> The Rings of Dusk > by Scribblestick > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue: Lost > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was the smell she noticed first, the distinctive scent of saltwater rubbing against the rocks. She supposed her ears must have grown accustomed to the steady sound of the ocean's waves, but her nose could not filter out that briny air. As her mind roused, Twilight gradually became aware of her own discomfort. Her muscles were stiff where they pressed against the rock. The sun's warmth was beginning to grow uncomfortable on her side, and she could feel salty accumulations creeping past her lips, brushing against her tongue. Twilight stood slowly, ensuring her hooves found purchase on the rock on which she lay before she placed weight on them. She squinted against the sunlight, letting her mouth open wide in a yawn. Vision still slightly sleep-blurred, she peered out across the sea, where Celestia's sun peeked above the horizon. Fluffy clouds drifted across the sky. A stabbing pain seared her mind. The world twisted and blurred. She felt herself tipping over. She tried to spread her wings, but couldn't. The cold water enveloped her before she could figure out what was wrong. Thrashing, she pushed herself out of the water and clambered back onto the rocks. Her breaths came quickly. She looked back at her wings. Everything seemed in order, but no matter how she tried, she could not make them move. A sense of dread crept into her chest. She had to get away from this place. Nothing else mattered. The beach gave way to jungle, and soon Twilight's coat was soaked in sweat, rather than seawater. At first she tried to use her magic to move the draping vines out of the way, but doing only left her feeling drained and shaky. This, combined with her paralyzed wings, nearly sent her into a panic, but she held it at bay. She had to get home. Somepony there would be able to help. The day wore on. Trees provided her with near-constant shade, but at the cost of pressing through dense, humid air. Her breathing became labored; her vision blurred. Once or twice she thought she saw something moving quickly through the jungle beside her, but it turned out to be a trick of the light. More than once she nearly lost her balance, and she only just succeeded in catching herself. If she fell over, she may not be able to get back up, and the rest of the day would be wasted. She didn't have a day to waste. She guessed it was around mid-day when she stumbled upon a pond choked with bushes. She began to slurp from the pool, momentarily abandoning all awareness of her surrounding except the exquisite feel of the cool liquid running through her mouth and throat. She drank until her stomach began to ache, then rolled on her side and panted for a minute while her body acclimated to the sudden influx of water. The throbbing in her hooves became more persistent, and she forced herself to stand and walk away from the pond. She knew she might not find another one, but waiting here would mean letting them catch up. It was an option she refused to take. Twilight found herself at the edge of a great plain as early evening set it. She took a deep breath and shook herself of excess perspiration, relieved to be free of the jungle's claustrophobia. After determining the grass was edible, she had her fill, savoring the taste of what she knew, under normal circumstances, she would consider a bland variety of vegetation. The wind whisked the heat away from her body, and she steeled herself with renewed vigor. She set off at a brisk trot, toward the mountains she could see just on the horizon. If she was quick, she would reach the mountains before nightfall. Then the temperature began to drop. A part of her realized then that she was more fatigued than she previously thought. She should have known the night would be cold, and her sweat-soaked coat would only make that chill more pronounced. Yet despite the obvious predictability, she had done nothing to prepare for it. As the sun began to set, she realized she had no plan to survive the night. Her efforts to magically conjure even a simple shelter failed. Panic rose in the back of her mind, but she forced it aside. Only one thing mattered, and that left only one option. She had to keep going. In the dead of night, Twilight found shelter at last in a cave. She shuddered and curled herself tighter as the wind howled outside. Her innards were knotted, and the salt from the ocean now mixed with the salt of her tears. It was hopeless. She was trapped here, alone, in a cave in an unknown mountain range just out of sight of anyone who might wander by. Why did you leave that rock on the beach? a voice in her head asked. Twilight shuddered. You could have been safe there. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the darkness. She heard thunderous hoofbeats entering her pitiful shelter. Barely holding terror at bay, she turned to see a huge shape standing over her, momentarily silhouetted in a flash of lighting. It spread its wings, blocking any chance of escape, and its glowing red eyes narrowed before it spoke. TWILIGHT. Twilight was on her hooves, pressing herself against the back of the cave. "G-Get away!" She flailed weakly with a hoof. "Leave me alone!" The beast's hot breath came out in a snort that battered her fragile frame. EXCUSE ME? Twilight whimpered and collapsed. More shapes joined the first, and they closed in around her, leaning in, speaking words she could not comprehend. She flailed her hooves, but she could not hold them back. She felt them begin to tear at her sides, her head, threatening to pull her apart. Her whimpers turned to cries, her cries turned to screams, but her protests fell on deaf ears. The tearing became unbearable, until finally her mind gave way, and she sank into darkness. > An Innocent Request > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunrise came. Two hours later, Spike stretched and got out of bed. Two seconds after that, be began to panic. "Twilight!" he shouted, dashing through the crystal corridors. He threw open door after door, his racing heart rising and falling with each empty room. She had to be here somewhere. She must have come home late and forgotten to wake him in time to plan for the day, and then secluded herself deep within the palace for some early morning study. Spike's legs began to shake. His lungs burned. He could feel his eyes begin to bulge. She had to be here. Somewhere. "TWILIGHT!" He hadn't meant to yell so loud when he threw open the library door, but he couldn't help himself. Twilight Sparkle stared at him, a quill held in her magic, and three books frozen halfway between her and their respective bookshelves. "Good morning," she said, a look of mild surprise on her face. "Everything OK?" Spike took a moment to catch his breath. "Yeah," he panted. Twilight raised an eyebrow. The book began moving again. "You sure?" Spike's face felt uncomfortably warm. "It's just—I saw that it was late, and I thought..." Twilight's bemusement broke in a smile. "Oh, Spike." She levitated a cushion beside her, and Spike sat down. "I was just working on a project for Princess Celestia, and I thought I'd let you sleep in." "Really?" Spike fiddled with his claws. "What kind of project?" "Oh, just compiling some historical documents," Twilight answered, gesturing toward a pile of deteriorating books beside her. Two more like them lay on the table in front of her. "They were in the package she sent from Canterlot yesterday." "Should I start sorting them by date?" Spike asked, making his way over to the pile. "Or maybe by location? Or—" "No!" Spike heard a familiar shimmering sound and felt his body freeze mid-step. A moment passed, and the magical hold faded. "I mean, no thanks," Twilight said with a blush. "They're just.... They're very fragile, and I'd rather sort them myself." "Oh." A moment passed. "So you didn't want my help?" Twilight looked over at him. "Well.... It's not that," she said. She cleared her throat. Her stomach rumbled. "I'd really like some breakfast," she said, a little quicker than she needed to. "These books are delicate and hard to read, and I'm going to need my strength to sort through them." "You got it!" Spike flashed a thumbs-up and headed toward the door. "Take your time," Twilight's voice called after him. Her quill began moving again. She sighed. That was close. After breakfast, Spike set himself to cleaning the castle, seeing as Twilight was engrossed in her studies. A part of him wished he could help her with her research, but it wasn't uncommon for her to pursue topics alone, particularly when she knew they would bore him. And pony history was one topic that held little interest. He began in the map room, carefully sweeping the edges of the room where dust had started to gather. Next, he wiped down the thrones and table, then dusted the tapestries before giving the whole room a fresh sweep. It wasn't polished, per se, but he was proud of the marked improvement he had made. The effort made him hungry, so he decided to take a snack break. He could hear Twilight muttering behind the library door as he walked past with broom in hand. He paused to listen, curiosity overpowering his hunger for the moment. Most of it was indistinct, but he heard mention of relics, pony tribes and a castle ruins. The castle in the Everfree Forest? Or something to do with the founding of Equestria? He shrugged and kept walking. Twilight would call when she needed him. Until then, he could keep himself busy. Upon arriving in the kitchen, he discovered his supply of gemstones was running low. He crammed a ruby into his mouth and headed for the library to ask Twilight for a few spending bits. Her muttering had ceased when he got back to the door, and he gently pushed it open. "Twilight?" He was only able to catch a glimpse of the papers strewn about the room before Twilight's face blocked his view. "Spike! Uh, is something wrong?" Spike raised an eyebrow. "No," he said slowly. "I just noticed we're low on gemstones, and I thought I'd go get some more." "Oh." Again, Twilight blushed and cleared her throat. "Right. That sounds good." "Yeah." Spike tried to peek around her, but he had no luck. "How's everything going?" "Oh, fine," Twilight said in her on-edge tone. "Everything's a bit messy right now. Probably best if you stay outside for now." Spike nodded, unconvinced. "OK, then. I'll see you later." "Later!" The door snapped shut, leaving Spike alone in the corridor. She had forgotten to give him any bits. It was a pleasant day in Ponyville, but Spike couldn't shake the dark cloud that had settled over him. He purchased enough gemstones to last him the week, but he didn't feel much like going home, so he decided to make a stop at Carousel Boutique. The store was empty when he entered, and Rarity called from her workroom, informing him she's be out in a minute. Spike glanced over Rarity's latest designs. Normally, he would have been fascinated by her skillful craftsmanship, but even that was muffled by his uneasiness. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique!" Rarity said as she entered the storefront, a measuring tape around her neck. "How may I assist—oh! Hello, Spike." "Hey," he answered, tapping his claws together. Now that he was here, he wasn't sure what to say. "Uh, how are you?" "Busy, as usual," she said, "but I always have time to chat with a friend. How are you?" "OK, I guess." Rarity frowned. "Are you sure, dear? You sound troubled." Spike sighed. "Well, Twilight's been working on this project all morning, and, well, she doesn't really want me to help." Rarity nodded and walked closer. "I see. Maybe she'll need your help later?" Spike shook his head, staring at the floor. "I don't think so. It's something for Princess Celestia, and she's being really secretive about it." "Hmm." Rarity tapped her chin with a hoof. "Well, if you're certain Twilight wants to be alone, would you mind helping me around the boutique?" Spike looked up at her. Her smile told him she meant it. "You mean it?" "Oh, absolutely, darling," Rarity replied, rubbing his head in a way that made him blush. "I'm always happy to borrow Twilight's number one assistant." "Great!" Spike set his things out of the way and followed Rarity to her workroom. "What do you need?" The two spent a pleasant hour keeping each other company while Spike fetched gemstones and patterns for her latest projects. Their conversation meandered from Rarity gushing about her successes in Manehattan to the latest news from the Crystal Empire. Rarity eventually had to excuse herself to help some customers, and Spike left the boutique with spirits lifted. Spike had to duck under a flying scroll the moment he opened the door. The library was a mess. This, by itself, wasn't especially concerning. Spike knew Twilight's mid-study organizational system typically looked like chaos to an outside observer. Twilight still sat at the table, her copious notes now outnumbering her materials by a wide margin. Books from her own collection mingled with maps and diagrams pinned along the walls, with strings connecting seemingly unrelated items—a scene from the traditional Hearth's Warming pageant linked to a map of Everfree Forest, or illustrations of unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies arranged in geometric shapes. Before he could speak a word, Twilight tore the paper she was writing on out from a jumble of scrolls and peered around at her work. The paper in question had been marked with three circles, one inside another, along with scribbles he couldn't read from this distance. "This is the key," she muttered as she fastened the paper to the wall and linked it to what looked like the floor plan of a castle and an artistic interpretation of Clover the Clever, Pansy and Smart Cookie. "Yes..." "Uh," Spike said. He meant to follow it up with a question, but Twilight yelled at the sound of his voice. "Ahh! Spike!" She began to take deep breaths to combat her sudden hyperventilation. "You startled me." "I noticed," he said, hesitating at the threshold. "How's everything going?" "Fine, fine." He didn't appreciate Twilight's dismissive gesture, but she kept talking before he could protest. "Listen, I need you to do something for me." Spike brightened at this. "What is it?" "Princess Celestia is sending a few more records. They should arrive at the train station around sunset," Twilight said. "I need you to pick them up for me." "Sure," Spike replied, "but I thought you wanted to handle all these old books yourself." "I would, but I'm not going to be here when they arrive," Twilight answered as she stood and began gathering some of her notes in a neat pile on the table. "Where are you going?" "The old castle in the Everfree Forest." The notes were tucked into her saddle bag, which she placed on her back. "You can just leave them..." She paused, then cleared a space near the door. "There. I'll be back tonight to look them over." Spike felt a little less bright than he had a moment ago. "Yeah. I can do that." "Thank you." Twilight carefully stepped her way through her research and joined him in the corridor, closing the door behind her. "I really appreciate what you did in the map room." Spike blushed. "Oh, it was no big deal." Twilight smiled. "Listen, I'm sorry I've been a little on edge today. This project is a pretty big deal, and I just want to make sure nothing goes wrong." "It's OK," Spike said. "I understand. Besides, I'm not a big fan of history." Twilight frowned. "What do you mean?" "Well, some of those drawings looked like they were from the Hearth's Warming pageant, so I assumed..." Spike's voice trailed off. "Oh. Yeah. You probably would have been bored." Twilight coughed. Spike was beginning to grow suspicious of how much she'd been doing that lately, but he said nothing as the two made their way to the front door. "Don't forget. Train station at sunset," she said. "Sunset. Got it." Twilight nodded and gave him a smile. Then she opened her wings and shot into the sky. > The Search > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The cold, he could handle. The loneliness could be soothed. But the doubt, the fear, it could not be ignored. Not until she was safely home. Spike had never considered himself the studious type. Though he enjoyed helping Twilight in her research, he never gave much thought to doing any of his own. Then Twilight left on a one-day trip that had now entered its third day, and despite the meticulous itinerary she had left him, Twilight could not be found. It was then Spike began to worry. He could accept Twilight being tardy, but straying from her plan? Something had to be wrong. His footsteps echoed in the crystal castle's halls. His heart thudded in his chest as he pushed open the library door. The notes and charts from Twilight's latest projects were still strewn about where she'd left them. Spike felt a little guilty for not tidying them up, but he brushed the feeling aside. Somewhere in this chaos, there could be a hint, a clue that would lead him to her. And if it was here, he was going to find it. "OK," he said to himself, rubbing his hands together. "Let's start from the beginning." Spike wasn't familiar with the details, but he knew she was studying ancient pony history, with an emphasis on early spellcasting. Sorting the shipment from Canterlot gave him a few ideas on where to start, but even with the many hours he'd spent helping Twilight, the task ahead still daunted him. Spike sighed. Twilight was missing now, and he knew it would not help her to dwell on his doubts. He began at what he believed was more or less the beginning of her research and began to read, leafing between her tidy notes and copious references to a dozen recently dusted books. Aside from his footfalls and shuffling of papers, the castle was silent, almost unnervingly so. He blocked it out as best he could. The first stack of notes detailed a time period between the founding of Equestria and the beginning of Celestia's rule, including prominent leaders from each of the pony tribes, settlement records, and weather patterns, which were much more random in those days. Her scribbling indicated this was because Cloudsdale's weather factories had not yet been built, and the pegasi had to rely on clouds that formed naturally. After a while, Spike concluded that this information wasn't particularly helpful, and he moved on to the next stack, which placed greater emphasis on the unicorn