaim these lands for Balte-Maer. Our position, I will freely admit, is precarious. The only comfort we can take is that Duchess Seaspray is even less likely to side with Robar than us. She may come at us from our rear, but she will never join with him in battle. That is why we must have a quick, decisive fight that forces Robar to retreat and leave us alone for now. It is to our benefit that he desires the same thing in order to cement his rule.”
“You certainly seem to have thought it all through, but don’t you think that your rebellion may accomplish precisely what you fear?” Rarity asked.
“How so?” Count Runik grunted.
“Well, if you were Robar’s vassals, he’d have to take you into account in any decision he made and temper any actions he might try to take against sorceresses or non-earth ponies. Now, however, he has a kingdom where those who believe in the Red Faith, as he does, are ascendant; and the very ponies he might want to persecute have proven themselves to be disloyal. You may have made his job easier,” Rarity pointed out.
“It is something we have spent much time discussing,” Countess Dorea said. “We may have tempered Robar’s intentions, for a time, but tempering is not halting. We cannot allow Fillidelfiyaa to be turned into a second Manehattan, no matter how slow the process. We must stand up now and fight, live or die.”
“Will you stay and witness our fight?” Gavron asked.
“No, I think we know what we came to learn,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “Some of us may visit you again, if you wish, but this is your fight, and our place during it is back in Ponieville.”
“As always,” Gavron said with narrowed eyes, though his spite seemed based on instinct alone and his confrontation with the Brave Companions less real than it had been in the past. “Go in peace, Brave Companions, and pray we win out against Manehattan’s expansion—for the sake of Equestria, if for nothing else.”
***
Events proceeded quickly in the aftermath of the Brave Companions’ visit. Neither Robar nor Hadrian (for though Gavron was proclaimed the leader of the rebellion, Hadrian was truly the pony who did all the planning and leadership) were willing to spend the full time necessary to raise, drill, and equip an army ready for war; time was at a premium. Hadrian was counting on the Griffon Free Companies and as the trained household troops of the nobles who’d flocked to his rebellion to carry the fight, and Robar was relying on a similar strategy. Though he would accumulate levies to swell his army as it traveled south, he was mostly trusting in the skill of household troops of those who had remained loyal alongside the token force sent from the Kingdom of Manehattan. Hadish was willing to fight for his son’s new crown, but the size of the force seemed to communicate that he wanted Robar to prove himself and not win merely by the might of his father.
There was also another matter on the mind of the King of Manehattan. The Brave Companions had claimed they would not get involved in Fillidelfiyaa’s civil war, but that was not entirely true. Twilight Sparkle had written to Grigor of Stalliongrad shortly after leaving Crosswind informing him of the situation, and he’d dutifully informed his father Braid. Stalliongrader troops were now accumulating on the border with Manehattan, and Hadish was keeping his eye to the west, mindful that committing too many resources to the south would leave him vulnerable to attack.
With such rapid preparations, it was only two weeks since Alhert was buried that the armies met to fight over the crown he’d left behind. It was the First Day of the Sixth Month, and while the Gauntlet was being undertaken in Cloudsdale (currently floating near Trotstagor in the Hill Kingdoms), the two armies lined up beneath a barrage of freezing rain. Hadrian could have ordered the gryphons up to clear away some of the clouds over his troops, but Robar had abstained from sending his pegasi to do the same, leaving them free to attack the rebels from above if the gryphons were otherwise engaged. It would be a common problem in any conflicts with Robar so long as the pegasi of the Blue Mountains remained loyal: though he had them at his disposal, the True Faith regarded weather modification as hardly less blasphemous than sorcery, so he would not order them up to clear the clouds. The rebel army was outnumbered roughly two to one; but through a combination of scrying, scouting, and harrying, Hadrian had managed to lead Robar to fight in a position advantageous to the underdogs. The hills sloped upwards here in a long ridge, gentle enough to convince Robar that the risk was worth it, but high enough that it would still be a difficult fight uphill, especially as the rain turned everything to mud. The rebels also had sorceresses, which Robar did not, though they’d still been forbidden from using battlefield spells, as was the norm. It wasn’t fear of retaliation in kind that had convinced Hadrian to make such a decision. Battlefield spells, though devastating enough to end a battle instantly, were sometimes unpredictable and just as dangerous to the side using them as their enemy. Also, such an act could sour any chances that yet remained of those fighting on Robar’s side to come over to the rebel cause in the future. This battle wouldn’t determine the war; it would just determine what would become of Hadrian and his followers over the winter.
Lightning cracked across the sky and thunder rolled over the hills as commanders shouted speeches and orders to their followers. Rain plinked off of Hadrian’s upturned visor as he stood silently, listening to the tumult before combat. He stood in the center of the line, but not at the front as was his wont. That spot today was occupied by Ser Gavron—a risky move to place their claimant to the crown in such a dangerous position, but to do otherwise would have been to risk doubts in the legitimacy of their cause. Instead, Hadrian stood with the messengers that usually would have had to force their way forward to speak with him and the sorceresses powerful enough to affect anywhere on the battlefield. Many of the sorceresses who’d joined the rebellion were currently stationed at the border with Balte-Maer, keeping watch on Seaspray and her forces. Even so, there was still a greater concentration here than perhaps any army in memory, enough that they had spaced the lesser sorceress out among the troops to provide protective spells and minimize the need for messages to be carried physically. They didn’t have full coverage of the army, but it was enough that Hadrian was confident they could win a decisive victory even outnumbered as they were.
Cries went up and were answered as Robar’s army drove forward, closing the distance with the rebel troops. Arrows whistled through the air to deter them, but not nearly as many as should have been fired or as well. The constant rain had left bowstrings damaged or put away for their protection, and the archers were unable to mount the defense needed to drive the charge back. Before contact was made on the ground, it was in the air. Gryphons and pegasi crashed into each other and grappled or pulled apart and maneuvered for advantage. Blood and bodies joined the rain falling onto the armies, though for the moment this mostly occurred over the space in-between or over Robar’s charging troops. Beams of light shot through the rain as they neared and the sorceresses began to cast against them. The earth trembled and tripped up the lead ponies, fouling up the charge, but still they came, confident in their numbers. Knights of Fillidelfiyaa leapt over the undulating ground, more accustomed to such tricks of the battlefield than the levies, and a contingent of Manehattanite troops kept pace with them, reaching the Fillidelfiyaan left flank. Sorceresses shifted from attack to defense and shields went up to block the assault, but they couldn’t be fully effective if they wanted to maintain their magical abilities for the rest of the battle, and a fight was inevitable. Troops and knights ran to assist the levies, and it wasn’t long before not just the left flank but the whole line was engaged in fighting Robar’s troops.
It was a grinding, mostly static battle from that point on. Shields were thrust against each other, and pikes ran low, having become shattered or stuck in enemies and unable to be pulled free. Sorceresses shifted their efforts around, trying to provide protection wherever it was most needed at any given moment, but it was all they could do to keep Robar’s troops from cutting through. The lines pulled apart and drew back together as hours wore on, ponies slipping and caked in mud as they battered at each other before drawing back to their own side and leaving the bodies of their comrades behind to fight over when the clash was joined again. It seemed there was always fighting going on somewhere, and there was never a break for long.
This suited Hadrian’s plan just fine, though. They hadn’t advanced, but neither had they been forced to retreat. The rebel line stood, more or less, the same as it had when battle had first been joined, and Robar’s troops had been bloodied far more than theirs. The moment would now soon come when the tables were turned and they could cut the heart out of the enemy army and force them back. Until then, they had to be patient and trust in the soundness of their ground and the protection of their mages.
What wasn’t going as well was the aerial battle. Though the rebels were holding their ground below, the gryphons weren’t as successful above. Gryphons were larger and stronger than ponies, but they couldn’t quite match the speed and flexibility of pegasi (though that was something one would never tell them if they wished to live). This was especially true of the Griffon Free Companies. In their time spent as a mercenary band fighting in pony wars, they’d become quite good at fighting grounded forces, but they didn’t have the same skill in aerial combat. They could take more hits and their own were fatal more often than not, but the pegasi had become accustomed to their fighting style, and the gryphons began to score progressively fewer hits. They were working to adapt, teaming up to corner the pegasi arrayed against them, but it was a costly tactic that let the pegasi take more control of the sky. When bodies fell now, it was almost always upon the rebels. The powerful sorceresses around Hadrian had taken to directing their efforts upward to aid the gryphons, since the lesser mages arrayed throughout the lines seemed to have a handle on that front.
A Manehattanite horn blared over the sounds of ponies pushing and scrambling and stabbing at each other and the pegasi heeded its call, engaging in a fighting retreat. Hadrian looked up and wondered what this could mean. Those still fighting on the ground did not pull back or break, and even seemed to redouble their efforts. Had Robar come up with some new plan for the pegasi? How could he pull them back now when it would leave him exposed to gryphon attacks?
Not all the Manehattanites had come forward to engage in the mêlée, and those who’d stayed back with the supply wagons they’d pulled down from Manehattan had engaged in setting up canopies over them as protection from the rain. From beneath those canopies now came whistling sounds as projectiles shot out from under them at great speed, propelled forward by trails of flame. Fireworks were rarely seen in Equestria, their displays reproducible with less effort and craft by sorcery. The art of rocketry was common only in the eastern reaches of the Zebrikaanian Empire, in the provinces of Zhean Hei and Ilet, or in the unicorn kingdoms across the Yellow Ocean, upon the western coast of Stygra. Without sorcery at his command, King Hadish had taken a cue from these distant lands to counter it—or so he thought.
