Prologue

Canterlot
Over a thousand years ago

As always, the mighty roars of the sky announced his arrival. The air, which had been stagnant under the dark carpet of clouds, was suddenly torn apart by a thunderous rampage of lightning. The violent sparks that filled the sky drew the attention of the guards who stood before the gates of the Canterlot Castle. The members of the royal guard readied their weapons, gazing up to the skies. The source of the bellowing thunder was coming closer, galloping across the pitch-black skies.

However, an arrival of an old ally was something they were not prepared for. When the black clouds pulled away to reveal the form of Alexandrus, the Prince of Wild Conquest, it took the guards a few precious minutes to recover their bearings, and salute him.

A crimson cloak, adorned with gold and fur, rested on his back as a testimony of his authority. Alexandrus’s body, both tall and muscular, was protected by bronze armor, adorned with cuts and nicks. His face, as vibrant and full of life as ever, bore scars like his armor. There was not a single guard who had not heard the tales regarding those scars. The long one that went across Alexandrus’ face was from a mighty dragon of the north, the vertical one had been carved by a spear of a Neighponese barbarian, and the jagged ones he had received on his campaign in the east, in griffin lands. They were a proof of a legend that all the soldiers aspired to match.

Alexandrus’ short, sand-colored mane was buffeted by the storm, his maroon-colored eyes flaring in excitement as he watched the soldiers down below. His light brown coat was like a beacon amidst the thunder. The hooves of the mighty stallion ploughed with the lightning as he galloped lower and lower, descending to the ground from the skies. Finally, his legs hit the soil, giving one last echoing clap of thunder before quieting down.

The guards, though they saluted the prince who had arrived, did not know what they should have said. After all, Alexandrus had not been seen in Canterlot for well over five years. His sudden appearance was enough to even confuse the senior officer who had been inspecting the gates. The only thing the ponies could do was to stare in silence, waiting for Alexandrus to speak.

“Lay down your arms, soldiers! A prince has arrived!” Alexandrus boomed, as his fierce glare was enough to reflect back the blades that were previously pointed at him. “I, Alexandrus, have returned! The journey from the west, the land of Marecedonia, has been long! Thus, stop gawking and direct me inside! I wish to see my comrades!”

“Open the gates! Prince Alexandrus has returned!” the senior officer hurried to shout. “Open the gates for His Majesty!”

A loud rumble echoed in the courtyard as the chains of the gate were pulled back. Guards hurried to their posts, and the surprised soldiers, who stood atop the castle walls, shouted more orders. The gate was lowered in a surprisingly quick manner, primarily because the guards were afraid that the he would simply charge through it if he got impatient. From the tales they heard, Alexandrus was infamous for his impatience.

Guided by two guards, Alexandrus headed into the castle as if he still were one of its masters, like he had been so many years ago.Though much had changed during his absence, his pride simply refused to allow him to be confused. As straight as an arrow, and as destructive as a cannonball, Alexandrus would have rather broken through the stone walls before asking for directions from the guards. And they knew it. The ponies clad in golden armor hurried forth, always staying few steps ahead of the prince’s long stride. That way they could subtly guide Alexandrus, without dishonoring him.

The grand appearance, to the point of being in bad taste, had certainly stirred up quite the ruckus inside the palace. Soldiers who had been part of Alexandrus’ multiple campaigns cheered loudly as their former leader passed by, while most nobles scowled at the sight of the stallion. The barbaric ways of the prince had always been a subject of friction between his troops and the nobles. But whether it was with shouts of praise, or with grumblings of annoyance, the ponies of Canterlot castle gathered to see the arrival of the prince.

Servants and soldiers alike gathered onto the courtyard, and Alexandrus basked under their attention, stomping his hooves against the cobblestone as he made his way across the courtyard, causing bolts of lightning to shoot up towards the sky. This bravado was met with even more cheers from the soldiers, and Alexandrus roared in laughter, nearly drowning the echoes of the thunder. Servants hurried to light the torches, and ponies opened their doors to see who had arrived in such manner at the middle of the night. One of those curious ponies was the current captain of the royal guard, Whirlwind Lance. The stallion peeked from the doorway to the main hall, only to do a double take as he saw Alexandrus. Whirlwind Lance had served under him in the war, and he had ample experience with the prince.

Whirlwind Lance had seen the prince’s reckless charge against the forces of Discord during the siege of Canterlot, and he had seen his disregard of mending the wounded troops to pursue fleeing enemies. It would have been an exaggeration to say that the captain did not always approve of the things the prince did.

“Your Highness.” Whirlwind Lance greeted Alexandrus with a bow. “I am… glad to see that you have returned to Canterlot. However, I must inquire: Was it necessary to arrive in such a grandiose fashion? The ponies of Canterlot are tired these days due to the aftermath of the war, and from the task of rebuilding our capital. Causing them unnecessary stress with such a lightshow is-”

Alexandrus’ roaring laugh drowned anything else that Whirlwind might have been about to say. The prince smacked the captain on the back with his hoof, grinning from ear to ear. How somepony like him could possess such a great strategic mind, yet act in such a way was a mystery Whirlwind would never solve.

“Are you saying that I should arrive back to my homeland like a beggar who is unknown to the city itself? Hah! You’ve still much to learn, Captain,” Alexandrus said. “A royal’s return is announced with songs of revelry and victory. This is nothing but meaningless bravado, worthless etiquette which we must follow.”

“If it is meaningless, then why do you do it, despite the problems it causes?” Whirlwind Lance grumbled under his breath, silently enough so that the prince did not hear it.

“Now, bring me to Celestia,” Alexandrus said as they passed through yet another doorway, into one of the corridors that zigzagged through the castle. “She and I have much to speak of, the least not being the tidings I bring.”

“Tidings?” Whirlwind asked. “Has something happened? Is it Discord?”

“Discord?” Alexandrus grinned. “Worry not. All that is left of him is the stone-statue currently locked in the garden outside this castle. However, there is… something else.”

Understanding that the prince was not going to reveal anything more to somepony who was not a royal, Whirlwind Lance gestured to one of the guards, sending him off to find the Princess and announce Alexandrus’ arrival. Lance himself guided the prince into one of the royal visitors’ chambers. Alexandrus frowned when he saw where he was being led to, and Whirlwind could not help but smile. While the Prince had been part of the group that defeated Discord, nowadays, after his long absence, he was not given the same sort of treatment as the two who stayed behind to guide Equestria. Therefore, just like all political guests, Alexandrus was guided into one of these rooms instead of being taken straight to the Princess.

“Well then, Your Highness, I shall be taking my leave,” Whirlwind Lance quietly said and retreated from the room, closing the door behind him.

The captain had no desire to be with the prince more than he had to. There were many pressing matters at hoof, the least not being calming down the crowd that Alexandrus’ arrival had stirred. Cursing softly, he headed back to the courtyard, promising himself a drink after he was done. Though knowing the effect Alexandrus had on soldiers, calming down the crowd could last well into the morning.

Back in the chamber, Alexandrus was finally alone. He turned his gaze to the roaring fireplace that burned as hot as his gaze. It had taken many months to travel from Marecedonia to Equestria, but it was a journey he was willing to make. Now that the rebuilding had begun in even the western edge of the world, it was time to steer his gaze into other matters. Matters that were important not only politically but personally as well.

He had changed a lot during the past five years; Alexandrus acknowledged that himself. However, the change was only for the better. He sweated together with the citizens to rebuild the capital, listened to the grievances and joys of the citizens as their king and defended the country side-by-side with the citizens; all of it had taught him so much. And in return, Alexandrus had wanted to honor his teachers by doing what he could for them. His pride, the markings on his horn which announced his supreme rule in that far-away land, were the sign of the responsibility he had accepted.

But the most important change was that he was ready to face Celestia without faltering, this time.

The sound of the door opening behind Alexandrus was nearly hidden by the howling of the storm outside, but the sharp ears of the prince still caught it. However, instead of turning around to greet his old friend, Alexandrus relaxed his breathing, and opted to stare into the dancing flames before him. As ready as he was, he still wanted to take his time. This was not a thing he should rush.

Finally, the presence on the doorstep entered the room. There was slight timidity in her steps, as if she had been walking on a floor made out of glass. Alexandrus didn’t know why, but he guessed that maybe the pony who had entered clearly did not expect him to ever return. Or maybe that was just his wishful thinking. Nevertheless, Alexandrus realized it was finally the time, and turned around to meet his friend.

The white alicorn was as radiant as on the day they had said goodbye. Alexandrus felt a warm feeling spread in his chest as his eyes once again met the gentle, yet stern gaze of Princess Celestia. Her wings were folded, and her eyes told of many sleepless nights, yet she still managed to shine like the sun that was her domain. Her gallant posture, forever etched into Alexandrus’ memories, had not changed at all.

And what of Princess Celestia?

Her eyes were staring at Alexandrus with a hint of disbelief in them. She took a step, but hesitated in the middle of it. Eventually, she simply left a short distance between Alexandrus and her. Alexandrus felt like a complete stranger for a moment, as the alicorn’s eyes wandered all over him, judging him. That choking feeling was finally driven away as the stoic expression on Celestia’s face was replaced with a warm smile. She had accepted the truth before her eyes.

The final companion, the one Celestia had thought to be lost to the winds of the world, had finally returned home.

There were many things that Celestia could have said. Her thoughts were swimming with all the possibilities on how she should greet her old friend, now that they were face-to-face again. But out of all the possibilities, the sheer surrealism of the situation made her whisper the most illogical one.

“Dear Alexandrus… what has happened to your horn?” Celestia asked, unable to use the confident tone she always had.

Alexandrus grinned and gazed up at it. It was indeed somewhat strange looking. While the spiraling shape was the same as always, and though it had always been relatively thick when compared to normal horns, it now bore strange symbols.

“Oh, this? This is the way the ponies of the west mark their leader, which I happen to be nowadays,” Alexandrus answered and grunted.

Alexandrus noticed the way Celestia spoke was far more reserved than his. It had always been so, but this time, it was nearly impersonal. However, to his surprise, a strange smile passed on Celestia’s lips, and the next words were spoken more frankly, like a true friend.

“I see. You seem to have found yourself all sorts of adventures in the lands of far west, Alexandrus,” Celestia said. “I hope that everything went alright during the journey. Did you manage to drive away the last influences of Discord?”

Alexandrus sighed heavily, almost as if he was adjusting a burden that was still resting on his shoulders.

“Discord’s influence had spread far and wide. It took me nearly five years to clean out all the pockets of Chaos, and to re-establish the rules of Harmony. My powers have not been put to such a test since… well, you know what,” he said. “While I could have simply turned my back and returned here, it was my heart that stopped me. I could not leave the ponies of Marecedonia on their own. They needed a leader, somepony to show them a path to rebuilding their society when Discord was defeated. And as their leader, I have helped them to walk that path.”

“That is very commendable. At the same time I find it very easy to believe. It has always been in your nature,” Celestia said. “And I understand that these years must have not been easy for you personally either, which is why you have not been able to visit. Nevertheless, I am glad to see you again, my friend.”

Celestia brought her head downward to touch Alexandrus’ forehead with her own, and he returned the gesture. The two friends that endured through so many adventures together shared a connection that was deeper than words. Together with their four other companions, they had banded together to vanquish the evil that had nearly destroyed all creation. Even if Celestia had not spoken out her feelings, Alexandrus knew that she was glad to see him once more.

“It is not entirely because of my personal wishes that I visit you now, I am afraid,” Alexandrus spoke. “I am here for the future of the ponies of Marecedonia, and due to the promise I made during the celebration after the battle of Cammlope. You remember that promise, do you not, Celestia?”

“Of course I do. The banquet on the night after Discord’s defeat was grander than anything Equestria had seen. Then, it the middle of all the dancing and playing, you jumped on top of the table. From there, you declared that from that moment forward, you would be more honest with yourself,” Celestia said, laughing gently. Alexandrus grinned at her.

“Exactly! I promised I would never again constrict my spirit with something that I did not agree about. I wanted to live freely, as a stallion that understands and carries all his responsibilities, but never forcing himself to do anything he does not see as a right thing to do,” the prince proudly proclaimed. “And today, I’ve come to do something that relates to that. It is something that I promised myself a long ago. Alas, I was never able to fulfill that promise. Not until now.”

To his surprise, Alexandrus saw that Celestia was smiling. His little speech seemed to have both amused her and made her proud. Inciting emotions like that was one of the few skills of his that Aleandrus was proud of.

“Then what is it? What was this promise that you made for yourself, Alexandrus?” Celestia asked. It seemed that the Princess of the Sun was somewhat excited to hear his current goal.

“I’ve realized that I can no longer hide the truth, not after all that we have been through together,” Alexandrus spoke and took two steps towards Celestia. “My Princess, I want to you to finally understand my feelings. The feelings that I have been harboring for all these years, but have never had the courage to speak of. In other words, Tia…”

Alexandrus took a deep breath.

“…What I want to say is: I love you, Tia. From the moment we met, through all the battles we have fought, until the dawn of our victory! I have always watched your graceful form, both in the battlefield and during times of peace. And whether you were helping your subjects to rebuild their homes or engaged in the dance of death with the forces of Chaos, I have always admired you! Your pure heart, your brilliant smile, your incorruptible soul! You have always been the shining sun that I have raced towards, trying to reach it. And, now that I have finally caught up to you, I want to ask for your hoof in marriage, uniting Equestria and Marecedonia!”

Lightning struck the courtyard at that very moment.

Celestia remained quiet, not answering the Alexandrus’ proposal. The stallion saw that something strange moved in the eyes of the alicorn, something that he could not recognize. Was it shock? Melancholy? No, Alexandrus could not decipher the myriad of emotions that he saw on the face of his subject of admiration. There was only one he understood, for it shone from the depths of Celestia’s eyes with a painful light. It was disgust.

Eventually, Celestia’s expression turned into that of rejection. There was odd sorrow mixed into it, something like pained understanding. Confusion made way to determination, and suddenly Alexandrus found himself staring at somepony who he did not recognize. Somepony who was becoming something far more than the mare he had fallen in love with. Celestia seemed like a stranger to the stallion. A stranger looking fondly back at a memory of simpler times, denying the future that he suggested.

In other words, the mere idea disturbed her.

“I am… sorry, Alexandrus,” Celestia finally forced herself to speak. “I should have suspected that your feelings might outgrow the friendship that we have. Unfortunately, those feelings are not something I can return. Alexandrus, I see you as my friend, as a brother, even. But not… not in the way you hope me to. I am sorry. I am so sorry.”

Only thrice before had Celestia seen her friend unable to immediately recover from an emotional shock. The young prince had always been one to act first and think later, and he was never burdened with anything akin to regret. Thus, even if the world threw its worst at his face, Alexandrus never faltered, never backing down. He would sport that wild grin and charge forward, no matter what the obstacles.

But now, he simply remained there, unable to do anything else but to stare at the white alicorn in front of him.

“B-But Tia, I—“

“No, Alexandrus. I will not reconsider. I am sorry, but that is just how things are. You know that I would never, ever break our friendship, but that friendship is also where I will draw the line.” Celestia’s words were now a little more harsh. “You must understand and respect that.”

A pained expression rose to the stallion’s face and he turned around, his frowning eyes now reflecting the fire that brought light into the room. The flames inside of his heart were now bellowing out of control. The stoic pose he tried to adapt was just a ruse to calm down his raging heart. Never in his life had he been denied so coldly and so bluntly. If it was war, he had always found a way to negotiate the terms of victory and surrender. But now…

“Tia, what I want to say is that―“

“Yes, I know. The said marriage would also strengthen the ponies of both countries. But again, while I am ready to do my very best for the sake of Equestria, I am also an individual. That can never be changed,” Celestia said, and now her tone was becoming strict. “I know very well that they call you The Conqueror Prince, Alexandrus, but there are things that you cannot overcome no matter how hard you try. And this is one of them.”

What followed was a silence only broken by the howling wind. Alexandrus refused to meet the eyes of Celestia, opting to stare straight into the fire instead. Alexandrus was sure that just like always, the Princess must have wanted to make him see things her way. There was something pleading in the silence, as if she was reaching towards his back. But right now, that sign of friendship only served to irritate him further.

In the mind of the Prince of Wild Conquest, there was only confusion and brewing anger. He who had waited for so long, he who had stood by Celestia all those years simply for the sake of the Princess, was now, at the brink of peace, rejected? Had it all been for naught? Had he really been such a fool, thinking that the Princess could ever love him? The stallion’s teeth grinded together as he tried to keep the words he would regret inside of him.

Moments passed before Alexandrus finally spoke again.

“I understand, Princess Celestia.”

It was a cold voice, nothing like the vibrant tone that the stallion usually used. Celestia flinched as he addressed her with her formal title. With four simple words, Alexandrus had built a sturdy wall of dark steel between the two. Any sort of happiness that might have come from this supposedly joyous reunion, was lost from that moment forward. And in his mind, he felt strange satisfaction to strike back like this..

“Then I shall leave you be, Alexandrus,” Celestia spoke and took a few steps back. “I am sure the journey to Canterlot has been exhausting. And Luna would very much like to speak with you, too.”

The Princess of the Sun retreated while still holding her gaze at the stallion, but Alexandrus refused to turn around. His eyes were locked onto the dance of flames, reflecting the blaze within the darkness. Giving one hushed sigh, Celestia turned around and walked over to the door. She stopped for one last time before exiting the room, glancing at her friend.

But what her eyes met was, still, just the turned, distant back of her friend refusing her help.

“Goodbye, Alexandrus,” Celestia whispered.

And with that, the Princess of Canterlot exited the chamber. She managed ten whole steps before she collapsed against the cold wall of the castle. The smooth, cool surface felt like a relief from a terribly duty. Celestia could scarcely believe what had happened in the short time she had been in the chamber. The return of her friend, how he had changed and finally, a proposal? She had never been prepared for that.

Slowly, Celestia pushed herself up. She needed to seek for her sister. While she was younger than her, she had always known how to bring a smile to Alexandrus’ face. And now, more than ever, she was needed. Composing herself once more, Celestia headed towards her sister’s chambers, praying that she was still there.

In the royal visitors’ chamber, it seemed as if the blackness of the night had swallowed up the whole room. The only one left inside was the stallion with dark thoughts in his mind. His eyes moved from the flames to the storm raging outside. And just as the thunder and lightning ravaged the sky and earth on the other side of the window, so did boiling hatred draw cracks inside of Alexandrus’ mind.

This was the beginning of the tragic event that led to the separation of the Elements of Harmony, and eventual banishment of Princess Luna. Many centuries would come to pass, and these stories would turn into legends. They would finally fade from the memory of the ponies of Equestria, becoming simply myths from ancient times.

And it would take more than thousand years before Equestria would hear from the mysterious kingdom of Marecedonia again.

Chapter 1: The gray day

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 1: The Gray Day

She learned three things from her dream.

One day, the golden city of splendor would rise again.

But that miracle would not be meant for those caught in the cycle of life.

To open the door to the heavens, one would have to already possess the knowledge of Supreme Ultimate.

Thus, what she learned was a paradox.

And to learn the truth…

She’d have to journey to the house on the hill.

****

The only noise that bothered Twilight Sparkle during her research was the breathing of her friend, Rainbow Dash, who sat on the stairs, reading the newest book in the series of Daring Do’s grandiose adventures. That, and the ticking of the old clock on the wall. The noises were insignificant enough for Twilight to ignore completely, and to instead, focus on the text that was before her.

Whether it was inside the library, or outside under the surprisingly breezy summer air, everything was painted with the lazy color of gray. The vibrantly brown surface of the library’s walls was not enough to drive away the yawn-inducing atmosphere created by the Sunday morning. If it was not for the clock’s constant ticking, both Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle would have felt as if the time of the room suddenly stopped.

Twilight felt a small irritation in her dry throat. She had gone a few hours without having anything to drink, and now it was beginning to show. The idea of ice cold water lingered in her mind, but knowing how important her work was, she decided to forgo the refreshment before returning back to the dusty tomes. After all, she could easily rest after she was finished with her current project. Rainbow Dash was counting on her to solve the mystery that the pegasi encountered on the western border of Equestria, and she couldn’t let her friend down.

Minutes passed as Twilight slowly made her way through the pages of a book on nephomancy, written by a famous pegasus whose name she had already forgotten, due to the flood of information that had assaulted her from the book. Occasionally, Twilight levitated her pen, and wrote down various notes, only adding to the growing pile that had formed on her mahogany desk. Anything that sounded remotely like the weather-anomaly in the west was worth writing down, since neither the pegasi, nor Twilight herself, had any idea what to do.

Every now and then, Twilight gave a slow glance to the copper-colored object that kept slowly moving on her table. It made no noise, but its movement was enough to captivate her eye. It was a beautiful, yet frustrating thing, a constant reminder of her failures. It was a test given to her by her mentor, Princess Celestia, that she yet to pass. Without a clear goal other than to “solve” it, Twilight had eventually all but given up on figuring out the apparatus.

The thing was a glass-sphere, the size of a pony’s head, suspended in the air by a copper pedestal. On the pedestal, the glass-sphere was spinning around in place. And inside that glass-sphere, there was a dodecahedral cage made out of copper, with yet another glass-sphere inside it. The alternation between a copper-cage and glass-sphere was repeated until, at the very center of the sphere, there was a single diamond-pyramid with glyph carvings all over.

With the ideas about the mysterious cloud swirling in her head, Twilight found herself staring into the depths of the apparatus once again. She shook her head, pushing it out of her mind. While it reminded her of her greatest personal failure, it wasn’t what she needed now. She needed to help Rainbow Dash, and the puzzle had nothing to do with the problem at hoof. Thus, she pressed on, focusing on the books once more.

“This is just strange,” Twilight finally spoke up. “The more I read, the more apparent it becomes that there shouldn’t be any rain clouds that the pegasi cannot control.”

“Hey, don’t blame me,” Rainbow Dash answered and gave an unconcerned gesture with her front leg. “I’m just the messenger. The pegasi of Los Pegasus just gave me a heads-up, and I brought the news to you.”

“I don’t want to bother Princess Celestia with this, but…“ Twilight put the book down on the table. “This is just nonsensical. It’s as if the readings you gave to me from this cloud were specifically made so that they would prove all my calculations and predictions wrong. No, not only that. Just by looking at these photos, the thing seems to have this… sense of unreality, if you understand what I mean.”

“Nope, not at all,” Rainbow Dash snorted. “I’m not an egghead like you, so to me, a cloud’s a cloud. Ain’t anything else to it.”

“Well, this one certainly is not just ‘a cloud’. Pegasi can’t change its direction, they can’t force it to rain down… It is clear that something weird is going on,” Twilight said. “If I could just figure out what.”

“Maybe it’s like the clouds above Everfree Forest?” Rainbow suggested. “Those things never move the way we want to, and nopony makes a big deal out of them.”

“No, there are other things about this cloud, too,” Twilight answered. “See the form in this picture? This cloud is shaped like a cumulonimbus, but it doesn’t even come close to the size of the usual clouds of the vertical cloud family. Not only that, but instead of flying somewhere above two thousand meters, this cloud is dangerously and unnaturally low; it’s only at about one thousand and two hundred meters or so. For some reason, it’s getting lower and lower. By the time it reaches Canterlot, this cloud could very well cover the city.”