tribe during the same period. Twilight's notes indicated the harmony between the three tribes led to greater prosperity for all, thus allowing the unicorn magicians to develop newer, more efficient means of using magic. A footnote in one of the books indicated the first magical relics were created during this time. The lead was a little more promising; he remembered Twilight mentioning relics on several occasions, and she had probably gone looking for more information to add to this pile. The third stack was all but impossible to decipher. It delved deep into technical aspects of magic, and while Spike had picked up quite a bit about magic from Twilight, his head hurt trying to make heads or tails of it. As the sun began to set, his stomach rumbled. Spike abandoned his search for a moment and walked to the kitchen, quickly locating his stack of gemstones. As he munched on an emerald, Rainbow Dash entered the library, mane wind-swept and goggles in place. "Hey, Spike," she said. "How's the research going?" Spike tried not to sound as disappointed as he felt. "Nothing new yet. I'll let you know if I find anything." Rainbow Dash nodded. "We're grabbing a bite to eat, and then we'll head back out." "OK." Dash paused, then turned back. "You doing OK?" Spike sighed and set his gems aside. "Just worried." Dash tapped a hoof and frowned. "Yeah... we all are." Then she put on a smile. "We'll find her." "Yeah." Spike's gaze remained on the floor until Rainbow Dash left. Then he returned to his search. The skies were gentle that night, but Rainbow Dash wasn't interested in smooth flying. Fluttershy glided a hundred trots to her left, moonlight glinting off her body and wings. "See anything?" she called. Fluttershy shook her head. Rainbow Dash sighed. "Check in with Applejack. I'll check that field over there." "Okay." Fluttershy shifted her wings and descended toward the treetops. Dash redoubled her speed and landed in the meadow. A summer breeze rustled the grass around her, and she strained her eyes against the moonlight for any sign of her missing friend. Nothing. Dash kicked a stone in irritation. There had to be a better way. As if responding to her thought, the wind shifted, and an indistinct cry caught her attention. She pivoted her ears toward the source of the noise. There it was again. Dash's heart began to race, but she breathed deeply and kept her cool. It could be anything, she told herself, and we've already had enough false alarms. She followed the noise to a cave and peered inside. Her heart stopped. Her breath caught in her throat. It was Twilight. Dash bolted back into the sky and kicked the nearest cloud with all the strength she could muster. A lightning bolt burst out with an accompanying peal of thunder, the signal for the others that Twilight was found at last. She returned to the cave and looked inside again. What she could see of Twilight's coat was matted with sweat and dirt. Sticks and leaves tangled in her mane. She was curled tightly, sobs gasping from her throat. A gold ring wrapped around her torso, pinning her wings to her side. A similar ring encircled her horn. Dash gulped and stepped inside. Twilight's head jerked around and stared at her with wide eyes. Another lightning bolt sounded in the distance, the sign that Dash's message had been received. Thought it was dark, Dash could see her friend's pupils dilate and hear her breathing quicken. "Twilight?" Twilight leapt to her hooves and scrambled back against the stone. "G-Get away," she said, somewhere between a shrill warning and panicked shout. "Leave me alone!" Dash cocked her head to the side and flared her wings. "Excuse me?" Twilight moaned and fell to the ground, covering her head with her hooves. Dash hesitated. Before, she'd thought finding her friend would mean the end of the night's troubles. Now, she wasn't so sure. "Dash? You in here?" Applejack's voice echoed in the cave, as well as her and Fluttershy's hoofbeats. "Yeah, and so is Twilight." "Really?" Fluttershy rushed forward, but stopped when Twilight came into view. "Um, is she OK?" "What do you think?" Dash snapped, though she instantly regretted it when Fluttershy ducked behind her mane. "Come on, let's help her up." The three approached. Twilight began to kick and scream, demanding they leave her alone. The three kept their distance and exchanged glances. "And I thought findin' her would be the hard part," Applejack said. Dash gritted her teeth. "Maybe those gold bands are squeezing her too tight," she suggested. "If we get them off, it might calm her down." It was a weak suggestion, and she could tell her friends knew it, but looking at the state of her friend, it was the best plan she could think of. Twilight's struggling intensified as the three descended on her, struggling to remove the gold ring from around her body and horn. Her shrieks resembled those of an animal in pain, and more than once Dash almost lost the courage to keep going, for fear she might actually be causing Twilight harm. Minutes of struggle passed until, finally, both rings popped free, and Twilight suddenly slumped, her body limp. The three friends stood in stunned silence for a moment. Applejack was the first to approach the now-limp pony before them, a bruise forming on her snout where Twilight had landed a particularly solid blow. "She's alive," she said at last. "Asleep, but alive." Rainbow Dash flexed a wing, working out the kinks Twilight's flailing had put in it. "What was all that about?" she asked no one in particular. Applejack shrugged. "Beats me." Now that she was unconscious, Twilight almost looked her old self. Only a slight twitch in her eyelids and the hint of a grimace suggested a glimpse into the nature of her dreams. "Come on, everypony," Fluttershy said at last. "Let's get her home." Spike adjusted his candle and stretched. Only a few more papers to go. The fourth stack dealt with pegasi, in particular theories as to how their weather-controlling abilities work. There were a lot of diagrams of wings and feathers, but nothing Spike could see that would help find Twilight. He arranged them neatly and turned his attention to the fifth and final stack. This was by far the smallest, yet somehow the most incomprehensible. Most of it was made up of drawings and illustrations, some of which contained what looked like alicorns and magical spells. Spike sighed and lit a fresh candle. There had to be something here. Just then, a distant door slammed open, and Spike could hear worried voices talking quietly. He leapt to his feet, grabbed his candle and bolted for the entryway. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were carrying a crude stretcher between them, on which lay the form of the pony he had been looking for. "Twilight!" he cried, rushing forward, but Applejack put up a hoof, warning him to stay back. He noticed for the first time her labored breathing and battered appearance. "What happened?" "We found her in a cave in the forest," Applejack said as the group made their way toward Twilight's bedroom. "Fluttershy's gone to get a doctor." "What's wrong with her?" Spike asked, panic rising anew. "Is she sick? Is she hurt?" "We're not sure," Rainbow Dash answered. "We found her in a cave, and she freaked out when we tried to help her." "F-Freaked out?" Spike's worry soared as the group entered Twilight's room. Applejack and Rainbow Dash carefully placed Twilight on the bed. "We think it was 'cause of these ring doohickeys," Applejack said, reaching into her saddle bag and withdrawing two gold rings. "This little one was around her horn, and the big one was around her body, pinnin' her wings down." Spike stared at the rings, processing what Applejack had just said. Then he bolted back toward the library, ignoring the confused calls that followed him. As he began rummaging through the last pile of papers, he heard Applejack and Rainbow Dash skid into the room behind him. "What the hay are you looking for?" Dash asked. Spike straightened and held out a single piece of aged paper. It depicted an alicorn wearing rings, exactly as Applejack described. "This," he said. "She found this." The two ponies stepped closer and peered at the drawing. "What is it?" Dash asked. Spike looked around at the piles of notes. "I don't know," he said, "but the answer is in here somewhere." > The Princess of Dreams > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Princess Luna frowned as she examined her sister's star pupil, both with her eyes and with her magic. "How long has she been in this condition?" "Since yesterday," Spike answered, tapping his shaking claws together. "D-Do you know what's wrong? The doctor who came said she was stable, but couldn't tell us anything else." The aura around Luna's horn faded as she closed her eyes. She stifled the urge to yawn. "I do not," she said. When she saw Spike's shoulders slump, she added, "Not yet. But our trail mustn't end here." She adjusted the blanket that covered Twilight's twitching body. "Take me to the library." The mid-afternoon sun streamed through the castle's windows. Outside, the hustle and bustle of Ponyville continued as though nothing were wrong. Those sounds faded as the two delved deeper into the castle. Soon, only Luna's hoofbeats and Spike's footfalls echoed through the empty crystal halls. The sound only heightened the ominous mood that had descended on the castle. Officially, Princess Twilight Sparkle was exhausted from her journey and merely required time to rest. Unofficially, Luna knew that excuse would only hold up for a few days. That was her deadline to find the true answer to this conundrum. Spike gave her a brief summary of Twilight's research, at least as far as he understood it. His comprehension was admirable, for a young research assistant. Luna perused the notes, following his guidance. Though she understood more of the technicalities of Twilight's scribblings, she couldn't be sure where it all led. "Your Majesty," Spike said after a few minutes, then stopped himself. Luna turned to face him as several unbound scrolls circled around her. "What is it?" Spike tapped his claws together and looked at the floor. "I... I was just wondering.... Why did Princess Celestia want Twilight to look into all of this?" Luna frowned as she surveyed the room. "I'm not entirely sure," she answered, deciding it best to be honest. "My sister and I may rule together, but that does not mean we always know what the other is up to." She studied Twilight's intricate web of pictures and notes strung around the walls. "You said she went to the old castle in Everfree, correct?" Spike nodded. "That's what she told me." "And you found her three days later in a cave somewhere in the forest," Luna continued as she walked around the room, trying to make sense of Twilight's connections. "We can conclude, therefore, that it is unlikely she ever left the forest. Whatever happened to her, it happened there." Spike nodded. "Makes sense to me." Luna sighed as she completed her round of the room. Though Twilight's research skills had served her and Equestria well, her methods were unfortunately all but impossible to decipher. "And these rings she found?" Spike led her to a secluded part of the castle, to a small, hidden chamber. Inside, on a simple table, lay the two gold rings and the picture he had found among Twilight's notes. "Careful," he said as Luna entered the room. "I think these might be part of the problem." Luna noted his warning and picked up the drawing. Though she couldn't say why, it send a shiver down her spine. Even without casting a single spell, she could sense powerful magic emanating from those rings. She stepped back a little more quickly than she intended. Spike frowned. "Is everything all right?" Luna nodded, in spite of herself. "I believe our best course of action is to ask Twilight Sparkle herself what happened." She turned and left the room. She heard Spike close and lock the door before following. "Wake me just before sunset. I'll be best able to reach her then." Luna placed the last of her herbs in Twilight's chamber. Darkness had settled on Equestria. She could just make out the faint chirp of crickets outside, and the hoot of an owl nestled in some tree. The sounds brought a measure of comfort to the surreal scene before her. Twilight still lay on her bed, unmoved from earlier that day. Occasionally, a wild spasm shot through her limbs, accompanied by a sharp breath. Spike stood nearby, hands held close to his mouth. The poor dragon's nerves looked on the brink of collapse. Luna placed a steadying hoof on his shoulder. "Worry not, my friend. I will reach her in her dreams, whatever they may be," she said. This was, after all, the primary reason she, and not Celestia, had come. "I am confident our friend will awaken before the night is over." Spike nodded, though his shoulders remained tight with tension. "I'll make sure to put up fresh lavender every hour," he said, repeating the directions Luna had given him. Luna smiled. Even under stress, his memory was sharp. Luna turned her attention to the unconscious pony before her. She took a deep breath to steady her own nerves. Truth be told, she wasn't sure what she would find in Twilight's subconscious mind. She gathered her magic and with a spell, cast her mind in to the realm of dreams. Luna's astral body hung in blackness. For a moment, she wondered if she had miscast the spell. Then, she realized the truth. The spell had worked perfectly. She had entered Twilight's mind and found only darkness. This was troubling for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that Luna had no idea how to proceed. She was used to looking for dreamers in their imaginary worlds, but most dreams gave her some structure upon which to work. This inky void gave her nothing. So, logically, she decided to give herself some light. The moment her horn lit with magic, she felt a kind of pulse ripple through the mindscape. In a flash, a hundred red eyes opened around her, staring with unknown intent. She readied a protective ward, but did not cast it, waiting to see what those eyes would do. They began to shift in strange, untraceable paths. She sensed their bodies moving in the blackness, but could not discern where one began and another ended. They didn't move any closer, which she took to be a good sign for the moment. She flapped her wings, intending to approach the strange visions, but despite her effort, the eyes appeared no closer than before. So they stay the same distance away, no matter what I do, she thought. Or, I am unable to move. The thought was disconcerting, but neither possibility was a new experience for her in the dream world. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Twilight Sparkle, where are you?" The eyes descended so quickly, she barely had enough time to erect her prepared ward. The creatures struck her shield and bounced away, returning to their safe distance. When her thudding heart subsided, Luna heard a dull whisper emanating from all around her. Twilight, it hissed. Twilight... Bracing herself, she addressed the beings around her. "Where is Twilight Sparkle?" The eyes lashed out again. She could barely make out each form as it threw itself at her ward, black shapes against a black void. She repeated her question, louder. "Where is Twilight Sparkle?" As the eyes moved again, she struck back, turning her ward into a stunning burst. The eyes fell back and faded for a moment. Then, pair by pair, they blinked back into her view. Twilight, the voices hissed louder. Luna prepared another spell. Her voice came out as a shout. "You will take me to Twilight Sparkle!" To her surprise, the eyes did not strike again. They swirled faster around her, until the red of their eyes were streaks in her view. She squinted, but did not let down her guard as the red glow formed into shapes. She saw flashes of a cave, and dark creatures descending. The vision twisted, shifted, nearly making her stomach lurch. In a moment, her consciousness crossed a vast plain and plunged into a thick jungle, branches and vines whipping by faster than she could flinch. Then, the vision froze. Though she hadn't moved, the suddenness of it nearly gave her whiplash, and she found herself struggling to catch her breath. She stood at the edge of the sea, looking at a rocky outcropping that jutted out against the waves. A pony stood there, facing away, horn glowing with light. As Luna watched, the pony's wings flared. "Twilight?" she asked tentatively. In an instant, the pony turned and lunged, stopping inches from Luna's face. She flinched, stepping back. The form matched Twilight, her body was a shadowed lavender, but her features were shrouded in darkness. Her eyes... at first, Luna's mind couldn't process them. They weren't just empty. It was as if they were windows into the crimson sky itself. In the distance, across the glittering sea, the sun and moon rose in the sky, coming to rest in the center of this strange mare's eyes, just where her pupils would have been. Luna cleared her throat and spoke again. "Twilight?" Twilight... Twilight... The whispers grew louder until they drowned out the sound of the sea. With each whisper, the mare's form grew and distorted, her wings stretching from horizon to horizon, her horn stabbing the stars themselves. Unfathomable magic pulsed from this being. It took all of Luna's strength to maintain the wards that protected her. The ocean blasted away in great waves. The trees behind her were ripped from their roots and hurled into the distance. Luna herself stumbled back with each blast until all her shields were stripped away, and she stood defenseless against the terrible being that blotted out the heavens. Dusk, the whispers said. The creature's wings flared, sending hurricanes to batter the shores. Luna could only cower, a speck in the wind compared to this beast. It could end her in an instant; of this she was absolutely certain. All the while, the whispers turned to screams. Dusk... Dusk.... DUSK! The behemoth turned its full attention on her. The sun and moon gazed down with their full fury. Luna felt as though she would wither away. Desperately, she focused her power on the moon, the celestial body upon which she had always relied. With a cry, she cast the spell she knew so well. A part of her knew it was folly, that all her might and training meant nothing. And yet, somehow, the moon heeded her call. It began to drift away, beyond her sight, behind the edge of the red-stained world. The shouting whispers