As the rockets streaked over the battle, the sorceresses scattered throughout the line perceived the threat and turned all their efforts to shielding the rebels. Magical shields shimmered in the air as rain beat against them, covering nearly all the front line from above. The rockets unevenly detonated short of their targets, fragments hurtled in all directions. To the great shock of the sorceresses, the metal bits hurtled through their shields as if they weren’t there, and the magical protection collapsed all down the line as the fragments embedded themselves in ponies. Around Hadrian, sorceresses recoiled as the ponies they’d been communicating with mentally were suddenly cut off.
“Dimeritium!” Massif swore loudly. “Curse Hadish and his spawn a thousand generations!”
Shards of the silvery-blue metal were embedded in ponies all along the front line, leaving bloody gashes in armor and coats. That was the extent of the damage for most ponies, and those who hadn’t been struck in a fatal location were able to stagger on and continue defending, albeit not quite as capably as before. For sorceresses, the consequences were far more dire. Dimeritium could cancel magic, though a great amount was usually required to block a skilled sorceress entirely. With shards embedded in their flesh, however, the mages along the line had no access to their sorcerous abilities until the metal was extracted. Where has Hadish gotten so much dimeritium, and why is he willing to throw so much away at once?
The rebel lines began to buckle without the aid of their sorceresses, forced back one step, and then two as Robar’s forces pressed their advantage. Suddenly, the ground beneath Robar’s right flank shot into the air in spires of earth and stone. Bodies were flung upwards only to be swallowed by the hungry earth as they landed. The calamity spread to the east, tearing through Robar’s troops, and panicking others to leap into the swords and few remaining pikes of the rebels. The spires grew taller and the path of destruction wider, and clods of dirt were flung into the air, knocking pegasi from the sky and dragging them down to be submerged. The earth raged ever wilder and veered back toward the rebels, crossing lines at the center and tearing both sides of the fight to bloody ribbons. Hadrian watched as, almost in slow motion, a body in a set of armor recently painted in green-and-blue on one side and yellow on the other was tossed high into the air before plummeting down into the churning sod.
“No!” Hadrian yelled as he found his voice and turned to see Massif nearby with teeth gritted and gums bleeding into his bedraggled beard, his body and robes soaked through now that he’d released the spell protecting him from the rain in order to channel everything he had into this battlefield spell. “What have you done?!”
“It was necessary!” Massif said as he turned toward the baron, his spell continuing to consume friend and foe as it crossed the battlefield.
“No battlefield spells!” Hadrian yelled as he tromped through rain and mud toward the sorcerer.
“They took out our sorceresses! It was the only way to achieve victory!” Massif yelled back.
“You old fool! You’ve killed Gavron!” Hadrian shouted as he struck Massif in the face with an armored hoof, sending the sorcerer sprawling in the mud. “Fillidelfiyaa is lost!”
As Massif looked up in shock that Hadrian had actually hit him, the baron looked out at the chaos around him. Massif’s spell was tapering down, but the battlefield was still a chaotic, deadly place. Ponies from both sides of the fight were breaking and running from the tumultuous earth, and sensibly so, but Hadrian couldn’t let everything fall apart. He and the others who’d rebelled would not be treated mercifully by Robar were they to surrender.
“To me! Withdraw to the forest!” Hadrian yelled, trying to get his army back under control before slamming down his visor.
***
Both sides would claim victory after the Battle for Brenna Wood, but neither could truthfully do so; it had been a loss for both sides. Hadrian had succeeded in his core goal: Robar had been forced to retreat and leave the rebels alone for the time being. The battlefield spell unleashed by Massif had shattered his army that had already been hard-pressed to remain loyal to an unloved king in a battle that saw many more losses than their enemies, and Robar was forced to return to Fillidelfiyaa and the safety of the Sea Keep to plan his next move. The lethal spell had decided the battle, but it had also shattered the hopes of the rebels to see Robar replaced by another. Ser Gavron had been their last claimant with any shred of legitimacy, and though other pretenders were proposed, none would be able to gain the support and authority Alhert’s cousin had possessed, not even other Inthrid-Caramons. The rebels were not willing to turn themselves over to Robar’s mercy, but now they were rebels without a cause; without a claimant to the throne, they were merely traitors to their rightful king.
Hadrian eventually forced them to acknowledge this reality while also keeping them together. They would not be taking the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa, except by force to place a new king on the throne, a cause far less noble in their minds (and in the eyes of Equestria) than using somepony who already had a legitimate claim to it. Instead, they agreed to recognize Hadrian as their new liege and form an independent realm in the borderlands of the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa and the Duchy of Balte-Maer. The former Baron of Trotston was named Duke of Haatroyaa, a Fillidelfiyaan rendering of Haut Roy’i, a petty kingdom that had once resided in the area ages earlier.
It took longer to make peace than it had to prepare for battle, but King Robar had been forced to acknowledge the reality of his situation. There would be no time before winter to gather a new army, and by spring the rebels would be better prepared to repel attacks. They’d given up (at least publicly) their intention to topple Robar and return the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa to Faust-fearing rule, so their threat was less than it had been. Still, it was bothersome to allow a portion of his lands slip away so shortly after taking the throne. Messengers traveled back and forth between Fillidelfiyaa and Crosswind, and by Hearth’s Warming Eve they had an agreement. On the winter solstice, a month after the Battle for Brenna Wood, an uneasy truce was signed between King Robar of Fillidelfiyaa and Duke Hadrian of Haatroyaa. It was a truce that was destined not to last, or at the very least be heavily tested; but it made the Duchy of Haatroyaa a reality by putting the name down on a parchment acknowledged by another sovereign ruler. Another realm had joined Equestria, pushing Celestia’s dream of a unified Equestria even farther away.
The ponies of the Ponieville druid circle took their seats upon the ring of stones in their clearing, several whispering with each other while they waited for Hierophant Creeping Moss to call the gathering to order. Nopony knew why the hierophant had called them all here urgently, but they had their suspicions it wasn’t about the logging of the Everfree Forest. That had been a frequent topic of their meetings this year and many gatherings had been called at the start of the crisis, but the urgency had gradually abated. The Everfree had been one place that the druids had been certain could not be defiled by ponies, due to the dark powers and monsters that dwelt within, but that was no longer true; broad swaths of trees that had lived for centuries were now no more than stumps or holes. It was still a crisis for the druids, but while those who had the power to do something about it were deaf to their numerous entreaties, they had no choice but to live with it. Something else was going on.
“I bring the circle some good news for once,” Hierophant Creeping Moss said without preamble as he raised his staff, and the circle quieted down. “The augur has foreseen it. There will soon be a Breezie migration through these lands!”
Excited gasps and chatter went up throughout the group at this most fortunate news. The Breezies were a strange and mystical race of creatures that infrequently emerged from portals and flitted across the land before vanishing out of Equus again. Wherever they went, the land would be blessed with abundant life, as druids had observed for generations. They were quite small and fragile, though, and it was rare that they all made it from the start of their journey to its end, either through unfortunate accidents or due to malicious entities.
“In two days’ time, they will appear across the Equestry River and their migration will take them to the Everfree Forest,” Creeping Moss announced when he felt they’d chatted enough. “The migration path will take them through Ponieville.”
The few that had continued to talk fell silent at the mention of the town that grew larger by the day at the Everfree’s expense. Even the druids’ own little grove where they held these meetings had had the edges pilfered to build up Ponieville. The druids could protect (and admire) the Breezies through the countryside, but through a town they had far less of a chance.
“Fluttershy,” Creeping Moss said as he turned to face the druidess, “I am entrusting you with the Ponieville leg of the migration. As one of the Brave Companions, I am charging you, and the other five of your companions, to persuade Mayor Mare and the ponies of the town to let us do what we must to keep the Breezies safe. Are you up for the task?”
“I am,” Fluttershy said assertively. A few of the other members were still a bit shocked when the druidess abandoned her timid nature, though the occurrences were becoming more common the longer she spent with the Brave Companions. Even so, a chance to see the Breezies didn’t come very often, and Fluttershy was excited enough to overcome her natural shyness. She had confidence also in herself and her friends that they would be able to do exactly as the hierophant wished.
***
After speaking with the Brave Companions, everything seemed to be in place for the Breezies’ arrival. Twilight Sparkle had exerted enough pressure on Mayor Mare to make her begrudgingly agree to order ponies indoors when the Breezies came through. She’d also spoken with the Saddle Arabians, though it wasn’t difficult to convince them to stay within their tents or new homes as the temperature continued to drop. All five of the other Brave Companions insisted on being part of Fluttershy’s task during the migration itself; she was a bit uneasy about that but was grateful for the help. While they awaited the Breezies’ arrival, she told them all she knew about them and taught them how they were to act around them. (Spike recorded everything for Twilight’s benefit, and the sorceress herself made several impromptu trips to Cant’r Laht or the Crystal City for yet more books to add to the stacks that filled the chambers and hallways of Golden Oak’s laboratory.) They were timid creatures that did not cope well with anything intense or startling. They would have to keep their voices to a whisper and either remain in sight from a distance or out of sight entirely during the migration.