“And I guess Princess Celestia would not like that?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight smirked.

“Nopony would like that. Especially if the cloud decided it was time to rain. So yeah, it’s best to figure out what’s the deal with this cloud. I’ve had enough of strange clouds when we dealt with those pink ones that rained chocolate milk.”

Twilight and her friend giggled. She watched as Rainbow Dash, after calming down, returned back to her book, and took it as a sign to continue her own work. While the cloud research was not threatening, it was at the very least annoying.

While writing down the notes of her latest findings in her book, Twilight gave a cursory glance over to the other, smaller book she had laid on her table. While she herself had her doubts, it was allegedly authored by the famous unicorn mage, Count of St. Germane, which meant, even in the case of a forgery, it would have knowledge worth of reading. Depending on the supposed author of a forgery, the contents could only be of a certain level, and if somepony dared to use the name of St. Germane, it was clear the writer, whoever it was, knew what he or she was talking about. The main reason why Twilight currently had the book open on her desk was her interest in the contents, as they could possibly relate to the subject at hand.

“Though then again, Threefold Wisdom might be a completely wrong angle to approach this mystery,” Twilight muttered to herself with a tepid smile. “The cloud seems to be following the ley lines, so I guess intercepting it with a barrier in the forest, or on the road leading to Canterlot would be our best option. Then again, I have no idea which path it’ll choose. This is getting so complicated.”

Rainbow Dash remained silent, letting her friend’s thought process run its course. She had learned that there were times when Twilight might have seemed like she was trying to stir up a conversation, when it was only the puzzled unicorn’s way of organizing her thoughts. It was especially true when Twilight was studying or conducting research, so it was clear that her words were far from needed at the moment. Even if Dash, in a moment of sudden curiosity, would have wanted to ask about the few frankly indigestible lines in her friend’s sentences, it was better left for another day.

And so, moments of silence passed, filled only with the ticking of that old clock, the rustling of turning pages, and slow breaths of two ponies enjoying their not-so-refreshing Sunday.

After about half-an-hour, there was a knock on the door of the library. Before Twilight could even ask the visitor to step inside, the door was opened. Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie entered the library while wearing varying degrees of smiles. Twilight put her notes to the side for a moment, and walked over to the entrance to greet her friends.

“You finally got here,” Twilight said with a smile. “I’m sorry about asking to cancel the picnic, but this request from the pegasi patrols simply needs to be done. Work before fun, as you know.”

“Oh, that was not a problem at all,” Rarity assured her fellow unicorn. “The weather outside is simply unbecoming for a summer day, which is why a small brunch indoors is quite the competitive alternative for the picnic.”

“Yeah, ya gotta admit it’s a bit gloomy outside,” Applejack said. “Makes ya wonder why all the pegasi haven’t done anything ‘bout it yet.”

“Well, we would if we didn’t have some silly cloud to worry about,” Rainbow Dash groaned. She put aside her book and got up, stretching all of her four legs in succession. “Like you heard, the pegasi even requested Twilight to look into it, like it was end of the world or something.”

“Ooh! A mysterious cloud! What’s it like?” Pinkie Pie bounced to Twilight’s desk where her research lay in chaos. “Don’t tell me it’s another cotton candy cloud.”

“Luckily, not this time,” Twilight said with an awkward smile. “Just a cloud with a shape, size, and altitude it should not have. The pegasi have no control over it, and it seems to be defying all the norms Cloudsdale prepares its clouds with.”

“May I have a look?” Rarity asked, and was quickly given a photo of the cloud by Twilight. “Hmm. Very interesting, I must admit. This cloud looks almost as if it had been fashioned by hoof. There is a sort of artificial feeling to it. It looks like somepony tried to create an ideal image of what a cloud should be.”

“Wow. You really do have an eye for detail,” Twilight said, clearly surprised. “I hadn’t even thought of that. Maybe somepony really did create it artificially, before sending it off. That would explain why it doesn’t respond to the pegasi who try to control it.”

While Twilight would have probably ran straight to her desk to write up this new possibility, she was suddenly approached by Fluttershy, who seemed to be a bit anxious. The yellow pegasus kept looking around, her eyes darting from one corner to another.

“Um, hello, Twilight,” Fluttershy greeted Twilight. “Have you seen Angel bunny today? Well, you see, he disappeared last night, and I haven’t been able to find him ever since. I am really worried.”

“I’m afraid I haven’t,” Twilight answered and gave a questioning glance at Rainbow Dash. “What about you, Rainbow?”

“Nope! Not a single bunny seen today,” she said curtly. “Just awesome adventures of Daring Do.”

“Sorry, Fluttershy. Seems like he isn’t here,” Twilight said while she turned back to Fluttershy. “Do you want us to help look for Angel?”

“Oh, it’s alright,” Fluttershy assured. “I’m sure Angel can find his way back home. The thing I’m really worried about is if Angel’s causing trouble for some other ponies in town.”

“In that case, shall we start with the brunch? The Cakes baked this delicious pie just for this occasion by Pinkie Pie’s request, and I have some tea and scones to go with it,” Rarity suggested while laying down the contents of her bag to the corner-table. “If we dally too long, the food will get cold. Especially in weather like this.”

“Ya know, if Ah knew we were gonna eat something homely like a pie, Ah would’ve made one mahself,” Applejack commented. “The Cakes have enough to do with their foals these days, troublin’ them with more orders ain’t nice.”

“Oh, it wasn’t trouble at all!” Pinkie reassured her friend. “I helped them out, which means the pie will be super-duper-extra-delicious this time!”

“Well, I guess that explains why the pie is pink.” Twilight said and the ponies chuckled.

Twilight decided it was time to indulge in that previously skipped break from before, and joined her friends, who had already gathered around the table to enjoy the brunch that had been laid on top of it. As usual, the Cakes had outdone themselves, but that did not mean the scones Rarity had prepared with her younger sister were bad. In fact, since the ponies knew that they had been the result of their combined efforts, they tasted twice as delicious.

While enjoying the tea and the food, the unusual expression on Twilight’s face caught the attention of Applejack. She quickly swallowed what she was munching on, looking at her friend.

“Ya okay, Twi? It’s a bit unusual to see yer usually content face that bothered,” Applejack asked. “Is it ‘bout the cloud? Or is something else botherin’ ya?”

“No, I couldn’t say anything is wrong. But then again, something kind of is… It is hard to put into words, you see,” Twilight said with a troubled expression. It seemed that she was beginning to regret opening her mouth. “It’s about Spike. I am not sure if it’s normal for all the dragons during summer, or if Spike’s sub-species is unique to it, but it seems that the arrival of summer has made him a bit… weird.”

“Weird? How weird are we talking about, exactly?” Rarity asked.

“What's Spike’s sub-species, anyhow?” Pinkie Pie cut into the conversation before Twilight could answer. “I thought all dragons had wings. But Spike didn’t, even when he turned into that super greedy adult-version of himself!”

“Um, maybe Spike is a rare dragon? Twilight did say that she got him from an egg given to her in Canterlot, didn’t she?” Fluttershy suggested. “So, so maybe he is a lucky dragon or something similar. Maybe that’s why Twilight keeps finding spare change lying on the street. Taking care of Spike blesses her with luck.”

Although Fluttershy looked very satisfied with her own theory, Twilight looked at her with a mixture of confusion and awkwardness. She quickly regained, however, and shook her head, to deny the weird suggestion.

“First of all, I do not find any more spare change than anypony else. I just have a keen eye for stuff like that,” Twilight said. “Secondly: What's Spike’s sub-species is not the problem. The problem is how… he has been behaving recently.”

“Whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked, still quite worried.

Twilight shuffled her legs uncomfortably before, finally, as if plunging into the deep-end of a pool, nodded towards one of the windows that showed the scenery of the backyard. Curious, the ponies amassed before the window to peer into the greenery behind the Golden Oaks Library.

And the scene they saw was enough to make them understand Twilight’s awkward hesitance.

There, on his knees on the weed-filled grass, was Spike, who was going through the lawn with surprisingly furious pace. His claws were digging into the soil and pulling out the weeds while being careful not to damage the actual grass too much. And judging from the sacks that had been piled up against the wall, he had been at it from the time the sun had climbed up to the sky. Rarity, most surprised of the ponies at that moment, tilted her head in confusion.

“Just what in Celestia’s name is he doing?”

“I have no idea,” Twilight shrugged. “This morning I pulled open the curtains on the second floor window, and there he was, moving here and there. I asked from him what he was doing, but he simply said that he had too much energy, and that he had to direct it to something productive. And, well, if I am completely honest, I’m not complaining that the weeds in the backyard are getting removed.”

Indeed, Spike’s work was showing great progress, as the weeds were quickly stuffed into the sacks that he had most likely borrowed from Rose. These sacks were then moved over to where the others were, in a very systematic manner. It was like watching a lawnmower, powered by unicorn-magic, at work. Though this lawnmower was far more sophisticated.

Silence quickly filled the library as the ponies passed the minutes. While enjoying their brunch, they kept a watch over the surprisingly energetic baby dragon. After all, it was quite the change to see him up and about so early, as he was usually still sleeping during at this time. However, it did not dawn upon any of them to actually offer help, and they simply kept staring with curiosity that one would reserve for a spoiled apple, in an otherwise healthy apple tree.

Spike did not seem to care about the stares at his back, even though he must have realized them. Instead, the small dragon kept tirelessly working on the backyard, pulling out claw-full of weeds one after another, before stashing them into the bag near him. Once he was finished, he tied the bag shut and flung it to accompany the rest of the brown bags, before taking a new one from next to him, and began filling that.

Sure enough, as the hour slowly changed into the next one, he had made decent work across the small yard, as it now started to look more like a proper yard, instead of the makeshift jungle Twilight had let it become. What made this sight even more surreal was the fact that Spike was known for being extremely lazy, and to see him working like this was not something anypony had expected.

“Huh.” The ponies said at almost the same time.

Not a single one them figured why Spike had suddenly taken up gardening.

****

At that same time, in the troposphere east of Los Pegasus, a single cloud was flying at high speed towards a certain destination near the center of the continent. Unlike any of the other clouds around it, this black cloud seemed to have a straight trajectory, heading unerringly towards its goal. While they could not do anything, the pegasi kept watch from a safe distance. However, nopony was too worried about it, as there was no indication that the cloud would actually harm anypony.

Unfortunately, if the pegasi had heard the low voice that spoke inside the cloud, they would have quickly sprung into action to stop the object, no matter what it took.

“Current time: 1000 hours. Estimated arrival time: 2200 hours. Atmospheric scan of the target area, complete. Results: Nitrogen: 78.08%. Oxygen: 20.95%. Water Vapor: <3.00%. Ozone: 10 ppmv. Harmony Level: A. Akasha Residue Level: Abnormal.”

After finishing the report, the voice in the cloud chuckled menacingly, as if it had found something amusing.

“Anomalies of reality converged to the upper troposphere. Suggesting ground-level attack. Warning: Encounter possibility with multiple targets: Highly possible. Discretion is advised.”

Picking up speed, the cloud suddenly burst into even faster flight, zooming through the sky and leaving the pegasi guarding it far behind.

Having done so, another voice spoke from inside the cloud. A voice of sneering stranger.

“Glaine ár gcroí. Neart ár ngéag. Beart de réir ár mbriathar.”

****

The ponies spent most of the afternoon helping Twilight with her research of the black cloud that steadily approached Ponyville’s general direction. While the purple unicorn herself had her snout glued in the book of nephomancy, her friends helped her by bringing her additional books, checking weather charts, or in Pinkie Pie’s case, by staying put and not touching anything that was even vaguely important.

Thanks to Rarity’s off-hoof comment about the artificial shape of the cloud, Twilight was finally starting to make progress. She started comparing the shape of the cloud to the models usually created by Cloudsdale, proceeded to analyze the possible contents of the black cloud with the help of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and finally prepared a list of the theoretical contents of the object by bringing together all the information she had gathered so far. The list turned out to grow surprisingly long, as Twilight did not want to leave anything to chance, opting to record down all the possibilities which could affect how the cloud had become such an enigma in the Equestrian airspace.

“Well, this is certainly a surprise,” Twilight finally said as they put the list on the wall so everypony could see all of its contents. “Does this mean that the cloud is-”

Although the ponies had initially considered the cloud to be just a relatively small cumulonimbus with a few strange properties to it, the truth turned out to be something completely different. It became apparent from analyzing the photos of the cloud that the shape of the cloud was actually more tower-like, continuing to a high altitude. However, most of the cloud was, in fact, a steep curve of ice crystals which were nearly invisible to the naked eye. As the cloud had travelled forward from Los Pegasus, the ice crystals had eventually evolved into a high, thick cirrostratus cloud which caused the sky in Ponyville to look as gloomy as it did.

“So, natural or artificial, this cloud is bringing rain somewhere near Ponyville, I suspect,” Twilight finally said aloud.

“When halo rings the moon or sun, rain’s approaching on the run,” Fluttershy concluded with an old rhyme. “I-It’s just something I learned in the school. At Cloudsdale. If you, um, look here you can see it creates a halo around the sun.”

“But a cloud with those specific attributes could never be a natural cloud; like the ones around Everfree Forest. And nopony in Cloudsdale would create such a weirdo-cloud,” Rainbow Dash commented. “Whatever it is, it was made another way.”

“In other words, a cloud created via spell?” Rarity asked. “How dreadful. For what purpose would one create such a cloud?”

“Maybe it’s headed for Sweet Apple Acres, and the maker of the cloud is planning on making the biggest apple-smoothie ever!” Pinkie Pie suggested, causing Applejack to groan.

“Ain’t no way somepony is using our apples for something like that,” Applejack said.

“Well, whatever the reason, we need to inform Princess Celestia about our findings. She will know what to do,” Twilight said and turned towards the window before opening it with her hoof. “Spike? Spike! Come inside! We need to write a letter to Princess Celestia.”

To everypony’s surprise, Twilight’s shout did not seem to have any effect. There was no movement in the backyard. In fact, the baby dragon who had been there working had completely disappeared, leaving nothing else behind but the sacks that were leaning against the library wall. For a few seconds, the ponies wondered just what had happened to Spike. That question was quickly answered, however, when the door of the library quickly opened, and the purple-scaled dragon walked in with a content smile on his face.

“I’m here! And I brought few visitors!” Spike announced proudly. Twilight gave a relieved smile.

That smile was quickly turned into a one of confusion, though, as after Spike, somepony else entered the library. Somepony very familiar, with an even more familiar white rabbit riding on his back.

“Twilie! Am I glad to see you!” Shining Armor greeted his younger sister. “I was afraid I would have to walk around Ponyville looking for you. This bunny wasn’t as great of a guide as he tried to be.”

Angel stuck out his tongue at Shining Armor and hopped down from his back, running to the waiting hooves of Fluttershy, who was clearly glad to see her animal friend safe and sound.

“Shining Armor?” Twilight said. “What are you doing here!? Aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon with Cadance?”

“Unfortunately, royal duty calls, even when I’m on vacation,” Shining Armor answered with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Though I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t know that Princess Celestia had a good reason to call Cadance and I back.”

“Is this about the cloud?” Twilight asked. “We were actually doing pretty well on our own, and were just about to send a report to Princess. There was no need for you to come all the way here to watch our progress, you know.”

“Forget about the cloud, that’s not important right now. The Cloudsdale Sky Patrol is on it, so it’s nothing to worry about,” Shining Armor assured the ponies. “What is important right now is that there’s trouble in the horizon.”

“Oh great. Last time we heard that, we had a dark mare of legends in our hooves,” Rainbow Dash groaned.

“And after that, it was a Spirit of Disharmony.” Applejack nodded with similarly sour expression.

“Ooh! Don’t forget about that icky Changeling Queen!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “She nearly ruined the best wedding in history!”

“Err, it’s not that we’re not willing to help,” Twilight explained to her brother, who looked rather confused. “It’s just that we can kind of expect what comes after hearing something like that. So, what seems to be the problem?”

“It’s nothing as grand as what you’ve faced before. However, it is still very troubling,” Shining Armor said. “You see, a few days ago, a strange messenger arrived from a land that I had never heard of. Apparently, he presented the Princess with a message which she read in private. At that time, both Cadance and I were called back to Canterlot urgently, as if something terrible had happened. During all this, the messenger himself disappeared from the castle, but not a single guard saw him leave. Afterwards, Princess Celestia ordered that the amount of patrols on the areas of Canterlot and Ponyville be doubled.”

“That’s it? A strange letter arrived and suddenly the amount of guards skyrockets?” Twilight asked, having clearly expected something far worse.

“That’s not all, I’m afraid. It’s not being announced to the public, but after that letter, Princess Celestia seemed… surprisingly stressed. She paces around the Canterlot Castle with an odd look in her eyes, and even refuses to confide to her own sister, Princess Luna. Whatever was in that letter must have shocked her pretty bad,” Shining Armor continued. “Thanks to Princess Celestia’s behavior, the whole castle is on edge, and the ponies are growing restless. And it’s starting to affect the city, too. Although there is clearly a problem, the ponies are confused as to why the Princess hasn’t called the Elements of Harmony to ‘fix it’, as usual. This has sparked some rather nasty arguments between certain groups, and it’s clear that the political situation is not the best at the moment.”

“In other words, Princess Celestia is increasing the security, which makes the ponies of Canterlot nervous. But since there is no clear problem to fix or an enemy to defeat, crowds start trying to find somepony to blame, is that right?” Rarity asked, and when Shining Armor nodded, she gave a tired sigh. “That seems very troublesome indeed.”

“Ah know Princess Celestia’s just tryin’ to protect our normal lives. That’s why we haven’t been called to the rescue, Ah suppose,” Applejack commented.

“Oh… oh no. Is the situation really that bad?” Fluttershy asked with nervous eyes, her gaze shooting from one corner of the room to another.

“Calm down, calm down. I know I might have made it sound horrible, but it’s not that severe yet. What I mean is that this sort of anxiety is starting to slowly spread to some groups, and that we have to be careful,” Shining Armor hurried to explain. “However, as long as Princess Celestia is not acting like herself, her stress will eventually take a hold of the citizens, too. That’s why I came to warn you. To make sure what sort of situation possibly lies ahead of us.”

“Thanks, Shining Armor. You truly are the best big brother a pony could hope for,” Twilight said and gave a hug to her brother. “It’s good to know that even though it’s your honeymoon, you’re still ready to help your sister and her friends if there’s trouble.”

“Of course, Twilie. What did you expect?” Shining Armor asked with a mild grin. Then, as if remembering something, his eyes lit up. “Oh, that’s right! There was another thing I needed to ask your help with, since you know so much about history.”

“Another thing?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Here. Take a look at this.”

Shining Armor carefully picked a folded note from inside of his armor, and spread it to the table so that everypony could see what was drawn on it. The contents were surprising, to say the least. The symbol on the paper had clearly been drawn in a hurry, but it was still fairly clear. A piece of charcoal had been used to draw a triangle pointing downwards, with a strange symbol in its center. The symbol was a one long vertical line with a 45-degree hook pointing downwards from the top. To most of them, it looked like an upside-down hook.

“What do you think about it?” Shining Armor asked Twilight. “The messenger I saw had this symbol on his front leg. I’m not sure what it means, but I know you might.”

“Well, the downwards pointing triangle is easy,” Twilight answered, while quickly bringing forth different books from the shelves with her magic. “That’s an old symbol used in alchemy. Alchemy was an old form of magic used by the unicorns in ancient times, as a crutch to help them with their own unicorn magic. It was focused mostly on alteration and transmutation, with some focus on brewing different potions, not so much different from what Zecora does. Though I think Zecora’s brewing techniques come from the south-”

“Err, Twi? What ‘bout the symbol?” Applejack reminded her friend. Twilight, realizing he had gone off the tangent, gave a sheepish smile and nodded.

“Oh, right. Well, this downwards pointing triangle is actually the alchemic symbol for water. That in turn is associated with alchemic element of mercury. So I guess the triangle here means water, or the element of water,” Twilight explained and then turned her attention to the symbol inside the triangle. “This other symbol though… I have no idea. It looks like a rune, but I do not have lot of information about runes, especially foreign ones. On the top of my head, it does remind me of runes used in Coltic Lands. Let’s see…”

Twilight’s magical aura snatched multiple books from the shelves and she began going through their contents with surprising speed. Her eyes scanned a page after page, trying to find anything that could have indicated the meaning of the mysterious rune. However, despite her fervent search, no clues whatsoever appeared before her eyes, leading to more and more books being pulled quite roughly from the shelves.

“Oh! I know what this rune means! Just look, it’s like an upside-down “L”, isn’t it?” Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted. “That must means it’s the signature of Princess Luna’s evil sister, Ssecnirp Anul!”

“Pinkie, Princess Luna’s name doesn’t actually contain ‘Princess’ in it,” Twilight answered dryly. “Not to mention that we know who Princess Luna’s sister is. And if she had turned evil, that would bring forth a whole new can of worms I don’t even want to think about.”

Suddenly, Twilight’s eyebrows shot up, and a strange gleam appeared in her eyes. She quickly reached for a book that laid on the whole other side of her library, and brought it before her eyes. The purple unicorn opened the book on a specific page, clearly having a good idea of what she was looking for. And only few seconds later, Twilight let out a triumphant cheer and put the book down to the table in front of her.

“Thanks, Pinkie! You actually gave me a rather important clue,” Twilight patted her friend on the back. “You see, this rune’s name really did start with an ‘L*. From what it looks like, this rune is part of the runic alphabet called Futhorc, which consists from about 33 runes. It originates from around the Coltic Lands, just like I had suspected. The name of the rune itself is ‘Lagu’, and it means ocean. So this would mean that the tattoo the stallion had depicted the alchemic symbol for the element of water, with the rune of ocean inside it.”

“Well, that certainly sounds fishy, if I may say so,” Rarity commented. “Whatever do you think it means?”

“It does combine two symbols that are completely unrelated to each other, so it hardly has anything to do with actual unicorn magic. I’d venture a guess that this tattoo was just the insignia or the emblem of whatever force the soldier belonged to,” Twilight theorized. Her brother nodded in agreement.

“That sounds logical. From what I saw, the messenger was an earth pony, and he would have little to do with unicorn magic,” Shining Armor said. “But somehow, it doesn’t exactly ease my worries.”

“Well, what else can you tell us about the soldier?” Twilight asked. “What did he look like? What sort of pony was he?”

Shining Armor momentarily descended into a deep thought. When he finally raised his eyes to meet the group of friends, there was something strange in their glassy depths, as if Twilight’s brother had not been looking back at only the soldier, but at something else.

“On his back he bore a red lance, and his leather armor was inscribed with runes of protection. But even without those it was obvious that he was unlike the soldiers of Equestria. While we act in legions, this stallion was clearly somepony who did not need a squad. I could tell from how he walked and carried himself,” Shining Armor began his explanation. “I can only think of one group of warriors were like that. The Fianna. They are a single standing army that consists of many smaller groups of warriors, who act in the lands north-west of Equestria.”