grew indistinct, their chants turning to echoing screams. The being shuddered, shrank, fell into the jet-black sea. A wave of darkness raced toward her, engulfed the shore, and crashed around her, sending her spinning into the void. The beast appeared so small now, so helpless as two rings wrapped themselves around her body - one around the horn, the other around the wings - and left it to rest on the ocean's shores. It was only after the vision faded, and the dark void returned, that Luna was able to regain her wits enough to end her dream-world voyage. In an instant, the found herself collapsed on the floor of Twilight's room, gasping for breath while a panicked dragon shook her body. > Fragments > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The teacup shuddered a little as Luna lifted it to her lips and took a long sip. Despite her long rest, Luna still felt weakened from her experience. It was morning now. Spike sat across from her, tapping anxiously on the table. She set the cup down carefully before she spoke. She didn't know if she had the strength to do both at once. "The experience was... harrowing, to say the least," she said at last. The poor dragon's eyes somehow widened even further. "I'll spare you the details," she added quickly. "What matters is that I believe I learned something useful." "So you talked to Twilight?" Spike asked breathlessly. Luna shook her head. Spike stumbled back a step and fell into his chair. "I can't believe it.... If you can't reach her, who can?" "As I said, I was able to learn something useful," Luna said. "I believe I have some clues as to Twilight was during her three-day absence. Furthermore, I believe her mind is still trapped in that journey. Though she is beyond our reach, for now, I am confident we can bring her back." "H-How confident?" Spike asked. Luna couldn't answer. For a while, they sat in silence, Luna occasionally sipping her tea. Cave... plain... jungle... sea. She repeated each location in her mind as she studied the map before her. These locations seemed to represent a journey in reverse. That cave in the Everfree Forest was the end point. Working backwards, she attempted to trace a possible path Twilight could have followed. The plain could have been the frontier lands around Dodge City. The jungle, perhaps, may have been the Hayseed Swamps or even the Forbidden Jungle beyond the Badlands, making the ocean the Horseshoe Bay or the larger Celestial Sea. But just reaching Dodge City would have taken days by train. Twilight had only been gone for three - and journeying there and back in that timeframe was ludicrous on its face, even for a pony as adept at teleportation magic as Twilight Sparkle. Luna shook her head. Though the route seemed plausible, the logistics did not work out. Somehow, Twilight must have made that entire journey within the confines of the Everfree Forest. But how? A soft sniffle snapped Luna out of her thoughts. Spike sat hunched in his seat, tears dripping from his eyes. Luna stood and walked around the table until she stood by his side. She had hoped to think of something to say to him by the time she arrived, but nothing came to mind. "Our best chance may be to retrace her steps," she said at last. "Perhaps if we can discover where she found those rings, we will gain some greater insight into her current condition." No sooner had the words left her lips than the doors to the chamber burst open. The two looked up, startled, only to see Twilight Sparkle standing in the doorway. "Oh," she said. "Sorry. I guess..." She swooned and fell before she could finish the sentence. Luna caught her in her magic before she hit the floor. Spike rushed to her side. "Twilight! You're awake! I mean...." His voice faltered. "You... are awake, right?" Twilight winced as she cracked her eyes open. "Ugh..." Spike looked back at Luna uncertainly. Luna only shrugged as she approached. "Rest, Twilight," she said. "You must be exhausted after everything you've been through." Twilight blinked a couple times. "Yeah. Tired. That's it." She shook her head. "It... must have been something crazy." Luna and Spike exchanged a look. "I imagine it was," Luna said. "Might you, perhaps, tell us what it was?" Twilight looked up at them and frowned. "What? I thought you were going to tell me." "Let me get this straight," Twilight said. She lay curled up on the floor, body covered in a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate resting nearby. "I disappeared three days and then tried to fight off three of my best friends when they tried to help?" Spike and Luna nodded. Twilight put a hoof to her forehead. "I can't imagine what they're thinking about me right now..." "Your friends are only concerned for your safety. That is why they called me here," Luna said. Twilight took a sip of hot chocolate and sighed. "I'm sorry to have worried you all." "Aw, it was no big deal," Spike answered. "Can I get you some food?" "I'm fine, thank you." Twilight's eyes had glazed over, a sign she was deep in thought. "But where was I? I remember going to the Everfree Forest to look for...." Her voice trailed off, and then, she winced. "Ow!" "Twilight?" Spike rushed to her side. "Are you all right?" "Gah!" Twilight shook her head violently, nearly knocking over her mug in the process. "I just - ow!" She massaged her forehead with her hoof. "It's... just a headache. I'll be all right." "Perhaps we should fetch a doctor," Luna suggested. "Spike, could you-" "I'm on it," Spike said, already rushing toward the doors. "Don't worry, Twilight! Your number one assistant is on it!" The two alicorns waited until Spike's footsteps had faded into the distance. "I hope you don't mind, but I thought he could use the fresh air," Luna said at last. "He has been worrying about you since you returned." "Of course he has," Twilight muttered. "I can't imagine how scary this has been for everypony." Luna hesitated a moment before speaking. "I should inform you that I attempted to visit you in your dreams," she began. "I hoped by contacting you in the dream world, I might be able to learn more about what happened during your absence." "You did?" Twilight frowned. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember that. Did it work?" "Not exactly." Luna explained to Twilight everything she had seen. The longer she spoke, the more troubled Twilight became. "That sounds absolutely horrifying," Twilight said when Luna had finished. "It's not the worst dream I've seen," Luna answered. It was probably true. Maybe. "Does any of that jog your memory?" Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to remember, but..." Luna nodded. "There is no need to apologize. Perhaps, once you review your notes, the truth will become clearer." "I think you're right." Twilight stood shakily and walked out of the room, Luna close behind her. When they reached the library, however, they both gasped. All of Twilights notes, her books, her carefully crafted webs, were gone. "Her vital signs are good," Doctor Horse said, returning his stethoscope to his bag. "No obvious injuries. You still have some tremors, but those should go away with proper rest." He retrieved a cone-shaped device from his bag and placed it over her horn. "Your magical energy is a tad unbalanced at the moment. You may experience minor fluctuations over the next few days, so try to avoid anything too complicated." The cone went back in his bag, and he looked over her wings. "A little feather damage, but nothing that can't be mended in a day or two. Overall, I expect you'll be as good as new in a few days." "Thank you," Twilight said with a smile as he packed his things away. Doctor Horse excused himself, leaving Twilight, Luna, and Spike alone. "Well, at least you're physically healthy," Spike said with obviously forced cheer. "Indeed. After your ordeal, I believe that is a promising sign," Luna agreed. Twilight flopped onto her bed. "Yeah. If only my brain would cooperate." Spike and Luna looked at each other. "I'm sure it'll get better," Spike said. "You heard Doctor Horse. Just wait a few days." "I'm not so sure, Spike," Twilight answered, her voice slowly rising into a panic. "I've read all about memory loss. It can take months, even years for everything to come back. Sometimes, it doesn't even come back at all!" "We can't worry ourselves about that now," Luna said. Twilight sent her a glare. Luna sighed. "What I mean, is that whatever has happened to you is incredibly powerful. Not only did it overpower your magic, it also nearly destroyed me in the dream world, and I suspect it's behind the disappearance of your notes. We must trace this problem to its source before anypony else gets hurt. Besides," she added, "I've observed that you work better with a concrete goal in mind." Twilight took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. What do we have to work with?" "My vision from the dream world," Luna said. "I kinda remember some of your notes," Spike offered. "We know how long I was gone, and where I ended up," Twilight continued. "And...." She sat up with a start. "Wait. You said something about rings. Where are those?" The three hurried to the secret chamber. The two rings still lay on the table, just where Luna and Spike had left them. "Be careful," Luna said. "I'm sure you can sense their power already." "Yeah," Twilight agreed. She gasped and pressed her hoof to her forehead. "Whatever it is, it's giving me a headache." "Your friends tell me you put up quite the struggle when they attempted to remove them from your body," Luna said. "I believe they are deeply connected to your affliction." "But why are they still here?" Spike wondered. "Everything else disappeared." "One question at a time." Twilight's horn started to glow, but then, she stopped. "I.... I don't know if it's safe for me to handle those." Before anyone could answer, her horn flared to life again. "Ahh!" Twilight jumped, startled. "W-What?" "The doctor said you might have fluctuations," Spike said. "Yeah, but - Ahhh!" Twilight's entire body began to glow. Light shone from her eyes as she hovered inches off the floor, suspended in her own spell. The rings shuddered on the table. "Get back," Luna ordered. Spike dove behind her tail. The rings shuddered again, moving closer to the seemingly trapped Twilight. Luna wrapped Twilight in her magic. To her surprise, Twilight did not resist. Luna carefully drew her out of the room. The rings flew off the table. Luna slammed the door shut. The second the lock clicked shut, Twilight's magic faded, and she collapsed to the floor. Spike rushed to her side immediately. Twilight moaned and shakily rose to her hooves. Luna quickly checked her for residual magic, but found nothing out of the ordinary. After a moment, Twilight spoke. "The rings," she said. "I need to put them on." Spike and Luna glanced at each other. "I don't believe that would be a wise course of action," Luna said. "Yeah, they just made you go all... glowy," Spike added. Twilight shook her head vigorously. "No. You don't - gahh!" Twilight's legs gave out, and Luna was forced to catch her for the second time that day. "The rings," Twilight gasped. "I felt them.... They held back my magic. Please. It's going to happen again." Luna reflected on her vision. It had ended with Twilight bound in those rings, her terrifying power gone. She nodded at Spike. The dragon dashed into the room and, in a moment, returned with the rings. The magical aura around Twilight was already beginning to grow. Luna grabbed both rings with her magic and, perhaps against her better judgement, placed them around Twilight's horn and wings. In an instant, Twilight's eyes filled with light, and she sat, transfixed, blind to the world around her. > The First Memory > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight focused on Luna's face, hoping it would give her some tether to reality. She could already feel her magic swelling up again. In a moment, it would overwhelm her, and she would be lost. Just as Luna's figure faded in the growing light, she felt cold metal press against her ribs, reinforcing her mental hold on her own power. The surge was still there, bursting at the seams, but it did not escape. Shadows crossed her vision. In a moment, she found herself in a cave, with three red-eyed figures staring down at her. TWILIGHT, one said, its voice a deep rumble of thunder. Twilight stumbled back. She tried to flare her wings to make herself look larger, but they were pinned against her side. When she looked back, she could see nothing holding them down. The shadows drew closer. "S-Stay away!" EXCUSE ME? The shadows descended, tearing at her head and sides. She screamed and tried to wriggle free, but her effort was wasted. Desperate, she called on the magic that so desperately wanted to break free. The effort caused what felt like an explosion in her forehead, and for a moment, she blacked out from the pain. When her senses returned, she was surprised to find the shadows standing back. She stumbled as she found her footing again. The shapes seemed smaller now, though no less imposing. The voice came again. Twilight? Twilight blinked in surprise. The voice was still deep, but laced with a higher pitch a part of her recognized. She blinked. The creatures' forms became more recognizable - two pegasi and an earth pony. They stood there, waiting. "Hello?" she said. The world jerked as a new spasm of pain shot through her forehead. Now she could make out their colors. The earth pony was orange, with a yellow mane tied in a ponytail. The blue pegasus had a rainbow-colored mane, and the yellow pegasus's mane was long and pink. She shook her head a few times. Their faces became clear - the faces of her friends. "Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked. Before Twilight could answer, she heard her own voice call out. "G-Get away!" it screamed. "Leave me alone!" She looked down and saw herself, huddled against the cave wall, gold rings wrapped around her body and horn. Rainbow Dash's wings flared slightly as she cocked her head. "Excuse me?" Twilight felt the magic within her begin to subside as her friends discussed what to do. Eventually, they settled on taking the rings off her body. Twilight watched as her other self fought against her friends, her screams turning to shrieks. The instant the rings left her body, she felt something akin to a kick to her stomach. She gasped. The vision faded with her magic, and she found herself lying on the floor, looking up at Spike and Luna's worried faces. The golden rings clattered off her body and came to rest on the floor beside her. She let out a slow groan. "Sorry I keep waking up like this." "So, you thought Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy were trying to hurt you?" Spike asked. The three were once again looking at the map, planning their next move. Twilight's eyes were fixed on the Everfree Forest, aside from the occasional headache-induced wince. Spike sat slumped in his chair, the weight of the day's revelations clearly taking its toll. Luna stood back a trot or two, where she could observe the entire room and its occupants. Twilight nodded. "I didn't know it was them. I thought they were... monsters." "Your description matches that of the beings I observed in your dream," Luna said. "It appears that whatever power affects your mind runs deeper than your memories." "No kidding," Spike said. "Anything that can make friends look like enemies is... scary." "That's putting it mildly," Twilight agreed, "but this does give me hope. I believe what I saw was a memory - or at least, my perception of it at the time. I'll have to ask my friends to be sure, but it makes sense that that's where they found me, and what happened next." She looked at Spike, then at Luna. "I know where my journey ended. We'll just have to follow it backwards now." The trio had many things to arrange before they could set out for Everfree. While Twilight and Luna drafted a letter to Princess Celestia, Spike rounded up Twilight's closest friends. They were relieved to hear Twilight had recovered, but concerned about her missing memories, and outright worried about her decision to keep the golden rings firmly in place. "Are you sure it's not the rings messing with your brain?" Rainbow Dash asked. She flitted nimbly around the room, narrowly avoiding a nervously hovering Fluttershy. "I mean, you thought we were trying to hurt you until we got those things off." Twilight's eyes flashed involuntarily to the bruise on Applejack's snout. "I know. I'm sorry I hurt you. But I don't think these rings are the problem. In fact, I think they might be part of the solution." "Twilight has been experiencing some unusual magical fluctuations," Luna explained. "These rings suppress her magic, preventing any accidental discharges." "That doesn't explain why you're wearing that ghastly thing around your wings," Rarity said. "The rings only work as a set," Twilight explained. "I'm not sure why, or even how I know that, but it's true." "They look really uncomfortable," Fluttershy said. Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but a stabbing pain in her head cut her off. "Dear, are you sure you're in any shape to go out into the forest?" Rarity asked. "Those headaches have been hittin' you hard ever since we got here," Applejack added. Twilight waved a hoof in their general direction. "I'll be okay. They were a lot worse before." "Yeaaaah, that doesn't make this a good idea," Pinkie interjected before Twilight could say anything else. "Everypony, relax," Spike said, rising from his chair to stand at Twilight's side. "The doctor said she just needed some rest, and she's gotten plenty of that. Plus, with all her friends helping her, how hard could this be?" Luna coughed. Twilight looked down at the table. "About that... I don't think any of you should come with me." There was a moment of silence. Then, the room erupted with objections. "Absolutely not, darling!" "Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how long it took us to find you the last time?" "We ain't havin' none of that, sugar cube." "No way, Twilight. We're sticking together like the icing on a cinnamon roll." Twilight held up a hoof. She'd expected their objections and already planned her response. "I know we've faced plenty of dangerous things together before, but this one is different," she explained. "Not only is it stronger than anything we've faced, it can also make friends look like enemies." She couldn't help but look at Applejack's bruises again. "Think about it. If I hadn't been wearing these rings when you found me, I probably would have used my magic to fight back. That... would have ended poorly." The other ponies looked around at each other. Twilight could tell they wanted to argue, but they said nothing. "I won't be going alone," she continued. "Princess Luna has agreed to go with me. She's strong enough to make sure I don't do anything... stupid, and if I fall unconscious, she can still reach me in the dream world." "That... does seem to be a sound idea," Rarity reluctantly admitted. "I'm also taking Spike with me," Twilight said. "He knows the most about whatever I was researching that led me to these rings. I'll need to rely on his expertise to fill in the gaps in my memory." Spike nodding, tapping his claws nervously. "I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe." "That sounds fine and all, but I'd still feel better if we went with you," Rainbow Dash said. "Even if you do go crazy, I'm sure the five of us can take care of it." "I'm afraid that conclusion holds true only so long as Twilight's rings remain in place," Luna said. "Should either come loose, containing her will become much more difficult." "I wouldn't worry yourself about that," Applejack said. "Those rings were a pain in the flank to pull off last time." "I wound not count on that remaining true," Luna replied. "When Twilight recovered some of her memories, the rings fell off quite easily. I suspect they are meant to contain her power while her mind recovers." "And since the whole point of this trip is to fix my brain, I expect these rings to be falling off a lot," Twilight added. "I'm sorry, but I can't risk hurting any of you. I would go alone, but... well, that didn't work out well at all. This is the best compromise I can think of." The friends were silent for a moment as they pondered Twilight's words. It was clear from their expressions that they didn't like the idea of staying behind. Twilight hoped they would agree with her; the thought of harming one of them accidentally was too much to bear. "Um," Fluttershy started. "I think Twilight will be in good hooves. And claws," she added quickly. One by one, the others nodded in agreement. "Y'all be careful out there," Applejack said. "Yeah, 'cause if we don't see you back in three days, we're coming to get you," Rainbow Dash said. Twilight nodded. "That's a good idea. I hope we don't have to use it, but I'll sleep easier knowing I have my friends ready to help if I need it." Twilight's friends helped Spike round up the necessary supplies while Twilight and Luna finished their letter to Princess Celestia. It took a while to ensure no important detail was left out. By the time they were finished, the scroll stretched halfway across the library. "I don't think I've ever sent Princess Celestia a letter this long," Twilight said once the bulky parchment was rolled up and sealed. With a puff of green flame, Spike sent the letter on its way. Twilight, Luna, and Spike exited the library and walked to the entrance hall. Their friend waited for them, along with two sets of saddle bags and one bulging backpack. "We tried to pack just the essentials," Applejack explained. "There's enough food to last you a few days." "I also took the liberty of packing a few clothes, in case you run into inclement weather," Rarity added. "I'm sure you'll find them both stylish and practical." "I'm sure we will," Twilight agreed with a smile. She realized it was the first smile she'd had in a while. "Thank you, everypony." "Remember, we're coming after you in three days," Rainbow Dash reminded them. With a wry grin, she added, "And I better not get kicked in the flank for it this time." Twilight chuckled. "I'll do my best." "We all will," Luna agreed. With a bit of magic, she placed Twilight's bags on her back, and then her own on hers. "Shall we begin?" Twilight looked up at Luna's confident gaze, then over at Spike's approving thumbs-up. "Yes," she decided. "Let's go find my memories." > Into the Everfree > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Celestia's sun waned, Twilight prepared to enter the forest. Perhaps perpared wasn't the most apt description. She had plenty of supplies, and her two traveling companions stood with her. The three had already discussed the route they would take to the cave where Twilight's friends had found her, with the help of Rainbow Dash's directions. The had reached the edge of the forest, just past Fluttershy's cottage. Ponyville's evening bustle had long since faded into the distance. A few evening birds chirped. Bats awoke and fluttered from their hiding places. Everything was prepared - except, apparently, for Twilight Sparkle. She wasn't sure why she hesitated at the threshold. Maybe it was the way the ring around her wings still pressed uncomfortably against her fur, or the way the horn ring made her head feel slightly off-balance. But those were minor inconveniences, at most. No, she decided at last, it wasn't any of that. She gulped, then admitted to herself what she had already known. I'm terrified. "Twilight?" Spike's reassuring, familiar claws pressed against her side. "Is everything all right?" Twilight's first instinct was to snap, "No, of course it isn't!" She held that thought firmly in check and sucked in a deep lungful of evening air. "I'm just nervous, I guess," she answered. "The last time I went in there..." She didn't have to finish the sentence. "Your apprehension is understandable," Luna said. "I imagine you feel very much as I did after I returned from my banishment." "Afraid you're going to mess things up again." Twilight sighed. "Yeah." "You won't mess it up," Spike said. "You've got us with you now. We wouldn't let you fail, even if you tried!" Twilight laughed. "Me, trying to fail? That would be a new one." "Exactly!" Spike adjusted his backpack. "Come on. Let's find this cave before it gets too dark." Twilight looked at Spike's smile, then at Luna's reassuring nod, and then took one more steadying breath. "Okay. Let's go." They followed the forest path as far as they could, reasoning that it was the best strategy to avoid the worst of the forest's dangers. They couldn't follow it forever, though, and they soon had to leave the trodden path behind. Luna lit the way once she'd raised the moon for the night. Comforting blue light emanated from her horn. The three huddled close, alert for any sign of danger. Though she'd thought about it, Twilight hadn't fully prepared herself to face the forest without magic or wings. She'd visualized countless scenarios in which the creatures of the forest attacked, and how she would rely on Luna to do most of the fighting while she protected Spike. She realized know that she should have known imagining those situations would be very different from experiencing them. Spike clung close to his pony companions, head jerking this way and that at every odd sound or foul scent. Luna, for her part, seemed mostly unbothered by the darkening forest around them. Twilight couldn't be sure how much of that confidence was real, and how much was merely a projection. To Twilight's surprise, and relief, the trio encountered no significant dangers on the first leg of their journey. In fact, she was startled when Luna's voice said, "We've arrived." Twilight snapped her attention away from hypothetical threats and focused on what was right in front of her. The opening was barely visible behind the foliage. She wondered how Rainbow Dash had spotted it from the sky. Luna nodded. Twilight trotted forward, slowing as she drew near. This is it, she thought. The first step. The cave was a small one, stretching back only a few dozen trots. She searched the rough gray stone for anything out of the ordinary, but found nothing. She was disappointed, but not surprised. After all, there was no reason to believe her past self had picked this cave for any reason other than convenience. Hesitantly, she called up the memory of the night her friends had found her. She'd been lying there, and the three of them stood in the entrance, Rainbow Dash in front. Then the struggle. If she looked carefully, she could make out a few scuff marks on the cave floor, scars undoubtedly left by her flailing hooves. "So, this is it, huh?" Spike asked as he looked around. "It's not much." "I was probably just looking for somewhere to rest," Twilight guessed. "Perhaps I can help to reveal this cave's secrets," Luna suggested. A pulse of magic rippled out from her horn. She frowned. "There are traces of magic here," she reported, "but they've grown faint. I can't discern what, if anything, they might mean." The three stood in silence for a moment, pondering what, if anything, the mundanity of this place might mean. Finally, Twilight said, "Maybe I should try a spell." Spike and Luna looked at each other. "You sure that's a good idea?" Spike asked. "We'll have to take the rings off." Twilight began to pace. "Let's think about this. The only thing I remember, for certain, is that I was here. Based on what Luna saw in my dreams, we're pretty sure I went on some kind of journey, but the journey doesn't make sense because my brain's been scrambled and I can't remember it properly. It's just... bits and pieces. Fragments." She stopped pacing and looked at her companions. "There has to be a reason Luna found those pieces in my memory. They must be important. But why?" She started to pace again. "This cave is obvious. I thought I was being attacked. I was terrified. That kind of experience leaves a lasting impression on anypony." She stopped, this time facing away from Luna and Spike. "I think the same might be true of those other places Luna saw. Somewhere, locked in my mind, those memories are there. I think, now that I'm here, I might be able to start tracing those memories backwards." She turned around. "But I'll need to cast a spell to do it. That means these rings have to come off." Luna stepped forward, horn aglow. "You understand, Twilight Sparkle, that this is a dangerous proposition," she said. "I can sense powerful magic roiling within you. Even with all your skill, I can't say how long you'll be able to maintain control of it." "If I start to lose control, you can put the rings right back on," Twilight answered. "Unless you have any other ideas?" It was a sincere question, but Luna didn't have a good answer. "Very well." She wrapped the rings in her magic and carefully removed them. "Spike, please hold on to these. I want to be ready." Spike held the rings gingerly in his claws as a magical aura began to glow around Twilight's horn. Luna watched carefully as a similar aura began to build around her entire body. Twilight's face twitched with the strain of keeping her own power in check. "I'm getting something," she said through gritted teeth. "It looks like - ahh!" The glow engulfed her body and shone brightly from her eyes. Luna grabbed the rings in her magic, but before she could do anything else, Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head. The aura faded. Luna waited. "Twilight? Is everything okay?" Spike asked. Twilight's eyes snapped open. Though they lacked the magical glow they'd held a second ago, they did not seem entirely focused on the present. Her gaze flitted between Luna and Spike, and she took a defensive stance. "It's all right, Twilight," Luna said slowly. "We're here to help." "No," Twilight said. "No! Not again!" In an instant, a magical blast burst from her horn. Spike and Luna dodged to either side to avoid it. Twilight spread her wings and leapt forward, flying between the two and out into the dusk. "Twilight!" Spike called. He started to run after her, but was caught in a shimmering blue aura. Luna placed him on her back as she spread her wings and took flight. "Hold on, and do not drop those rings," she commanded. Spike held tightly to her made with one claw and clutched the rings to his chest with the other. Twilight looked small in the distance, but Luna's strong wingbeats quickly closed the gap. "I'm going to bring her to the ground. Then, we'll put those rings back on." Luna shook her head. "I never should have taken them off." Spike didn't answer; his mind was too overcome with panic. Luna sounded confident, but Spike wasn't so sure her experience would be enough to overcome Twilight's raw magical power. Twilight must have sensed their approach, because she began to weave and doge through the air, flying through and around clouds in an attempt to shake them off her tail. Luna kept pace with every turn, and even closed the distance. "Twilight!" Spike shouted. Twilight answered by sending a magical bolt in their direction. Luna dodged it, but lost some distance. "I think it unwise to try to speak to her in this condition," Luna said between gasps for air. Spike nodded in agreement. A blue aura formed around Luna's horn. "I'm going to aim for her wing," she explained. "It will hurt, but she will recover." "We can't hurt her," Spike insisted. "That'll only make her more afraid of us." "We can't let her escape," Luna countered. "Everypony is counting on us to keep her safe. Once she breaks free of whatever is causing her fear, I'm certain she will forgive us." Spike started to answer, but another bolt from Twilight forced Luna into a sharp dive, and it took all of his concentration to hold on. Luna retaliated with a bolt of her own. Her attack sailed past Twilight, just inches above her right wing, and burst in a concussive cloud. Twilight flared her wings to avoid the burst, and in a moment, Spike and Luna had caught up with her. Luna turned and winked at her companion. "Always best to have a back-up plan." Then, they collided with Twilight and tumbled below the treeline. For a moment, everything was cries and grunts and snapping tree limbs. Spike thought he heard a scream in there somewhere, but he maintained his grip on the rings and Luna's mane. When the three finally landed, they found themselves rolling through a clearing. He decided to let go of Luna and roll to a stop on his own. When he got to his feet, he saw Twilight just beginning to shake off her rough landing. Spike rushed forward and clamped the larger ring over her torso. Twilight let out a sound halfway between a cry and a growl and glared at him. "Take that off. Now," she said, her voice slow and menacing. Spike gulped and backed a few steps away. Twilight's horn flared with magic. "Take it off!" Spike shook his head. "T-This isn't you, Twilight!" he said. "Snap out of it! It's me, Spike!" Before Twilight could answer, a bolt of magic struck her from behind, knocking her down. Princess Luna had gotten to her hooves and was panting heavily. Spike noticed one of her wings sticking out at the wrong angle. "Now, Spike!" she yelled. But Spike was too slow. In a flash, Twilight disappeared, only to reappear an instant later atop a large stone obelisk that stood at the clearing's center. Twilight rounded on Luna and retaliated with a magical blast of her own. Luna blocked it with a protective ward, then began running toward the obelisk. Twilight cast bolt after bolt. Luna dodged each without breaking stride, her horn radiating power. Spike's heart pounded in his chest as he ran toward the obelisk as well. He was so focused on reaching the obelisk in one piece that he almost didn't notice the magic-shrouded boulder throw itself at Twilight from behind, knocking her to the ground once again. "Enough of this!" Luna shouted, towering over Twilight's prone body. "Twilight Sparkle, you will stand down!" "Never!" Twilight shouted back. She twisted around and delivered a brutal kick to Luna's broken wing. Luna screamed and collapsed, flailing her hooves in a desperate attempt to keep Twilight away. It didn't matter. Twilight's entire body was surging with magic. "I'll never give in to you," she hissed, preparing to strike the final blow. Spike shouted and, with a burst of speed and leap, grabbed hold of Twilight's face. The mare screamed. Her shot went wild. With his free hand, Spike reached up and slipped the second ring over her horn. The two hit the ground at the same time and lay there, Twilight unconscious and Spike gasping for breath. > The Waypoint > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- For what felt like hours, Spike lay on the ground, lungs burning, head spinning, thoughts running wild. Luna was injured. Twilight was unconscious once again. That meant it was up to him to defend his companions from the dangers of the forest. The thought would have terrified him in the best of times, and these were not the best of times. Spike sucked in a deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts. One thing at a time. He heard Luna moaning faintly and struggling to her hooves. He pushed himself up and rushed to her side. "Thank you," Luna gasped, wincing with every movement. "Don't move." Spike dashed over to his backpack, which had fallen off his back at some point during the fight. He rummaged through the pockets until he found some long bandages. He ran back to Lunas. "Here. We can use this to..." As he looked at the mess that used to be Luna's wing, he couldn't help but grimace. It was broken in at least two places, and feathers stuck out at impossible angles. Luna took the bandages in her magic and said, "Find me some sticks. We'll do our best to set the bones." After a few tense minutes and some barely stifled whimpers, Luna's wing was bound to her side. The pain in her face subsided, only to be replaced with exhaustion. Spike piled a few spare sticks and forced a green flame from his mouth. The fire illuminated a small circle around them as the last of the sun's rays disappeared. Spike felt it was far from adequate. "It appears Celestia has taken care of the moon for me," Luna observed, settling into the grass near the fire. "You should check on Twilight before long." Spike looked over at Twilight's still-prone figure. Her breathing was steady, but otherwise her body was still. To his surprise, her eyes were open when he walked over, looking at nothing in particular. "Twilight!" He gave her a quick hug. She didn't respond. "How are you feeling? Are you hurt?" "No, Spike," Twilight answered, voice dull. "I'm fine." Spike knew she was lying, and he knew why, but he couldn't decide how to approach her about it. "We got Luna's wing set," he said at last. "She think's it'll heal just fine." Twilight closed her eyes and curled her body into a ball. Spike silently cursed himself. Why would she want to hear about that? He heard