After much preparation and waiting, the day of the migration finally arrived. A small portal opened just when and where the augur had predicted and shortly thereafter the Breezies emerged through it, fluttering on the unnatural breeze that propelled them on a winding path. Other druids accompanied and protected the Breezies on the first part of their journey, but eventually they neared Ponieville and were passed off to Fluttershy’s care. From a distance, they were no more than an indistinct cloud, but as they flitted past the druidess, she could see them in detail. Their bodies were basically pony-shaped, but stretched and narrowed such that their limbs were no thicker than twigs and their manes were long and wispy like cobwebs. Large translucent wings sprouted from their backs at the same points as a pegasi, but they had many more, all membranous and fragile. The wings were not their only insectile features, either; thin, twitching antennae grew from their heads, just above their large, searching eyes. They were garbed in strange silken attire no more substantial than their wings, except on a few, who had lightweight chitinous armor. Tiny pouches were slung upon their backs like saddlebags, holding (as ponies knew from examining those who had not made it through their migrations) strange seeds of an ordinary size that refused to grow when planted. Just what they were for was a mystery, for nopony had ever been able to properly communicate with Breezies, and they did not live long in Equus after the portals to their world had closed.
Rainbow Dash stood at the base of Ponieville’s western wall and used her wingbeats to direct the magical breeze the Breezies rode upon well up and over the stone barrier. The Breezies glided easily over as Fluttershy accompanied them and descended into the streets of Ponieville. The other Brave Companions were scattered throughout Ponieville, making sure everypony stayed inside, but word of the Breezies’ coming had persuaded some to attempt to watch from within their homes, window shutters held open. At least they were being silent so far and didn’t disturb the Breezies as they hovered through the town. As they passed through a narrow gap between buildings, speeding up as the breeze pushed them through the tight space, Fluttershy left them for a moment to circle around. To her great relief, they all appeared to have made it through the passage and continued on through the town.
The breeze took them through the belfry of the town’s chapel before sending them down past the last buildings before the river. Over the churning Equestry River, the Breezies fluttered across to the less densely populated eastern shore. The breeze wended south now, bypassing the Saddle Arabian houses and few remaining tents and carrying them out past the steadily climbing eastern wall of Ponieville. Fluttershy had seen them through the town, but her leg of the journey wasn’t over quite yet; she continued to accompany them over the fields until the next druidess in line came into sight.
The Breezies had made it safely through Ponieville without incident, but just as she was preparing to pass them off to the next druidess, disaster occurred. Most of the trees in the area had dropped their leaves already, but there were a few who stubbornly held on, as if waiting for just this inopportune moment to release them. As the Breezies’ mystical wind blew through, some detached and fluttered toward the long column of tiny creatures. Panicked cries in an incomprehensible tongue went up as the leaf cut through the back ranks, knocking Breezies aside left and right. Gasping, Fluttershy watched as they tumbled before steeling herself and flying in to save them from nasty collisions with each other or the ground.
“¡Dáánuagrete èì mì`r! ¡Méízegu èì dii`ríí n`é pípìri![1]” one that had avoided a strike by the leaf, a Breezie wearing black chitinous armor, yelled to his fellows.
“Don’t worry,” Fluttershy tried to call ahead quietly to the next druidess, who was torn between escorting those flitting past her and coming back for those who were left behind, “I’ll get these home.”
Though it was unclear if she had actually understood Fluttershy’s words, she at least managed to figure out her intent and followed the bulk of the Breezies. Spreading her robes, Fluttershy caught a Breezie bound straight for a tree. Fluttering around, she managed to avert another from falling into a badger’s sett and then caught another with her tail before it crashed into a fencepost.
“¡Dáánuagrete èì mì`r![2]” the armored Breezie insisted, and the others gradually regained control and flocked to Fluttershy, anchoring themselves in the folds of her robes, her tail, or her mane.
Fluttershy descended gently to the ground and landed near an old stump, which she allowed the Breezies to dismount onto, though many seemed reluctant to leave the safety of the druidess’s body.
“Fluttershy, what happened?” Pinkamena asked loudly as she bounded up before seeing the Breezies and hastily covering her mouth and whispering still a bit too loudly, “Fluttershy, what happened?”
“Oh dear,” Rarity said as she approached with the rest of the Brave Companions as they caught up to the druidess, expecting her to have passed the Breezies on already, “Are they okay?”
“¡N`é pípìri![3]” the armored Breezie cried urgently to his fellows as he pointed his tiny hoof in the direction that the other Breezies had vanished in, but none of them seemed willing to heed him and some gave him hurt glares.
“I think they will be,” Fluttershy told her friends. “They just had a scare and need some time to recover.”
Though she had managed to save them from the worst, there had still been some collisions. Breezies were favoring bent wings or limbs and bruising was beginning to appear in some places their garb didn’t cover.
“How long do they need?” Twilight asked. “The portal will not stay open for long, will it?”
“Let’s just pick them up and fly them there, then,” Rainbow Dash said as she extended her wings.
“¡Ngííng! ¡Za vázen èì káénùà!” the armored Breezie said very agitatedly with much shaking of his head, flapping of his wings, and pointing at the pouches the others carried, having discerned Rainbow Dash’s intention somehow and objecting strongly. “¡Tínge n`é brìz, n`é pímuz dáániig waäo káénùà![4]”
“I think we shouldn’t,” Fluttershy told Rainbow Dash, and the armored Breezie appeared to calm down somewhat. “My home isn’t far from here. I can take them there until they’re well enough to fly again. The portal to their home will remain open for several more days, at least.”
Fluttershy bent down to the armored Breezie’s level, careful that her robes didn’t sweep any of the others off the stump as she did so. She perceived him to be the leader; convincing him of her intentions would likely do the same for the others, though it seemed difficult to even accomplish the former, given this Breezie’s attitude.
“Hello, can you understand me?” Fluttershy asked. She was in the odd position of not being able to automatically understand tiny creatures, but the Breezies were far more than animals and had their own language in the pony manner of things that she couldn’t comprehend. “I’m Fluttershy.”
The armored Breezie looked at her blankly before pointing to the east with his tiny foreleg, “¡B`áánuam vázen k`e méízegu dii`ríí n`é pípìri![5]”
This prompted shouts of objection from the other Breezies as they nursed their wounds, and the armored Breezie glared at them.
“I just want to bring you to my home for a bit, so you can rest and heal,” Fluttershy said as she pointed in the direction of her hole, which was nearly in the same direction the migration had gone. She carefully used a hoof to straighten one of the Breezies’ wings to try to demonstrate her intent.
The armored Breezie glowered, but the others shouted excitedly in words so fast and numerous that it was impossible to make anything out.
“Is that okay with you?” Fluttershy asked of him.
The Breezie glowered for a little longer before acquiescing and motioning for the others to come forward and climb onto Fluttershy, nestling this time among her feathers and on her back. She offered a spot for the armored Breezie, but he refused and stubbornly flapped under his own power. Fortunately, he didn’t stay behind and did accompany her as she began to trot cross-country to her home, bidding farewell for the moment to the Brave Companions.
“I’m Fluttershy, who are you?” she tried again to communicate with the armored Breezie.
He looked back and forth several times between Fluttershy’s face and the hoof pointed at him before seeming to comprehend.
“Zíbríz,” he declared as he pointed his miniscule hoof at himself.
“Seabreeze?” Fluttershy asked as she pointed at him again.
“¡Zíbríz!” he passionately corrected her.
“I’m sorry. Zeebreeze,” Fluttershy said, and Zíbríz rolled his tiny eyes.
“I’m Fluttershy,” the druidess tried again, before pointing at Zíbríz and then herself in turn. “Zeebreeze. Fluttershy.”
“Fl`úát ter sheïí,” Zíbríz tried, slowing his speech from its normal tempo, causing her name to be broken into multiple words.
“Close,” Fluttershy lied with a kind smile and Zíbríz narrowed his eyes, skeptical of the strange giant.
***
Fluttershy returned to her home with the Breezies and cared for them as best she could. Fortunately, she had no difficulty communicating with the animals that lived with her and in her home’s walls; some of the smaller ones were able to do the tasks she didn’t have the precision for, such as making splints for the Breezies that had injured limbs and soft casts for hurt wings. The Breezies settled in nicely to living with Fluttershy ... for the most part. Zíbríz alone seemed unhappy with the accommodations that the druidess provided. It wasn’t that he thought her care wasn’t good enough, but he didn’t want it at all, insistent that the Breezies move on despite their injuries.
The druidess continued to try to communicate with the Breezies, but it was mostly through pantomime that they managed to get anything across to each other. When Twilight Sparkle visited the day after the accident, curious about the Breezies, she’d asked her about the spell the Brave Companions had used when they’d traveled to Stygra in order to speak their language. The sorceress was hesitant to try, and after explaining how it worked to Fluttershy, the druidess agreed against it. Since the spell took knowledge of the language from the pony (or Breezie) that spoke it, one of the Breezies would be left unable to communicate at all—not something one should do to somepony without their consent, and a potentially dangerous thing to do, given that it could leave them in a vegetative state. So, Fluttershy and Zíbríz would continue to point and gesture while speaking to get things across. An imperfect system, but it was better than the alternative.