“A-are they dangerous? I mean, what you said makes them sound pretty cool, but I’ve heard lots of nasty rumors about Coltic Lands,” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Very dangerous. Their warriors are so fast and agile that they make us look like we were standing still, and although their unicorns have only limited ability in magic, they are usually extremely powerful. You could very well call them the product of their environment, the unforgiving Coltic Lands. Although they lose when it comes to the size of their army, it is clear that one-on-one, the members of Fianna have the upper hoof,” Shining Armor concluded.

“Hold yer horses,” Applejack suddenly cut into the conversation. “If ya know so much ‘bout the soldier and his background, how come ya don’t know which country he’s from?”

“That’s exactly the weird part,” Shining Armor said and frowned, mostly to himself. “That soldier had made it clear that he was not in Canterlot under the orders of the leader of Fianna, nor did he represent the Coltic Lands in general. Somepony else was behind that letter, and he had hired this one warrior to deliver it for him.”

“So, even if we find more about this soldier, we are still back at square one,” Twilight said. “I don’t like it, but I guess we’ll have to accept it. Thanks for stopping by though, Shining Armor. Now that we know all this, it’s easier to take precautions for whatever might happen.”

“Hey, what are big brothers for?” Shining Armor said with a grin and ruffled Twilight’s mane.

At that moment, the ponies began to hear the sound of pouring rain from outside. Raindrops fell to the ground at an increasing pace, signaling that the raincloud that they had been studying previously had just arrived.

“Alright, Ah think that’s our cue. Let’s head back home, everypony, before we’ll end up wet as weasels,” Applejack suggested.

“Yeah. I think that’s the cloud we’ve been researching the whole day,” Twilight said with a tired smile. “Looks like it didn’t bring anything but rain with it after all. So let’s call it a day, shall we?”

Needless to say, everypony agreed to her proposal. They had been doing a whole lot of thinking the whole day, and everypony was at least somewhat tired. The drizzle was quickly gaining more power, and soon it would be a full-blown rainstorm. This meant that if the ponies wanted to get back home before the full force of the rain was upon them, they would have to hurry.

The ponies said quick goodbyes, and then headed out, everypony to their own direction. Shining Armor advised everypony to move in pairs just to be safe, and so Applejack and Fluttershy headed towards the edge of the town. Rarity and Pinkie Pie followed them soon, their target being the center of the town where they lived. Only Rainbow Dash was left without somepony to accompany her, but for somepony with wings, getting back home fast wasn’t a problem. Thus, only Twilight and Spike were left at the library. And for them, sleep was the next logical course of action.

And so, the rain-beaten yard of the Golden Oaks Library was eventually swallowed by silence, covered in the dark shadows of the clouds above. A place without a single soul in sight, completely abandoned, now that the activity of the day was over. In the middle of the small torrential rain that was developing in the area, nothing else moved but the drops of water that battered the ground, turning it into muddy plain that would cause a lot of trouble for the next day.

That is, if the rain wasn’t already doing something worse.

It was clear that what started as a gentle drizzle that only licked the coats of the ponies was now turning into quite the powerful rain, one that was pounding the rooftops of Ponyville with surprising force. Inside their homes, some ponies even woke up to the sound of the water pummeling the earth, before either going back to sleep or placing buckets under whatever leaks that might have been in their ceiling.

There was no thunder. No wind. Just constant, powerful rain. Nopony had ever experienced a downpour like this before.

But in the end, they thought nothing of it. After all, none of them ventured outside to the vicinity of the town square. And it was because of that, that none of them heard the chuckle, a sneering low laughter that seemed to reverberate from one raindrop to another.

And they definitely did not hear the voice as it started speaking.

“Hmh. Such a peaceful place. How can anypony actually live in a town like this?” the disembodied voice, dripping with sarcasm, asked to no one in particular.

It was then that something moved amidst the rain. Or rather, something was being born. The rain formed four small puddles that were unnaturally close to each other. More and more water fell into the puddles, making them grow quickly. They extended straight up in the air in unnatural way, forming first four powerful legs, then a sleek body of a warrior and a breastplate that protected it. Then came the thick neck and the head with jagged features. A sharp, spiraling horn, and a long, rain-licked mane.

Like poured water filling a glass, the rain filled up and created a tall stallion right in the middle of the town square.

He was dark blue in color, and the mark on his flank depicted a raging ocean that seemed to try to swallow everything into its depths. Everything in him seemed to reflect the rain from which he was born, like some sort of absurd reflection in a mirror.

The stallion’s tail and mane, both of light blue color, were wet from the rain and stuck against his coat, but it did not seem to bother the stallion. In fact, it did not seem that he cared much about his style in any way. The way his mane had not been cut in a long while made him seem far more barbaric than any of the stallions one usually saw in Equestria.

As the stallion moved forward, his armor was hit by the raindrops, creating the only sound that could be heard as he silently made his way through the rain.The breastplate that protected his chest, along with the shoulder pads, were made from leather, and fashioned to pronounce the already muscular form of the stallion.

“So those were the ponies that are supposed to represent the Elements of Harmony? Hah! Give me a break,” the stallion cackled as his ocean green, merciless eyes scanned his surroundings. “Such a bunch of idiots. None of them could even sense me.”

The stallion cracked his neck while taking a step forward. Every move he made felt calculated and agile. The stallion was more like a dangerous beast hunting for prey than any regular pony. He moved silently and swiftly on the streets of Ponyville, heading for one specific place.

“But who knows? Perhaps I can have some fun while I’m here. Why not put them to a test?” the stallion said and stopped.

He had gotten to the target he had searched for. A predatory grin spread upon the stallion’s face. Forms other than him began rising from the puddles created by the rain, like hunting-dogs answering their master’s call.

“Well then. Let’s see how you ponies handle the challenge of Cleitus the Black,” he said, referring to himself.

The green eyes narrowed as they focused on his prey: Golden Oaks Library.

Chapter 2: End of the peaceful days

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 2: End of the peaceful days

The rain that poured against the wooden surface of her house’s roof was not enough to wake up Twilight Sparkle, nor could the droplets of water that came through the cracks in the walls and fell to the floor with a thud. The weeping sound of water lashing against the windows like a mane of a soaked pony was merely a lullaby to Twilight Sparkle. After all that had happened that night, she was fast asleep, trying to recover from the daunting task of the previous day.

However, Twilight Sparkle did wake up to the fact that her front door was launched against the back wall with enough force to break it into dozens of pieces.

“Auugh! W-what’s going on!?” Twilight screamed as she jumped out of her bed. The sounds of wood being ripped apart and rubble raining to the ground came from the main library, echoing in her ears in a chaotic manner.

“Twilight! Help!”

It was Spike. What the little dragon had been doing in the main library in the middle of the night was anypony’s guess. However, what was clear to Twilight was that her friend was in trouble. Without wasting any time, she charged out of her room, kicking her door open and entering the staircase. Her senses were fully awake, despite the fact that it had just been a very tiring day. Adrenaline filled her body, electrifying her every sense. The need to protect her friend was enough to drive any sluggishness out of her mind.

And not a moment too soon. As soon as the purple unicorn entered the main library, she saw that the whole place was in chaos.

“Spike! Over here! What’s going on!?” Twilight yelled over the sound of roaring rain and falling rubble.

It looked like a hurricane had passed through the library. The front door lay in pieces next to the opposing wall, having been hurled there by what seemed like an extremely powerful kick. Books were scattered all over the room, most of them having been destroyed by the rain that swept in from the now open doorway. The black of the night seemed to be creeping inside, the shadows of the cloudy skies grew even larger now that anypony from the outside had an unobstructed access to the place.

“I, I don’t know! The door just suddenly flew in, and then… then these things forced themselves in!” Spike answered in panic and pointed towards the door. Green flames were flaring up from his nostrils, as his primal fight-or-flight instincts were starting to take over.

Twilight followed the path of Spike’s claw with her eyes, and when her gaze met what he was pointing, she could barely believe her eyes. All her years as the greatest student of Princess Celestia had not prepared her for the sight she now saw. It was straight out of tales of old mares or obscure books about legends from times long gone. It was nothing a modern-world pony would have ever even thought she would see, let alone experience first-hoof. And it was definitely not something Twilight would have wanted to be face-to-face with either.

“What in Celestia’s name are those creatures?” Twilight whispered to herself, nearly unable to comprehend the absurd sight in front of her.

Their bodies were made purely out of flowing, sickly green water filled with moss, seaweed and other rotting flora that was clearly the source of the water’s color. They were roughly the same size as the largest stallions Twilight had seen, but their form was far too different. They looked like some sort of hideous canines, ones with shaggy, watery fur and long curled tails. Rows and rows of teeth in their mouth told of their predatory nature. Yellow eyes, like tainted pearls, were all glaring at Spike as the trio of dog-like monsters approached the young dragon.

Suddenly, the foremost of the three raised its head and let out three barks, loud enough to be heard all over Ponyville. It was a chilling noise that could put fear into anypony’s heart. Hearing that sound, Twilight finally realized what they were dealing with.

“Cù Sìth… Barrow hounds!” the purple unicorn whispered as the horrible realization dawned upon her.

“That’s great, you recognized them, now could you help me before they eat me!?” Spike shouted, his eyes darting from one Cù Sìth to another.

“Ah, sorry! Hold on, Spike! I’m coming!”

Twilight ignored the fear that was trying to grip her heart and rushed forward, just as the trio of Cù Sìths began to make their move. The largest one, the one that had barked before, took few slow steps towards Spike, who had backed himself against the bookcase in panic. The monster gave a malicious grin and opened its mouth. The few seconds it took for Twilight to get to the bottom of the staircase were all the time the monster needed. It lunged forward, straight towards Spike, intending to eat him in one huge bite.

“Aahhh!” Spike’s scream echoed in the library.

But it was soon followed by another scream, this time, one of pain.

The leader of the pack recoiled back as green flames billowed out of the young dragon’s mouth. Whether it was strength found in desperation or whether the young dragon had been hiding his true potential from his friends, it did not matter at the moment. What mattered was the fact that a cloud of emerald fire lit up the library for a moment, and threatened to engulf the foremost Cù Sìth. Even though they were made of water, the emerald fire still burned the fur of the Cù Sìth.

However, the damage the beast took made it more careful. It was not going to do the mistake of attacking alone again. It gave out a growl that Spike could feel at the bottom of his stomach, and quickly the two other monsters joined into the fray. The trio lunged towards him all at once, too quickly for him to retaliate with another breath of fire. Spike closed his eyes, curled up against the bookshelf and hoped that something, anything, would save him.

“Don’t you dare to touch him, monsters!”

There was a flash of light and bell-like sound. A form of a purple pony appeared before Spike in the last fraction of a second before the monsters got him. The young dragon saw how the use of magic veiled Twilight’s horn in purple light, which was then released in a torrent of protective energy. The three Cù Sìths were thrown backwards in a magnificent arc, hitting the back wall with enough force to break bones. A bubble of shielding had been placed around the dragon and the unicorn, one strong enough to repel any attacks that the beast might have thrown at them.

Twilight Sparkle had once again proved why she was called the greatest student of Princess Celestia. The overflowing magical power, the incredible amount of knowledge of spells, her talent being magic itself; it all culminated into an overwhelming power that she used, without hesitation, to protect her friends from all harm.

“Spike! We need to get out of here! Before they recover!” Twilight looked at her friend over her shoulder, while still staying in lowered position, ready to retaliate if the monsters tried to attack.

“Let’s take go into the side-library! We can get out through the back door!” The young dragon suggested. Since the Cù Sìths were blocking the main exit, they would have to to circle around the house to make their escape.

“Alright. Let’s go!”

While Twilight still maintained the protective bubble around them, the two hastily moved over to the door that led into the side-library; it hadn’t seen as much use as the main one. It was the place where she usually stored all the books she wanted to read in the future, but could not find time at the moment. It was also the location of the only other door outside on the ground level.

Just as the two got to the door that would have led to their destination, they heard, once again, the now familiar growling sound. The green canine monsters were starting to get back up, shaking their heads and trying to get back their bearings. Two of them were limping, as their powerful legs had deformed momentarily in their violent crash against the walls of the library.

Twilight grit her teeth together. They had been so close. If they had gotten to the side-library before the beasts had recovered, she could have put a magical seal on the door to prevent them from coming through. But now, it looked like the only option she had was to stay behind and fight while Spike made his escape. If only…

“Hoo!”

It came unexpected to both Twilight and Spike, as well as to the Cù Sìths. A dark shadow flew through the night and rammed against the head of one of the monsters, scratching its eyes. Then, before the beast could attack it back, the shadow flew up high, out of the reach of the monsters. It descended on top of the staircase, almost as if to mock the watery creatures. Twilight found herself speechless. Their savior was a puffy shape of a strange bird, with eyes that saw in the night better than anypony else in the room.

“Owlowiscious!” Twilight cheered at the owl that had just arrived to save the day. “Great job!”

“Hoo!”

“Just keep yourself safe.” Twilight gave the owl a worried look. “And get out when you can!”

“Hoo!”

The owl once again took flight and dove straight at the monsters. It masterfully evaded all the claws that were trying to swipe it from the air and rammed one of its talons into the snout of another canine. The beast howled in pain and tried to retaliate, but the owl was already gone, having flied up out of the reach. It stayed there, as if to mock the monsters with its constant “Hoo”ing and wing flapping.

Twilight silently thanked the owl and hoped that he would get out safely. She knew that the monsters would not be able to catch Owlowiscious, and that he could make his escape through the balcony door, which she always left a little open for the owl to use.

As they now had a clear path, Spike and Twilight hurried to the door for their escape. Spike flung it open, and the duo charged in with haste. The moment they were inside the side-library, Twilight let go of the magic holding the bubble around them, and instead grabbed the door and rammed it shut. She then performed a quick, yet complex spell that took all of her concentration. Purple lines of raw magical energy were drawn across the surface of the door, forming a detailed sigil. Repelling energy started its work, radiating from the glyph, and as soon as the sigil was ready, Twilight could hear the sound of a ghostly lock being sealed in a plane that existed beyond the physical one.

“Did… did it work?” Spike asked anxiously. He was nearly glued to Twilight’s side, fearing that the monsters from before might still be able to follow them.

“Yes. That seal should keep the dogs at bay. But we need to get out of here before they realize there are more exits in this place than one,” the unicorn answered. “We need to get to a place where we can contact Princess Celestia. We also need to warn the town. We don’t want these things to attack anypony else.”

Twilight drew a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Thanks to the seal, she could only hear muffled sounds of the monsters trying to catch Owlowiscious. Now, the more prominent background noise was the rain that seemed to be pouring endlessly outside. She grimaced at the thought of having to deal with the canine beasts, out in the rain and dark. She could only hope that they would not be intelligent enough to follow them.

“We should also try to see if Shining Armor is still here. If anypony can defeat those monsters, it’s him,” Twilight added with a determined voice.

The unicorn took a deep breath and relaxed. She knew she needed to keep it together as long as they were in danger.

“In that case, let’s go! The longer we are here, the easier it is for those dogs to realize that we’re escaping!” Spike hurried his friend up.

Twilight nodded at him, and together, they turned around, ready to head out through the door and do their best to protect the Ponyville from these mysterious attackers. The unicorn was prepared to teleport on a moment’s notice, should any of the attackers jump at them when they exited the building.

But before they could even take a single step, they were stopped by an appearance of somepony they had never seen before.

“Hey. You two certainly are aware of your surroundings, huh?” A sarcastic voice asked them, accompanied by a sneering grin.

Before them stood a tall unicorn stallion with a coat that reflected the dark blue color of the midnight rain outside. His mane and tail were of lighter blue color, and dripping wet. Green eyes stared at the two in a way only a predator could, inspiring momentary confusion and fear in the two. His presence was that of a nomadic warrior, clad in leather armor and surrounded by aura of death and bloodlust. Twilight had never seen a pony like him before. Nowhere in the civilized land of Equestria could you meet such a barbaric stallion.

It was clear that this intruder was from somewhere far away.

“Who… are you?” Twilight asked quietly, while forcing Spike behind her, to safety. She began moving towards the exit with slow and careful steps, keeping her eyes at the possible new threat.

“Oh, I’m the owner of the dogs you just gave a beating to,” the stallion chuckled, in a very dog-like manner himself. “The name’s Cleitus. But some call me Cleitus the Black.”

“Cleitus? What sort of name is that?” the purple pony raised an eyebrow. The name was weird, foreign, and oddly foreboding.

“Oh, I’m not from around here. Just roll with it,” Cleitus answered and grinned even wider, revealing his sharp canine teeth. “Well, since I already answered a question of yours, mind if I ask you something, lass?”

There was something odd with this pony. Cleitus’ attitude was in very rough mismatch with the current situation. The rain, the darkness, and the dogs that had just attacked… Any normal pony would have found it extremely stressful, but this stallion, this “Cleitus”, he seemed oddly playful, like he was enjoying the situation immensely. His eyes never lost strange spark of amusement, even though it was clearly a barbaric type of fun. The grin, while resembling that of a Cù Sìth, also brought in Twilight’s mind her friend, Rainbow Dash. He grinned as if he had performed some daring feat.

After a few seconds Twilight realized what Cleitus reminded her of. A hunter. A predator closing in on his prey, completely lost in the thrill of the chase.

“Go ahead,” Twilight said with low voice. She started circling the stallion, and finally stopped when the door outside was straight behind her and Spike. It was an escape route they would definitely need when the situation in the side-library exploded into action.

“You’re the mistress of the house, correct?” Cleitus lifted his head and gazed down on the purple unicorn in a condescending manner.

“Yeah, you could say that. What of it?”

Cleitus gave a short, barking laugh that made both Twilight and Spike flinched.

“Great,” he said and lowered his head, aiming his horn at the two. “Then eliminating you is the first step in removing the Elements of Harmony from Equestria.”

The aura of bloodlust turned into a spearhead aimed straight at Twilight. Sensing the intent to kill, she prepared herself in an instant and issued an order for her friend. And not a moment too late.

“Spike! Run!”

In that instant, many things happened at once. Spike turned around and pushed the door behind him open. He sprinted into the rain without even looking back. After all, he expected that his friend would have followed immediately after him, instead of facing the stallion with a murderous expression on his face. However, contrary to his expectations, instead of fleeing, Twilight sprung into action. The charge of Cleitus was blindingly fast, as he closed in the distance of few meters in a blink of an eye. However, the purple unicorn was not unprepared. Before Cleitus had even started his attack, Twilight had prepared a spell which she quickly launched at the enemy.

Bright flashes of purple energy turned into a projectile of magic that travelled forward with even more speed than Cleitus was able to gather. It hit him straight in the chest, sending the stallion recoiling backwards by the brute force of the attack. Twilight had not really used offensive spells that much, but she had studied enough of them to know how to utilize them, like she had in the fight against the Changelings. This attack, however, was far more concentrated than the ones she had used in that fight, packing enough punch to put a dent into a steel wall.

And that was exactly the reason why Twilight looked so shocked when Cleitus got back up as if the thing that had hit him had been nothing more than a spring breeze.

Cleitus looked down at his chest, where his leather armor had protected him from the magical attack. There was now a smoldering hole in the leather, the size of a pony’s hoof. The runes inscribed in the leather had protected him, but only from that single attack. The stallion raised his eyebrows and let out an honestly impressed whistle.

“Not often can one run into ponies with the same magical prowess as you, lass,” he said and looked at Twilight with a new sort of spark in his eyes. The green depths of them were now reflecting his beastly nature. “It’s almost a shame to kill you.”

What movement followed could only be described as flowing water itself. The stallion descended into a more threatening position and pointed his sharp horn at Twilight like he was about to impale her. A smile crept to his lips. And then he attacked, nearly catching Twilight by surprise.

It started with sound of something sharp cutting the air. Twilight had been expecting another charge or a trust, but to her surprise, she saw how Cleitus’ head quickly swung sideways, and how he followed that motion with a horizontal swing aimed straight at her head. Her instincts kicked in at the exact moment the horn was about to reach her, and the purple unicorn produced a spark of repelling magic from her horn, slamming it against the approaching threat. This spark grew into a brilliant purple shield, lighting up the darkened room with its light.

“Guah—” Twilight flinched in pain as the two colliding forces met. But so did his opponent. Gritting his teeth together, Cleitus applied more force into his magic to keep up with Twilight’s expanding shield.

The purple horn intertwined with the blue one, in direct opposition; the sparks of magic that were created were simply dazzling. It had been Twilight’s sharp reflexes, heightened by the adrenaline, which saved her. For the span of a few seconds, she matched and overpowered the seasoned warrior who had attacked her. But instead of anger, Cleitus clearly felt another emotion. The smile on stallion’s face widened as he saw that there was more to the pony than he had first thought.

“Good lass. Now, here’s another!” the stallion retorted.

It was meaningless to try to discern Cleitus’ charge with the naked eye. What had just a second ago been an oppressing figure of a stallion trying to kill Twilight, turned suddenly into a whirlwind of movement that lunged across the room with a speed of a gale. Faster than her thought process could even keep up, Twilight teleported out the way, appearing a few meters to the right from Cleitus. At the last moment, without allowing Twilight time to prepare an offensive spell, Cleitus changed the direction of his momentum and launched a projectile attack, a thaumaturgic sword pointed for Twilight’s throat.

The purple unicorn’s eyes widened and she teleported again, appearing in the air above the attack. Immediately, she created a bubble of shielding around her, which proved to be a wise move. Cleitus’ horn smashed straight against her bubble, with all of the magical energy focused on piercing the surface. The shockwave of the attack was enough to tear down the books from the shelves and tear the furniture around them.

In an act of defiance, Twilight warped out of sight once more and appeared behind Cleitus, intending to expand her shield so that it would knock the stallion out cold. However, to her surprise, what she saw was the quickly approaching hooves of the stallion. With no time to react, she took the full force of the attack, and hit the wall behind her painfully.

But even though blood clouded her vision momentarily, Twilight’s brain was still working with amazing speeds.

He foresaw my attack? But how!? That should not be possible! Twilight thought, trying to find an explanation for the sudden attack.

Her thoughts were cut off quickly, however, as Cleitus charged forward, utilizing his superior speed. Without even thinking, Twilight activated her teleportation in haste, appearing once again behind Cleitus. But this time, she was prepared. As another attack was launched to intercept her, she teleported again in rapid succession, dodging the stallion’s strike by hair’s breadth. As she emerged once again to the material world, her magic raged forward and created another shield that blocked Cleitus’ oncoming attack perfectly. While Twilight still felt like a hammer had hit her straight to the head, she had successfully avoided the lethal force of the attack.

What had been a simple fight of clashing magic quickly turned into a whirlwind-melee that would have left anypony watching with their mouth agape. Cleitus’ speed was unbelievable as he delivered an attack after another, with either his horn or his magic, at Twilight. But what was more amazing was the younger unicorn’s abilities. Her movement turned into a dance of teleportation, broken only by the occasional shield that repelled Cleitus backwards. She was like a mirage, appearing and disappearing the moment one laid his eyes upon her. Only sparks of clashing magic appeared as a testimony of her powerful magic meeting that of Cleitus. Twilight appeared in the ground, in the air, behind Cleitus and right in front of him. Without a moment’s rest, she teleported around to dodge all of the attacks, so fast that for an outsider, it would have seemed like there were multiple Twilights.