Luna heaving herself to her hooves, and she walked over to join them. "Come lay by the fire," she said. "This cold isn't good for your health." Twilight stood and walked near the fire without saying a word. Spike busied himself finding bigger logs, and soon the fire grew big enough to illuminate the entire clearing. Twilight didn't say a word the entire time. Her thoughts were lost in the darkness. At last, Luna cleared her throat. "Twilight," she said, "I would like to know what you thought was happening when you ran away from us." Twilight squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face away. "I..." she started, and then stopped. Spike scooted next to her and patted her foreleg. She moved it out of his reach. "What's done is done," Luna said. "We might as well share everything we learned." Luna couldn't see from across the campfire, but Spike saw Twilight's eyebrows furrow in anger. "You want to know what we learned?" she asked. "We learned that I'm too dangerous to be trusted. That whatever... whatever happened to me is turning me into a monster!" Her voice ended in a shout. Luna stared evenly back at her. "How can you be so calm?" Twilight demanded. "It was my idea to take the rings off. I broke your wing. I... I tried to...." The tears welling up in her eyes became too strong to hold in check. Twilight's anger broke into agonized wails. She collapsed, sides heaving, sobs echoing through the clearing. Spike felt his heart break for her. He couldn't stand to see his closest companion in such pain, and yet he felt so powerless to comfort her. There was no denying what she had done, and what she would have done if he hadn't intervened. Though she buried her face in her forelegs, he could still see the small scratches on her cheeks where his claws had dug in, redirecting her bolt at the last moment. Luna said nothing until Twilight's sobs had faded to whimpers, and her heaves reduced to trembling. "Twilight Sparkle," she said at last, "what you are feeling now.... That is how I felt in the days after you and your friends defeated me as Nightmare Moon." She paused to give Twilight a chance to respond. When Twilight said nothing, she continued. "My anger and jealousy had driven me to believe the only course of action was to destroy everything my sister holds dear. I spent many days hidden behind Canterlot's walls, wondering how I could face that world again." At last, Twilight looked up, eyes red and puffy from the tears that still trickled free. "What saved me, Twilight, was you," Luna said. "Celestia would sometimes show me your friendship reports. I read about you and your friends, and I started to hope that, maybe, you would find it in your heart to forgive me for what I tried to do to you. I wasn't sure what to expect when I came to Ponyville that Nightmare Night, but your trust gave me courage." Twilight sat up, wiping the tears from her face. "I'm glad I could help," she said with a quavering voice, "but... I don't know if I'm ready to forgive myself just yet." Luna nodded with a smile. "I understand. That will, perhaps, be the most difficult task of all. You should know, however, that I do not believe for a moment you attacked me, any more that I believe you attacked Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy. What you attacked was something else - something only you could see. Please. I would like to know what it was." Twilight rubbed a hoof against her foreleg and looked down. "I.... It's hard to describe," she said slowly. "The spell I cast worked - that's what led me here in the first place. But as I cast it, something... went wrong. Something...." She winced, pressing a hoof against her forehead. "Something shiny. Or shimmery. It's... difficult to describe. You and Spike, you disappeared, and instead there were two monsters. Like shadows with glowing red eyes." Luna nodded. "That sounds very much like the creatures I encountered in your dream." "It does," Twilight agreed. "I don't know why, but just looking at them terrified me beyond anything I've ever felt before. I was certain they wanted to destroy me, so..." "So you ran," Spike finished, giving her another hug. "Of course! That explains everything!" Twilight nodded. "The world seemed so much bigger after that. I thought I was flying over great forests and mountains, and then over..." Her eyes went wide. "A plain! A big, open plain, just like you saw in my dream." She looked around the clearing and deflated a little. "It's... not nearly as impressive in reality, is it?" "I believe we have learned something valuable, then," Luna said. "Whatever has affected you can make your friends appear to be hostile creatures. The incident with your friends in the cave was no mere happenstance. It also affects your perception of space and time." "What I don't understand is how that happened," Twilight said. Now that she had a problem to focus on, her worries seemed to fade into the background. "What's the pattern? Rainbow Dash and the others ended that vision by removing the rings. You ended this one by putting them on." She let out a long sigh. "If I could just figure out what the trigger is, we could avoid them happening entirely." "Well, maybe that thing will give you some clues." Spike pointed toward the stone obelisk, and the two alicorns turned toward it. Faint green lines now wound their way across the stone's surface until they formed a picture - a group of pegasi, manipulating the clouds. "Interesting," Twilight said. "I wonder why we didn't notice it before?" "Notice it? You were standing on top of it when you-" Spike stopped himself before he said something that would upset Twilight. If he'd said too much, Twilight didn't let him know. "I mean these markings," she explained. "They must only appear at night." "Markings?" Spike turned his head sideways. "What are you talking about?" Twilight turned toward Spike, confused. "These green markings," she said. Spike only frowned. "You can see them, can't you?" Spike shook his head. Twilight turned to Luna, who nodded. "Strange. Maybe only ponies can see them?" "Not just any kind of pony," Luna answered as she rose slowly to her hooves. "I've heard of these stones before, but never seen one myself. They react to the magical traits of nearby ponies - in this case, the power of pegasi." "Pegasi?" Spike repeated. "Hey, you had a whole stack of notes about pegasi." He wracked his brain, trying to remember as much as he could. "It was during the time of Clover the Clever, I think. It had to do with how pegasi control the weather." Twilight nodded. "That's what the pegasi in these markings are doing. And look." She pointed to the shape of the clouds. "It looks like an arrow." Luna peered closer. "It does, indeed," she agreed. She used her magic to retrieve a quill and parchment and began to sketch the designs. "As alicorns, we carry the pegasi's power with us as well. That must be why we are able to see these marks, but not Spike." Twilight began to pace. The familiar action put Spike at ease. The old Twilight was coming back. "So I was researching ancient pegasi, and now, my spell led us here, to this obelisk that only shows these markings to pegasi. There's no way that's a coincidence." "There was a pile about alicorns, too," Spike said quickly. "Well, sort of. I... didn't really understand a lot of it. But I remember some spell diagrams. Oh, and a picture of those rings." Twilight glanced at the golden ring that circled her body, mind already churning away. Pegasi and alicorns, she thought. "Spike, did I have any research on unicorns or earth ponies?" "Unicorns, yes," Spike answered. "A lot about unicorns, actually. There was a bunch of stuff about magic. I didn't really understand it, but it talked about how, after the founding of Equestria, the unicorns found better ways of casting spells. There was a lot about early Equestrian history, too." Twilight nodded. "Whatever I was looking for, it was old, like this obelisk," she said. "If only I could remember... "I believe we have remembered plenty for one evening," Luna said. "I think it would be best for us to rest. The day has been... difficult." Twilight couldn't hide the guilt from her face, but she nodded. "OK. I'll try." But she knew sleep would evade her. The pieces were there, but how did they fit together? As she curled up by the fire, Spike nestling against her side, her mind continued to work. Unicorns, pegasi, alicorns, relics.... She grimaced against her will as a sharp pain stabbed between her eyes. She shook it off. This was once puzzle she refused to leave unsolved. > Shadows > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unicorns... Pegasi... Alicorns... Relics... The four words circled around and around in Twilight's mind, like shining hooks upon which she hung scraps of memory. Mental strands wove through and around each bit of information, forming and reforming in ever-changing webs. Unicorns... Pegasi... Alicorns... but no earth ponies. Why had they been excluded from her notes? The simplest answer lay in the nature of alicorns - wings of a pegasi, horns of a unicorn, but nothing distinctive from earth ponies. Simplest, perhaps, but that was what Twilight hated most about it. Spike had said her notes contained detailed diagrams of pegasus wings and unicorn spells. Why hadn't she delved into the unique qualities of earth ponies? Or, perhaps more accurately, why had her research materials led her to believe that such a search was unnecessary? It was frustrating to her that Spike couldn't differentiate between her notes and the materials upon which her notes were based. Her frustration wasn't directed toward him, but rather at the uncertainty it created in her analysis. Where did her factual basis end, and her own speculation begin? Twilight shook her head and shivered against the cold. Unicorns. Pegasi. Alicorns. Relics. Spike said he'd found a picture of the rings somewhere in her materials. Had she been searching for them all along? Given their powerful nature, she had to assume they were the goal of her initial trip into the forest. She opened her mental file of the rings and reviewed the facts. They could suppress magic and prevent flight. Clearly, they were not designed to be worn by an earth pony. They only worked when worn together, which meant pegasi, lacking horns, could not be their intended wearers. A unicorn could wear both, but why bother preventing the flight of a flightless creature? No, she decided, these rings were intended to be used on alicorns. Given their ancient origins, that meant they were meant to be worn by Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. Perhaps that was why earth ponies had no place among her notes. As Luna has said earlier, alicorns possessed the magic of both pegasi and unicorns, so it would make sense that her research had focused on those two pony types so extensively. But why the weather patterns? And why the progress of early Equestrian magic? Perhaps the creation of these artifacts required some aspect of both abilities? But without knowing more about their origins, that line of thinking amounted to little more than speculation. Twilight massaged her temple against a growing headache - one born of extended thought, rather than whatever affliction she suffered through. She took a deep breath and let her thoughts settle. Sometimes, it was best to give the web some space. A branch snapped nearby. Her head whipped around. She saw nothing in the gloom, but scanned the darkness anyway for a sign of movement. Spike snored beside her, and Luna was sound asleep. Her heart thudded in her chest. She was hard-pressed to remember a time she had felt more vulnerable. Then she saw them - the glowing red eyes watching her from just inside the treeline. For an instant, she thought she would bolt in the opposite direction, but she forced that instinct down with every bit of strength she had. She stood, careful not to rouse Spike, and faced the creature. "What do you want?" she called. Twilight... The voice echoed through her mind, creating a jab of pain as it went. Twilight shook off the sensation and returned her gaze to the creature. "That's me," she said. "What do you want?" We want Dusk... There was something about the way it said that word, Dusk. Twilight was certain it was intended to be a name. "I'm not Dusk. I'm Twilight," she answered. "You have the wrong pony." Twilight... Dusk... TWILIGHT... DUSK... The pain grew in Twilight's head, so great her vision blurred, and she was forced to close her eyes just to keep the ache contained. When she opened them again, the eyes had gone. "It was just one," Twilight explained as dawn rose upon their little camp. Luna ate her breakfast in silence as Twilight relayed the events of the night. "I don't know what it wanted. It just said Twilight and Dusk over and over, and then disappeared." Luna nodded as she swallowed her food. "Just like your dream." "Just like my dream." It was Twilight's turn to eat while Luna spoke. "You did not run. This, in itself, is encouraging; you seem to have greater control over your reaction to these creatures. However, it is concerning that you saw this creature, even while wearing the rings. It suggests that this shimmer you spoke of is beginning to break through their magic." "That's just it. There was no shimmer," Twilight answered. "It wasn't like in the cave. I didn't see a huge plain, and you and Spike were still there. Everything else was just as it should have been." Luna nodded. "Then, perhaps, these creatures have learned to find you in the real world. What do you make of it?" Twilight tapped her hoof thoughtfully. "For starters, it means these creatures are real. They're not just in my mind. That means they're a real threat, but it also means you can help me fight them if we have to." "That also means they can fight us," Spike said. He was busy stuffing supplies into his backpack - extra bandages, spare gemstones, and a few scrolls he'd brought in case they needed to send a message to Princess Celestia. "Indeed." Luna swallowed the last of her breakfast and stood. "We must redouble our vigilance. We do not yet know the full extend of their capabilities." Twilight stood as well. "Spike, write this down." Spike dutifully opened one of his scrolls and held a quill ready. "Dear Princess Celestia," she started, then stopped. "What should we tell her?" "What do you mean?" Spike asked. "We should just tell her what happened." "If she hears Luna is hurt, she'll come after us," Twilight explained. Spike frowned. "And that's... bad?" "It's..." Twilight wasn't sure how to speak her thought out loud. "I don't know if it's a good idea for her to be out here with us." "Seems like we can use all the help we can get, especially since you decided none of our friends should come along," Spike replied. Twilight shot him a dirty look. "I'm just saying. Having more ponies to help would give us more options." MORE PONIES. The deafening whisper made Twilight jump. Before she could recover, a shadow streaked from the forest and struck her side, knocking her to the ground. She heard Luna's magic and Spike yelling. She scrambled to her hooves and whipped her head around, searching for her attacker. She had just enough time to see the shadow carrying a screaming Spike into the forest, Luna's magic bolt missing it by a hair's breadth. "Come," Luna said, racing past Twilight at a full gallop. Twilight followed. "That creature won't get away from us!" Spike screamed Twilight and Luna's names as the clearing quickly disappeared from view. He swung his arms and legs at his captor, but was unable to break free. The creature moved faster than anything he'd ever seen, even Rainbow Dash in a full dive. It swerved and wove through the trees, and Spike soon found himself completely disoriented and somewhat nauseated. It was that second part that saved him. A flaming burp that escaped his mouth must have startled the creature, because it suddenly let go of him and darted away. Spike crashed into a puddle. Spluttering, he pushed himself up and looked for the creature. It didn't take long to find it whizzing in circles above its head, its glowing eyes painting red streaks against the green canopy and patches of blue sky. Spike picked up a stick, the only weapon he could find nearby, and held it in front of him. He'd often dreamed of being a mighty warrior, but now that he stood alone, facing a monster of unknown power, he began to have second thoughts. He gripped the stick with both claws and did his best to keep it between himself and the creature. It lunged toward him a few times, but never made contact. Spike wanted to believe it was too afraid to strike, but doubted it very much. After what felt like forever, the sound of hoofbeats reached Spike's ears. The creature's darting paused, and Spike swore in turned to listen. "Hah! Not so tough now!" he said, hoping he sounded tougher than he felt. "Just wait 'til Twilight and Luna get here. You'll be sorry!" To his surprise, the creature darted away, weaving through the trees. Spike stood still for a moment, half-expecting the creature to double back and ambush him. When nothing hit him from behind, he dropped the stick and took a moment to catch his breath. He stood alone, surrounded by dense, tangled trees and shrubs. The forest was unnervingly quiet, save the sound of his own breathing and the approaching hoofbeats. What he'd thought was a puddle turned out to be a small freshwater pond, fed by a tiny stream. At its center stood a stone obelisk, very much like the one they'd found last night. He wondered if it might have secret markings, too, but that could wait. The hoofbeats grew louder, running in his direction. He ran out to meet them. "Twilight!" he called. "Luna! Over - ow!" Spike crashed headlong into something soft and furry. When the daze wore off, he found himself facing an unfamiliar orange face that was nearly overrun by a dark blue mane. "S-Sorry," he stammered. "I'm, uh, looking for somepony." "Somepony?" The pony's face broke into a wide grin. "It's your lucky day. I'm a pony." "Y-Yeah, but, I meant somepony I actually know," Spike said, getting to his feet. "Oh. Yeah." The pony frowned and tapped his chin. Then, he grinned again. "Easy fix! I'll tell you my name, and then you'll know me." Spike wasn't sure what to make of him. He was definitely an earth pony, unless his unkempt made was hiding a horn. His oversized leather saddle bags covered his cutie mark completely. Other than his wild mane style, there was nothing especially