The Breezies had been in Fluttershy’s care for two days when Twilight Sparkle returned to her home, this time with Applejack.
“Hello? Is it okay for us t’ come in?” Applejack asked from the doorway.
“Yes, but be careful!” Fluttershy raised her tone as Applejack entered and nearly trod upon a Breezie.
Fluttershy swooped in and carried the little creature away to her kin. The Breezies were scattered throughout her home, mostly in high places, but Fluttershy had to be cautious where she sat, and her hearth was blocked off to keep them from falling into the fire. The Breezies had recovered quickly and looked in fine health. They were as well cared for as anyone could hope; some might even say “coddled”.
“Do you think the Breezies are ready to continue on their journey?” Twilight asked. “Their breeze is beginning to wane.”
“Already?” Fluttershy asked. “It should still last a few more days, according to the augur.”
“But it would be better not t’ leave it t’ chance, right?” Applejack asked.
“Of course,” Fluttershy said. “But with the scare they had, I don’t want to feel like I’m abandoning them too soon to a cruel world.”
“By all accounts, the Breezies’ world appears no more or less cruel than ours, and at least then they would be home,” Twilight pointed out.
“Oh, you’re right,” Fluttershy said with realization. “I suppose we could give it a try.”
“Excellent. I will go get the others,” Twilight said.
Fluttershy tried to communicate their intent to the Breezies while Twilight portalled or teleported around Ponieville, gathering the rest of the Brave Companions. The point finally got across when she tried gathering them up to take them outside, but the response was far from what she’d expected. The majority of the Breezies cried out with frightened voices and tried to hide, and Fluttershy was worried that they hadn’t yet recovered from their ordeal. She didn’t want to be harsh to them and so she backed off, and when the Brave Companions arrived, she sent them away. Zíbríz also voiced loud objections, but most of his berating was directed at his fellow Breezies. He wanted to be on his way, but for the moment Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to force them out. And so, the Breezies remained.
***
More days passed with the Breezies in Fluttershy’s care. Her friends and the druids of the circle came to see her and inquire when the Breezies would be moving on, but every time she thought they might be ready, something else came up that persuaded her otherwise. They were too frightened or too weak to go, and so they stayed. As Fluttershy indulged them, Zíbríz grew more and more irate. His angry outbursts became frequent, the words spoken colorful enough to make Fluttershy blush had she understood them. When Rainbow Dash stopped by to check on her, the Breezies’ leader was determined to get home no matter what.
“Hi Fluttershy, are the Breezies ready to get going yet?” Rainbow Dash asked from the doorway. “That breeze of theirs keeps shifting, and Twilight’s worried that it’s not going to hold up much longer.”
“Oh,” Fluttershy said as she spotted the thin trail of magical wind shimmering slightly not far from her home, “Yes, I think they should be able to go now. Just a moment.”
“Okay, Breezies,” Fluttershy said as she trotted back inside, and they all gathered together to listen to her, even if they couldn’t understand her words. “It’s time for you to go home. If you don’t get going soon, you may never make it back.”
Most of the Breezies stared blankly at her, but a few had a spark of recognition in their eyes from hearing her speak similar words in the past. As the druidess moved to gather them up, one of them sneezed loudly. Soon he was joined by others coughing and sneezing.
“Oh no!” Fluttershy said with alarm. “Are you sick?!”
“¿Brídua gaaz mï`è aang? B`áánuam pìzuadazua mï`è è`nta. ¡Zá míde dég zípòn! ¡Aang vàzén k`e zà gràèkuad![6]” Zíbríz shouted, until Fluttershy swept past him and sent him tumbling.
“They’re all sick! It may be something I fed them! Go get Twilight!” Fluttershy urgently commanded Rainbow Dash before turning back to the Breezies. “Oh, Zeebreeze, what can I do? Zeebreeze?”
However, Zíbríz was nowhere to be seen among the Breezies, nor in the places he commonly went to be alone as Fluttershy searched. With a gasp, she ran to the door, which had been left ajar in her rushing back and forth. In the distance, she thought she spotted the Breezie swept along in the mystical breeze, intending to go home on his own. Careful to close the door this time, she rushed outside and followed the breeze.
All alone, Zíbríz didn’t have much of a chance. With a group of Breezies together, they could make adjustments and shelter each other, but on his own he was buffeted and bounced along, having close calls with the ground and trees, but still he soldiered on. He was convinced none of the others would go back to Breezehome, but he would at least try. He was of the warrior caste, and they were of sterner stuff than the laborers; even so, he couldn’t make it on his own. Unable to correct his trajectory one too many times, Zíbríz was thrown out of the breeze and spun through a copse. He’d barely recovered when an owl swooped down and snatched him in his claws. With a terrified voice, he demanded to be let go and pleaded for his life, but the owl was deaf to his cries.
“Excuse me,” Fluttershy said, catching up as the owl landed and prepared to eat its prey. “I know you’re hungry, but that’s my friend you have there. He’s a Breezie and from another world, so could you let him go so I can take him back to safety?”
The owl regarded Fluttershy with little interest before raising Zíbríz up toward his beak again, which sparked a new set of cries from the Breezie.
“Ahem, as I said, he’s from another world, so it would not be good for you to eat him. Please, let him go,” Fluttershy said, a little more forcefully.
The owl ignored her and continued to raise Zíbríz.
“Stop!” Fluttershy cried, “I’ve tried to be patient and kind with you, but it’s not working, so I’ll tell you straight out to let poor Zeebreeze go! You know he’s not your normal prey and I’ve told you it’s wrong and he’s my friend, so stop ignoring me and let him be!”
Cowed, the owl dropped Zíbríz onto a branch, which he clung to desperately, and flew away.
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked urgently as she hovered near Zíbríz, who composed himself and climbed up onto the branch.
“Zá fudá k`e è`nta pìzuadazua, prï`ù zá vízo k`e káénùà[7],” the Breezie said plaintively.
“Oh, I wish I could understand you,” Fluttershy said, not for the first time.
“Fl`úát ter sheïí. È`nta,[8]” Zíbríz said as he pointed in the direction of Fluttershy’s home, where the rest of the Breezies were, before pointing in the direction the breeze was blowing, “Bríziz. È`nta.[9]”
“Home. Yes,” Fluttershy said, understanding, “But it’s just too dangerous for you.”
“Mufedèrgenz. Éïua. B`úfede,[10]” Zíbríz said, gesturing around and pointing in the direction the owl had flown before pointing in the direction of the portal and holding his tiny hooves close together, “Mufedèrgenz. È`nta. Nide.[11]”
“I see. I think,” Fluttershy said, “It’s safer for you in your own world, but the others …”
“¡B`áánuam vázen k`e pìzuadazua è`nta![12]” Zíbríz said plaintively.
As Fluttershy looked at the tiny Breezie, even in the night’s darkness a light seemed to shimmer through his translucent wings, and the druidess knew what she had to do.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, “I thought the compassionate thing to do was to keep caring for you until you all were ready to leave, but you weren’t just yelling at the others for nothing, were you? It’s dangerous here for you, and you don’t have much time left before you’re unable to get home. I wasn’t helping you at all—I was actually hurting you. Maybe it’s not nice to force the others to go on, but it’s the right thing, the truly compassionate thing to do.”
Zíbríz listened without understanding, but it seemed she might finally be seeing things his way and understand the need of the Breezies to return to their migration, so he let her speak.
“Come on,” Fluttershy drew close to let him climb onto her, “We need to get you home. All of you. È`nta!”
Zíbríz hesitantly climbed into Fluttershy’s mane, and she hurried back to her home. Standing outside were Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash, having returned during the druidess’s brief excursion.
“Fluttershy, what is going on?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “Rainbow Dash said the Breezies might be sick?”
“We need to get them back in the breeze and on their way home, sick or … not,” Fluttershy said she opened her door and slowed her speech as she saw what was within.
The Breezies didn’t look like they were ailing at all, until they noticed Fluttershy entering. A few of them began to cough and sneeze, and Zíbríz glared at them.
“Oh no, that’s not going to work. I never should have fallen for it in the first place,” Fluttershy berated them. “You need to get back in that breeze and get home. Come on.”
As she tried to gather them up, the Breezies voiced their complaints and tried to cling to her anxiously or hide, but Fluttershy was having none of it.
“I’ve tried to be kind, but that’s only delayed you in getting home. If you don’t leave now, you may never get home, so you have to leave. You’re not welcome in my home,” Fluttershy gave them an ultimatum, fighting to keep a strong face and not shed any tears while the Breezies were watching.
Zíbríz climbed out onto her outstretched foreleg and also pointed imperiously at the open door, where Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike were standing in surprise. Gradually, the Breezies complied and gathered together to make their way outside, slinging their seed pouches once more over their backs. Spike watched while the three Brave Companions protected and sheltered the Breezies on their way to their breeze and helped guide them up into it. For a bit, everything seemed fine, but they’d gone barely twenty paces before the breeze blew them apart and they scattered in a tumult of agitated cries. The ponies hurriedly caught them before any harm could be done, but their second and third attempts to ride the breeze fared no better.