But there was one thing that, even in the midst of the battle, Twilight could not figure out. No matter how fast she moved around the room, the stallion always kept up with her. He seemed to anticipate every teleportation, leaving him with no blind-spot at all. Just as Twilight was trying to understand this abnormality, she saw something in the corner of her eye.

The rain which was pouring in from the open door now raged around the room. And during one prolonged second, Twilight saw something absurd in those droplets of water. She saw an eye. An eye that belonged to her opponent.

She saw the merciless eye of Cleitus the Black staring at her from inside the rain.

He’s using the moisture in the air to keep a track of my movements!? But that’s impossible! Unless… unless…!

Twilight’s thoughts were cut off as suddenly, her momentary concentration on thinking cost her. The horn of Cleitus the Black slammed against her shield. But as her spell had not appeared fast enough, she suffered the brunt of the attack, and was launched against the wall. There was a loud crack as she hit the wooden surface, and for a moment, she saw stars. Air had been driven out of her lungs, and she had trouble concentrating her thoughts.

She had made a mistake. On the verge of the breakthrough, there had been a lapse in her focus. Twilight felt like hitting the floor with her hoof, angry that she had made such an oversight.

From the corner of her eye, Twilight saw that Cleitus approaching. In anger and desperation, she gathered her magical power and launched it against the stallion to keep him at bay. But such a move had been something an experienced fighter like Cleitus had expected. He quickly moved out of the way and closed in his distance to Twilight, letting the attack hit the wall and tear right through it.

The next thing that Twilight realized was that the oppressing figure of the stallion was standing right above her. She gritted her teeth together, her brains trying to quickly find a way out of the situation she had gotten herself into. She managed to drag herself into a half-standing position, and her eyes defiantly met those of Cleitus. For a moment, there were no words between the two ponies, only the utter silence of the rain. Finally, Cleitus clicked his tongue in annoyance. But to Twilight’s surprise, it seemed that the emotion the stallion felt was not directed against her. The stallion’s previous excitement was now washed away by disappointment and boredom. He sighed and looked at the pony in front of him.

“I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all,” Cleitus said in a tone filled with disdain. “I don’t get it. Why do I always have a mission to fulfill when I meet an opponent like this? Fate really does not shine brightly upon me. Maybe it’s the curse of the Lady of the Corn? Who knows.”

Twilight saw that whatever joy the stallion had found it the battle was now long gone. He no longer had a grin on his face, and instead, it was replaced by stern eyes. With a strange expression on his face, the stallion stepped forward, lowering his horn and letting his magical power roar as he locked his stare at Twilight.

“Don’t think bad of me, lass. My shame is already great. Something like this is nothing compared to the geis I have broken,” Cleitus announced with a cold, emotionless voice.

The speed of the attack was as fast as the swings that the stallion had performed earlier. But this time, he was coming straight at her. Twilight did not even manage to draw a surprised breath as Cleitus had spun around and launched a kick with his both hind feet into her chest. The air that had come back to her lungs was driven out once more, and for a moment, Twilight saw nothing but stars and a spinning world. What followed the nauseating sensation was sharp pain as she crashed through the window behind her, breaking through to the yard of the library. Cleitus had performed a kick so powerful it had sent her flying through the window, as abnormal as it was.

“Don’t go around flying now, lass. You’re just causing unnecessary trouble for me,” Cleitus said as he stepped outside into the rain, following Twilight’s trajectory.

The heavy sounds of the hooves hitting the ground to the rhythm of the pounding rain were what woke Twilight up. Her vision was blurry from the sudden hits, but she still saw the slowly approaching form of the stallion that intended to kill her. Gathering all her remaining strength, she tried to lift her bruised and bloodied body from the ground, even though the droplets of water that kept hitting her fur seemed to almost mock her efforts. She pushed down the need to voice out her pain, and focused solely on surviving. She needed to get up. She needed to escape. Twilight knew that there was no way she could defeat this enemy alone now.

“End of the line, lass.”

But reality was cruel. Just as Twilight had gotten back to her unsteady legs, she was confronted by the intimidating sight of Cleitus who towered above her. There was no joy of a hunter in his eyes anymore, just cold intent to pierce her throat with his horn. All of his playfulness had been whisked away by something, leaving nothing but the contempt for the situation behind. Even Twilight understood that something in the situation did not please Cleitus.

“No hard feelings. This is just a duty for me,” Cleitus said and lowered his head. The spiraling shape of his horn gleamed in the rain of the night. For a moment, Twilight saw in her mind how that sword-like horn would impale her with speed of lightning, and then throw away her dying corpse.

It was the first time she had experienced the fear of death. And it was not something she would forget for the rest of her life, no matter how brief it would be.

“It’s a shame, really. You’ve got a good understanding of magic and your power is not bad. Guess you’re just too inexperienced, in the end,” Cleitus spoke in a strange, almost sorry tone. “Whatever you might have become in the future will never been seen, though. This is it for you. Die, lass.”

The horn was thrust forward, like a running silver light.

“Think again, you jerk!”

But before the horn could find its target, a yell of anger and energy pierced the air.

There was a whirlwind that swept through the rainy yard. Clouds were pushed apart by the strength of a single pegasus’ wings and rain was cleared from the area. The moon in the sky revealed the form of a blue savior as she charged down from the sky, ramming herself straight to the side of Cleitus. The incredible power threw the stallion sideways like a ragdoll, making him bounce off the wet ground.

Before Twilight’s eyes, there was a miracle. A familiar sight of a blue-feathered pegasus stood at her side, valiantly protecting her from the enemy. The rainbow-colored mane was wet from the rain, but it did not wipe away the fierce look in her eyes. She glared Cleitus in a way that Twilight had never seen before.

“Ya okay, Twilight?” A familiar voice called out to the wounded mare. It was followed by multiple sounds of hooves hitting the ground, like a small-scale stampede that approached.

As Twilight looked to the direction where Rainbow Dash had came from, she saw a sight that filled her heart with warmth. All her friends were there, running to her aid. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and even Fluttershy had arrived to save her. And riding on the back of Rarity was one determined-looking young dragon who had gathered all her friends when he realized that Twilight was not coming out of the library.

“Y-yes, I’ll… live. But, we need to... stop him,” Twilight answered with a hoarse voice, trying to keep both her voice and body steady.

Twilight glared in the direction where Cleitus had been thrown from Rainbow Dash’s tackle. And what she saw made her look twice, as she could hardly believe her eyes.

Where Cleitus had finally stopped was nothing but a big puddle of water. It looked almost as if the stallion had shattered into millions of water droplets as he hit the ground for the final time. And now, just as absurdly, the water began gathering itself. It twisted and turned in the air, morphing into a form of the stallion Twilight had first seen. It took the water only ten seconds to form a nearly perfect shape of the stallion. Then, to seal the absurdity of the scene, color began pouring into the watery figure, creating quickly the exact replica of the appearance Cleitus had used before.

A few seconds after he had been forced back into his form of water, the dark-blue stallion had gotten back his form.

“That was uncalled for, brat,” Cleitus said and cracked his neck before throwing a hateful glare straight at Rainbow Dash. The blue-feathered pony stayed strong, however, and did not even flinch under that gaze.

“Woah, Nelly! Just what in the name of Celestia are we dealin’ with here?” Applejack asked as she saw the the surreal sight. And her confusion was reflected in the eyes of everypony else.

Or, nearly everypony. Instead of looking shocked, Twilight’s eyes narrowed as if she had finally understood something that had been bothering her.

“An aughisky. That’s what he is,” she spoke, clearly gaining more strength now that she started understanding what kind of enemy they faced. It was pure willpower, but it was enough to keep her standing, for now. “It’s a sub-species of us unicorns, who live in the water and prey on innocent ponies as they come to swim. Mostly they are just thought to be an old pony’s tale, but looks like the legends are true after all.”

Cleitus’ face twisted into an expression of a merciless warrior once more It was an abrupt change, and even Twilight realized she had hit a nerve when she had identified him and his kind. Cleitus’ bloodlust radiated from his body like a tidal wave, crashing against the ponies in an attempt to make them flee.

“Exactly, lass. That’s it,” the dark blue unicorn, or aughisky, answered. “While you ponies turned your backs to the nature and adapted a more civilized way of life, I can guarantee that there were those who found the life in the wilds far more suitable for them. And while we have been there the whole time, your kind has this habit of trying to block anything dark from their collective memory or history.”

“H-how… how are we going to defeat a brute… like him?” Fluttershy asked. The yellow pegasus was doing her best not to flee, staying close to Applejack who stared back at the enemy, unflinching.

“You don’t have to.”

The sudden words that cut the air were accompanied by a crashing sound, as something tore into the ground between the friends and their blue-coated enemy.

Purple energy expanded around the six ponies, creating a barrier that engulfed them from all the sides. A half-sphere extended all the way to the ground, preventing anything from passing through, be it physical or magical. The power of the barrier was simply overwhelming, even for Twilight. And she knew that there was only one pony in Ponyville, maybe in whole Equestria, who could cast such a concentrated and powerful spell. Her eyes lit up with hope as she turned her head towards the voice. And as an answer to her prayers, from the dark of the night, a figure of a white stallion with blue mane stepped forward, clad in brilliant steel and with an expression of pure determination.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight called out the name of her older brother, who had appeared to save the day.

“Stand back, Twilie. This isn’t an enemy you could defeat, even with the six of you. He’s somepony who has been on a battlefield since he was born,” Shining Armor spoke in a way that brought to mind a wall of Canterlot Castle. “Isn’t that right, mercenary?”

“Well, well. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a hero, arriving to save the damsels in distress,” Cleitus cackled and focused his glare on the stallion. “I never could understand you ponies, bound by codes like chivalry.”

“You may not understand chivalry, aughisky, but you should know of honor?” Shining Armor asked with a frown. “Then why are you fighting against innocent ponies who have no hope of defeating you?”

“It’s a mission. A mission. I do what I’m told, because, yes, I do understand honor,” the blue-colored stallion answered. “Don’t think I’m trying to fool you. You know that I’m not the type to lie.”

“Brother what are you doing?” Twilight’s expression grew scared, as she started getting worried about her sibling. She had never seen him giving such a stern, unrelenting gaze to anypony before. But this aughisky brought out something strange in him.

Shining Armor gave a sideways glance to Twilight and her friends, and flashed a quick, but reassuring, smile. It was the type of smile that told he could solve all their problems in a flash, if they just let him do what he was planning to. It lasted only for a second, but even in that time, the smile was enough to bring warmth into the hearts of everypony inside the protective bubble. And then, focusing back on the enemy at hand, the white stallion confronted the foreigner.

“What I’m doing is taking this fight somewhere else. Somewhere where there are no innocent civilians around. And then I’ll deal with you personally, mercenary. I’ll show you that it was a mistake to hurt my sister while I’m in town,” Shining Armor spoke, and there was no mercy in his voice. “Follow me, aughisky. We’ll finish this outside the town.”

“Heh. What a troublesome pony you are.”

But even though he seemed to ridicule Shining Armor’s words, Cleitus relaxed and walked away from near the protective bubble. His eyes were already scanning the faraway edge of the town, where they were supposed to put an end to the fight.

“Shining Armor! We’ll come with you! Don’t go alone!” Twilight, unease settling into her heart once more, begged her brother. But the white stallion simply shook his head. He would not be swayed by his sister’s words. There was no negotiating this. He would take the matters in his own hooves.

“No, Twilie. Stay with your friends inside this bubble until I’ll release it. When I do, it will be safe to come out. I promise,” Shining Armor said and turned his back to the ponies.

Twilight felt a pang of sorrow in her heart, and an oddly foreboding threat she could not put into words. Nevertheless, she refrained from repeating herself, no matter how much she did not want her brother to go.

“You’ve got an idea for a place?” The aughisky asked with a grin. The captain of the royal guard nodded grimly.

“A perfect one. Nopony will come to that place unless they have to. Let’s go.”

Having struck a strange accord with the enemy, Shining Armor raced forward, with Cleitus the Black following close behind him. The two stallions ran towards the western edge of the city, disappearing quickly from the sight as they took sharp turns and zigzagged around the buildings. Despite Twilight’s desperate calls, neither of them would stop, and soon the only thing the six ponies could hear was the sound of hooves striking against the wet earth, echoing from the otherwise silent town.

A few minutes later, even that sound had disappeared.

The six friends were left into a complete silence. None of them were able to, or even wanted to, speak first considering what had just happened. All of them prayed for Celestia to watch over Shining Armor, as despite the colt’s claims, they were all afraid of the worst. In that suffocating void of sounds, Rarity quietly walked over to Twilight and put her comforting front leg around her. Feeling something warm, the tired mare finally allowed her exhausted and beaten body to relax, slumping against her friend. The battle was finally over, and she felt all the pain that had been dulled by adrenaline wash over her.

One-by-one, the ponies gathered around Twilight, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. None of them said a word, but the look in their eyes told Twilight everything she needed to know.

She finally understood just how much she needed her friends in times like these.

What finally broke the quiet moment was the rain. The clouds that had been dispersed by Rainbow Dash had slowly crept back to their places, and now their watery cargo was being unloaded onto the protective spell. The raindrops hit the purple surface and bounced off, rolling down the sides of the bubble. The elusive moon shone through the small cracks that still remained in the blanket of clouds, making the raindrops shine like diamonds.

“Are you alright, darling?” Rarity finally asked. Hearing those words, Twilight raised her head and gave a tired, somewhat forced smile.

“Yeah. I’m just… fine. My body feels awful though, and I don’t think there is a single spot without a bruise, but… I’m fine. Thanks, though,” the unicorn croaked out in a hoarse voice.

Fluttershy, sensing the deep worry in her friend’s demeanor, pressed her head against Twilight in a calming way. The coolness of her skin was enough to ease some of the pain Twilight was experiencing, but it was the thought that eased her wavering heart even more. She did not know if Fluttershy was crying or if her mane was still dripping wet from the rain, but nevertheless, the message was clear.

“Now what do we do?” Pinkie Pie asked, unusual somberness having replaced her usual cheerfulness.

“We do the only thing we can, sugarcube,” Applejack answered while slowly petting Twilight’s mane. “We wait.”

“Yeah…” Twilight’s answer was pained. “We wait.”

****

The rainfall was even heavier at the edge of the forest. The trees, which were usually dark in nature and color, seemed almost like a void of light when they were viewed under the smoke-black sky. The water was like a heavy cape put on shoulders of everypony who even dared to walk near the forest during such weather. And now those capes were pulled over the shoulders of the two stallions who had stopped there to finish what they had promised to.

Shining Armor was absentmindedly gazing at the surface of a certain tree. The tree itself held no special meaning to him. It was a tree just like any other. However, what it brought to mind were memories from long time ago, back when he had been just a bit older than his sister was now. The days spent in the west, in the training grounds and in the barracks, under the tutelage of the greatest generals of Equestria. Those days had been full of sand and wood, as life in a fortress built in such a place usually was.

Finally, Shining Armor gave a sigh and relented to the sharp gaze at the back of his neck. He knew that the aughisky was waiting for him to start everything. After all, it had been him who invited the two of them here in the first place. However, Shining Armor did not turn around, as he wanted to linger in his memories while they talked.

It had been many years, after all, since he saw his former friend.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other,” Shining Armor spoke in a tepid tone. “I guess you didn’t bring any souvenirs for me?”

Cleitus snorted.

“The hay I did. Did you want me to bring some sand for you to eat, like always, Shining?” The mercenary asked in a sarcastic tone. His sting made the white stallion chuckle a bit.

“It’s been years, and the first thing you want to talk about is old grudges, huh? Guess you haven’t changed at all during these years, Cleitus,” Shining Armor spoke. “Does this mean that I should think this as nothing more than a repeat of the old sparring matches we used to have?”

There was a short moment of silence, as memories of the past ran through their heads, separated from the events of today. It was a time that neither of them wanted to return to, but neither did they want to let go. A burden of time that had been placed on their shoulders of their own volition, one which they would not share, even in the end.

It was Cleitus who finally broke the silence.

“From what I understood, you got my soldier out of the castle after he had delivered the message,” he said. “I guess I should thank you for that.”

“You need to thank Cadance for that,” Shining Armor said with a stoic smile. “She selflessly helped that soldier disappear from the castle, even though you never bothered to show up for our wedding. The way I see it, she still considers you our friend, even if we haven’t seen each other in Celestia knows how many years. But, then again, I guess you were kinda counting on that. The infamous Cleitus the Black, leader of the strongest mercenary force in the west, still trusts his childhood friends without hesitation. Imagine what other ponies would say if they heard that.”

For a moment, just for a moment, the steel-like glare in Cleitus’ eyes disappeared, and was replaced by something else. The softer eyes of the past returned for few seconds, as his tensed up body relaxed. It was a mirage of days gone by.

“For the sake of my honor, I will say this: Shining Armor. Take Cadance with you and get out of this country. It will become a battlefield soon enough. Even if I wasn’t here to speed things up, Equestria will eventually be drawn into war, because he wills it. If you stay, you’ll only get yourself and your wife killed,” Cleitus said harshly, but with clear honesty. He was not trying to trick the other stallion. He was warning him.

“So in the end, it was about war, huh? The last place where I wanted to hear those words were here, in Ponyville,” the white stallion said, sorrow filling his eyes. “Soldiers and mercenaries… in the end, our life revolves only around one thing. I guess it would be too much to ask for a world where we aren’t needed. Even if we only protect those we love, we will still cause sadness.”

A stray drop of water finally made its way through the branches of the tree, and hit Shining Armor straight on the snout. With a sigh, he turned around to face his old acquaintance. Somepony who had been more than that in the past. Be that as it may, whatever they had been in the past, they were certainly not anymore. That much was clear from the cold eyes they gazed at each other. And the rain from the heavens just amplified the solemness that hung between the two.

“You will be left under the hooves of time if you continue to think like that, Shining. Both you and your Princess, not to mention your whole country, are old-fashioned. The whole Equestria is an eyesore. There is no need for a country like yours in this world,” Cleitus spoke as something strange could be heard in his tone. Something that wavered between a duty and honor. But they were buried by the dark shadows that covered his face. “This world belongs to us, Shining.”

Having said that, the blue-coated stallion took one step forward and lowered his head, aiming his sharp horn straight at Shining Armor. The look in Cleitus’ eyes told that he was no longer going to go on with the peaceful charade they had been holding up until now. A smile with no happiness in it crept to his lips, as he confronted the white stallion.

“I’ll give you one more chance, Shining. Take Cadance, and leave this country. Immediately.”

What had been an offer before was now an order. These were the last words that Cleitus was going to speak to Shining Armor as old friends. And to answer that, the other stallion gave a peaceful smile to the one threatening him.

“I think I’m beginning to understand why you’re here, Cleitus. Or why you were ordered here. Because if we’re talking about your personal reasons, we both know what is going on inside your head. You want to fight. You want to put your strength to the test. You’re a warrior, Cleitus, and any moment when your blood is not boiling is a moment when you do not feel alive,” Shining Armor sighed in almost affectionate manner. “So, could you do me a favor? Just fight me, and leave it at that. Those six ponies you saw have nothing to do with this. They are as innocent as they can be. So don’t get them involved. That’s my request.”

A dead silence fell between the two. The green eyes of Cleitus stayed locked in the eyes of Shining Armor, unwavering and unrelenting. Both stallions stood valiantly in the rain, but under that dark sky, their forms seemed awfully small and regretful. Rain licked their coats and manes, turning the once proud-looking stallions into shadows of themselves. To others they might have seemed like the warriors they were, but in their own eyes, they saw themselves as far lesser beings than they had ever been before.

“So be it.”

Cleitus finally answered.

****

The moment her brother’s barrier had came crashing down, Twilight Sparkle had started running. She charged into the direction where the two stallions had headed, knowing exactly where Shining Armor had planned on taking the enemy. She knew how her brother thought, and she knew that the only place in Ponyville where there was no danger of civilians was in a place where nopony frequented.

In other words, the edge of the Everfree Forest.

Even with her bruised and beaten body, she left behind her friends in her hurry. Something akin to possession drove strength into her legs, moving her forward with a speed she never thought she could have achieved. And when, in her mind, she began to mull over the possible outcomes of the fight that had ended, she found herself running even faster. It was like a fever, but instead of heat, she felt cold, icy hooves reaching out for her from her spine.

The images of a tragedy her imagination conjured up were almost unbearable.

It took her about ten minutes to get to the edge of the forest, and to the road which took travelers deep into the wilderness. But instead of heading in, Twilight scanned the area with her eyes, trying to spot any hint of white amidst the dark green flora of the forest. Her legs took her back and forth the edge as she walked here and there to find the whereabouts of her brother. For all she knew, he could have won, but was too tired to get back to the town by himself. In that case, Shining Armor needed his sister’s help. Or that he had broken his leg, and was unable to walk.

Whatever the case, Twilight promised herself that she would be there for him. She would make sure that her brother got back to the Ponyville, safe and sound.

Her head shot from left to right, desperately searching for any signs that could have helped to locate Shining Armor. Her breathing was so heavy it started to sound painful, even in her own ears. Cold was sneaking up her skin, and Twilight knew that she would be bedridden for days after she would finally rest. But now she could not even think of doing something like that. She needed to find her brother. She needed to help her brother. There had never been a wish as strong as this in her heart.

And maybe that was why, when Twilight finally found Shining Armor, she stopped like she had been frozen solid.

Shining Armor looked as if he was sleeping peacefully. He was on the ground, leaning against a certain tree, and there weren’t many times when Twilight had seen him looking so content. But there was something wrong with the whole picture. Perhaps it was the fact that line of blood came from his closed mouth. Maybe it was the fact that there was a deep thrust-wound in his side, where blood flowed out and stained the ground. Or, it might have been the fact that the blood from both sources mixed together in the wet ground, and colored the mud Twilight was walking on completely red.

“So you got here anyways, lass.”

A rough voice of a hunter greeted her from inside the rain.

Cleitus the Black stood behind Twilight, looking as if nothing special had happened in the past twenty minutes. His demeanor was cool and collected as always, the demeanor of a hunter that had finished his hunt. His prey had been caught, and look of satisfaction lingered on his face. The rain-slicked mane obscured his eyes, but the slight hint of smile on his lips was quite clear.

“Unfortunately, you only got here to see the aftermath. I’ve already paid back my debt to him,” Cleitus spoke with no remorse. “It’s almost laughable how the world works, in the end. But, I guess I should have seen it earlier. You’re the little sister he was always going on about, right? Get lost, lass. I’ll honor my promise and spare your life. Nothing more, and nothing le—”

Cleitus never got to speak any more than that. His words were interrupted in a brutal manner as two hooves slammed right into his snout with a tremendous force. The attack threw the stallion backwards by meters, and he was slammed against the wet ground so hard that one could hear his bones creak. However, even though he had been hit so hard he was bleeding from a nostril, the mercenary did not seem fazed at all. Instead, he raised his eyebrow at the pony hidden by the rain and chuckled.