remarkable about him. "Okay," Spike said, "I'm Spike." "Spike." He repeated. "That's a good name. I'm Tinker." "Tinker." It seemed an appropriate name. "You haven't seen two alicorns wandering around, have you?" "Alicorns?" Tinker laughed. "I wish. Nope, haven't seen anypony but me. Well, and Inky, but it looks like it's gone now. Didn't hurt you, did it?" "Inky?" Spike repeated. "You mean that shadow monster?" "That's the one. I've been out here trying to figure out what's up with that thing for a while now. Hence my... unique mane style." Tinker walked over to the pond and took a long gulp of water. "Hey, at least it dropped you off somewhere you could get a drink." "Wait, so, you're an expert about it?" Spike pressed. "My friends and I are trying to learn about it, too." Tinker's grin widened. "No kidding? Well, lucky thing I met you then." He paused to adjust his saddle bags. Spike saw what looked like a few herbs sticking out of them. "Let's go to my house. I'll send up a signal so your friends can find you. You said they were alicorns, right?" Spike nodded. "Awesome. Always wanted to meet one of those." > Breakthrough > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight's lungs heaved as she shoved herself through the forest. "Spike!" she called, though the dragon had long since vanished from view. She choked down a sob and pushed forward. Branches whipped at her face. Thorny bushes cut her legs. She hardly noticed. "Spike!" "Twilight." Luna's even voice sounded almost robotic beside Twilight's shrieks. Twilight kept pushing forward. "This blind chase will not help Spike, or us. We must make a plan." Twilight ignored her, instead shoving her way through a tangle of branches. Several of them broke, leaving deep gashes in her chest and shoulders. The pain finally broke through her panic, and she fell back, gasping from exhaustion, fright, and guilt. The forest was dark, as it always was away the beaten paths. Twilight's eyes darted around her, and her ears turned toward every tiny sound, hoping somehow that she'd find Spike running toward her. We must make a plan. She let Luna's advice burrow through the tumult of emotion that ruled her mind, until at last, she was able to think. "Okay. Okay." Twilight took several deep breaths and paced as best she could in the undergrowth. "The things took Spike. They took him. That means we have to move fast." Luna nodded. "The question is, how do we track it? My magic has so far been ineffective, and that creature is too agile and quick to leave a trail behind." "Right. No trail, and no..." She paused, both in her pacing and in her thinking. The idea was there, the perfect plan, shining like a beacon in the night. She would have done it in an instant, except for the one glaring flaw. "Twilight? Do you have an idea?" Luna asked. Twilight's eyes darted to Luna's splinted wing. She shook her head. "No. It won't work." "Perhaps not, but it may be a good starting point," Luna said. She sighed. "All right. I know a spell that will help me track Spike. But I can't use magic, and I don't have time to teach it to you, so it doesn't matter." "You could cast a spell," Luna said. The weight of her sentence, and its implications, settled in the air like storm clouds. "No," Twilight said. "We're not doing that again." "Very well. What other option do we have?" The question only added to the pressure threatening to overcome her. Twilight wracked her brain for something, anything, they could do. She found only blank spaces, and soon her knees gave out beneath her. As she collapsed under the weight of terror and helplessness, a vice tightened around her heart, squeezing out a single, pitiful sob and a sprinkling of tears. "Your fear is justified," Luna said, "both for Spike and for what may happen. You will have to face it, eventually. In my opinion, Twilight, that time has come." Twilight forced herself to breathe. The focus steadied her nerves just enough to think about what Luna had said. Spike needs me to be brave, she thought. I have to be brave, for him and for me. Slowly, she rose to her hooves. "Okay. I... I'm ready to try." Luna's horn glowed, sending shimmering magic around the rings on Twilight's body. "Remember that whatever vision you see, it is not real," she said. "I am here with you, not those dark creatures." Twilight nodded. "Don't remove the one around my wings," she said. "That will slow me down if I lose control." Luna nodded in return. The magic around the larger ring faded, and the smaller one slipped off of her horn. Twilight felt a surge of magic, but she forced it back. Focus on the spell, she thought, allowing a bit of magic to channel through her horn. A shimmering path appeared before her, winding erratically through the trees. "There," she said. "I see it." Before she could take a step, a sudden surge of magic overwhelmed her control. Pain flashed through her head. When her vision cleared, she found herself in a dense jungle. The shimmering path still lay before her, only it appeared much longer than it had before. TWILIGHT. ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? She jumped at the booming voice. A red-eyed creature stood just behind her, watching intently. Her body screamed at her to run away, but she forced her terror to stay at bay. It's not real, she told herself. That's Luna. We're looking for Spike. Spike needs me. I have to stay focused. TWILIGHT. Twilight shook her head to clear away the fear. It worked, but only barely. "I'm okay," she gasped between the strain of maintaining the spell and staying in place. "I'm okay for now," she added. "Let's go." Twilight took off at a slow trot, following the winding trail. She sensed the red-eyed creature following her, and more than once she had to pause to remind herself that it wasn't real. Her magic ebbed and swelled seemingly at random, and maintaining her tracking spell became nearly impossible. After what felt like hours, she said, "Put the ring on." The visions and spell ended, and she felt herself falling over. Luna caught her with magic and held her until she recovered her strength. "Well?" Twilight asked. "How far do you think we went?" "We have been walking for about 15 minutes," Luna answered. "15 minutes?" She threw herself to the ground with a groan. "I thought we'd been at it for hours!" "It appears your condition affects your perception of time as well," Luna observed. Twilight covered her face with a foreleg and groaned some more. "Little progress is better than no progress," Luna reminded her. It's not fast enough, she thought, but what choice do I have? She stood up and prepared to enter her nightmare world again. Please, Spike. Hold on. I'm doing the best I can. The day wore on in 20-minute loops. If Luna felt frustrated by their slow pace, she didn't show it. Twilight felt like her soul was slowly being crushed under the weight of her own inadequacy, but she pressed on, even as the sun set and the shadows deepened. Luna raised the moon during one of Twilight's breaks, and it was another hour before they reached the trail's end. "Well. This is... interesting," Luna said as Twilight practically collapsed from exhaustion. "I don't care," Twilight mumbled. "Where's Spike?" Luna stepped wordlessly around her. Twilight's heart began to pound at the silence. "It appears you've led us to another of these obelisks," Luna said. Twilight followed her gaze. The obelisk stood in the center of a pond. For an instant, Twilight saw herself taking a long drink from its glassy depths. "I've been here before," she said. "This place.... This is the jungle. That's what I've been seeing every time I use magic." "And this monument must be why this place remains in your memory," Luna reasoned. "Come look at the markings." Twilight dutifully hauled herself upright and stood beside Luna. "Unicorns," she said, scanning the pale blue lines. "It looks like they're casting a spell on the one in the center." "They're channeling energy through the center one," Luna explained. "I remember this method of spellcasting, from our early days as rulers of Equestria. It replaced the old chanting methods of casting spells. Each unicorn would say a small part of the spell, and the one in the center would combine their efforts into a single effect. Quite ingenious, if less efficient than the current style." "Spike mentioned seeing information about unicorn magic in my notes," Twilight said. She looked closer at the center unicorn - specifically, their horn. "It's pointing that way," she said. "Back the way we came." "And that cloud arrow we saw last night was pointing in this direction," Luna said. "Each must point to the others' location." "But why?" Twilight wondered out loud. "Did the old pony tribes make these to help them find each other? But, why would earth ponies not have one as well? And what does any of this have to do with those shadow creatures, or these rings?" "I am not certain," Luna answered as she withdrew paper and quills from her bags. "I will trace these markings, as I did the others. Perhaps looking at them side by side will give us additional clues." Luna paused for a moment. "Didn't you say Spike's trail ended here?" Twilight gasped. How could she have forgotten? She pictured the trail's end in her mind. She rushed to the edge of the pond. "Here," she said. "It ended here." She looked around, but saw no sign of the dragon. "Where is he?" Luna joined her and looked around, shedding light in the immediate area. "Perhaps he moved on," she suggested. "The spell should have shown that," Twilight said. "Spike!" "Think. Don't panic," Luna said. "Is there anything that could interfere with the trail? Anything that could wipe it clean, so to speak?" "There is a concealment spell, but it's tricky. You wouldn't find it way out here," she said. "Perhaps some creature, then," Luna suggested. "It would come as no surprise to me if some animal in this forest could disrupt Spike's trail." The thought of Spike facing down yet another monster nearly sent Twilight into a paralyzing panic. "Spike!" she called. "SPIKE!" The two searched the entire perimeter on the chance that Twilight had misremembered the trail's end. It was only at the end of their search that Luna spotted something promising. "Look," she said. "Hoof marks. Fresh ones. Somepony was here earlier today." "They're overlapped with Spike's prints," Twilight added, peering in the dim light shed by Luna's horn. "Spike must have gone with them." The thought calmed her nerves immensely. He wasn't in the grip of that shadow creature or some other monster. "He's with a pony." Luna followed the trail until it entered the treeline. "They went this way," she declared. "I think it would be unwise to follow them now." Although Twilight would have liked to find Spike, she couldn't argue. Now that her nerves had been eased, a deep exhaustion settled on her. She yawned. "Yeah. We should get some rest." Luna gathered some wood and got a fire going while Twilight looked at the drawings she'd made of the obelisks. They were stylistically similar, indicating they had been made at around the same time, perhaps even by the same craftsponies. "I wonder," she said, "who was meant to see these?" "Pegasi and unicorns, respectively," Luna answered. "They can only be seen by those types of ponies, after all." "Yes, but why?" Twilight pressed. "What's the purpose? Why go to the trouble of having them point to each other if they can't be seen by one pony? Unless..." "Unless...?" Luna repeated. "Unless they're not meant for unicorns or pegasi," Twilight answered. "What if they're meant for alicorns?" Luna stroked her chin thoughtfully. "It is an interesting thought, but as far as we know, only four alicorns have ever set hoof in Equestria - and two of those fairly recently." "You could say the same thing about these rings," Twilight replied. "If these are meant for alicorns, why not these obelisks?" Luna's gaze drifted to the drawing Twilight had been studying. "These lines," she said. "They look..." She stacked the two pieces of paper and held them up in the firelight. Twilight gasped. "It's a map," she said. "A topographical map." "Indeed. And look," Luna continued. "This is the clearing, and this is the pond." Twilight leapt to her hooves, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "And the cloud arrow and horn. They're pointing right there!" The two mares smiled at one another. "Well, now," Luna said. "It appears we are starting to make headway." > The Hermit > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So, this is where you live, huh?" Spike looked around the cluttered room. Papers and books stood in rickety piles on every available surface. If he squinted and leaned just right, he could just make out a small bed tucked into a closet in the back. The whole building smelled like dried ink and paper. In short, it reminded him of Twilight. Tinker slung his bags over a hook on the wall and began emptying its contents - various herbs and bits of plants from the forest. Now Spike could see his cutie mark - a downward-pointing triangle with a horizontal line running through it. "Sure is," he said. "It's not much, but it's home. Sit wherever, I guess. I don't get a lot of company out here!" The wild-maned earth pony sorted the herbs into a series of small drawers at one side of the room. Spike picked a short stack of books and sat down. "And all these books and notes, they're about... what did you call it? Inky?" Tinker laughed. "Not all of them. I think the stuff on Inky is..." He paused to look around. "There." He pointed with a hoof toward one corner. Spike hopped off his pile of books. "Mind if I take a look?" "Go ahead!" Tinker answered. "Maybe you'll see something I missed. It's been a while since I had someone help me go through all this." Spike walked over to the corner and began sifting through the materials. There were a lot of sketches showing Inky moving through trees, flying around, all stuff Spike had seen far closer than he would have liked. He set the drawings in a pile and turned to the notes. They were much less organized than Twilight's, but Spike wasn't surprised. Not only did Twilight have the advantage of unicorn magic, she also seemed much more orderly than this Tinker character. "Hey, I'm going to make some wildroot soup," Tinker called from somewhere behind him. "Want any? Or, what to dragons eat?" Spikes stomach growled. He would have preferred a sapphire, but he didn't think Tinker would have one on hand. "Soup's fine," he answered. "Great! I'll be in the back if you need anything." Tinker's hoofbeats passed into the next room. Spike turned his attention back to the notes. The first entries he found contained physical descriptions of the creature - something he already knew well. Next came a list of attributes and abilities. This Spike read with interest. He already knew about the creature's speed and strength, but Tinker had also noted that it avoided direct sunlight or moonlight. His notes also indicated that this creature apparently did not need to eat or drink anything. Filing that information away, Spike turned his attention to some of the books crammed in the pile. Most of them were bound in unremarkable brown covers, so Spike was forced to read the first few pages of each to get an idea of what they contained. That was easier said than done; they were all written in some ancient form of pony language that. He was able to decipher them, but the process was slow, and the topics were all complicated once he got past the language barrier. They all seemed to have something to do with magic. Trying to discern anything else gave Spike a headache. Spike decided to set those aside for the time being and rely on Tinker's notes instead. He'd stuffed the papers into the books, seemingly at random. Spike assumed the notes were relevant to the pages between which they lay, and did his best to put them back where he found them. The notes confirmed what he'd suspected. Most of the books were about ancient pony magic, specifically the power of unicorns. "How's it going, little buddy?" Tinker asked as he carefully sat a crude wooden bowl on the floor next to Spike. It contained a water soup full of lumpy, rough-cut vegetables. Spike held back a grimace and took a slurp. "Find anything interesting?" Tinker asked. "Do you think Inky has something to do with ancient unicorns?" Spike asked. Tinker nodded. "Definitely. That thing's the result of powerful magic, no question about it." "How do you understand all this? I mean, you're an earth pony. It's not like you've ever used magic," Spike said. "Not unicorn magic," Tinker answered, "but isn't learning it's own kind of magic?" Spike wanted to say that wasn't the same, but then he remembered the times the power of friendship had gotten his friends out of a jam, and decided it was best to keep his objection to himself. "You said you've been out here studying Inky," he said. "Is there anything you've seen that you haven't written down?" Tinker stroked his chin with a hoof. "Maybe," he said. "I do my best to write down anything that comes to mind, but my mind isn't exactly the most organized." Spike didn't doubt it for a moment. "You wrote here that they don't like sunlight or moonlight," he said. "I was wondering, what did you mean by that?" "Oh, yeah! That was a wild adventure," Tinker said. "I was tracking Inky, see, and I decided to take a break at that pond where I found you. That's when I spotted it, hiding just inside the treeline. Now, you know Inky won't pass on an opportunity to snatch somepony - somedragon?" he added. Spike waved his claw for him to continue. "Anyway, Inky really likes snatching, but it didn't make a move for me. It just stayed right there in the trees. Weird, huh?" "I guess," Spike said. "And the moonlight?" "Oh, basically the same thing, except at night," Tinker answered. "Forgot to stock up on water before nightfall. That was a scary trip, let me tell you!" "Huh." Spike scratched his head. "Then how come it grabbed me in broad daylight?" Tinker paused to consider. "That is weird. Wait, you weren't carrying any rosemary, were you?" "No." "Aha! That must be it," Tinker exclaimed. "Inky hates sage and rosemary. Those are the first things I look for when I go out for herbs. You should try it sometime." Tinker grabbed a sheet of paper with a hoof, then gripped a pencil carefully in his mouth and scribbled: Light not enough. Need herbs for extra scare. "Hah! I knew you'd spot something I missed." Spike looked around at the books and