“Oh my, I was worried about this,” Fluttershy said as the Breezies grouped up on the ground and looked sadly up at her. “I don’t think there are enough of them to hold together and ride the breeze.”
“So … are we back to carrying them to the portal, then?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“If there’s no other way,” Fluttershy sighed. “There’s something with the breeze that’s important for them, but if it’s between that and getting home, I think they’d take the latter.”
“Well … maybe I have another way,” Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully.
“Oh?” Fluttershy said hopefully.
“How many more Breezies do you think they need to ride the breeze?” the sorceress asked.
“Well, about ten to be sure, but they might be able to get by with as few as five more,” Fluttershy said. “Why do you ask?”
“Rainbow Dash, go wake up Pinkamena, Rarity, and Applejack and send them here. Fluttershy, I need you to get some hairs from the Breezies’ manes or tails. Spike, I need you to help me in Golden Oak’s laboratory,” Twilight issued orders before opening a portal to her home and stepping through, Spike steadying a stack of books from Yliiena’s tower that threatened to fall before following her.
By the time the Brave Companions were all gathered, Twilight and Spike had returned with all that was needed for the sorceress’s plan. During her research on the Breezies, she’d come across the writings of a sorcerer who had managed to find a way to temporarily polymorph ponies into the tiny creatures. If she duplicated the process, she and the others could fill out the group and help them ride their breeze. Fluttershy had succeeded in procuring some hair from their manes, which would be required for the spell to work. At Twilight’s direction, Spike drew a magical circle in the ground, placed a candle at the center, and laid the Breezies’ hairs at the points where lines crossed.
“Everypony ready?” Twilight asked as they took their positions around the edge of the circle.
After she’d gotten affirmations from the everyone, she closed her eyes and cast the spell. The lines upon the ground glowed faintly and then grew brighter as the Breezies’ hairs combusted, sending up small puffs of smoke and flame. The Breezies, not comprehending what was happening, murmured worriedly and backed away. With a great flash and implosion of air, the spell was complete, and the Brave Companions found themselves in very odd bodies. Everything around them was gigantic, including the candle at the center of the magical circle, which was now lit. Each of them had the form of a Breezie, with skinny limbs, membranous wings, and antennae upon their heads. Fortunately, the spell had also taken their clothing into account and shrunk it, though those who hadn’t had wings before would find unnecessary holes in their garb when the spell was reversed.
“¿Brídua kaazáém bëá? ¿Brídua gaaz bëá aang?[13]” Zíbríz asked in confusion as he approached them, the only one brave enough to do so.
“We’re here to help you home,” Fluttershy said with a flutter of her wings, hoping she got through to him.
“Spike, take the candle and follow us,” Twilight Sparkle commanded, and the dragonling started at her voice, higher and tinnier than normal. “We have until the candle burns down before the spell wears off, and we need to get to the portal before then. Call out a warning when it is getting close.”
“Um, okay,” Spike said uncertainly as he lifted the candle, wax already running down the sides and pooling in the holder.
Through pantomime and lifting off into the air, the Brave Companions managed to communicate their plan with the Breezies, and soon they were up in the mystical breeze, propelled on their way toward the tiny creatures’ home. Those who already had wings got the hang of flying quickly, as did Rarity, remembering some of what she’d learned when she’d temporarily been flightworthy years earlier. Applejack and Pinkamena struggled at first, but they too were able to manage flight with some practice and fluttered along with the rest of the Breezies. Even with the added bodies, it was still difficult to stay together and not be blown apart by the breeze, and there was a lot of maneuvering that had to be done. While Zíbríz shouted orders in Breezespeech, Fluttershy called out in Low Equestrian to her fellows when and where they should move themselves to keep the formation together.
In this manner, with Spike following nearby, the Breezies and the Brave Companions glided through the night over the countryside outside Ponieville, the breeze pushing them on a winding track. They passed through woods and farms and over fields and fens, getting a perspective on the world (and how dangerous it was) that the Brave Companions had never seen before. Spike did his best at preventing disaster, scaring off hounds and providing a shield against trees, but he also defended the candle held in his claw that burned steadily lower. The wind eventually took them over the logging camps and into the Everfree Forest. The overwhelming gloom and sinisterness that had afflicted the place for many long centuries had dissipated with the destruction of the vines Discord had left, but there was still some lingering foreboding sensation. The trees blocked out the stars above, and were it not for the candle held by Spike, they would have proceeded entirely in darkness.
At last, the portal to Breezehome came into sight, much smaller than it had been when the rest of the Breezies on migration had arrived, but still wide enough for three Breezies to pass through abreast. The edges of the portal were torn and undulated wildly, like one cast by the White Procession’s wizard instead of a proper portal as Twilight would cast, but she sensed no hint of Judd Caradain magic here. Instead, it felt quite familiar, quite … Equusian. The Breezies’ world was different from Equus, which would explain why portals to it were so unstable, but it appeared that there was also some similarity in the magic, unless the portals’ source was in the world of ponies and not Breezehome as was believed. The breeze seemed to intensify slightly as they neared the portal, and all the Breezies, including the Brave Companions, were pushed through.
They emerged into a tiny village with buildings constructed from wood or bored into trees that towered high above. Luminous mushrooms sprouted between buildings and provided illumination as evening turned to twilight. In the distance, strange trees could be seen growing taller and straighter than any tree the ponies had ever seen, even when they were their usual size. There were few Breezies still out and about, but those that were gave cries of glee and relief as they spotted the return of those they had thought lost. That gleeful reaction was not unanimous, though, and a group of Breezies in chitinous armor who had been standing or sitting near the dwindling portal watching it grabbed spears and rushed forward to challenge the arrivals when they saw the strangers with them.
“¿Ùùnge míde k`e aang? “Brídua zipëiirí hírgen k`e?[14]” demanded a Breezie in a helmet with horns made from a stag beetle’s mandibles.
“Merken míde k`e hùùmiz,[15]” Zíbríz tried to explain as he placed himself between the warriors and the Brave Companions.
“Shouldn’t we be getting’ out o’ here afore th’ portal closes or th’ spell wears off?” Applejack asked, unaware of Zíbríz’s negotiation to allow them to remain for the welcome feast.
“Oh, don’t we have any time?” Fluttershy asked as she looked around at all the Breezies now rushing from their homes to welcome kin.
“Well …” Twilight said, also reluctant to leave an opportunity to study another world in a way no sorceress ever had before, “Spike?”
“The candle’s half gone,” Spike called back through the portal, raising the candle to show them its progress.”
“We have a little time yet,” Twilight admitted. “We can stay for a bit.”
From their homes, the Breezies quickly trotted out tables and covered them with boards of food and barrels of drink. The Breezies who had been lost in another world were welcomed back with a grand feast, and the Brave Companions were invited to partake. Musicians were found and Breezies wearing long robes and tall caps gave authoritative speeches that occasionally got cheers from the others. There was much curiosity about the newcomers and examination of them, but eventually the novelty wore off or paled in comparison to welcoming back those presumed dead, and some of the Companions were able to slip away to examine this strange world.
Not every Breezie was involved in the festivities, as Applejack found as she wandered to the edge of the village. Some of the Breezies had taken the pouches delivered by the new arrivals and were emptying them out here. The seeds within appeared differently here than they had in Equus (besides being much larger to Applejack’s eyes), coated in faintly shimmering sheens of orange, pink, blue, purple, red, or violet. The Breezies here were busy sorting them into piles, and Applejack noted that they weren’t divided equally; the pink hued seeds seemed to be far more plentiful. Beyond where the Breezies sorted seeds, the village came to an end and the ground sloped downward, eventually reaching an escarpment over which hung cranes for lowering and raising goods. It looked out over a wide field of trees of varying heights, most of them still just sprouts poking up from the ground.
Twilight Sparkle, meanwhile, explored in a different direction, pacing between the Breezies’ buildings and trying to commit every detail to memory so that she could dictate it to Spike later. She was witnessing something no pony eyes had ever seen up close, and she needed to absorb as much as possible. Who knew if an opportunity like this would ever present itself again? In her wandering, she found a corner of the village where the ground was thrust suddenly upwards by an earth-capped stone, upon the face of which had been painted a mural. She might not have had any hope of understanding the Breezies’ speech, but there was no need to comprehend their language in order to learn from this.
At the start of the mural was a large, leafy tree bearing seven succulent fruits of different colors. Standing about the tree and hovering in the air near it were a variety of crudely drawn creatures, including Breezies, ponies, gryphons, and satyrs, to name a few. The next scene portrayed was confusing, with what appeared to be a giant egg at the center, cracking into many pieces of different shapes and sizes. All around the egg were violently painted catastrophes, mostly shown afflicting Breezies. The scenes grew smaller and simpler as the mural went on. Ponies were shown next taking the fruits from the tree in the first scene. Those same ponies were then depicted stepping through a doorway, baskets upon their backs with the fruits within them, except one fruit fell from the basket and was left behind, surrounded by Breezies in the next scene. The fruit was then planted, and grew into a tall, narrow tree. Looking out from the village, Twilight thought she could make out its silhouette in the distance, but the sun had set, and the moons didn’t give enough illumination to make out if the trees were one and the same.