“The hay was that for, lass?” he asked with grim amusement.

Perhaps he was going to say more. Perhaps he wasn’t. But any words Cleitus might have tried to add were caught in his throat as the rain was parted by the form of a mare lunging straight at him. Even the mercenary who had seen the horrors of battlefield was frozen by the sight.

Dilated pupils and bloodshot eyes. Magical energy roaring more menacingly than the storm around her. Twilight Sparkle’s mouth was drawn into a beast-like expression, baring all her teeth to Cleitus. She had completely lost the image of the sweet and awkward pupil of Celestia. What she had experienced during one single day had momentarily taken hold of her. The sight of her dead brother filled her with pure, unfiltered rage.. It was a primal reaction to what had happened to Shining Armor, and the sight of the one who had caused all of it. She was not even thinking at the moment. She was simply moving purely by her instincts, ones that were thought long lost to the civilized country of Equestria.

Horn rammed against horn, and magical energy screamed. Purple and blue auras met as the two unicorns clashed together with enough force to cause a shockwave that tore both the rain and the undergrowth of the forest aside. Snarl escaped from Twilight’s lips, further proving how far off the edge she was at the moment. Blinded by feelings she had never experienced before, she threw all her raw magical power against the culprit of the horrible deed.

“Not half bad, lass. You’re forcing me to be serious. That’s something to tell tales about,” Cleitus said with amused tone while forcing Twilight back with his own blue shield of magic. “However, think rationally, lass. You’re treading a fine line here. Are you trying to make me break my promise to Shining Armor?”

All it took was the mentioning of the name of her brother. Twilight’s mouth opened, but her yell of anger was swallowed by the raging magical energies. What had been a torrent of purple magical force was now turned into a tidal wave that threatened to take Cleitus with it. The blue stallion jumped backwards, retreating from the onslaught of power, and prepared for another attack.

And that attack came faster than he expected.

Quickly, the fight devolved into one of brutal reflexes and instincts. Magic was forgotten in an instant. Instead, the two ponies rushed at each other and rose up, trying to drive their front hooves into the chest of the other, pummeling their enemy to the ground. Teeth snapped in the air as Cleitus and Twilight both tried to catch a bite at the neck of each other. It was a fight that hadn’t been seen in Equestria in centuries, where the primal nature of the combatants took over.

Although the stallion was taller than Twilight, she still managed to draw the first blood. While they once again met in a clash of chest-against-chest, the purple unicorn turned her head sideways to avoid the snapping jaws of Cleitus and lunged forward, catching a hold of the muscled neck of the stallion. The mercenary growled in pain and tried to throw her off, without avail. Powered by her grief and anger, Twilight kept her grip of the flesh of the aughisky, even while being thrown around. It was not until Cleitus rolled violently on the ground that she had to let go, as otherwise she would have been crushed under his heavier body. The two ponies separated from each other, growling as they did.

But that brief moment of respite did not last. Gathering once more tremendous amount of magical energy into her horn, Twilight jumped up and brought her head down, trying to impale Cleitus via the combination of her magic and her momentum. It was a magnificent leap that the bookworm like Twilight could have never succeeded in, if she was not half-crazed from the loss of her older sibling.

However, what those rage-filled eyes met was only cool determination of the more experienced fighter.

“Wrong move, lass.”

The blue aura of Cleitus’ magic filled the air. Faster than Twilight could descend, it gathered into his horn and was condensed, tempered, and turned into a dangerous weapon against the other pony. And with a single, swift move of the head, that spell was released at the charging purple unicorn.

A blade of water cut the air. It was pressurized to the point where it could have cut metal itself. And it was aimed was straight at Twilight’s head. No, not at the head. Somewhere slightly above it. Somewhere very important. And the purple pony had no way of avoiding it.

For a moment, even the rain itself was subdued by the sound of something breaking.

Dozens of fragments were scattered in the air. They glittered amongst the drops of water, creating a light as the magic gathered into the fragments died. Glittering sparks rained down on Cleitus, who was now smiling with dark amusement. With one well-placed spell, he had completely neutralized the most dangerous aspect of his opponent. The fight was as good as over.

He had shattered Twilight Sparkle’s horn in a single instant.

“It’s over, lass. There’s nothing you can—“

Once again, Cleitus’ words were cut short. This time there was a simpler reason. They were replaced with a growl of pure pain, as Twilight swung her head down like a pendulum. It came from above and with speed, and the blue stallion had no way to avoid it. The razor-sharp stump of the mare’s horn was jammed right into the shoulder of the aughisky, drawing blood that stained the rain.

Gritting his teeth together from agony, Cleitus silently raised his front leg and delivered a kick into the stomach of Twilight. It sent her hurling backwards, but not too far. The mercenary pony jumped after her, and brought her down by ramming his hoof onto her stomach. Twilight hit the ground and let out a yell of animalistic pain. Her bloodshot eyes were staring straight at Cleitus. There was no intelligence in them anymore. The pony known as “Twilight Sparkle” was probably no longer even conscious. What was acting was her body, exacting its revenge.

Cleitus gave a barking laugh at the sight.

“There were rumors of Princess Celestia having a student with absurd affinity in magic. I take it that you’re that said pupil?” The aughisky spoke with a beast-like grin. “Who’d have thought there was a freak like you in the place where I was supposed to attack? We all thought you were in Canterlot, which is why we left that place alone.”

Although Twilight struggled under the hoof of Cleitus, the older stallion did not relent. He painfully applied force to his leg, keeping the pony in check.

“But don’t get cocky. It’s a big world out there, you know? As powerful as you might one day become, there are plenty of ponies like you out there, yours truly included,” the mercenary spoke and his words rang with cruel honesty. He brought his snout right in front of Twilight, and stared her straight in the eyes.

“Run away, and never come back, filly. In this world there is nothing that can protect you anymore. The best you can do is to hide and hope we will never find you again.”

Having said that, Cleitus released Twilight from under his hoof. In that instant, the pony lunged at him, her jaws open and ready to dig into his flesh. There was a disinterested expression on the blue stallion’s face as he spun around and prepared his hind legs. Before the purple unicorn had even time to react, he launched a powerful kick straight at her chest, sending her flying backwards with colossal force.

Twilight hit a tree with enough force to crack the wooden surface. Her body having gone completely limp, she fell to the ground, right next to the brother. Cleitus had purposefully aimed his kick so that the pony would end up in the same place as Shining Armor. For him, it felt somewhat fitting. There was a sense of irony in that, which the aughisky loved. Or, at least, some sick and twisted part of him did.

Yet he did not laugh. The stallion remained completely silent.

For few moments, Cleitus stared at the form of the pony and the colt, lying on the ground in the rain. His eyes carefully studied their bodies, searching for any sign that either was just faking it, and was preparing to ambush him. When, even after a minute of watching, nothing like that did happen, the aughisky clicked his tongue, and allowed his form to switch into running water.

It took only few seconds for the mercenary to disappear into the rain, having become just fleeting water himself.

Rain fell to the two bodies, purple and white. It did not care about what had happened before, and it was not going to care about what would happen after. The rain would come down as long as it pleased, and then, when it was satisfied, it would disappear into the sky, only to return once again some other day. Maybe that day it would bring such dreadful visitors again, maybe not. But the rain itself had never been anything special. It was just a coincidental announcer of the events that had been put in motion over a thousand years ago.

Events that had all lead to this moment. The moment when it all would start.

“…ua…ah…”

A weak voice. A voice of a pony. A body that was not supposed to move anymore shook ever so slightly, and Twilight Sparkle’s eyes fluttered open. Her vision was hazy, and her memory was torn apart. She had no recollection of what had just transpired. She simply remembered red haze and feelings that overthrew her logical way of thinking. It had been a fit of rage so great that she had never experienced something like that before.

But now, it was over. And she was only searching for a one thing. A sign that would allow her to rest. A sign that would tell her that it had not all been for naught. Her eyes gazed at the unmoving form in front of her, one that she had gazed through her whole life, from the moment she was but a small filly. And never before had she looked at it with such intensity as she was now.

And finally, just when she started hearing the sound of hooves in the distance, she saw it. Rising and lowering of a chest. Breathing. Weakly, but surely, he breathed. Twilight finally saw a sign that, even after all that, her brother was still alive.

Satisfied, Twilight finally allowed herself to fall to the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

Chapter 3: Start of a journey

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 3: Start of a journey

“Did you see that battle, o sister of mine?”

“Yes, I saw that battle, o brother of mine!”

Two voices whispered in the night that was almost ending. The rain clouds had parted a long time ago, and what was left was the empty sky of twinkling stars, awaiting the arrival of the sun. In that cold warmth of the dawn, two small figures ran around the town square of Ponyville, occasionally bumping into each other and giggling like mad.

They looked like nothing more than two fillies, both male and female. The female had an odd-looking coat with triangular patches of multiple colors all over it, and her mane had a similarly odd coloring. Even her eyes were strange, the left being gold in color, and the right being purple. But her brother was not better. His coat was full of circular patches that seemed to have all the possible colors in it, as did his mane. His eye-colors were switched around, what with his right eye being gold, while the left one was purple. These two fillies were strange reflections of each other.

“We must report this to the Princess at once, o brother of mine! Or she’ll say: ‘Off with Arlecchino’s head’!” the female filly piped up and did a cartwheel for no apparent reason.

“Yes, report this to the Princess, we must, o sister of mine! Or she’ll say: ‘Off with Trivelino’s head’!” the male chimed in, and circled around his sister while walking on only his front legs.

These two, Arlecchino and Trivelino, continued their odd ritual of performing acrobatic feats that should have been pretty much impossible for ponies.They threw cartwheels, somersaulted in the air and even walked on just their hind legs. All the while they kept laughing and giggling, like two real fillies. But no filly would have been out in the dark like they were, or would have talked about the subjects they did.

“Looks like Marecedonia is finally on the move, o brother of mine! Their assassin fought with Twilight Sparkle!” Arlecchino faked a gasp.

“Yes, Marecedonia is finally on the move, o sister of mine! Their assassin battled with Twilight Sparkle!” Trivelino parroted and made a cutting motion across his throat.

Suddenly, the sister of the duo halted her movements and pointed towards the hospital that loomed in the distance. A few hours before, a group of ponies had dragged two of their friends there, all while the two fillies had been watching. Now, as she looked at the hospital building, the filly with triangular, colorful patches for a coat smiled excitedly.

“You saw what happened to the Element of Magic did you not, o brother of mine?” Arlecchino giggled. “I wonder how Princess Celestia will react? I’m sure our Princess will laugh her sides sore, o brother of mine!”

“I saw what happened to the Element of Magic, o sister of mine!” Trivelino answered while jumping up and down. “Who knows how Princess Celestia will react. I’m sure our Princess will laugh until her stomach hurts, o sister of mine!”

“Enough dallying!”

This time, both fillies spoke at the same time, pointing at each other with their front leg. Grin spread to their faces like they had been mirrors, and together they did a cartwheel and pointed towards south, into the horizon beyond borders of Equestria.

“We should go, Trivelino!” the sister filly said.

“Then we will go, Arlecchino!” the brother filly answered.

And so, the two strange ponies disappeared into the night, leaving behind only a trail of laughter that echoed in exactly similar way as their speech had. In just a few seconds, the town square was silent again, and there was no sign of the two harlequins that had danced under the moon.

****

It was the continuous, slow-paced beeping sound that eventually woke up Twilight Sparkle. Her eyes, slowly, fluttered open. The first thing they saw was the cold, white ceiling of the hospital room she had been admitted into. For a moment, the only thing she could do was to stare at that ceiling. The sun shone from the outside, and the rays of light were filtered into the room through white curtains, creating a dance of shadows on the floor. Birds sang close-by, perhaps in the tree right next to the window. And further away, Twilight could hear the hustle and bustle of Ponyville itself. However, even those sounds of happiness did not cause any reaction in her. While it seemed that there was nothing wrong with her body per se, just some ache, her mind was in far bigger mess.

She had only the slightest recollection of what had happened in the night before. She remembered her house being attacked by some strange animals and being confronted by a stallion she had never seen before. She even remembered how her friends had come for her rescue. But after that, things became blurry. She knew she had seen something that had made her feel emotions she had never felt before.

“Just… what happened?” Twilight whispered to herself, trying to wrack her brains.

“Yer awake, sugarcube?” a familiar voice suddenly called out for the unicorn. There, on the side of her bed, sat Applejack, with a relieved smile now spreading to her face. “Ya sure took yer time to sleep, didn’t ya? Well, it’s good to see that ya have still kick in ya.”

“Ah, good morning, Applejack. I guess I overslept a little,” Twilight laughed sheepishly. “What time is it?”

“Hun, ya slept for two whole days. That’s a bit more than ‘overslept’, Ah say,” Applejack chuckled. “Today, though, it’s a bit past noon. Yer just in time for supper.”

As if they had been the magic words, the door to the room opened just as Applejack had finished talking. In barged four ponies and one baby dragon, most of them carrying some sort of snacks with them. Twilight could imagine that her friends took turns in watching over her, as that was the only logical explanation. However, any logic was thrown out of the window when the four ponies saw her sitting there on the bed, awake. They rushed to Twilight’s side, and before the purple unicorn could even prepare for it, she had been caught in the biggest group-hug she had experienced.

“Twilight! You’re awake!” Rainbow Dash shouted cheerfully.

“It was about time you got up, darling.” Rarity’s mouth was in a big smile, but her eyes were watering up.

“Oh thank goodness,” Fluttershy muttered as she buried her snout into Twilight’s mane.

“Yay! This calls for a party! …After Twilight’s fully recovered, that is,” Pinkie Pie cheered and winked at her purple-coated friend.

Laughter filled the room now that the friends were reunited once more. The only one who didn’t join the laughter was Spike, and that was because he was too busy hugging Twilight as tightly as he could. Even the center of the attention herself was getting teary-eyed because of the feelings of her friends that were reaching across to her. It was one thing to know you had friends, but experiences like these made it all that more special.

“A’ight, a’ight, break it up, girls,” Applejack finally said and forced everypony to give some room to the patient. “We don’t want her to suffocate.”

“Thanks girls. I really mean it,” Twilight said with a smile. “Now, could somepony fill me in just what transpired during that night? I have some hazy memories, but that’s it. I can’t even remember what… what…”

Something stung inside of Twilight’s head. An image burned into her memory struggled to surface, like an animal trying to break free from a hunter’s trap. Finally the memory ripped itself away from the clutches of the black void, and threw itself against Twilight’s mind. She saw it. She saw it all. The blood that stained the rain-soaked, muddy ground. The body of a colt that she loved so dearly. The sneering face of the stallion who had been to blame.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight nearly jumped out of the bed, but was stopped by Applejack. “Is he alright? Did he survive!?”

“Hold yer horses, sugarcube. Yer brother’s doin’ fine,” Applejack reassured her. “The doctors said he’ll need a mighty long rest, and he’ll probably be out longer than ya will. But he’ll survive.”

Twilight’s fear and panic subsided in an instant. The raging of her heart calmed down, leaving nothing but a tranquil, clear surface behind. She exhaled and fell back to the bed, allowing her body to finally relax. The worst-case scenario had been avoided. Even though it had been close, her brother had survived.

“So, the only one who suffered any damage was my house, right?” Twilight asked. “Guess that’s pretty good, considering we were attacked by a bloodthirsty water-unicorn.”

“About that,” Rarity said with oddly stiff tone and levitated a mirror from the nearby table. “I think that it is best that you will see this for yourself.”

The mirror was brought right in front of her, so that Twilight could see her face. And what she saw stole all the words from her mouth. It was not her slightly bruised face. It was not the mess that had used to be her mane. It was the broken stump that had been her horn. Her beautiful horn, a mark of her status as a unicorn, the tool which she used to wield her magic. It was gone, all gone.

“My… my horn…” The words that came out of Twilight’s lips were simply a whimper.

“The doctors said that it was the magic of the colt that cut your horn,” Rarity continued. “The damage itself is permanent, but… although they have no skills to do it here in Ponyville, great healer-unicorns of countries like Prance would be able to recreate your horn.”

Twilight barely heard her friend’s words. The shock had yet to wear off. The one thing she had always been proud of, her magical ability and capability, had been snatched away just like that. Or rather, the tool which she used shape her latent powers into something elegant was now gone. What remained was raw power, but there was no finesse to it. She might have had the knowledge, but no way to use it.

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash apologized. “If we had gotten there sooner…”

The downcast pegasus could not find any words to continue with, and instead opted to hit the floor angrily with her hoof, muttering about what she would do to the mysterious stallion if she got her hooves on him. However, in the gloom, Pinkie Pie was the only one who did not fall into the somber silence. Instead, she rubbed Twilight’s mane and flashed a smile for her.

“Don’t look so down, silly! You didn’t lose anything. Like Rarity said, it can be fixed!” She cheerfully said. “And while you wait, you can think of this as challenge. You can be the first non-horned pony to use magic!”

There was a shocked silence between the friends, and, to the surprise of everypony, it was broken by Twilight herself, who started giggling.

“Not a bad idea, Pinkie,” she said and smiled. “Like you said, I can get this fixed. And while I wait, I should try to make the best out of the situation I’m in.”

The friends burst into laughter that seemed to free all of them from the previous anxiety. Sure, Twilight hadn’t yet completely gotten over by the fact that she had lost her horn. However, she understood what Pinkie tried to say. She shouldn’t be sad over something she had no control over. There was still hope, and while there was hope, there was no reason to be depressed. Whatever would come, she would have to stand tall and smile. And that was why, no matter how much it hurt the muscles of her face, she forced her lips into a smile and produced the sound of laughter from inside her.

For the sake of her friends.

“I don’t want to ruin this moment, but Twilight, could I ask you something?” Spike, having wiped away his tears in secret, suddenly spoke up.

“Sure, go ahead, Spike.”

“Well, I’m not sure about you girls, but did the meeting between Shining Armor and that colt… Cleitus the Black, was it? Anyways, did their confrontation seem a bit odd to anypony?” Spike asked with a bit concerned face.

The ponies started thinking back to the moment when Twilight’s older brother had arrived to save them. They all remembered the barrier, how Shining Armor had switched the attention of the stallion to himself, and how the two of them had agreed to finish the fight outside of town. And, one-by-one, the ponies started to realize the same thing. It had not been that obvious during that exact moment, but looking back at it, it was definitely weird.

“Wait a minute,” Dash said. “That colt wasn’t the type to listen to anypony. Then why’d he suddenly agree to Shining Armor’s suggestion?”

“That was indeed weird. He was very barbaric when we first fought with him,” Rarity continued. “But when Twilight’s brother arrived, he started behaving very differently. It was almost respectful, when you think about it. Could it be that your brother knows that brutish stallion from somewhere, Twilight? It would make sense.”

“Yeah. Seems like a bunch of rottin’ apples, if ya look at it now,” Applejack concluded.

“Bingo. The moment Shining Armor appeared, this colt named Cleitus suddenly started acting in a vastly different manner.” Spike nodded. “Well, while Twilight was resting here in the hospital and I was fixing up the library, I came across this book.”

As he talked, the young dragon took out a heavy-looking book with thick leather covers, and laid it to the side of the bed. The ponies gathered curiously around the book, waiting for him to open it. Even Twilight herself was unsure as to what the book held inside of it. She had vague impression of seeing it once or twice, but she had no idea of the contents.

“What is that, Spike?” Fluttershy asked as she peeked over the dragon’s shoulder.

“It’s a photo album. Sorry, Twilight, I guess this was part of your personal stuff, but since the library was a mess, I happened to find it,” Spike explained and opened the album. “These pictures seemed like something collected by Twilight’s parents and then herself when she got a bit older. However, there was one picture that really got my attention.”

“Photo album? I had completely forgotten the thing,” Twilight said. “I was so wrapped up in my studying of the magic of friendship after I arrived to Ponyville, that I never took that album off the shelf.”

Finally, Spike found what he was looking for. He stopped on one page and pointed at a single picture in the upper-right corner with his claw. The ponies leaned closer to see what the picture was about. And to their surprise, it was a picture of Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, as a younger colt. He was wearing a normal soldier’s armor and equipment, but not the type used by the royal guard. Not only that, but the background looked like some sort of fort with mountains towering in the distance.

But the most surprising thing was the stallion with Shining Armor. In the picture, with his front leg around the other colt’s neck like they had been great friends, stood Cleitus the Black. He looked younger, just like Twilight’s brother, and his grin was devoid of all the malice he had showed when he attacked Ponyville. If she didn’t know any better, Twilight would have probably guessed that it was Shining Armor’s friend in the army. Or perhaps not, since Shining wore an armor that was very different from the one the other stallion wore. The armor resembled the one Cleitus had been wearing on the fateful night.

And under the picture, there was some writing:

To Twilie: Your brother’s making some foreign friends here in Fort Stronghoof!

“Fort Stronghoof?” Dash asked, looking somewhat confused.

“Oh, I know, I know!” Pinkie Pie piped up. “When I was young, our family used to deliver some cornerstones to the new buildings of that fort! It’s at the western edge of Equestria’s border!”

“Really? Looks like we might have a clue, then,” Twilight said and smiled. She was already starting to think of possible scenarios about the picture. “But still, there’s a bigger question: Why did that stallion attack us in the first place?”

“Didn’t you hear what he said?” Spike asked. “He said something about ‘Removing the Elements of Harmony from Equestria.’ Maybe he wanted to be sure that you girls couldn’t stop any plans he had. Or his boss has. He really doesn’t seem like leader material.”

Fluttershy went a bit paler when she heard what the baby dragon said. Slowly, she shifted herself so that she was hiding behind Applejack’s back. Maybe she didn’t even realize it herself, as she continued to talk like normal, even though nopony could see her.

“D-does that mean… he will be coming back…?” Fluttershy asked and swallowed audibly.

“Don’t ya worry, hun. Princess herself stationed guards here in Ponyville to prevent this from happenin’ again,” Applejack said with a reassuring smile. “We’ll be safe and sound.”

“Thank goodness.” Fluttershy sighed and allowed herself to relax a bit.

“Speaking of the Princess,” Twilight interrupted the others. “Did she send any letters to me while I was out cold? Considering what happened, I’d think she’d be concerned about my well-being.”

Spike nodded, but there was a bit troubled look on the baby dragon’s face. It was an expression between a frown and doubt, indicating that whatever it had been that the Princess had sent him, it hadn’t been exactly what he was expecting. He was not disappointed, but something close to it.

“Yes. Princess Celestia did send a letter, but it was pretty much just an order to stay put and do nothing till you had recovered,” Spike explained. “She’ll probably contact us again once you’re admitted out of the hospital.”

“Do nothing? How horrible!” Pinkie Pie gasped. “Aren’t we even allowed to have fun!?”

Twilight gave a dry laugh and smiled at Pinkie.

“I think that much is allowed, Pinkie,” she said. “But in any case, looks like we won’t get any wiser until I get out of the hospital. We’ll just have to find ways to pass time till then.”