papers. Protection was well and good, but not enough to help Twilight. "Have you ever had... nightmares about Inky?" Spike asked. "Sure," Tinker replied. "It gets scary out here by myself sometimes. That's why I keep all these herbs around." Spike followed his pointing hoof and spotted a few tried leaves spaced around the walls. "You having bad dreams too?" "No. I mean, nothing out of the ordinary," Spike said. "But my friend is having really bad... I don't know if you'd call them nightmares. More like... visions. She can't tell what's real, and she thinks her friends are all Inky." By now, dusk had fallen outside. Tinker lit a candle to give them light. "Visions, you say," he said, taking notes on his paper. "Is this one of the alicorns you mentioned, or somepony else?" "Alicorn," Spike answered. "Her name's Twilight Sparkle." If Tinker recognized the name, he didn't show it. "And these visions, are they persistent or intermittent?" "Inter... what?" "I mean, are they all the time or some of the time?" "Oh. Some of the time," Spike answered. "Do you think Inky might have attacked her? Is that a side effect?" "Hard to say," Tinker answered. His speech was surprisingly clear, despite the pencil in his mouth. "I've had my share of scrapes, but I've never had anything like you're describing. At least, I don't think I have. Guess I don't have any friends around here to turn into Inkys, huh?" He finished his scribbling and look at Spike. "Of course, it's possible this is Spooky's fault. That one's a little different." "Spooky?" Spike gulped. "So there's another one?" "Sure is. Inky and Spooky. Good names, huh?" Tinker smiled, waiting for a response. When none came, he coughed and continued. "Inky's the fast flying one. Spooky's slower and sticks to the ground, but I always felt a little... well, spooked when I saw them. Hence the name." Inky and Spooky. Having a name to go with these creatures made Spike feel a little better. "Do you have anything on Spooky?" "Not as much as Inky. It's over there," Tinker answered, gesturing broadly with a hoof. "Lemme finish these notes, and I'll help you find it." Spike wandered in the direction he'd indicated, sidestepping around stacks of papers, when something caught his eye. He wasn't sure why that particular scrap of paper stood out, but there was something familiar about it. Tinker was still scribbling furiously. Spike carefully pulled it from its stack. His heart stopped. It was the drawing of the rings. Not just a drawing. The drawing. The very same one he'd seen in the castle. He knew it was the same, because Twilight's neat writing could still be seen in the corner, asking the same question: "What do they do?" His eyes darted toward Tinker. He had just finished his notes and was looking for a place to put them. Spike grabbed a nearby pencil and scrawled a hasty note. Then, he rolled up the paper and, with a burst of green flame, sent the paper to Princess Celestia. "Hey, you breathing fire?" Tinker's voice called from some hidden stack. "Careful with that stuff. Don't want to send all my hard work up in flames!" Spike had to fight the urge to hyperventilate. Why hadn't he just asked Tinker about it? There was no way an earth pony could have made Twilight's notes disappear. And yet, as he looked around, he suddenly thought it uncanny how closely Tinker's research resembled Twilight's. What were the chances of stumbling across somepony in the middle of the forest with so much helpful information? He wasn't the best at math, but he had a feeling the odds of that happening by chance were near zero. "You all right?" Tinker asked. "You're looking a little worried." "Y-Yeah. Just... worried about Twilight, is all," Spike answered. "You were going to show me some stuff about Spooky?" Spike couldn't be sure in the flickering candlelight, but he thought he saw Tinker's eye twitch. Then, the pony yawned. "Eh, let's find it tomorrow. Shouldn't go digging around when you're sleepy." "Yeah. Okay. Tomorrow." Spike found a cozy place to curl up on the floor as Tinker retired to his bed. Spike had the sinking feeling Tinker might not be as forthcoming in the morning. > Destination > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight woke early the next morning. Luna watched her hurried movements with slight amusement. "I see you are excited for the day." "Anxious is more like it," Twilight answered as she stuffed their supplies into their bags. At least, that was the idea. She was so used to using magic to pack, her by-the-hoof efforts made more of a mess. Luna chuckled and packed the bags. Twilight blushed. "Thanks." "You'll be happy to know that I surveyed the area at first light," Luna said. "Based on our hidden map, I believe I have located our next destination." "Great!" Twilight put on her saddle bags. "Let's find Spike. Then, we can figure out what this mystery is all about." The two alicorns made their way through the forest, carefully following the tracks Spike and the mysterious pony had left behind. Twilight's heart fluttered with each step. We're coming, Spike, she thought. I hope you're in good hooves. Around mid-day, they found themselves at the trail's end. A squat log shelter huddled beneath the thick forest branches, barely visible in the underbrush. If they hadn't been looking for it, they may have missed it entirely. Twilight marched up to the wood-plank door and knocked. After some scuffling, the door opened wide. "Twilight!" "Spike!" The two embraced. "I was so worried about you," Twilight said. "How did you escape?" "A little dragon fire shook it off," Spike answered. "Then, I met this guy, and he gave me a place to stay." Twilight peered into the dimly-lit cottage. An orange earth pony with an enormous, unkempt blue mane stood grinning at her. "Hey," he said. "Name's Tinker. You must be Twilight. Spike here's been telling me all about you." "Thank you for taking care of him," Twilight replied. "I didn't know anypony lived this deep in the forest." "Well, you have to if you're going to study Inky and Spooky," the pony answered. "That's what he calls those shadow monsters," Spike explained. "Really?" Twilight couldn't believe her luck. "You have to tell me everything you know." "Heh, I don't know. That's quite a bit," Tinker said, standing aside to give Twilight the full view of his collection. "Spike here tells me you've been looking for something. I bet I can help." "As a matter of fact, we are," Twilight said. "Luna, can you hand him that map?" Luna stood just behind Twilight, watching Tinker with a look Twilight couldn't quite place. Silently, she pulled the map from her bag and set it between Tinker and Twilight. Tinker moved forward to get a good look. "Yeah, I know this topography," he said. He pointed with a hoof. "We're right here. Where are you headed?" "Here." Twilight pointed to the spot where the cloud arrow and the unicorn horn met. "Do you know it?" "Sure do. That's the Salty Sea. Well, it's more of a lake, actually, but Salty Lake doesn't sound as cool," Tinker said. "I can take you there, if you want. I'd love the chance to talk to a real alicorn." Twilight blushed. "Oh, you don't have to do that." "Nah, it's no problem. I needed to head out there anyway. Got another shack to check in with." He stepped back into his shelter, and a moment later emerged with two huge saddle bags. "For herbs and samples and stuff," he explained. "Indeed," Luna said, breaking her silence. "How long will it take us to reach this Salty Sea?" "About half a day," Tinker answered. "We'll be arriving just before dusk. Hey, you'll get to see the sun set over the lake! Fantastic view." "Of course." Luna maintained her stiff tone. "I'll just need a moment to repack my things. Twilight, could you lend me a hoof?" "Uh, sure." Twilight wasn't sure how helpful she'd be, but she followed Luna a short distance away. Luna removed things from her bags, seemingly at random. "Is everything okay?" Twilight asked. "Something is wrong with him," Luna whispered. "His aura is wrong for an earth pony. I can't quite explain what it is, but it's unlike anything I've seen before." Twilight shot a glance back toward the shelter. Tinker and Spike were laughing about something. "He seems nice." "He seems convenient," Luna replied, finally arranging her things just as they'd been before. "Keep your eyes open. We need to be ready if something happens." Twilight nodded. She wasn't sure she shared Luna's concerns, but she had to admit this strange earth pony was an unusual stroke of good luck. The two returned to Tinker and Spike, and soon the four were off. Tinker had all sorts of questions as they traveled, from what it was like to fly and use magic, to how Twilight's ascension had altered her relationship with Equestria, Ponyville, and her friends. Twilight deflect any inquiries she deemed to personal, but was more than happy to share her story with this strange pony who kept Spike safe. Spike, for his part, couldn't stop gushing about Tinker's notes, and how helpful they'd be in learning more about the shadow creatures. "You know, I've never heard of a pony turning into another kind of pony," Tinker said as they waded through a shallow stream. The cool water felt good on Twilight's sore hooves. "Nopony has, until Twilight turned into an alicorn," Spike said. "Like I said, she's pretty awesome." Twilight did her best to brush off the compliment, but she couldn't stop the color from rising to her cheeks. "It wasn't really a big deal." "Hah! I know you're just being modest with that one," Tinker laughed. "Come on. How'd you do it?" Twilight summarized her struggles to complete Starswirl's unfinished masterpiece. "Once I helped my friends, I just sort of knew," she said. "You can't fulfil your own destiny by sacrificing the destiny of others. You have to do it together." "Together," Tinker repeated. "Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing. I mean, not turning into an alicorn, obviously," he added with a hasty grin. "Yep, that's a whole new level of special," Spike agreed. "I like your rings, by the way," Tinker continued as they trotted up a hill. "Bit of an odd fashion choice for somepony with wings, though." "It's..." Twilight hesitated. It was one of those questions that bordered on too personal to answer. "It's complicated," she decided. Tinker nodded, seeming to understand her reluctance. "I'm sure we're about to get to the bottom of... well, whatever you're looking for." With a grin and dramatic flourish, he moved a tree branch out of the way to reveal the Salty Sea. Twilight gasped as she stepped forward. The grassy waterfront gave way to bare rocks, against which small waves lapped gently. The salty air filled her lungs, and for a moment, she saw herself curled up on a particularly large rock that jutted out into the water. "This is it," she said, voice barely a whisper. "This... is where it all started." She trotted, almost in a daze, toward the water. Spike followed close behind. Tinker held back, smiling. She looked at the rock expectantly, not sure what she wanted to find. She wasn't surprised to find two circular grooves etched into the rock - the perfect size for the rings she wore. She looked at Spike and nodded. As he carefully removed the rings, she braced herself for a magical surge. To her surprise, none came. Spike placed the rings in their corresponding grooves and stepped back. "This is it," Twilight said. "Yes," Tinker agreed. "This is it." The shockwave nearly sent Twilight flying into the water. Magic pulsed out from the rings, and she felt as though her weight had increased tenfold. Her body pressed against the stone. Spike landed somewhere in the grass. She heard Luna scream. When her vision cleared, she saw a bright haze of magic surrounding her on all sides. Squinting, she could just see a similar aura surrounding Luna, trapping her as well. "Come on, Spooky," she heard Tinker say. "Time to come home." Lighting flashed across Twilight's vision. Her head exploded with a thousand splinters as her own magic turned against her. She thought she heard her own screaming as she felt the uncontrolled magic within her taking a shape of its own, ripping its way out of her skin. When the pain finally ended, she could do nothing but gasp and peer dimly at the shadowy figure that had detached itself from her and floated to Tinker's side. The other one, the one Tinker called Inky, flitted from the forest and joined him as well. "Hah! There you are!" Tinker did a little prance with the two shadows. "I had a feeling you'd latched on to her. Hope you haven't been getting into too much trouble!" "Tinker!" Luna's voice boomed with rage. "Explain yourself!" "Me?" Tinker said. "What about you? Blasting poor Spooky like that, after they were kind enough to show you where Twilight had been. Nearly killed them when you broke their connection to those rings. Good thing Twilight has plenty of magic for them to feed on." "Is that why Twilight has been having visions?" Luna demanded. "Because that... thing was living inside her?" "Oh, don't you dare blame Spooky for this!" Tinker said. "If anything, it's Twilight's fault for running away. If she'd just waited for Inky to get bound, she would have been just fine!" "What are you talking about?" Twilight asked, finding her voice at last. "What did you do to me?" "Tried to do, until you ran away," Tinker said. "You're powerful, I'll give you that, but you could have been more. You could have been... Enmity Dusk!" The way he said that name, Twilight knew he meant for it to sound impressive, but she was too angry to put up with his bravado. "What in the hay does that mean?" "Enmity Dusk," Tinker repeated. "You know, like how Nightmare Moon is just a different word for Luna mixed with a twisted version of one of her powers? Twilight is another word for dusk, and enmity is the opposite of friendship. Enmity Dusk." Twilight was so stunned, it took her a moment to find an answer. "You mean to tell me," she shouted, "that all of this was because you wanted to make another Nightmare Moon?" "Yes!" Tinker's wide grin indicated he hadn't realized how strongly the two alicorns opposed this idea. "Come on! Imagine the power! Of course, it didn't go as planned. I guess the same pony can't be absorbed twice. But hey, now you can absorb somepony fresh - and another alicorn, of all things!" He paced back and forth excitedly. "Maybe running away was the best thing you could have done, after all. Ah, but what if we had another alicorn?" He frowned. "The power of three alicorns fused into one... now that would be a sight!" "You want one more alicorn?" A new voice boomed across the lake. Twilight twisted her head to see a blinding light emerge from the setting sun. She blinked. Princess Celestia emerged from the glow, the dying light glinting off her white body. "It appears your wish has been granted," Celestia said, "although you may very well wish it hadn't." Tinker didn't appear the least bit shocked. Instead, his grin widened, and he took an offensive stance. The two shadow creatures mirrored his movements. "I see you got Spike's note," he said. "How fortuitous for me." > Convergence > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia opened with a blast of light that streaked toward Tinker with blinding speed. The shadow called Spooky leapt in front of him to intercept the blow. Its body glowed, and a magical barrier appeared, negating the attack. Celestia threw two more bolts at him as she maneuvered through the sky. Spooky blocked each one in turn, then sent a bolt of its own. Celestia easily dodged the attack with a graceful swoop of her wings. "Release them," she demanded. "Not happening," Tinker replied. "You have some fancy moves, but you're no match for Inky." The black creature shot into the sky with blinding speed, slamming into Celestia's side. She recovered quickly and erected a protective spear before Inky could strike again. As the creature bounced off her shield, she turned it into an attack, bright magical energy bursting around her. "Clever, but I'm afraid your sister did it better," Tinker said. Inky darted away from the blast wile Spooky shielded Tinker from the radiance. "Tell you what. Why don't you come down here, and we'll negotiate a surrender?" "We have nothing to discuss!" Celestia swooped low, sending blast after blast as she descended. Spooky blocked each one, but only barely. Tinker took a step back. Celestia flared her wings and focused her power on Spooky's shield, creating a sustained blast. The colliding magical forces sent rippling waves across the grassland. Inky darted toward Celestia, but not fast enough. Spooky's shield collapsed, and the shadow took the full brunt of Celestia's strike. "Gaah!" Tinker staggered back, though the blast landed nowhere near him. Spooky zipped back to Tinker's side and stood at the ready. Celestia started to dive, but Inky struck her from the side, and she tumbled away towards the forest. Celestia twisted her body just in time for her hooves to strike a thick tree trunk, rather than her wings. Her knees bent, absorbing the force of impact, and then pushed back outward to launch herself back into the fray. "Your servants are formidable," she acknowledged, "but not unbeatable." Tinker charged forward, both shadows at his side. Twilight wondered what he intended to do; Celestia still hovered well out of his reach. Spooky suddenly lunged forward and emitted a dazzling burst of light. While Celestia blinked the stars from her eyes, Inky slid beneath Tinker and launched him into the air. Celestia's vision cleared just in time for Tinker to land a double flying kick straight into her chest. With a gasp, she plummeted, landing in a heap on the ground. Light burst around her, and she found herself trapped, pulled inexorably to the ground. Tinker landed with surprising grace, panting at the effort. "You're strong," he said, then smiled. "Perfect for my Enmity Dusk." "You won't..." Celestia started to say, then winced as the light around her intensified. Luna's cage flared as well. Twilight felt a sudden surge around her, and then the flow of magic from Equestria's rulers toward her. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused with all her might, trying to step the surge building up around her. If something didn't change in the next few seconds, she was certain she would lose control again. "Sorry, didn't catch that," Tinker said. "Won't what? Get away with it? Succeed?" Celestia shot him a dirty look, but that was all she could do. "I'm just an earth pony. Nothing special about me. I have the power of a tired old pegasus and a second-rate unicorn, and I've bested all of you. What chance do you think you'll have against my Enmity Dusk?" Twilight thought she heard someone answer, but the strain of holding back the magic was too much to bear. As the last of her defenses crumbled, the world shimmered around her. Celestia and Luna turned to shadow. Inky and Spooky took the forms of a pegasus and unicorn, respectively. And Tinker... he was a strange amalgamation of both. Shadowy tendrils connected him to Inky and Spooky, and yet he still retained some of his earth pony form. Then, even that view was swallowed up in blinding light, and Twilight Sparkle was overrun with power. Spike's whole body ached when he regained consciousness. It was still twilight, so he knew he hadn't been out very long. Unfortunately, it seemed a lot had happened in that short space of time. Celestia was pinned to the ground, same as Luna. Magic flowed from them to Twilight, whose form flickered under the weight of so much power. Tinker was saying something Spike couldn't quite make out, with the two shadow creatures hovering nearby. As his mind cleared, he suddenly realized that Tinker must have put him under some kind of spell. No, not spell; he recalled with horror that Tinker hadn't eaten any of the soup the previous night. He must have laced it with something, he thought. That's why I didn't think to warn Twilight or Luna. Celestia must have come looking for them, thanks to the paper Spike had sent her. Now, she was as strapped as the others. Everyone except me, he thought as he got to his feet. Here goes nothing. Spike started running. He had no plan except to deal as much damage as possible and hope Tinker gave in. It sounded insane even as he thought it, but he could think of no other option. Tinker was too busy talking to notice him approach. Spike readied his claws, and slashed at Inky's shadowy form. "Arrrgh!" Spike was surprised to hear Tinker cry out in pain. Inky darted away and hid behind the earth pony. "You!" Tinker glared at him. "Your fall must have ruined my concoction. Doesn't matter. I've already beaten tougher today." Spike gulped. Inky and Spooky loomed over him. Then, a large bounder smashed them both, and a familiar voice called out, "Get away from my Spikey-Wikey!" Rarity stood at the forest's edge, her beauty enhanced by her ferocious snarl. Behind her rested a hot-air balloon, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Tinker let out a long groan and staggered to the side before fixing the four mares with a glare. "How dare you!" he shouted. "Who do you think you-" He was promptly cut off by a rainbow streak that threw him at least thirty trots. Inky and Spooky rushed to catch him. "That's for messing with our friends!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she circled back. While Applejack charged after her, Rarity ran to Spike's side and looked him over. "You're not hurt, are you?" Rarity asked. "I swear, if that beastly, uncouth, ill-mannered affront to mane care laid so much as a hoof on you-" "I'm fine," Spike answered. "What are you doing here?" "It's the third day since you left, silly!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Indeed. We agreed to wait three days before we came looking for you," Rarity explained. "We decided to err on the shorter side of that timetable." "Good thing you did," Spike said. "That pony's got Twilight and the princesses trapped in some kind of magic." Before anypony could reply, Rainbow Dash and Applejack crashed into the ground beside them. Spike turned to see Tinker charging toward him, Inky and Spooky at his sides. "Oh, it is on," Pinkie muttered, trotting forward to meet him. Both shadows lunged at her. In a movement too fast to see, Pinkie conjured a cannon and blasted both with confetti and cake batter. "Argh!" Tinker once again stumbled back, as though he'd been the target of Pinkie's attack. Then, the gears in Spike's head clicked. "He feels what they feel," he said. "If you hit the shadows, he feels the pain!" "Well, that's mighty handy to know," Applejack replied. She and Rainbow Dash leaped into action, striking the shadows with hoof, wing, and head. Tinker quickly crumpled beneath their assault, until finally, both shadows cowered beside him, unmoving. "It's over," Applejack declared. "Let our friends go now!" Tinker looked at her with a wicked grin. "You think I'm finished? Think again!" The shadows melted into his body, and after a moment, Tinker sprouted shadowy wings and a horn. "You've only scratched the surface of my power!" he shouted as he rose into the air. "You will not prevail against-" Whatever he meant to say was lost as an angry bear swatted him from the air and pinned him to the ground. His wings and horn vanished as the two shadows exited his body and fled. A few trots away, Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you, friend," she said softly. To Tinker, she added, "He won't hurt you as long as you stay nice and quiet." Tinker looked up a the bear's toothy face and gulped. "G-Got it," he said. "Uh, guys." The worry in Rainbow Dash's voice made everyone's heads turn. Twilight could barely be seen through the magical radiance surrounding her. Luna and Celestia's eyes fluttered, then closed. Their bodies melted away into shadow. The two golden rings rose from the rock and wrapped themselves around Twilight's body and horn. A blinding flash, then silence as five ponies and a dragon looked at what had become of Twilight. For a moment, she stood there, mane and tail gently waving in the breeze. Cautiously, the six friends moved closer. "Twilight?" Rainbow Dash called. "You all right?" Twilight's eyes opened. They were completely filled with light. From the forest, Inky and Spooky emerged and bowed to her. The shadows of Celestia and Luna did the same. Twilight's body began to grow taller. Her mane and tail grew longer and more ethereal. Her horn was a beacon of magical might, and from her came a voice that shook the ground. DUSK HAS COME, it said. Dusk, said the shadows. Dusk. DUSK. DUSK! DUSK! Twilight's voice roared. "Oh, dear," Rarity whispered. > Dusk > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the flash died down, she felt a strange calm come over her. The world still looked the same, but somehow, it didn't scare her anymore. She saw many shadows now, coming toward her, but slowly. They're afraid, she realized. They're afraid of me now. From the trees, two ponies emerged. One was and older pegasus, the color fading from her dark green feathers and coat. The other, a gray unicorn, looked exhausted. They walked toward her with two alicorns, one white and one midnight blue. She saw the way they glanced at the approaching shadows, sensed the fear they felt. Anger replaced the calm, and she turned to the shadows and spoke. "Dusk has come," she said, not quite knowing why. The four ponies bowed before her. "Dusk," they chanted. Their voices seemed to lend the name power. "Dusk. DUSK. DUSK!" "DUSK!" she shouted. Power radiated from every word. The world trembled before her. The shadows stopped their advance. She turned to the ponies, who looked up at her with radiant hope. "We'll deal with them together," she said. RUN! one of the shadows said. Dusk smiled as the fled in every direction. She gave her commands. They wouldn't get far. The white alicorn leaped into the sky and reached out with her magic, grabbing the fastest one with a spell. It struggled and squirmed, but could not break free as it tried to escape into the sky. Two more ran for the forest. The dark alicorn raised a great earthen barrier to block their retreat. One charged toward her, perhaps trying to cover the others' escape. The pegasus tacked it, and the unicorn trapped it in a rocky cage. Another cowered behind some creature Dusk didn't recognize. She decided to let that one be, for the moment. The last shadow stood still. Dusk stared at it, wondering what it could possibly be thinking. Was it paralyzed by fear? Was such a thing even possible with these strange, red-eyed monsters? No, she decided as it began to walk slowly toward her. It was the smallest of the lot, though perhaps not the brightest. "I am Dusk," she said. No, it said. You are Twilight. She was taken aback by the creatures audacity. "I am Dusk," she repeated, more forcefully this time. No, you're Twilight. Twilight Sparkle, it answered. And I'm Spike, your loyal assistant. Spike. The name rattled around in her head, though she tried to ignore it. The name meant something... but what? The cowering shadow seemed to have found its courage and moved to stand beside the one that called itself Spike. He's right, it said. I'm... Fluttershy. Your friend. "No!" The sudden voice took Dusk by surprise. An orange pony with a wild blue mane was running toward her, and yet, he seemed different from the other two, almost part shadow and part pony. "Listen to me!" he called. "You are Enmity Dusk, the mightiest pony to ever live in Equestria!" Enmity Dusk. The name had a certain ring to it. I AM DUSK, she repeated. The swift flying shadow abruptly changed directions, diving for the orange pony. The white alicorn caught her itmagic yet again. Let go, Twilight! it screamed. That guy's messing with your head. We're your friends, not him! Yeah! shouted one from the great earthen wall. That big meanie's done nothing but trick you into doing his weird experiments. "All I've done is reveal who you truly are!" the orange pony yelled. "All your power, your vision, you owe to me!" Please. The only thing anypony owes you is a haircut. Twilight, dear, listen to me. I don't know what you're thinking right now, but you have to believe us. Dusk sent a ripple of magic out towards the bickering figures, which promptly fell silent. I AM DUSK, she bellowed, though with not quite the same conviction as she'd had before. Something about these shadows seemed... familiar. The smaller one spoke again. I know what you see, it said. You're afraid we'll hurt you. Or, maybe with all your power, you think you'll get revenge for how scared you've been. It stepped forward. But I'm not afraid of you. I know who you are, and you would never hurt your friends. The shadow called Spike had guts. Either it was telling the truth, or it considered itself a very convincing liar. Dusk hadn't quite decided which. It's true, said the one trapped in the cage. We're all your friends. Me, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinke, all of us are here for you. You have to fight back, said one. We believe in you! Come on! Snap out of it, Twilight! Dusk shook her head at the cacophony. The four ponies remained silent, wait for her command. Only the strange orange pony spoke. "Don't listen," he said. "You can't. You're the pinnacle of everything a pony can be. You are my Enmity! You're everything I've worked toward!" And yet, as she looked, his pony features began to fade, replaced with blackness. The shadows who called themselves her friends began to take shape - a pegasus caught mid-air, an earth pony in a cage, and a cluster of ponies standing near a small, purple dragon, whose form became clearer than all the others. "Twilight," he said. "Don't give up. Because I won't give up on you." Dusk shook her head. "I am..." she started. She became aware of something cold and metallic pressing against her sides. She tried to wriggle her wings free, but they were trapped. "Don't fight it!" the orange pony yelled. "Don't run away from your destiny!" At last, she turned the full force of her power on him. The orange pony seemed to wither beneath her gaze. "My destiny?" she repeated. "What would you know of my destiny?" Somehow, he found the courage to speak. "You are Enmity Dusk, my life's work," he said. "That is your destiny." She laughed. "You think my destiny is to serve your ambition?" She shook her head. Deep in her heart, she realized he was wrong. Her servants released their holds on the shadows and focused entirely on the rings that encircled her body and horn. "I am Twilight Sparkle," she said. "My destiny is my own." And without a shred of doubt, she sent every ounce of her power into the rings, shattering them to pieces. Twilight collapsed into the water. Her body shrank, and her mane returned to normal. Streams of magic flooded from her body and into the shadows. Rainbow Dash shot forward and caught Twilight just before she hit the water. "Nice catch," Applejack said. "It was nothing," Rainbow Dash replied. Twilight lay still in the grass. Spike rushed to her side. "Twilight?" He looked around at his friends. "Is she all right?" Before any of them could answer, Tinker spoke. "Of course not," he said with a sneer. "What an idiot, turning down all that power for some stupid destiny." He sighed deeply. "Probably fried her brain. Serves her right." "You watch your mouth," Pinkie snapped. Tinker started to answer, but quickly shrank under the weight of so many glares. "You're lucky she didn't obliterate you when she had the chance. Did you feel the way the ground shook? She probably could have vaporized your whole head without even breaking a sweat!" "Tch. That just makes her a bigger moron," he muttered. "You may think her a fool for passing up the opportunity you so - ahem - generously offered her," Rarity said, "but the rest of us know who the real fool is." "Indeed." All heads turned to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walking their way. "Tinker, is it? Would you care to explain how these two ponies became shadows?" She gestured to a dark green pegasus and gray-coated unicorn, both of whom were staring daggers at Tinker. "Oh, that's Meadow and and Quill," Tinker said with a dismissive wave of his hoof. "They got turned to shadows when I tried to absorb their powers and become an alicorn. Guess they changed back when little miss friendship over here broke those rings. They were perfectly willing volunteers, by the way," he added quickly. "Didn't think they'd mention that little detail on their own." Celestia and Luna exchanged glances, and then Celestia grabbed Tinker with her magic and dragged him to her side. "I'll be taking these three back to Canterlot," she said, gesturing to Meadow and Quill as well. "I suggest the rest of you return to Ponyville as soon as possible. I expect we will have a lot to discuss once I've settled a few things." A flash of light burst from Celestia's horn, and she and her entourage vanished. A soft cough escaped Twilight's mouth. She cracked open an eye and looked around. Then, she groaned. "I hate waking up like this." The friends encountered no trouble during their balloon ride back to Ponyville. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy kept the weather away while the rest made sure Twilight didn't overexert herself. By the time they arrived at the crystal palace, Princess Celestia was already waiting for them in the entry hall. "First of all, I want to thank all of you for helping us," she said. "What you did today took great courage - not that I would expect anything less," she added with a smile. "It was pretty easy," Rainbow Dash said. "Once Tinker's little light show started, we just had to follow it straight to you guys." "Now, to the matter of how this all started," Celestia said. "Twilight, have your memories returned?" Twilight nodded. "I think so. It all started when I got a package I thought was from you. I thought I was tracking down some powerful relics on your behalf." "Quill explained that he was using his magic to deliver those things to you," Celestia said. "My guards are searching Tinker's shelter now. I'm confident they'll find all your study materials." "At least I know I didn't imagine all of that, then," Twilight sighed. "Anyway, I went to track down some leads in the Everfree Forest. That's when I saw those shadows. I followed them deep into the forest, all the way to that lake. Tinker trapped me there and tried to make me absorb one of those shadows." "That was Quill, again," Celestia said. "He tells me the experience was rather unpleasant." "If it was anything like what I experienced, I consider that a great understatement," Luna muttered. "Indeed." Celestia shivered. "I believe absorbing another unicorn's power is what caused the fluctuations you experienced. When Princess Luna entered your dream, she encountered and fought some version of Quill. That conflict resulted in Quill being housed entirely within your mind, rather than the rings." "So that's why I started having visions without the rings," Twilight said. "Quill must have been trying to tell me something, but it all got mixed up." Twilight shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure what happened after that. I guess I made it most of the way back to Ponyville, and that's where you found me. From there... well, you know the rest." Celestia nodded, satisfied. "Speaking of rest, I believe we could all use some." The rest of the ponies nodded in agreement, and soon, Spike and Twilight were left alone in the castle. "Thank you," Twilight said as the two made their way to the bedroom. "Don't mention it," Spike replied. "What are loyal assistants for?" Twilight laughed. "Saving me from bad research decisions, apparently." She opened the door, then paused. "You asked me something while I was researching," she said. "What was it?" "Um..." Spike scratched his head. "I don't now. Probably a lot of things." "Oh! I remember!" Twilight's horn shimmered. A chest opened, and a large bag rose up, held in her magic. "You told me we were low on gemstones. I was so absorbed in my research, I completely forgot to give you money to buy some more." The placed the bag next to him. "Here. Will this be enough?" Spike's eyes glittered when he looked at the pile of bits inside. "This is more than enough! Are you sure?" "Absolutely. It's the least I can do, after all the help you've been," Twilight replied with a giggle. "First thing tomorrow, I want you to go out and find the tastiest gem in Ponyville. You've earned it." Spike grinned and hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Twilight." "No," she said, returning his embrace. "Thank you. Twilight went to her bed and slipped beneath the covers. Her breathing soon slowed as she fell into much-needed sleep. Spike curled up in his blanket. Already, dreams of rubies and sapphires were calling his name. Outside, the sun set at last, and the moon rose high in the sky. Dusk had passed, and gentle night welcomed the world to sleep.