A bell chimed within the village, and shortly thereafter Spike called through the portal that there wasn’t much time left before the candle burned out. Reluctantly, Twilight Sparkle abandoned the mural and headed back to the portal. She was sure she’d be able to glean some important knowledge about the Breezies’ world were she able to stay and study it, but she didn’t have the time.
By the time all the Brave Companions were gathered again, the portal was narrow enough that only one Breezie at a time would be able to fit through without tucking in their wings. Zíbríz called after them to halt their departure and flew up to Fluttershy as they waited nervously.
“Múmpiití,” he said as he gave a stiff salute to the druidess. “Írgetua, ziipàre èì raëó b`àànuam nùnketaë`í.[19]”
The Breezie presented Fluttershy with a pouch, within which was a large seed. It wasn’t like the seeds that they had carried with them on their migration through Equus, but it seemed for a moment to shimmer with color all the same, gleaming in rainbow hues.
“Thank you. I wish we could stay longer,” Fluttershy said remorsefully, and Zíbríz bowed respectfully.
Tucking their wings as they passed the threshold, the Brave Companions flew through the portal and returned to their own world. No sooner had they done so than the portal snapped closed, and the polymorph spell wore off at nearly the same time. The six of them reverted to their original forms, sending Spike reeling back. A fair bit of patting down was conducted to confirm that everything was back to normal before they prepared to return to Ponieville.
“So …” Rainbow Dash said to Twilight as they made their way back, “Any chance you’ve got any more polymorph spells? I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be a gryphon.”
“Not a chance,” Twilight shut her down.
“Come on. What about a dragon? No? Not even a young one? With wings, of course,” Rainbow asked, and Spike coughed indignantly.
An orb of fire hovered in the air before the unicorn, writhing and swirling, but the flames ever found their way upwards. Shazira directed all her will toward it, wrapping it in layers of sorcery, feeding and drawing energy at different points, but the orb stubbornly remained more or less unchanged. It compressed into a ball of bright light and heat momentarily, before flaring back out and igniting a nearby curtain.
“Chanêk!” Shazira swore in Draenglic before extinguishing the spell and summoning water to quell the blaze.
Skilled sorceresses were able to keep themselves warm in frigid climes, but that did nothing for the ponies around them. The magus was attempting to create a portable heat source that she could levitate around, much as some sorceresses conjured up portable light sources. So far, she hadn’t discovered a way to do so that didn’t risk igniting anything flammable nearby. It didn’t help matters that her makeshift laboratory was made from and filled with highly flammable things. Back in Saddle Arabia, where her laboratory had been built from stone and housed many sorcerous and alchemical tools, she could have experimented with fire to her heart’s content. Here, however, she had to make do with a small chamber constructed of wood and clay construction, along with more wooden furniture. Her tools were gone, her laboratory was gone; but at least she still had her life and freedom. She was in the service of the exiled Sultana Rashida of Saddle Arabia, but voluntarily so. Had she remained in her home country, she’d have been forced to serve the Zebrikaanian padishah, or else be imprisoned or executed.
She looked at the hourglasses on one table and saw that they had all been exhausted; how long ago, it was impossible to tell. In Saddle Arabia, the hours of sunlight were nearly constant throughout the year, but here in Equestria they varied, growing or shrinking as the seasons turned. It was difficult to determine the time instinctively, so Shazira had tried to come up with alternate means of timekeeping. She was surely late now for her audience with the sultana, and she quickly pulled on coverings to protect herself from the chill outside before leaving her chambers.
Supported by the sultana as she was, Shazira had been afforded slightly better accommodations than many of the other refugees. She had a few more rooms than normal, despite living on her own, and her chambers were near to those of the royal family. The homes of the Saddle Arabians had been built in a connected style with a mazelike network of alleys and courtyards running through them—much like Maer-Dina, but far more compacted together. It often felt like they were living atop each other, but it was the best way to have some semblance of their former lives without also freezing to death or needing to chop down the entire Everfree Forest to keep warm. Because of the interconnectedness of the buildings and her proximity to Sultana Rashida’s court, she only had to step outside twice, and when she did, she hurried to the next door as fast as her legs would carry her. Winter was coming to Equestria, and the Saddle Arabians had no love for it.
Shazira stopped at the entrance to the sultana’s audience chamber and passed her winter clothing to an attendant before stepping through the curtain to the interior. The chamber was larger than any other in the Saddle Arabian settlement, and it was heated with hearths set into either wall as well as a long narrow one down the center whose smoke filtered up to a hole in the roof. Even so, it paled in comparison to the throne room in which the sultana had once held court. Sultana Rashida was at the far end of the hall, lounging upon cushions with heavy blankets draped over her back. She seemed not to have noticed Shazira enter, her eyes on the tome propped open before her on a reading stand.
“Your majesty, please forgive my lateness,” Shazira said in Draenglic with a bow.
Though the sultana had encouraged the Saddle Arabians to learn and conduct their business in High or Low Equestrian, given their predicament, courtly matters were still conducted in the language that had been most prevalent in Saddle Arabia. Here, alone but for the scant couple of guards at the corners of the room, sultana and magus could speak freely in their native tongue.
“Oh, I had not realized the time had passed for you to arrive,” the sultana replied as she looked up in surprise.
Shazira could easily believe that, and not just because of the strange inconsistency of the sun this far north. She was familiar with the book that sat before the sultana, a beautifully written and illustrated tome that chronicled the lives and deeds of every ruler of Saddle Arabia. As the days grew shorter and the weather colder, Rashida had drawn inward and spent more and more time paging through the book, reading about the great feats of her predecessors. Though there was still plenty of room in the volume for her reign and the reigns of her descendants, Shazira knew the sultana feared the story of the Sultanas of Saddle Arabia had come to an end with their exile.
“What business do you have for me today, your majesty?” Shazira asked.
“More of the same,” Rashida sighed, and she gestured toward a low table nearby where a rolled-up scroll had been left. “There is much need for food, firewood, and warm clothing. More homes, too, if my subjects continue to join me in my exile. My royal physician tells me that the change in our diet and in the weather is having deleterious effects on the population that must be redressed. It’s all written down there.”
While Sultana Rashina spoke wearily, Shazira examined the list.
“We must also have an answer to our legal status,” Rashida said as Shazira reached that point of the list. “We must be able to live according to our own laws, not the laws of the Kingdom of Cant’r Laht.”
“That may be difficult,” Shazira told her liege. “Mayor Mare won’t like it.” Nor will Twilight Sparkle.
“What has my sultanate come to?” Rashida bemoaned her fallen station. “A mayor holds sway over me.”
“We will return to Saddle Arabia one day, your majesty,” Shazira tried to assure her monarch.
“Not in my lifetime,” Rashida said forlornly as she looked to the magus with a hopeless gaze, and she was probably correct. “Go. Bring our needs to Twilight Sparkle.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Shazira said as she gave Rashida a bow and backed out of the room.
Shazira paused for a moment in the antechamber off from Rashida’s diminished court before taking her winter clothing back from the attendant. The sultana could see no hope for her future, but at least she still trusted that a future for the Saddle Arabians existed separate from Zebrikaanian rule. Shazira took extra care to bundle up this time, making sure no part of her was unnecessarily exposed. The slit around her eyes that she had to peer through was unavoidable, but she made it as narrow as possible before setting out.
She would not just be walking among the clustered buildings of the Saddle Arabian settlement now, though she did keep to them as much as possible before reaching their western edge. The buildings at least blocked some of the wind, assuaging the harshness of the winter chill around and within them. There was no protection for the magus as she now departed the settlement and made her way to Ponieville. When the Saddle Arabians had pitched their tents here, they’d done so inside the perimeter Mayor Mare had marked off for her new wall, but not near any existing buildings on this bank of the Equestry River. When the settlement had gone up, it had been in much the same place the tents had been, so the Saddle Arabians remained separated from the village. Shazira trotted as quickly as she could across the expanse of trodden-down, mostly dead grasses toward the nearest bridge across the river. There was a path, carved out by hoof-traffic rather than the mayor’s design, and she met up with it shortly before the palisade that enclosed the Equestrian buildings on this side of the river.
The guards at the gate let her pass without comment, either because they somehow recognized her as a friend of Twilight Sparkle even under all her winterwear or because they didn’t feel like questioning any Saddle Arabians today. Once she was through the palisade and across the river, Shazira was able to enjoy some protection from the wind again and slowed her pace to a more reasonable tempo. There were times when she bemoaned her new role just as the sultana bemoaned her fallen station. She had been a promising young magus in Saddle Arabia, a favorite of Rashida and her court. Now, it seemed, her most important task was as a messenger to Twilight Sparkle. She still counted the Cant’r Laht sorceress as a friend (even if she knew she would never be in Twilight’s inner circle like the Brave Companions), so it was not an unbearable role, just not one she’d imagined for herself. Twilight Sparkle was taking her oath to provide for the Saddle Arabians seriously after having failed in her previous vow to them; she seemed to truly care for their plight beyond just mending her wounded pride, a rare thing among Cant’r Laht sorceresses. Shazira knocked upon the door of Golden Oak’s laboratory as she arrived, and Spike answered the door.
“Hello?” the dragonling asked as he examined the bundled-up magus. “Shazira?”
“Yes, it is I. Is Tfilight Sparrrkle afailable to speak?” Shazira asked.