There was small rustle from the other side of Twilight’s bed, and as everypony turned around to look, Rainbow Dash had produced something big and box-shaped from under the bed. It was decorated with bright colors, and the front displayed a picture of a certain adventurous pony jumping across a chasm to escape some monsters of a jungle. The title above it read: “Daring Do and the Hunt for the Star of the Jungle”.

“Weeeell…” Rainbow Dash said with a sheepish expression. “Anypony up for a board game?”

****

A week after the incident with Cleitus the Black, Twilight Sparkle was finally admitted out of the hospital. Having healed in a rapid rate, she no longer experienced any kinds of pains from the wounds left by the stallion. Although her horn was still just a short stump, everything else in her had returned to normal. And her life seemed to follow the same pattern. As she stepped out of the Ponyville hospital, she saw that the destruction caused by the fateful night had completely disappeared. Gone were the scars in the ground or the destruction of certain buildings. It had been replaced by sunshine and return of the normal days, where nothing life-threatening happened.

“I told everypony to come to our place,” Spike explained as she walked side-by-side with Twilight. “Since I sent Princess Celestia a letter that you had been released from the hospital, I’m pretty sure she’ll be contacting us, and that we all want to be there when she does.”

“Good thinking, Spike,” Twilight said and smiled. “Hopefully the Princess has found some information about the attacker. Since my brother is still out cold, we have no way of asking him. Who knows, maybe she even knows how to put a stop to this.”

While the two of them continued to think about different possibilities of how Princess Celestia could solve the mystery of the attacker, they slowly made their way to the Golden Oaks Library. The streets were as normal and peaceful as ever, and the ponies who passed them by greeted the two with smiles and hearty hello’s. Twilight answered to them likewise, glad to see that even those who she rarely associated with were happy to see her up and about. Even her cut horn did not draw any attention. Everypony seemed very understanding of the subject.

The sun that hung above the few stray clouds that dotted the sky seemed to be also in a good mood. The warmth of the summer pampered the ponies of the town, as well as the sweet breeze in the wind. Twilight, whose mind was on the mysterious attacker, found that wind oddly reminding her of foreign lands. The breeze seemed to carry a smell of a journey, fragrance of far-away places that remained to be seen. She let the wind caress her mane and turned her gaze upon the horizon. Although there were lands where people like Cleitus came from, she knew there had to be countries as peaceful and beautiful as Equestria, full of amazing and incredible sights. One day, when she would have finished her studies, Twilight wanted to visit those countries.

“Twilight? Sorry to stop your daydreaming, but we’re here,” Spike said amusedly and tapped his friend on the back. She snapped out of her thoughts and looked ahead of her.

The library had clearly suffered some damage in the fight. The window that had been broken had been covered with planks, and the door to the library itself seemed rather new compared to the age of the building itself. However, Twilight didn’t mind. It was still the same home she had gotten used to, and she would never want to live anywhere else.

As Spike opened the door and headed in, Twilight looked around the main library to see how badly the room had suffered. She saw some rather painful-looking empty spaces in the shelves where there had previously been books, but that was to be expected. When three barrow hounds, the Cù Sìths, rampaged in somepony’s library, there was no way their books would not get damaged. Nevertheless, the place itself had been already fixed, to the point that it almost seemed like nothing had happened in there.

However, Twilight’s gaze was quickly drawn from the bookshelves to the five ponies who now greeted her with enthusiasm. Everypony was there, just as Spike had promised. The unicorn smiled and nodded at them, thanking them silently for coming.

“Twi’, good to see ya. We’ve been waitin’ for you,” Applejack said and took her eyes of the book she had been reading. “Ah guess this means that the Princess hasn’t sent any letters yet?”

“Yeah. We’re still waiting for the reply,” Twilight replied. “But it could be any minute now.”

“Wow! Looking good, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie giggled as she bounced up and down. “Did’ya get your horn styled while in the hospital?”

Twilight chuckled and looked up at her own horn. The sharp edges of the stump that had remained had been pretty dangerous, so she had asked the doctors to file it evenly, so that it would not create a potential hazardous situation. Not to mention the fact that it would had probably ripped her pillow to shreds.

“You know, Twilight,” Rarity spoke up, looking at the horn with analytical eyes. “I could create a perfect hat to conceal that bump. It would reduce the attention it is bound to capture.”

“Oh, it’s alright, Rarity. Thanks, though,” Twilight responded. “I don’t care if ponies look at it or not. Until I get it fixed, it’s going to be a part of me whether I like it or not. So I should not try to hide it like it was some sort of shameful thing.”

“That’s right,” Fluttershy agreed with her, smiling gently. “I personally think Twilight looks just as beautiful as she did before.”

“Plus it makes it look like you’ve been in a dangerous battle and survived as the winner!” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “Which is, well, technically true. Only you didn’t actually win the battle, but who cares? It looks awesome!”

“Thanks girls, really,” Twilight chuckled and gave a grateful look to her friends. “Hearing you all say that really makes me feel better. I don’t care about the appearance much, but still it’s nice to-“

The purple unicorn’s words were cut off by Spike, who was having a hacking cough. It sounded almost like he was about to throw up a hairball. Everypony looked at him with concern, as he kept gagging and wheezing, with ever-increasing pace. His stomach started bulging in and out, and for a moment the ponies thought of rushing him back to the hospital. However, the whole situation was solved when Spike’s cough erupted into a colossal burp that shook the whole room. Bright green flames shot towards the roof, nearly burning the feathers of Owlowiscious who had been sleeping in the shadows up until then.

“…I hate package deliveries…” Spike moaned after the burp was over, and fell to the floor, looking rather exhausted.

And indeed, instead of a letter, what was transported by Spike’s magical breath was a large package with a note attached on top of it. There was the royal seal of Equestria on the package, meaning that it was from Princess Celestia herself. While Rarity tried to help Spike, Twilight snatched note from the package with her mouth, and placed it on the table for everypony to read.

“What does it say?” Pinkie asked, clearly curious.

“Wait a minute, I’ll read it aloud,” Twilight answered, cleared her throat, and started repeating what was written in the letter from the Princess.

“- To my faithful student Twilight Sparkle

I have heard what has transpired in Ponyville, and I am deeply regretful that I was not able to stop such an attack against you. Had I been more careful, such a close situation would have never occurred. However, what has happened cannot be undone, and we must do our utmost best to work with what we have.

By now, I am sure that you are curious for the reasons why this stallion called Cleitus the Black attacked you. While I am not completely certain of the situation myself, I will explain to you what I can.

Not long ago, I received a letter carried by a soldier that explained that he was a messenger of the kingdom of Marecedonia. Although I had believed Marecedonia to have fallen to ruins long ago, it seemed like this soldier was not lying. While I do not wish to repeat the exact contents of the letter I got, the message was clear: Marecedonia was on the brink of war. If certain parties would get their wills through, the army of Marecedonia would march right into Equestria to take it over. However, not all factions within the Senate of Marecedonia wish for this, and that is why they deemed appropriate to inform me of the events.

It also seems that these ponies that desire war are concerned about the Elements of Harmony. They want to dispose them in order to weaken our defenses, which would usher Marecedonia into a war even faster. Therefore, an assassin such as Cleitus the Black was sent after you. Had he crippled our defenses, the members of Senate of Marecedonia, who desire for war, could have used that as an excuse to go to war. After all, fighting a weak country is more desirable than a strong country.

Seeing this is the situation, there is only one thing that I can do at this point. I am issuing a new mission to you, Twilight Sparkle: As my greatest and most faithful student, you are to lead the ponies who represent the Elements of Harmony into Marecedonia to try to negotiate a peace with the leaders there. As long as you remain here in Equestria, the enemy will try to look for you, leading to dangers like what you have already experienced. But if you stay on the move, the enemy will have a hard time finding you.

In addition, if you negotiate with the senators, your opinions will surely sway their minds. The authority you all have as the Elements of Harmony is a great one, and although some of the senators seem to be clearly divided into two sides, most are still undecided. It is these senators that you must convince that a war is not an outcome either country will want.

The package that arrived with this letter is meant to help you on your journeys. It contains treasures from the royal treasure room of Canterlot, which are sure to be helpful during your travels. Treat these gifts with respect and value them, but never forget your own power as the Elements of Harmony.

Please keep me updated as your journey progresses. Even though you are travelling around the world and racing against time, it does not mean you should forget studying the magic of friendship. Foreign lands and unknown cities may hide teachings about friendship you would have never learned without travelling there. Thus, never forget the importance of friendship, no matter how far away the hope might sometimes seem to be.

After all, the friends you once make will last for a lifetime.

Best of luck
- Princess Celestia

P.S. I have also added something to the package for thee to utilize as thou see fit.
- Princess Luna.”

There was a strange silence that filled the room after Twilight had finished reading. Everypony seemed to be completely caught off-guard by the order of Princess Celestia, and the daunting task ahead of them. Travelling to Marecedonia? No other pony but Twilight had even heard of it, and even she knew it only because she had memorized the whole book of “Obscure Unicorn History”. Their journey would be through lands they had never been to before, and it would take a long, long time. Yet, the fate of Equestria was in their hooves. If they failed, the whole country could be plunged into war. And that was something nopony wanted to see.

“Well, if the Princess finds me worthy of sendin’ an’ to talk some sense into those Marecedonians, Ah’ll do it!” Applejack proclaimed and put on her hat as a mark of determination. Rainbow Dash grinned at her.

“Don’t even think about leaving me behind. We’ll get to see the world! How cool is that?”

“While I have certain doubts about the mission itself, there is no way I would not accompany you,” Rarity agreed. “We’ve defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord and the Queen of Changelings already. I do not see why we would not be able to talk some sense into hot-headed politicians, too. Right, Fluttershy?”

“…Yes. I’m sure it’ll be scary, and reaching Marecedonia will be hard… but we’d be doing it for peace. Not just for ourselves, but for two countries as well. I’ll… Of course I’ll come with you,” Fluttershy said. And though her voice might have wavered, her eyes showed that her heart did not.

“Yeah. This is an important mission from the Princess herself. If you’re going, I’m going, too,” Spike said while puffing his chest proudly. “I won’t be left behind this time!”

“And think of all the fun we can have while travelling to Marecedonia!” Pinkie Pie added. “And when we succeed, we can throw a party for both Equestria and Marecedonia! Invite everypony to one big celebration of peace!”

The mere thought of a party spanning two countries seemed to put the pink pony’s mind into a dizzying spin. While others may have giggled at her enthusiasm, they knew that she was right. As Princess Celestia had said, while their goal was to prevent the war, they would also be learning about the magic of friendship while travelling. It would not be just a quest for peace, it would also be a test for the six ponies themselves.

“Alright. If everypony is so determined to go, then I have no doubts either!” Twilight announced. “With my friends by my side, I have no fear of failing, even if the task ahead is difficult. So, what do you girls say we take a look at what the Princess sent to us?”

This suggestion was met with overwhelming agreement.

Using his claws, Spike quickly opened the rather large package. The brown, toughened paper flew everywhere, and while the other ponies curiously peered at the contents, Twilight Sparkle took yet another letter that had been left inside the box. As she started reading it, she quickly realized that it was yet again from the Princess, this time explaining what the items inside the package were. Seeing that her friends were already examining the contents, Twilight quickly began reading aloud, so that they could see who was meant to get what treasure for help.

“To the honest and true Applejack, I give the Chain Bridle of Beastmaster Roaming Plains. Once used by the mighty earth pony to tame even the wildest beasts of the wilderness, it will now serve you to help your friends,” Twilight repeated what the letter said. “It is the greatest of tools when it comes to subduing hostile creatures. The more removed the beast is from civilized nature of us ponies, and the closer it is to being a mindless animal, the tighter the hold of the Chain Bridle. Just beware. Just like you, the chain is honest.”

The item in question was a beautiful golden chain, with two heavy weights that looked like hooks at each end. As soon as Applejack picked it up, it turned into the length of the lasso she usually used. In other words, the length she was most comfortable with. She tested it a few times, letting the chain fly from her mouth like a striking snake. As soon as it was gliding in the air, the chain’s end twirled up and mimicked the end of a lasso. It latched onto a book on the shelf, and when Applejack yanked the chain, it brought the book to her in a blink of an eye. Seemingly satisfied, looked at the golden chain with appreciation in her eyes, and nodded.

“Well, color me pleased as punch!” Applejack said. “With this, Ah’ll be able to tame even the wildest manticore.”

“To the generous and fair Rarity,” Twilight continued, “I bestow the Arrow Amulet once wielded by the great unicorn archer, Mystic Star. It is a three-piece amulet that binds itself to the unique magic of the wielder. Powered by your magic, it shall take the form of a bow, the weapon of elegance. Only those who have mastered their inner harmony can hope to master this artifact.”

As Twilight spoke, Rarity put on the said Arrow Amulet and concentrated her telekinesis on the three pieces that made up the amulet. They were purple in color, with lines of white running through them in a beautiful manner. Alone, it looked just very fragile accessory, but when it was exposed to the white unicorn’s magic, it underwent a radical change. The smaller pieces on the each side of the centerpiece flew further away and from them, a curve of magical energy shot to the centerpiece. Then the two pieces connected themselves via a thin thread of energy, blue like the magic that was holding it together. In just a few seconds, the amulet had turned into a bow held together by the power flowing from Rarity.

“Then, let’s give this a try,” Rarity said with a smile and concentrated harder.

Immediately, a form of an arrow appeared onto the string of the bow. It shifted and squirmed, trying to become solid enough to be shot. Slowly, Rarity was able to give a definite shape to the arrow, which she then pulled back along with the string. The arrow of blue energy was aimed straight to the other end of the room. Rarity evened her breathing pace and calmed herself down, before readying the bow for the release.

“Here goes.”

With those words, Rarity let go of the string. The arrow was launched with an amazing speed straight to the back wall, nearly hitting Spike in the process. It whizzed through the air in a deadly manner, before lodging itself into the wooden surface just like a real arrow. Seeing that she had managed to control her own gift in some manner, Rarity giggled in excitement.

“Watch out a bit next time,” Spike groaned as he looked at the arrow. “I don’t think Princess Celestia gave it to you so that you could give heart attacks to your friends.”

“Oh, I am so sorry, Spike-wikey. It was rather hard to aim, and I certainly did not mean to hit you,” Rarity apologized and petted Spike’s head. Needless to say, she was rather quickly forgiven by the young dragon.

Meanwhile, others continued to go through the items that were in the package.

“To the loyal and trustworthy Rainbow Dash, I shall grant the Wing Armor of Commander Hurricane. A set of equipment that will surely serve somepony like her well,” Twilight read. “Forged within the ancient capital of pegasi, from metals long forgotten by ponies of Equestria, it is a protective armor unlike any other. While the powers of the armor might protect you from harm, however, beware. What this armor grants you in speed, you shall loose in finesse. It is up to you to master the use of this armor, just like Commander Hurricane did in the past.”

While Twilight had been going on about the gift and what Celestia had explained about it, Dash had already put on the said armor. Now the shiny steel surface covered her chest and extended all the way to the tips of her wings. It was shaped to be both sleek and protective, with the wing-part being shaped perfectly for wings of a pegasus, while the chest area had been given a light but aerodynamic protection. The armor was decorated with metal that seemed like combination between bronze and gold, something which nopony in the group had seen before. But the blue pegasus wasn’t interested in that. She was interested in the fact that she had been given a rather impressive looking piece of equipment.

“Best. Gift. Ever!”

Rainbow Dash could barely contain her excitement.

“Just look at how cool this is! This armor’s awesome!” Rainbow Dash nearly shouted in excitement. “I can already feel that I’m faster! With this thing, I’ll be able to pull off a Sonic Rainboom like it was nothing!”

“Well, it’s good that you like your gift,” Twilight said, cutting off Dash’s admiration of the armor. “Just don’t start testing it inside my house.”

“C’mon, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash begged her friend. “I won’t be hurt if I use this, it protects me when I charge.”

“I know. However, while you won’t be hurt, my house will be. And it was just fixed,” Twilight said. With a sigh, she turned back to the letter, and resumed reading it.

“To the kind and caring Fluttershy, I shall bestow the Veiling Shroud of a pony named Maiden Heart, the greatest healer in Equestria’s history,” Twilight continued. “This shroud is an artifact that was long passed down from mother to a daughter, until the family-line of Maiden Heart eventually disappeared. It was then that it was given to me for safe keeping. And now I grant it to you, Fluttershy. Use the powers of this shroud to heal the wounds of those who you care for. Unfortunately, this shroud only works with wounds of flesh, and thus, it cannot be used to heal the horn of Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight had to admit that for a moment, faint hope had started to rise in her chest. She had a miraculous artifact of healing so close to her, yet the said shroud could not heal her horn. The worst part was that it did not even surprise her. After all, the shattering of her horn was not a normal wound. It was something so complex that she would have to find help from another country if she wanted it fixed. Shaking her head, Twilight started reading again.

“I must also warn you,” Twilight read. “Never utilize this shroud in anger against any enemy you might face. When consumed by your hostility, the shroud will turn into a stealer of life. Instead of healing the one it wraps around, it will start draining the health of their body, which is a terrible crime against life. So beware, or you could inflict such a fate upon another creature.”

Fluttershy stared at the shroud that lay on the floor. It was a long piece of cloth that shone with the peaceful color of spring’s green. Although the thing looked so fragile that it would be destroyed with a single touch of a hoof, it had a presence that made clear that it was a very powerful artifact.

Having braced herself, the yellow pegasus slipped her head into the shroud and raised her head. The cloth was now wrapped around her neck like a scarf, in a way that definitely fit the subdued image of Fluttershy. She gazed at the shroud gently, her eyes showing that she was not worried about the warnings that Princess Celestia had included in the letter.

“I would never use something as wonderful as this to hurt somepony,” Fluttershy said. “If it is something I can use to help my friends, of course I’ll accept it.”

It was clear that the Veiling Shroud had found a carrier who was worthy of it.

“Ooh! Ooh! Which one of these is mine?” Pinkie Pie jumped up and down, unable to take the excitement anymore. “Is it this one? Or is it this one?”

“I think yours is the bag of multiple colors,” Twilight looked at the letter and finally nodded. “Yeah, let’s see now. Here it is: To the cheerful and energetic Pinkie Pie, I shall leave the Trick Bag of the infamous prankster pony called Topsy Turvy. This bag is a wondrous artifact indeed. It seems that its aim is to aid its owner, but it does not do it the most common way. Whatever that comes out of the bag should help the owner in some way, but it is not always clear as to how the item should be of help. One could say that there is no end to the strangeness this artifacts sows around it. Please use it with great care.”

While Twilight talked about the bag, Pinkie Pie had already dug into it. The bag itself did not seem all that special. The only thing strange about it was how it was mismatch of multiple colors that were placed in a way that was anything but harmonious. In fact, the rather uncouth appearance of the bag had made the other ponies stay away from it until now. Especially Rarity, who had given it a rather hostile glare.

But Pinkie did not care about any of that. She was already going through the bag, trying to get something to fall from its depths. And after few shakes, that something did come out. Everypony took a curious, closer look to see what the bag had granted to the pink pony. However, much to everypony’s disappointment, the item turned out to be nothing more than a long metal stick with a hook on the other end.

“And what good might that do? Ah don’t see any use to a stick like that,” Applejack said and the other ponies nodded in agreement.

However, Pinkie Pie did not seem disappointed. To the contrary, she happily snatched the stick with her mouth and swung it towards the pile of books and saddlebags that lay near the table. With skillful use of the strange stick, Pinkie managed to pry open one of the saddlebags, namely Applejack’s. Another swing from the stick, and soon an apple from the saddlebag flew through the air, which she caught easily with her teeth, after she had let go of the stick.

“Yummy!” Pinkie said and smiled widely. “I was starting to get hungry already!”

An awkward silence filled the room. Twilight Sparkle hurried to remedy the situation by continuing to read the letter. She also took the final item that was left in the package. It was an old-looking book with enough size to be used as a blunt weapon.

“And to you, my greatest and most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, I have a very special gift,” the purple unicorn read. “It is the Magical Tome of Star Swirl the Bearded, one that he used on his many adventures in the times long forgotten. Inside this tome, you shall find numerous spells recorded by Star Swirl the Bearded himself, along with his ideas about magic and mysticism itself. As your horn is now gone, it is this book that you must use to gain mastery of your talent once more. While you possess power, you have no way to control it. This book shall become your focus point, and the tool which you use to turn your magic into elegant spells. Treat this book with respect, and you shall find it an indispensable artifact in your adventures.”

Having read the description of her gift, Twilight could not help but to feel a strange tinge of pain inside her. Hastily, she buried it under the current situation, reminding herself that what was happening now was more important. Giving her full attention to the artifact, she turned her gaze on the tome. The said tome, as if aware of her attention, began doing something unexpected. It sent out a thread of magic towards Twilight’s broken horn, as if searching for something. And when it had finally connected to the horn, the book came alive. It floated up into the air, and started hovering by Twilight’s side without the pony herself noticing. It looked almost like the book was taking a small portion of Twilight’s magical power to keep itself airborne, so that even without her horn Twilight could use the book in an easy manner.

“W-what? Okay, this is a bit strange. I must admit, though, it is very convenient,” Twilight said and giggled when she saw the book floating next to her. “Now let’s see what kind of secrets this tome holds inside it.”

Twilight opened the book with her hoof and began going through the pages with an amazing speed. While she only skimmed through the pages, it was clear that the more she read, the more respect she gained for the book. The vast knowledge that was hidden in the pages of the grimoire was something a studier of magic like Twilight Sparkle found fascinating, as well as a bit scary. While she might have understood what was written in the tome, she had no idea if she would be able to control such spells. Especially now that her horn was broken.

“Wait, Twilight, there’s something else in the package,” Spike suddenly said and lifted two things from the floor. One was yet another letter, one was a big piece of parchment. “Seems like these both are from Princess Luna.”

The small dragon took the letter and rolled it open before reading aloud its contents. The ponies around him quickly gathered to look, as they were all curious as to what Princess of the Night might have given as help. Spike, realizing he was suddenly the center of the attention, looked rather pleased with himself. He cleared his throat very matter-of-factly before proceeding to read what had been written in the letter, trying to clearly mimic Princess Luna’s voice to some extent.

“Thou might be unsure as to what more I could add to the great gifts my sister hath given thee. ‘Tis but a simple thing, something to ease thy travels in lands long forgotten. A map from the times myself and my sister were but fillies, enchanted so that it shall redraw itself according to what thou see and experience. But there is more: If thou find one of thee missing, thou only need to think of that pony, and her location shalt appear on the map. I wish that this map shalt guide thy way on thy perilous journey.

Best regards
- Princess Luna”

After reading the letter, Spike looked at the map that had been with it. It was an old thing, looking like it should have belonged to a museum rather than in the hands of the baby dragon. But there was also strange sense of adventure to the map. The burnt and torn edges, the rough surface that the time had eroded, the smell of lands that nopony had visited in many years. Everything in it made the ponies feel like it was the key to unforgettable journey.