“Come on in,” Spike said as he pulled the door open wider to admit Shazira, and she quickly stepped out of the cold.
It had become difficult to get around in Golden Oak’s laboratory as of late, filled as it was with piles and towers of books and scrolls all recovered from the tower of Yliiena the First. Though they really ought to have gone to Cant’r Laht to reside in the archives or within Cant’r Laht Castle, Twilight Sparkle so far had insisted on keeping them here. They belonged to her, and she wasn’t willing to part with them until she managed to glean all she could from them (even though most were written in an archaic language she was still trying to learn). Paths had been made through the stacks, and Spike helped Shazira navigate through them after taking her winter coverings.
Twilight Sparkle was seated in her study, in a space cleared of Yliiena’s books then refilled with books from elsewhere. A fair few were scattered around her, but at the moment, her attention was upon the object she sought to use the books to better understand. Shazira had seen the mysterious box from the Tree of Harmony before, but it was still odd. It was crystalline and hard-edged, but also appeared to have veins running through it as if it had been carved from some living thing. The base and top were hexagonal, with twelve trapezoids bowing out from the center to form the other sides. Upon the six upper faces were indentations that looked like keyholes, though Twilight’s inspection had revealed no locking mechanisms or tumblers evident within. Nor in the past months since the box appeared had anything resembling a key for it been found.
“Oh! Shazira,” Twilight said as she looked up from the mysterious box and noticed the magus had joined her. “What can I do for you? Are you here to talk, or on official business?”
“Official business,” Shazira replied. “Sultana Rrrashida ghas sent me.”
“Is everything okay?” Twilight asked with concern. “Is there anything the Saddle Arabians need?”
“Actually, I ghave a list gherrre,” Shazira said as she reached into her saddlebags.
“A list! Excellent! It always pays to be prepared,” Twilight Sparkle said excitedly, and Shazira smiled in spite of her situation. The Saddle Arabians were in a rough place, but they could trust the pony who intended to get them out of it.
***
Commoner
Houzef carefully poured lime from its barrel into the great wooden unhairing vats below. Damp cleaned pelts were stacked nearby, ready to be thrown in to continue the process that would convert them into writing materials. Just a few years earlier, the idea of building a parchment-works in Ponieville would have been madness. With the advent of Twilight Sparkle, however, and her incredible need for the writing material, the idea was no longer so laughable. Filthy Rich had also constructed the parchment-works at just the right time, when there’d been a sudden influx of ponies who needed jobs. Twilight Sparkle did what she could for the Saddle Arabians, but she could only do so much for the growing population, even with the resources of House Haltrotsun behind her. Most of her support ended up with the court she’d sworn to protect.
Those who had no claims to title nor affinity with Sultana Rashida besides their duty as her subjects had to find work for themselves in order to gain anything beyond the bare necessities of food and shelter. Some were content, or had convinced themselves in their broken spirits, that they wanted nothing else, but many could not abide the idleness and scraping-by life of the settlement. Houzef had once been a dockworker in Trasans, and when the sultana had fled the burning port, he’d managed to get him and his family aboard one of the ships going into exile. He hadn’t known what to do with himself at Settler’s Folly, unwanted by the land and unwanted by Shazira’s court, but after coming to Ponieville he’d found something he could do. It wasn’t ideal, but … it was something, and the small bit of extra coin would help his family, or so he hoped.
As he finished adding the lime, ponies below began to throw in the pelts, most of them, like him, also Saddle Arabians. His skills with Low Equestrian were much better than theirs, and so though his labors were all menial, the overseer of the parchment-works had seen fit to give him some measure of authority over the others. As they set to stirring the vats with their long poles, Houzef returned the lime to the rest of the supplies before preparing to leave for the day. After putting on all the coverings he possessed to protect against the cold, he departed with a set of saddlebags over his back filled with parchment that had already been dehaired, stretched, smoothed, and cut into manageable pieces.
The parchment was intended for Twilight Sparkle, part of a set of regular deliveries that Filthy Rich had convinced the sorceress to agree to (without much convincing needed) after he’d gotten his parchment-works up and running. Spike took the delivery at the door with little in the way of conversation, and Houzef was released from work for the day. He’d been wary around the dragonling at first, especially given as he’d seen his home torched by the dragon’s kin, but had grown used to him over time. He supposed it was much the same for the residents of Ponieville, who’d only lived near him a few short years longer than he had.
Houzef didn’t return immediately to the Saddle Arabian settlement. Instead, he wandered the streets of Ponieville. As he did, he attracted many looks and whispers from the ponies around him and tried to ignore them. Like Spike, it was something he’d grown accustomed to; but unlike Spike, it was something he hoped would go away. The stallion came to a halt in front of the Green Dragon Tavern, staring up at the sign bearing the tavern’s name with a wyrm coiled around it. The Saddle Arabian settlement was short on many things, but perhaps alcohol most of all. Houzef hadn’t had a proper drink in ages. He did have a small amount of coin on him, and so against his better judgement, he stepped into the tavern.
Conversation quieted as he trotted past the tables of the Equestrians to get to the bar. It was easy to tell that he was different; even for a Saddle Arabian, Houzef stood tall, at least a head more than any other pony in the tavern. The barmaid stared as if she’d never seen a Saddle Arabian before as he approached and pulled the scarf down from his muzzle to make an order.
“Hey! Longshanks!” a stallion from one of the tables called out before he could speak. “What do you think you’re doing in here?”
Houzef slowly turned to face his questioner, a smith or smith’s apprentice by the looks of him, heavy muscles bunched at his neck and shoulders.
“I fas going to buy a drrrink,” Houzef replied innocently.
“I don’t think we have anything to suit your tastes here, do we?” the smith said, directing his question at the barmaid who enthusiastically seized on the opportunity and shook her head vigorously. “Why don’t you go back to your settlement where they’ll have proper Saddle Arabian drinks for you?”
“Fe did not brrring anyding fith us,” Houzef said. It wasn’t strictly true, but any liquor that had made it onto the ships had been kept by the nobility and gone before they ever saw Ponieville.
“Well, there’s more of you lot showing up all the time. You should go check if anyone’s brought anything,” the smith said, his voice making it clear his suggestion wasn’t optional.
Houzef could’ve argued, could’ve fought back, but judging by the expressions of the ponies around the smith, he wouldn’t be fighting just one pony. Even if he somehow won, the town guards would just drag him off to the Mayoral Keep and lock him up for an unspecified amount of time for disturbing the peace, and he’d be guaranteed to lose his job at the parchment-works. A drink wasn’t worth it.
Houzef strode past the other ponies, towering over them, and back out of the tavern. Conversation resumed as he left and made his way in a foul mood through the streets of Ponieville, heading toward the nearest bridge over the river. The Saddle Arabian settlement stood depressingly in the distance, within the walls of Ponieville yet separate from the Equestrian dwellings. Would that ever change? Probably not, Houzef thought. There were undeniable differences between how the Saddle Arabians and the Equestrians lived. Even if he were to move into an Equestrian home and live exactly as they did, he doubted they wouldn’t still see him as “other”. They were not so different—certainly less so than between something like ponies and gryphons, and far less so than between ponies and satyrs—but that difference still seemed insurmountable.
As he neared the settlement, Houzef met another headed in the opposite direction, who was also bundled up.
“Good day to you,” she said as they drew near, and with a shock Houzef realized that it was a zebra standing before him.
Zebras had been the mortal enemy of Saddle Arabia for centuries—Houzef had been taught that his whole life. The dragons may have burned his home, but the Zebrikaanians had taken it from him. At first, he was sure she was a Zebrikaanian spy or assassin come to see the end of Sultana Rashida, but then he reminded himself that they were far beyond the reach of Padishah Ulm the Great Light here. Besides, he had heard rumors of this zebra.
“Gh-ghello,” Houzef struggled to get out. “Arrre you going into Ponieville?”
“Yes, there are some things I need,” the zebra said, her face wraps shifting as she spoke, revealing the burns on her face. “Why, is something happening that I should know about?”
“No, I am just surrrprrrised dey let you into deir town. As a non-Equestrrrian, I mean,” Houzef quickly softened the meaning of his statement.
“You have had some trouble?” the zebra asked, and Houzef reluctantly nodded. “For years, they all hid whenever I entered the town or tried to drive me off.”
“But now dey accept you?” Houzef asked hopefully.
“I still live in the Everfree Forest,” the zebra said bluntly. “But, there are many who no longer think me so strange. I am no longer feared or hated, apart from the very few. What is your name, pony of the sands, that I may know you better?”
“I am Houzef. What is your name?” he asked, even though he thought he already knew.
“You may know me as Zecor,” the zebra said.
“So, Zecorrr, it gets better den?” Houzef asked.
“It is better for me now than it was, but … I was once nearly burned at the stake, and I have lived among monsters and fiends for years. It gets better, but does it get any better than this? That I do not know,” Zecor said honestly.
***
Emira
Sparks flew up and fluttered in the air as another log was thrown onto the fire at the center of the room. Around the long hearth were seated the surviving members of Rashida’s court—the last of Saddle Arabia’s nobility, as far as they knew. They wouldn’t recognize any who had turned traitor and bent the knee to the Padishah and so doomed their houses to eternal servitude beneath the golden sun of Zebrikaanian. Not that there had been many of those, but the overwhelming defeat of the desert sultanate had convinced some to surrender and throw in their lot with the conqueror rather than face execution or exile. Barely a quarter of the titled ponies of Saddle Arabia remained, reduced to squatting in rickety wooden homes when they’d once lounged in luxuriously rich palaces.