“I guess that means I’m gonna be the cartographer as well as the one who writes the letters to Princess Celestia,” Spike said, and puffed his chest. He was clearly raring to go. “Somepony has to keep track of where we’re going, after all.”

“Then it’s settled,” Twilight Sparkle announced and struck the floor with her hoof. “We have a mission given to us by Princess Celestia herself, we have the artifacts given to us so that we could accomplish this mission, and we have the will and courage to see that this mission succeeds. I say we will spend the rest of today packing, get some well-earned rest for the night, and then leave tomorrow, during the dawn. What do you girls think?”

There was nopony who disagreed with what Twilight said. They knew the importance of their mission, and everypony was getting excited about the journey. Therefore, there was no need for overly long talks. The ponies decided what should be packed for such a long journey, and after that had been cleared, everypony headed straight to their homes. There was stuff they needed to pack, and family-members they needed to explain the situation to. And it would not be easy to explain how the Princess had suddenly requested them to travel to a whole another continent, to a land that was nothing but a legend.

****

When the first rays of the sun hit the rooftops of Ponyville, seven figures could be seen gathering at the town square. The quiet town was bathed with the golden warmth of the dawn, which also gave new energy to the travelers who were about to begin their grand journey. As the sunlight illuminated the group, it made them look like great adventurers instead of the normal ponies they had been. To the relatives watching from afar, the form of the six ponies standing there seemed almost heroic, in a way.

The songs of the birds were the only fanfare that had been arranged for the send-off of these ambassadors of peace. But it was the only thing they needed. As they saw their hometown, Ponyville, bathing in the crisp, golden light and being surrounded by the sounds of ever-present, peaceful nature, they knew that no matter what they might experience on their journey, their home was still the best place in the whole wide world. And that, if anything gave them the courage for their journey. After all, it was all for the safety of Ponyville, so that it would not be overrun by the war.

“So, Spike. What’s our first destination?” Twilight Sparkle asked while enjoying the refreshing breeze that swept through the town square. Of course, she knew the answer already, but she wanted to be a bit dramatic as they were being watched.

“We’ll travel through the Everfree Forest, going around the mountains that lie to the west. That way, we will reach the Windswept Valley, which will take us all the way to the western border of Equestria. On our way, if we want to, we have the chance to visit Fort Stronghoof, too,” Spike said very matter-of-factly while reading the map. “After that, after we leave Equestria, it’s a great unknown ahead of us.”

“To the Everfree Forest it is, then!” Twilight said and fixed the position of her travel-cloak.

Each pony had packed all the necessary things they needed for the journey. They all were wearing saddlebags where they had stored enough food and water to get them to the first town on the other side of the Everfree Forest. They had also packed items that would be essential on the long journey like fire-making equipment, warmer clothing, and tools and such. In other words, whatever they needed to survive on the road.

They had also each been given a cloak by Rarity, ones that she had spent most of the night making. While these cloaks bore the same overall theme, they had been given some additional details that made them unique to the pony who wore it. For example, the clasp of Twilight’s cloak was in a shape of three stars stuck together, while Fluttershy’s cloak easily masked her into the undergrowth if she needed to approach animals without being noticed. However, Twilight was not sure if all of the unique aspects were that necessary. While she understood the more aerodynamic shape of Dash’s cloak or the padded leather-plates that offered additional protection for Applejack in her cloak, she had hard time believing that the numerous pouches inside of Pinkie’s cloak had been put to good use.

And it was better not to talk about Rarity’s cloak at all. While it had been made to look like the cloaks favored by rangers, the feathers that covered most of the cloak were extravagant to say the least.

Spike had also gotten a cloak of his own. His had been reinforced with some of his old scales, and at the moment, he wore it with great pride. After all, it had been a personal gift from Rarity to him.

“Alright then, everypony,” Twilight Sparkle said and turned around to look at her friends. “Hopefully nopony is getting second thoughts about this journey?”

“Don’t even joke ‘bout that, Twi,” Applejack said and put on her hat. “Ah wouldn’t miss this thing, no matter what.”

“If it’s for the Princess and for my friends, of course I will go,” Fluttershy continued. “And since Angel and Owlowiscious are watching all my animals, I can go without having to worry.”

“Save Equestria, see the world and have a chance of discovering new forms of fashion from far away? You’d have to tie me up if you wanted me to stay out of this,” Rarity said with a bit of a mischievous smile. Next to her, Pinkie Pie was already stretching her legs, eager to set out.

“Enough chit-chat! We’re losing time if we just dally around here!”

“Pinkie’s right,” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “The longer we take to leave, the longer it will take for us to reach this Marecedonia place. So how about we get going already?”

“Well, Twilight,” Spike said with a somewhat smug smile. “Looks like our group is raring to go. As the leader, would you like to give out the order?”

“You bet,” Twilight Sparkle said and turned her smiling face towards her friends. “Alright, everypony! The journey ahead of us will be long and full of dangers. But it is all done for the sake of our home, and the whole of Equestria. If we fail, a war might consume the whole nation. That’s why we cannot lose. Our mission is to reach the land of Marecedonia and convince the Senate of Marecedonia to stop the plans of waging a war with our beloved Equestria. We cannot afford to fail. No, we shall not fail! We will get to Marecedonia, and we will stop this war! Do you agree?”

Twilight’s answer was a united cheer of five ponies and one baby dragon.

“Then let’s go!”

Together, the group of six ponies and one dragon took a heading towards the Everfree Forest which loomed in the distance. Though it was far away and caressed by the pleasant sunshine of the morning, it still looked like a dangerous place. However, seeing it now did not make the ponies feel anxious. They had braved against the dangers of the Everfree Forest multiple times, and this time was no different. They only had to emerge from the other side, instead of returning to Ponyville after doing what they had tried to accomplish. Whatever dangers they might encounter would be just one bump in the long road to Marecedonia, which laid somewhere beyond the borders of Equestria.

Unknown to Twilight and the others, instead of just their relatives, numerous ponies were matching the gallant start of their journey. Rumors had spread fast, and at this point there did not seem to be a single pony who had not heard that the famous six ponies were now starting a long and arduous journey to save Equestria once more. Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that in the eyes of those ponies, Twilight Sparkle and her friends looked very heroic as they walked forward, the sun blazing in the sky behind them.

But perhaps something of the collective awe that the other ponies had was transmitted to the seven friends. They found themselves raising their heads higher, walking with more brisk steps and having no fear of leaving their home behind. It was as if they themselves had understood that now that they had left for a journey such as this, they would also have to act like heroes in order to succeed. It was different from the previous times, such as with Nightmare Moon or Discord, as back then, they were thrown in the middle of the situation without getting any time to prepare. But this time, they knew exactly what they were going to do. And they were going to do with their heads held high and with pride.

This time, from the very start, they were leaving on an adventure with the intention of saving their home.

“Twilight, do you want me to pen a letter to Princess Celestia before we leave the Ponyville?” Spike suddenly asked and produced a quill and a piece of parchment from inside his backpack. “It might be a good idea to let her at least know we’re going already.”

The purple unicorn thought for a moment. Of course she wanted to leave a message for her teacher that she was doing as ordered, and that they were already leaving to accomplish this mission, but what would she say, exactly? What should she say? She did not want to seem too excited and talk great lengths about what she was planning to do, but neither did she want to be rude and just leave the letter unsent.

“C’mon, Miss Thinky-Pants,” Pinkie Pie giggled and patted Twilight on the back. “Don’t think too hard about it, and just say what you need to, silly!”

Twilight smiled to her friend. As usual, the advice that Pinkie Pie gave to her was just what she needed in order to get her thoughts straight. The purple unicorn cleared her throat, twice, and then nodded to Spike. The baby dragon readied his quill while they were walking.

“Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight started. “We accept the duty given to us, and are now on our way to Marecedonia. Always your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Chapter 4: The forest of secrets

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 4: The forest of secrets

To pass through the imposing treeline of the Everfree Forest was like stepping from a brightly lit stage to the dim depths of the theater proper. While outside of the forest the weather had been sunny and breezy, inside the forest it was dark with strange shadows looming in every corner, and the stench of rotting nature ruling the air. It was the testimony of the life of the wild forest, unsupervised by the ponies and moving according to its own will. It was that unnatural place that the six ponies and one baby dragon had to first travel through on their journey.

Although they had visited the forest multiple times, the ponies were still aware that under the dark green canopy hid many secrets and mysteries that they had no idea of. Monsters and strange creatures roamed the wilderness, prowling on any unsuspecting travelers. Only somepony like Zecora, with her vast knowledge of survival in such environment, could survive in a place like that. But now, the group of friends braved the dangers of the forest to get to the other side.

They had been walking for a good while now, over five hours, and the sun had climbed up to the sky. However, this only showed in how few stray rays of light pierced the ever-present blanket of leaves that covered most of the sky. Although some parts of the forest had open skies, the further in the ponies went, the more thick they found the growth of trees and plants. Even the paths had disappeared long ago, and now they had to trust their instincts and Spike’s compass.

“I do hope that we will not run into any of the horrible creatures that live in this place. Why, an encounter with timberwolves would be simply awful way to start our journey,” Rarity said as the group was walking, simply to keep up conversation.

“Oh no, that won’t be a problem,” Fluttershy answered. “Timberwolves stay away from these parts, since it isn’t part of their territory. The only things we will have to worry about now are bugbears, catoblepas and such. They move during the day.”

Spike looked a bit spooked by the sudden information.

“Wait, does that mean-”

“That if we see anything that is big, sharp-teethed, long-clawed, scaled, or anything akin to those features, we should run. Fast,” Twilight finished his sentence for him.

A slightly nervous chuckle rippled through the group. Though they might have been laughing at the thought, the fact still remained that many monsters roamed the Everfree Forest, and the ponies would have to be very careful if they wanted to get through.

“Still, it is a bit fitting that our journey begins from here,” Rarity switched the subject. “After all, it was here that we first started out, chasing after Nightmare Moon. And it was here that we learned about the importance of the friendship between us. I am not sure whether I should call this nostalgia or not, but it is a very pleasant feeling in any case.”

“Ah know what ya mean,” Applejack said. “The road we took to the ol’ palace isn’t far away, is it?”

“Well, if the map’s to be trusted, it’s few kilometers to the Southeast from us,” Spike answered as he studied the map. “It was on the mountains, after all. But since we’re going around them to reach the Windswept Valley, we won’t be going near that ancient royal palace.”

“Wait a minute,” Rainbow Dash suddenly said. “If that place was the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters, doesn’t that mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna used to live there? Then, what the hay happened? Why did the forest overrun the palace?”

Twilight understood Dash’s confusion. After their first visit to the Everfree Forest, the same question had been bugging her for a while. She had even thought of asking Princess Celestia about it, but decided not to be so bold. Instead, she had tried to find the answers from, where else, books. Only a few books even referenced the palace in the Everfree Forest, and those that did were usually about silly legends from times that nopony remembered.

“Well, from what I know, that palace used to be called the “Palace of Harmony” or something like that. It was built in during the time Discord still ruled the world; it and the land around it were supposedly the only places where natural laws of order still applied. It was from there that those who represented the Elements of Harmony fought back and eventually defeated Discord,” Twilight recited what she had learned from her books. “Or, that’s what was written in the books I found, anyways. I’m not sure how much of it we should believe.”

“Heeey! But I thought it was the Princesses who defeated Discord! What gives?” Pinkie Pie protested as she hopped along. Twilight nodded with a smile.

“That’s a good question, and mostly, I worded it that way because of my own speculation. You see, there are six of us ponies who represent the Elements of Harmony, right? Which means there are six Elements of Harmony. Then, wouldn’t it make sense that when the Elements were used before, there were six users even then?” Twilight spoke. “Nopony remembers the other four, and maybe there’s a reason for it. In any case, the only ones who we remain and who are important to us are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

“Now that’s a mighty wacky thought,” Applejack commented. “Ah’ll be. Four other ponies who fought against Discord? Whaddya reckon happened to that lot?”

“Well, it has been a long time. Maybe they weren’t like the Princesses, and were just regular ponies like we are,” Twilight suggested. “Or they could still be alive, just in other parts of the world as Equestria doesn’t need them anymore, what with having Princess Celestia watching over it.”

Such a possibility was naturally enough to spark the imaginations of curious pony minds, and soon all of them were thinking up possibilities concerning these other four. Of course, it had all been just a theory Twilight had presented, and it could have very well been wrong, but since it gave them something to think and talk about while they walked, nopony really objected to it.

“Uhm… It’s an interesting subject to talk about, but shouldn’t we be just a teensy, tiny-bit more careful? We don’t want to get lost in this forest,” Fluttershy suggested after a while of walking that was akin to daydreaming.

“Ack, sorry, Fluttershy, you’re right,” Twilight laughed sheepishly. “In a maze-like place such as this, we should be extra careful about the direction we’re going. So, how is it, Spike? Are we still on the track?”

“Well, it’s a bit hard to tell right now,” Spike muttered and shook the compass with a somewhat troubled expression on his face. “For some reason, our compass is spinning around wilder than Pinkie Pie in a party.”

“Wow, that’s gotta be fast then! Because when I spin, I spin fast enough to create a Sonic Pinkboom!” Pinkie piped up, having heard what the baby dragon said.

“Sonic Pinkboom?” Twilight gave a curious glance towards Rainbow Dash. The blue pegasus smacked her forehead with her hoof and sighed.

“Don’t ask.”

The ponies gathered around Spike to see what he was talking about. And indeed, the compass he was holding in his claws was spinning fast, clearly having no intention of pointing to the north anymore. In fact, it was spinning at such a high speed that it was a small wonder that the needle had not torn itself off the contraption and began its rise towards the sky.

“Well, that’s mighty strange if ya ask me,” Applejack said while peering at the compass. “Anypony know what might be the cause?”

“Well, the only thing I can think of is that there would be an abundance of lodestones nearby,” Rarity answered while looking troubled. “Remember that time when we went to look for gems, and ran into that forgotten shipment, Spike? That happened back then, too. A large enough concentration of lodestones would create this sort of effect on the compass, but… we are in a forest. There aren’t supposed to be any lodestones here.”

“Well, whatever it is, it’s messing with our compass. How’re we supposed to find our way out of this forest if we don’t know where North is?” Rainbow Dash asked.

With no other option, the ponies started to look around them to see if they would find the source of the weird behavior of the compass. However, they only saw what they had seen for hours before that: A long expanse of overgrown forest that seemed to continue endlessly into every direction. In the dim light of the sun that was filtered by the canopy, it was especially hard to find anything that could indicate existence of lodestones or anything else that was affecting the compass.

While the other ponies were still looking around, Twilight decided that it was time for some detective work instead of blindly walking around and hoping to stumble upon the answer. Since she knew that compasses required a strong magnetic force to go awry, there had to be one nearby. But what sort of thing in a forest could create something like that? Had they been closer to the mountains, she could have ventured a guess that there was a cave or something in which lodestone had been mined in before. However, they had deliberately taken a route that circled around the mountains, keeping enough distance so that they would not be forced on uneven land. So that could not be it either.

Finally, Twilight Sparkle got an idea.

“Hey, Fluttershy? Are there any creatures in this forest that are made out of earth and stones?” Twilight asked from her friend.

“Oh, I’m not sure. I’d think they’d stay underground or close to the mountains, since a forest like this would be awfully dangerous, even for them,” Fluttershy answered while pondering the question. “Magical creatures don’t like to live in places other than their natural habitat. They wouldn’t be able to adapt.”

“Are you saying that the manticore we saw was natural occurrence in this forest?” Rainbow Dash butted into the conversation, clearly worried by the suggestion.

“Oh, of course,” Fluttershy said. “Manticores can live almost anywhere, since they are good at adapting. Seeing one here wasn’t strange at all.”

“Well, whatever it is, I think it’s clear that if it causes our compass to go crazy, it shouldn’t be here,” Twilight summed up. “Wait a minute!“

Twilight’s eyes lit up as an idea hit her.

“Since lodestones are magnetized, I wonder…”

Giving a small mental nudge to the tome she carried on her back, Twilight was able to activate the artifact of Star Swirl the Bearded given to her by Princess Celestia. The book gently flew out of her backpack and placed itself in front of her, opening up and revealing the contents of the pages. Twilight frowned and began quickly turning the pages, once again utilizing her mental commands instead of real magic. She hadn’t tried to use any magic with her broken horn yet, as she wanted to do it in a place where she could not cause any sort of trouble if something went wrong.

“What’cha looking for, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked as she jumped around the her, trying to catch a glimpse of what was written in the book.

“Well, I thought that if there cannot be any natural creatures that would live in this forest and affect our compass, then it would have to be ‘unnatural.’ In other words, something related to magic. Those tend to travel a lot and live in places you least expect them to. Like that dragon, remember? Usually dragons stay away from civilization, but this one took a nap right next to Ponyville,” Twilight explained. “So, I thought that maybe there would be some stuff in this book about magical creatures that could cause something like this to happen.”

While she had talked, Twilight had been going through the pages at increasing page, before finally stopping on one specific spread. It was full of small pictures and swirly writing around them. In other words, it was Star Swirl the Bearded’s research into these creatures that he had drawn into the book. The ponies leaned closer to see what had been written, while Twilight pointed at the creature that had caught her interest.

“Listen to this: Chapter LXIII: Elementals. Elementals are magical creatures that embody the elements of nature, like water, air fire and so on. In other words, they are a broad term for various beings that can be classified to represent one of these forces. They usually live near the element they are dedicated to, but at the same time, wandering elementals are also known. They make their territory to wherever natural magic occurs, such as near ley lines,” Twilight read aloud from the book. “There are both naturally born elementals, as well as those that are a product of magical experiments, or that are magical constructs made to serve their creator. Sometimes, after the owner has passed on, these constructs still continue to live on and become independent creatures roaming the land, trying to find a suitable place to live.”

“Then are you saying that what is making our compass go so wild is one of these elementals?” Rarity inquired. “Dear Celestia, just what kind of being would cause such an effect?”

Twilight turned page again, her eyes darting from line to line and from picture to picture as she was searching for a suitable culprit for their misbehaving navigation device. Eventually, she found what she was looking for, and pointed at the group of creatures drawn onto the lower part of the page.

“These. Earth elementals. For example, gnomes are natural earth elementals which guard old mines and treasures that have been left underground, like the hoards of dragons. They are apparently a part of the earth itself, and move in it like it was mere water. If they are something like that, I bet they could have lodestone as a part of their body,” Twilight told everypony, getting a bit excited about the information. “And then there’s the most famous artificial earth elemental type: the Golem. According to the book, these constructs used to be made by ancient unicorns to help them in their research and with physical labor. But since golems do not age, they always outlast their creator, and now there are hundreds, if not thousands, golems roaming the world. And golems are made from inanimate matter, like rock, or lodestone!”

“Twi’, that’s all fine and dandy, but even if we know what it is, we’ve got a bigger problem,” Applejack interrupted her friend. “We need to find the thing first and somehow convince it to move somewhere else, so we can continue the journey.”

“Oh, right,” Twilight said with a sheepish smile. “You’re right. How are we gonna do that?”

“Oh, I know!” Spike piped up. “You said that all the earth elementals tended to be made from things straight out of earth, right? Then, couldn’t Rarity use her magic to find the location of the thing?”

Everypony’s expecting eyes turned to the white unicorn, who was a bit taken aback at being suddenly in the spotlight. However, after few seconds of thought, she flipped her mane triumphantly and nodded in a graceful manner.

“But of course. It will be somewhat harder than usual, as my ability is meant for gemstones, but I should be able to extend its scope enough to locate any lodestone,” Rarity answered.

With the eyes of everypony on her, Rarity emptied her mind and concentrated her unique power to her horn. She let the magical energies that coursed within every unicorn take a form of a vision, a sight that enhanced not only her eyes, but her whole mind. It was a grid that spread over Rarity, decorated with twinkling lights that connected themselves together, reaching eventually her horn. In that spreading field, Rarity allowed her magic to reach out.

Together, these effects caused Rarity’s horn to automatically search the nearest jewels and be drawn towards them. However, things weren’t so simple this time. Instead of the usual gems, Rarity had to tune her horn to a completely new type of mineral, in this case, magnetite. Doing so meant trying to readjust a part of herself that gave birth to the said magical ability. It could be done, but it was not easy. It required her to completely empty her mind and create the target of her magic from scratch. The change would not be permanent, but for the short while it lasted, she would be able to search for this desired mineral.

Sweat fell from Rarity’s brow down to her muzzle. She pushed her eyelids shut so hard in concentration that she was afraid her fake eyelashes would fall off. However, slowly, but surely, the image in her mind changed from the shining gem to a jet-black, gleaming, crystal-like form of magnetite.

“Got it!” Rarity yelled in triumph.

And single blink of an eye later, her horn smashed itself straight to the ground.

“R-Rarity? What’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash shouted and the ponies rushed to the aid of their friend.

“I am n-not exactly sure! I did everything correctly and now my magic should be drawn to magnetite, but, but for some reason, it keeps taking me straight to the ground, locking me against it!” Rarity panicked. “I do not understand! I did everything right!”

“Maybe you did the switch wrong?” Twilight suggested while trying to pull her friend free. “Experimenting with unicorn magic sometimes yields weird results.”

“Ooh! Ooh! Or maybe Rarity is being dragged off to a new destiny!” Pinkie giggled while helping others.

“Err, girls? Ain’t there a simple reason for this?” Applejack asked with a bit of a worried voice. “Ya know, if Rarity’s horn tries to take her to the ground, shouldn’t that mean… there’s a mighty big pile o’ lodestone right beneath us?”

The whole group simply froze up. Silence filled the area except for the wind that howled through the treetops. Everypony was putting two and two together after Applejack’s words, and they were arriving, one-by-one, into the same, worrying conclusion. A conclusion that meant that they were all in a much bigger trouble than they had initially believed.

After all, if the lodestone concentration was right under them…

“...That would mean that the elemental is right under our hooves, right?” Twilight finally voiced what everypony was thinking.

In that instant, the pressure of the air shifted to something much more foreboding. The earth started rumbling beneath the ponies feet, and cracks appeared everywhere in the soil. The quake threw the ponies left and right, except for Rarity who was still stuck to the earth from her horn. The silence was now replaced by the groaning of the ground and the screams of the birds that flew into safety from the area.

Roots were unearthed and stones flew as a gigantic form started to rise from the ground before the eyes of the ponies. First appeared the shoulders that were as wide as boulders, followed by the colossal back that started to straighten itself. Then came the torso, created from cube-shaped small crystals that seemed to be infinite in number. Four strong legs pounded the earth as the huge creature stood up, having been hidden by the embrace of the earth. An ink-black shape made out of magnetite and gravel rose to its full length, and raised its jagged head towards the canopy. With Rarity still dangling from the creature’s side from her horn, the elemental opened its square-shaped mouth and let out a wordless bellow that shook both the ground and the ponies around it.

“It’s a golem!” Twilight shouted.