Emira Fahir took her seat among the others, the last to arrive and her offering of wood causing the sparks. They were in nopony’s dwellings in particular, but in a common room they’d managed to have built. It was place that they could all meet if not comfortably, then at least more comfortably than if they’d tried to squeeze everypony into the cramped chambers they now had to live in. It was an indignity to have to bring their own wood for the fire, but servants were few these days and hard to afford, and the nobles had agreed on this method of tending the fire at these meetings. It was too much for one pony to bear all the weight of bringing servants with enough wood to light and feed the fire, and so they all pitched in with the wood allotted to them or that they were able to acquire.
“What were we talking about?” Fahir asked in Draenglic, violating the sultana’s order.
“That Haakim and Amira failed to get across to us just how dreadfully cold this wretched place was,” said Emira Kalona, one of the few unicorns among their circle, a large jewel hanging from the tip of her horn.
“It was still summer when we were here,” Haakim objected, it seemed not for the first time today.
“If only we’d stayed in the Equestrian Divide,” moaned Emira Taani as she looked hungrily at the blaze.
“And starved to death?” objected Emir Shaarid. “That or murder by pirates would have been our fate had Twilight Sparkle not showed up.”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Fahir’s voice made the name a curse, and the others turned their rapt attention toward her. “Sultana Rashida either does not see it or refuses to, but we have been made subservient to this Cant’r Laht sorceress, this princess who will one day take the place of the hated Celestia.”
“If it weren’t for her provision—” Amira objected.
“Provision that must come with strings, even if we cannot see them yet,” Fahir cut her off. “Mark my words, someday Twilight Sparkle will come to us for repayment of her provision. If it is before she comes into her power, all the better, for then we can more easily disabuse her of her misconceptions. We Saddle Arabians must not become subjects of Cant’r Laht!”
“Of course not, but we are strangers in a strange land. Only Faust knows how long our exile will last,” Emir Korat said. “We cannot survive forever by pretending to be something we no longer are.”
“Perhaps your bloodline has failed the test,” Fahir said accusatorially, and she rose, half flinging off the blanket draped over her, “But mine has not. The blood of House Allaq flows in my veins, the blood of sultanas, blood spilled on the sand many times to protect our home! My rule and reign shall continue, and that of my house to the end of time!”
“Where are your armies?” Haakim asked, suddenly bold, drawn to anger by Fahir’s pontificating. “Where is your water?”
He paused as all the nobles in the room considered that last question. Water had been a major source of power in Saddle Arabia. Whoever controlled the oases controlled the desert, but here water was so abundant that it gushed along in a great river bisecting Ponieville’s walls. They truly were strangers in a very strange land, as Korat had said. Much that they had once known was now invalid, and not just because of the differences in geography.
“What does your title—or any of our titles—mean now?” Haakim continued after the assembled ponies had time to think. “We have no lands, we have few followers, our wealth is dwindling by the day. If we behave as if we were Saddle Arabian nobles living in Saddle Arabia yet, as if the Twelve Terrible Days had never happened, then we will become the very beggar-lords you fear. We must adapt. We must find a new way to live, and a new purpose in the sultana’s court.”
Fahir glared at Haakim. In Saddle Arabia, her control of the triangle of oases north of Maer-Dina and the trade routes out of Tandr had granted her considerable power and influence, and so far she’d managed to maintain it despite her impoverishment. If she hoped to sustain or even increase her authority, she needed to bring the others around to her point of view and see that she was the leader they needed. Haakim, however, was ruining everything by bringing their attention to the differences from Saddle Arabia, something Fahir couldn’t tolerate. Haakim was high in Sultana Rashida’s counsels, the reason he’d been chosen to accompany Amira to Equestria the year before, so moving against him would not be tolerated. Or … perhaps it would. The sultana seemed more and more distant from court business lately, and maybe it was time to heed some of what Haakim was saying. They were in a different land now. The old rules need not apply …
***
Foal
Stahir peered over the rim of his fortress at the troops arrayed against him. The zebras glared back, their baleful expressions fixed and terrible. Another guard stuck his head over the edge to look down, a long spear in his teeth ready to hurl at the zebras who had besieged them.
“Do you surrender?” Stahir cried in reply to their own challenge, but got no audible response. “Then death it is!”
A stone was hurled from within the fortress and struck the zebra line, sending them scattering. One of the zebras skittered across the floor and into the hearth. Giving a cry of distress, Stahir tried to mount his fortress wall, overturning the cushion it was made of in the process, and tripping on the ends of the blanket wrapped around him, sending him crashing down amidst the wooden zebras where they had fallen. Disentangling himself from the blanket so quickly that the wooden spear of his fellow guard snagged in it and tore through the fabric (something his father wouldn’t be pleased about), he broke free and made for the hearth. The zebra soldier had landed just at the edge of the hearth, not too close to the flames, and Stahir quickly reached his hoof in and pulled the toy soldier out before instinctively putting his hoof in his mouth to cool it down.
Scanning the room and counting the scattered toys to make sure no others had been lost, Stahir let himself sit down next to the fire when he was satisfied that he’d saved the only one in real peril. The Saddle Arabian guards and the menacing zebra soldiers had been carved by his father in between shifts serving as a guard to the sultana, stripes burned into the latter using the hearth’s poker. They were precious gifts and a reminder of where they’d come from.
Stahir surveyed the battlefield as he warmed up beside the fire. The Saddle Arabians were scattered and their fortress was missing a few walls, but the zebras were in total disarray. It was a victory, as it always was when he played. That was so different from what had happened in the real Saddle Arabia. His father didn’t speak of it much, but why else would they have left Maer-Dina so swiftly and fled here? The zebras had come, and rather than being swept away by a single stone, they’d taken the country for their own.
The foal had no more interest in playing with his toy soldiers today, so Stahir swept them away into the remains of his cushion-fort using his tail before looking for another source of amusement. If only he could go outside, but it was so very cold out there, so chill that it crept into the home. It wasn’t like in Saddle Arabia where one went inside to cool off. Still, maybe he could go out and see the river, that rushing ribbon of water like a wild version of an aqueduct, and still be back before his father got home.
Wrapping his blanket back around him, unmindful of the tear, Stahir trotted to the door of their dwelling, cracked it open, and gasped at what he saw. White flakes were falling from the sky, tiny soft ice crystals that were beginning to powder the ground. Stahir had heard of snow, certainly, but the foal had no way to visualize the concept. It was so strange, to see snow fall and settle as if it were a lighter, colder version of the sands of his homeland. He quickly shut the door and ran to get his cloak and boots.
Looking around through the doorway to make sure no grown-ups would try to stop him, he stepped out into the alley. The buildings of the Saddle Arabian settlement were packed close together, so only a narrow sliver of the sky was visible, but even this was filled with snow. Stahir trotted along in awe, the flakes swirling around him and every step making a crunching sound. As he wove his way through the twisting alleys of the settlement, he nearly went cross-eyed from watching the snow land on his muzzle, a prick of cold for a moment before melting and wetting his coat.
His wandering took him outside the settlement, where the land opened up between the dark Saddle Arabian buildings and the river. The air was filled with flying flakes and Stahir looked about with joy, never allowing his gaze to stay in any one place for more than a moment. The cold chilled him to the bones, but he didn’t care, to see this wondrous sight. Distant laughter eventually brought his attention to a group of Equestrian foals playing in the snow near the river, and Stahir cautiously approached. As he drew nearer, he saw some of them had stretched out their tongues to catch snowflakes, and he gave it a try as well. Others lay on the ground, swinging their forelegs back and forth to make snow-alicorns, adding the horn after getting up and shaking the snow from their backs. Some of the more experienced foals managed to give their imprints the appearance of four wings, turning them into snow-Destriers, as if anypony could mistake the imprint of a foal to mean one of Faust’s supernatural servants had lain there. Others were busily rolling up balls of snow and placing them together to mimic a pony’s body.
“Hey, help us with the head, will you?” one of the colts yelled out to Stahir as he and another tried to hoist another snowball atop the two larger ones pressed together.
“Okay,” Stahir said, remembering to speak Low Equestrian, and hurried over.
Though they were of a similar age, Stahir was naturally taller than the other colts and had no trouble assisting them in lifting the head into place. While one of the foals sculpted a tail, the others found sticks, stones, and leaves to give the snow-pony a face and ears. Stahir watched curiously and rooted around in the snow searching for accoutrements to add to the snow-pony. Nearby, another pony dug in the snow, but with the purpose of balling up snow rather than searching for rocks or twigs.
“Snowball fight!” she yelled as she was ready, and used a swipe of her tail to send the snowball flying past Stahir to strike one of the colts working on the snow-pony.
Chaos broke out as foals hurriedly balled up and swatted snow at each other. Stahir joined in, getting the hang of it, laughing as he pelted others with snow and was pelted himself, unmindful of the cold. For the moment, there were no unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, no Saddle Arabians and Equestrians, just foals having fun in the snow. The only difference was that for one of them, it was the very first time.