The golem was vaguely pony-like in shape, but it was made mostly out of lodestone. The surface of the creature was full of cubes and octahedral shapes that were bound together by thick magic that surrounded the golem. The jet black color reflected what little sunlight managed to hit it. It stood over four meters tall, towering over the ponies like a giant from fairy tales. The legs could not really be called such, as they were only four huge club-like stubs. The head was nothing more than a collection of sharp edges that pointed everywhere, with one ruby representing an eye on the left side of its head.

An eye that aimed straight at the ponies.

“That seems somewhat obvious, dear. Now would you all be so kind as to get me off of this monstrosity!?” Rarity yelled from above, both annoyed and scared of the position she had gotten herself into.

“Already on it, Rarity!”

Rainbow Dash shot towards the sky, throwing off her cloak over her shoulders to reveal the Wing Armor hidden underneath it. Her wings flapped like two small hurricanes as she gathered speed by flying a few circles over the creatures head. At the height of her speed, Dash shot right past the golem and in the space behind its head. She climbed up with a sharp turn and then threw her wings into a full stop, hovering in the air for a moment, now gliding instead of flying.

This thing better work, Rainbow Dash grunted in her mind. Have to just hope for the best!

Rainbow Dash switched the angle of her wings to yaw herself around, and then pushed forward, regaining the speed she had gained before. With the thrust of her wings and the boost generated by the Wing Armor, Rainbow Dash crashed right into the body of the golem near the spot where Rarity was still stuck.

A loud boom shook the forest area as the side of the golem exploded into tiny fragments of soil and magnetite, releasing Rarity in the process. Fluttershy hurried to her friend’s aid, catching her before she could hit the ground. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, hit the ground gracefully and without a scratch on her, despite having slammed herself against the hard, rocky surface of the creature. The armor of Commander Hurricane was clearly working.

“Rainbow Dash… did you just perform renversement?” Rarity asked with a slight surprise. The blue-feathered pegasus looked at her with indifferent expression.

“Gesundheit. Now, let’s focus on this blockhead!”

Rarity found it best not to say anything, as it would have deepened the awkwardness of the moment.

“Good hit, Rainbow Dash! Now we can… wait… what!?” Twilight’s eyes opened in shock as she saw what was happened to the damaged golem.

Instead of crumbling apart from the side, the golem roared once more. Immediately, shards of rocks, small pebbles and raw soil were levitated from the ground, and they attached themselves into the damaged part of the creature. It looked similar to moon growing full, except that it happened within few seconds. Soon enough, it was as if the thing had not been damaged at all.

“Its magic is too strong!” Twilight shouted. “It’ll keep regenerating if we don’t come up with some way to stop the actual magic holding it together!”

“Well, yer the expert on magic here, Twi’,” Applejack answered while she took her Chain Bridle from her saddlebag. “Find a way to stop it. Meanwhile, we’ll keep him busy!”

As Twilight dug into her book once more, this time with enough fervor to snort out smoke, the rest of the ponies confronted the golem. They all kept their distance for that moment, trying to judge the next move of the big creature. Well, almost all of them. At the same time, Rarity had noticed something had happened while she had been hanging from the golem like some sort of Heart’s Warming Eve decoration.

Something quite terrible.

“W-w-what!? My cloak! It is torn! Right here, at the hem! Ripped by your sharp stones! You… you… you enemy of fashion!” Rarity shouted, in shock. “Now you’ve done it! It. Is. On!”

Hearing the threatening voice of the white unicorn, the golem’s head turned towards Rarity, and it lifted one of its huge legs. The mass of stone and earth was swung at the couturier, catching the fuming pony completely off-guard. But, before Rarity was even able to scream, a golden chain wrapped tightly around the leg. Applejack yanked the other end of the Chain Bridle and sent the limb careering to the left, missing Rarity by dozen inches. With a sound that made the earth quake, the leg of the golem was buried into the ground, as the creature was unable to stop the momentum of its attack.

“This feller here ain’t monster enough for me to tie him up, it seems,” Applejack said. She was panting heavily due to the strain of redirecting golem’s leg. “We’ve gotta find another another way to take it down!”

The golem was struggling to break free from the Chain Bridle, but so far its attempts were in vain. While it was not truly a monster but an artificial creation, it was still removed from the civilized nature of the ponies. Thus, these conflicting facts caused the Chain Bridle to have a good grip, but not one that was impossible to break. If the golem would start to rampage, Applejack knew she would not be able to hold on.

Suddenly, the creature managed to get its leg free from the ground, and swung it backwards to break from the grip of the Chain Bridle. Applejack held on with her teeth, and was yanked away from where she was standing. She flew in the air, still holding on to the end of the chain. The golem saw this and launched its other front leg forward, attempting to swat the airborne pony out of the fight. Seeing this, Applejack steeled her nerves, took a better grip of the Chain Bridle, and prepared herself.

Just as Applejack and the limb of the golem were about to hit each other, Applejack sprung into action. She extended her front legs and hit a nearby tree. The direction of her momentum was changed in that instant, and she swung to the side, avoiding the attack by a hair’s breadth. Continuing her swinging motion, Applejack wrapped the chain around the trunk of the tree with one sweeping move before hitting the ground and sliding out of the way, carried by the speed she had generated while spinning around the trunk.

The golem did not realize what had happened before it was too late. Its leg continued forward, pulling the tree along with it because of the chain that connected them. With a loud, creaking cry, the large tree began to topple, straight onto the unsuspecting golem. The creature managed to look at the tree once, sporting a dull surprise on its face, before the heavy oak crushed it. Pieces of earth and lodestones flew everywhere, as the right side of the golem’s body literally crumpled under the weight of the tree.

“Twilight! Hurry!” Spike said and turned to her friend, who was snout-deep in the tome. “It’s your chance to hit it with a spell!”

“Alright! I’ve got it!” Twilight yelled triumphantly and stood up, facing the golem with a grin. “Stand back girls, this should erase the magic that holds the creature together.”

However, as Twilight charged up her magic, her concentration was momentarily broken by a stray thought

That is, if this tome works. While it might be artifact of Star Swirl the Bearded, I’m still not sure. If it was my own magic this would be really easy, but how trustworthy is this tome?

As Twilight Sparkle tapped into the magic that was buried into the mind of every unicorn, the tome she had been granted as a gift began emitting a purple glow. It floated next to her and opened wide, revealing the contents of the page Twilight had just been reading. It showed, in-detail, how to build and destroy a golem, the different ways to dismantle a rogue elemental and dozens of other articles of information related to their current predicament.

The stump that had once been Twilight Sparkle’s horn began glowing with bright purple color. It waxed and waned, and was clearly not as concentrated as it had been before. However, with a look of pure determination on her face, Twilight bit her lip and forced her magic into a spell that was needed right now, one that would deactivate the core of the golem. Power welled up inside of her, becoming a familiar sensation that felt almost bittersweet after such a long absence.The energy kept gathering into a large lump, one that extended forward from the stump of the horn and took, painstakingly slowly, the desired form. Guided by the formula of the spell she saw in the book before her, Twilight recreated the spell into the air itself, instead of the horn where every unicorn prepared their magic before using it.

“Nn, nngghaa!” Twilight’s teeth grinded together, and with a rising yell, she released her spell straight at the golem in front of her.

What followed was a loud bang that made everypony in the area wince. A blast of light shone in the forest for a moment before dying down surprisingly fast. The ponies were forced to wince again when they saw the form of Twilight Sparkle flying backwards through the air, only to hit the nearby tree. She fell to the ground and rose up with wobbly feet, her eyes swirling around.

“O-okay, or maybe not,” Twilight stuttered. “I think… I need a bit more training…”

It was clear that magic was not an option at this point. Pinkie Pie, seeing that the efforts of her friends were getting them nowhere, quickly opened the Trick Bag she had been given, and started digging through its contents. Finally, something appeared inside the bag, and she yanked it out with one quick swing of her head, presenting the item to the golem in a victorious fashion.

“Aha! This should take care… of you?” Pinkie’s smile disappeared when she saw what she was holding.

It was a teddy bear. A quite small one, in fact. The fur of the teddy was like starry night sky. The eyes of the bear were red buttons, giving it quite comical look. Pinkie stared at the teddy bear, dumbfounded, before finally perking up. Her eyes shone with understanding.

“You must be scared of bears, right!” She pointed at the golem. “In that case, take this, you meanie!”

Pinkie Pie swung her head back and then forward, launching the teddy bear straight at the golem. It flew in a large arc towards the stone-creature, looking rather absurd when confronting the elemental that was many times its size. The golem looked at the flying teddy bear with a confused expression for a moment, as if it didn’t know what to do about it.

Then the golem proceeded to swat the teddy bear away, flinging it deep into the forest.

“Oh well,” Pinkie said and giggled. “At least I tried!”

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had once again circled around the golem. She gathered speed and struck the air with her wings faster and faster. Her acceleration finally turned her into a blur under the green canopy, zooming threateningly towards the creature. Deciding her target, Dash shot right at the golem’s back, hitting it with enough speed to break boulders. Her gamble paid off once more, and she pierced golem like a cannonball. There was a loud, groaning sound that made the earth under the ponies quake, as the blue pegasus emerged from the chest of the golem and landed right in front of it. She drew lines of rainbow-colored flames as her hooves dug into the ground, stopping her right before she hit Rarity.

In the aftermath of the violent collision, something bright was revealed in the heart of the golem. It shone like a small star, catching everypony’s attention.

“Look!” Rarity shouted and pointed at the golem. “That must be the spell that is keeping it together! Under that bubble of magic!”

The golem, which was now missing both its right side and a big chunk from its chest, was quickly starting to regenerate again by gathering earth and stone from the ground to reform its body. However, as Rainbow Dash had flown through the creature, the magic that gathered all the components was now completely visible. It was a transparent, blue-colored bubble of magical shield that resided inside the golem, and the floating, shining crystal of concentrated magic that kept it alive. The crystal’s shine extended to the pieces the ground and tore it apart, floating the pieces back to golem.

While the blue-feathered pegasus had hit the bubble that protected the crystal, she had only broken it for a second or two. It had completely negated the damage from the hit, thus protecting the crystal. Rainbow Dash clicked her tongue when she realized it. Even she wasn’t fast enough to hit the thing two times in a row, without letting the bubble to reappear after the first tackle.

“Rainbow Dash! I have an idea,” Rarity suddenly said and directed her magic to her amulet. “Gather speed again and pierce through the bubble again. This time we’ll get the golem!”

“But I’m not fast enough to be in two places at once! I—” Dash started, but after seeing the determined look on Rarity’s face, she simply nodded. “Alright.”

While Rainbow Dash flew up into the air to gather enough speed for the ramming attack once more, Rarity concentrated her magic into the Arrow Amulet. With the blue magic coursing through it, the amulet once more took the form of a bow, floating before the white unicorn’s face. The strings of energy connected themselves to the parts of the amulet that acted as limbs of the bow, while the same energy formed the bridge that connected the grip to the limbs. It all was finished with the spell arrow that formed out of Rarity’s magic and took its place on the string.

Rarity’s eyes focused on the bubble that was still somewhat visible. While she had some experience in archery from before, most of her knowledge came solely from books. After all, archery was all about grace and elegance, and her mentor in the art of couture had always stressed that she needed to learn everything about those two concepts, even if it was not connected to the fashion and designing clothes. Hence, it could be said that archery was not unfamiliar to Rarity.

Now, we shall see how much I remember about it, Rarity thought and quieted her mind in concentration.

Rarity’s hooves dug into the ground, mimicking the pose which she had seen used by others who practiced archery through magical means. She balanced her body and posture by taking a graceful stance that let the weight of her body rest in perfect balance, removing any and all “impurities” from the equation. The white unicorn’s head turned towards the golem, and her eyes locked on to the crystal that was her target. The bow she had readied was lifted by her telekinesis right in front of her, allowing her to aim at the creature. In her mind, she already saw a straight line from her to the shining piece of magic.

With precise movement and body-control, Rarity relaxed her breathing, allowing it to become one continuous, yet controlled, flow. In her mind, her breathing took the form of a quiet river in the park. One that, despite its environment, represented the perfect nature. It was the same sort of technique she used when calming herself down during delicate procedures of making a new dress. A technique she had learned long ago, and which had proven useful through her whole life.

The bow and the string started moving in opposite direction, as Rarity drew the arrow back with her magic. Slowly but steadily she pulled the arrow further back, until it was at the level of her eyebrows. From there, she continued the same elegant move by bringing the string close to her cheek, so that the end of the arrow finally lay slightly below her cheekbone. Her draw was ready, and the attack had been prepared. The only thing that was missing was to let go of the string.

No… no. I made the same mistake back in Ponyville, when I almost hit Spikey-wikey. I had completely forgotten it, but there was something else, Rarity thought. Something the book had called “Archer’s paradox”. After all, the arrow cannot have too much stiffness to it. I must correct it.

With this realization, Rarity aimed her arrow slightly to the side from her target, ensuring this way that the stiffness of the arrow would be correct, and therefore it would return back to the correct path after it had been shot from the bow. For a normal pony, doing so without testing the bow first would have been nearly impossible, but Rarity’s eyes had been honed to see every detail. They could automatically calculate the subtle differences in her aim, and correctly pick the right one. Just like they had now.

“Very well! Applejack! Use your Chain Bridle to keep the other limb out of the way!” Rarity commanded. “And Rainbow Dash! Charge at the core at my mark, and after tackling it, hit the ground, immediately!”

The two ponies responded with loud “Aye-aye!” shouts, and sprung into action. Applejack ran up to the Chain Bridle that was still stuck on the tree, and freed it by simply shortening the length. Having ran back, Applejack then threw the other end of the chain forward. The golden row of metal-links extended in the air and wrapped around the remaining front-leg of the golem like a snake, stopping its movement. Shouting wildly like she was in rodeo, Applejack swung the Chain Bridle around yet another tree, making sure that the elemental could not get anywhere.

“Rainbow Dash! Now!” Rarity shouted.

“Alright!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

The blue pegasus dove from the sky like a comet, creating a trail of prismatic light behind her. The Wing Armor that she wore shone heroically, as if responding to the feelings of its wearer. The mystical powers of the armor activated once more, shielding Rainbow Dash from the incoming hit. With a grin on her face, Dash rammed straight into the chest of the golem, breaking the stone surface and the magic bubble behind it.

It was at that moment that Rarity’s concentration came to its peak, and she let go of the string of her bow.

The release created a blast of light, illuminating the forest and sending a shockwave shaking the branches of the trees. The blue arrow pierced the air, leaving a shrieking sound behind as it hungrily flew towards its target. It became a flash that reduced the thirty meters between Rarity and the golem into nothing. With all of the white unicorn’s magical power behind it, the simple arrow became a messenger of certain defeat to the creature of stone and earth.

The arrow of blue energy flew with magnificent speed, leaving a roar in its wake. Its speed made even Rainbow Dash seem slow. Understanding what was coming, the blue pegasus dove straight to the ground and rolled to safety. And not a moment too late. The blue arrow whizzed through the air, cutting a path to the magical core of the golem. The bubble that had been protecting the crystal was now gone, Rainbow Dash having just destroyed it. The path of the arrow was now unobstructed.

Just before hitting, Rarity saw in the golem’s eye that it understood. In the fraction of a second it took for the arrow to reach the crystal, the creature knew it had lost. By allowing its shield to disappear, it had sealed its own destiny.

And there was nothing it could do. The blue light pierced the crystal with a shattering sound, continuing towards the skies as if to sing about the victory that had been attained.

In the confrontation between the beautiful archer and the monstrous golem, the one who was left standing was the graceful unicorn, Rarity.

“Watch out!”

The sudden yell came from an unexpected source. Twilight Sparkle charged to the scene of golem’s defeat, panic filling her eyes. The other ponies, who had already been sure of their victory, looked at her with surprised expression. They didn’t have the knowledge about golems that Twilight had, after all. Only she knew what happened to these creatures after their core was destroyed. They did not know that all the magical energy gathered in the crystal would be vaporized in an explosion that would leave a sizable crater.

Twilight Sparkle had no time to think, she had no time to consciously reach out to her magic, or to make a complex spell. Her instincts kicked in as her desire to protect her friends override any other thought in her head. She stared down at the cluster of magical energy that was about to spread violently into every direction, and she gritted her teeth together. It was a blank space of time, no longer than few seconds. The book of Star Swirl the Bearded opened and floated next to her, as the blood in her veins rushed her into action. And it all culminated into a blinding light that engulfed her horn.

The power she thought she had lost completely after losing her horn came back to Twilight Sparkle in a moment of pure desperation.

Her wish to save her friends took a form from the pages of the grimoire, and became a spell that spread from her horn to engulf all her friends. A barrier of pure magic, with a pattern of hexagon running on its purple surface, veiled the ponies and shielded them from the explosion that occurred a second later. The sheer power of the attack pushed the barrier down, but Twilight held on, pouring every last bit of magic inside her into the wall that stood between the group and the raging remnants of the crystal.

At that point, something strange happened. The ground, put under a lot of pressure by the barrier Twilight was holding together, started to crack everywhere around the ponies. The tunnel that the golem had used to ambush them had weakened the earth under the group, with unfortunate results. While they had been saved from the explosion, there was nothing they could do against this new danger. With the shockwave of the destroyed crystal pushing the barrier down, and the barrier causing the ground to crumble, it took only a short moment for the soil below the ponies to give away.

Before anypony could even realize it, the ground had disappeared from below the ponies, revealing the large and deep tunnel that had been dug by the golem. Leaving behind only screams of surprise, the six ponies and one baby dragon fell into the tunnel, and disappeared into the darkness below.

And once the shockwave caused by the golem’s destruction had died out, what remained was only the forest, silent once more.

****

“What is this!? Argh, The Great and Powerful Trixie cannot believe they got away! This is all your fault, salescolt!”

The voice that complained in the dark forest belonged to a unicorn with blue coat and pale blue mane. She was dressed in a rather flashy attire of a cloak and pointed hat, both purple in color and adorned with pictures of stars of different colors. Just a few minutes ago her violet eyes had been glued to the battle raging in the forest. Now they were staring angrily at the other pony who stood not far away from her.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is most disappointed! You promised that the stone golem you provided would be enough to exact Great Trixie’s revenge on that wretched Twilight Sparkle, but just look at the result! All we have is a hole in a ground and a destroyed golem!” Trixie said and pointed accusingly at the aftermath of the fight they had been watching in secret. “This is not what the Great Trixie was promised! I demand that you do something about it, salescolt!”

The stallion in question was a one in the prime of his life, full of youthful vigor. The earth pony had a light blonde mane that was as uncouth and unkempt as his stubble of a beard. The peach-like color of his coat made him blend into the sunset of Everfree Forest so well that Trixie had trouble pinpointing his location. It was not until he turned his blazing orange eyes at the unicorn that she saw him.

“Now, now. It is somewhat unfair to blame me, Great Trixie,” the stallion said with a lazy voice. “After all, like you said, I am just a salescolt. This golem was nothing but a piece of merchandise given to me by my higher-ups. It was unfortunate that what I got was a failure, but these sorts of things happen. New products are sometimes faulty. It is not until test drives, like these, that we can fix them to the point when we can start selling them properly.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie demands compensation,” Trixie informed the stallion. “Trixie paid an incredibly large amount of bits to get a golem what would do exactly as it was told, yet the product ended up being nothing more than a failure. In other words, The Great Trixie wants her bits back!”

The stallion chuckled. He had dealt with these kind of customers before. Taking a long, deep sigh, he gazed at the rubble in the distance that had once been the golem he had sold to Trixie. He kicked the piece of lodestone that lay at his feet, having ended up there because of the explosion. After taking his sweet time and letting the blue unicorn fume at her own pace, the stallion turned to Trixie with a smile that only merchants knew how to use.

“Well, of course, Great Trixie, I could offer you a full refund on the golem. That was part of our deal, was it not? But, you see, my employers are pretty enthusiastic on getting these golems on the bigger market, and have tasked me with finding every weakness they have. As you can see, I am nothing more than a lowly earth pony, not an amazing unicorn such as yourself,” the stallion said. “Therefore, I would like to propose you a deal: I have a few golems and other magical constructs in stock. If you’d like to, I could let you use them against these ponies that have wronged you. Surely one of them can satisfy your needs. In other words, you’d be getting to use multiple golems at the price of just one. Sounds fair, does it not?”

Trixie furrowed her brow, but the glint in her eyes told clearly that she was interested about this new arrangement. She mulled it over in her head for a good while, every now and then glancing at the hole where Twilight Sparkle and her friends had disappeared to. And every time she did so, her eyes narrowed some more with anger. It was clear that she had not forgotten the humiliation she had experienced at the hooves of the said ponies.

Finally, Trixie turned to face the merchant stallion and smiled smugly.

“Well, your suggestion is an intriguing one. And they do say that one should never look a gift horse in the mouth. The Great and Powerful Trixie believes that by helping you, she might be able to achieve her goal, which is the only thing she cares about at the moment,” Trixie spoke and extended her hoof towards the stallion. “In other words, the Great Trixie shall accept your deal. After all, on top of everything that you said, controlling golems is a good warm-up if The Great and Powerful Trixie needs to engage in a battle of magic with the accursed Twilight Sparkle.”

The stallion raised his eyebrows and shook Trixie’s hoof, answering her smile with a one that was nearly a reflection. He did not feel like saying that the reason why the golem had lost so miserably against the ponies was because the one controlling it had no idea how to use it. Speaking about unfortunate facts like that had the habit of making the customers unhappy, after all.

“Then it is a deal,” the stallion said. “Shall we continue our journey then? The next piece of merchandise is stashed in another town, after all.”

“Yes, let’s,” Trixie answered and turned around. “The Great Trixie has been too long in this filthy forest, and needs a… needs a… needs…”

Trixie’s words died out during her walk, as she came across a rather strange object to be in Everfree Forest. It was a blue teddy bear with stars in its fur, staring up at Trixie with his red eyes. Trixie’s eyes grew wider as she started to realize what it was, and the color on the unicorn’s face faded quickly into paleness of fear. Cold sweat started running down her neck, and before the stallion behind her could even realize what was going on, The Great and Powerful Trixie had stomped onto the toy and then fled into the distance, leaving behind a wailing scream.

“Noooooo! The Ursa Minor is coming to get meeeee!!” Were the last words the stallion heard before Trixie disappeared into the distance.

“Hmh? A teddy bear?” The merchant pony said and looked down at the toy. “Fancy that. Who’d have known something like that had the power to scare show-offs?”

With a nonchalant laugh, the stallion followed after his “customer.” The only sign that was left behind of the events on the hill was the teddy bear, having survived its rough handling at the hooves of the golem and Trixie.

****

A bright light shining through her eyelids and the sound of crackling flames woke Twilight Sparkle. Cold, stagnant air and the feeling of wet stone surrounded her from all sides, making her skin shiver. Not only that, but her whole body felt like it had been through a train wreck, which wasn’t very far from the truth. She remembered how they had fallen through the huge tunnel that had led into the bowels of the earth.

Groggily, Twilight forced her eyes open and gazed at the world around her. The only reason she could see it was because of an emerald lightt, coming from a torch that burned with fire from a dragon’s breath. It was one of the torches they had packed with them, just in case, and from the looks of it, Spike had just lit it up in order to illuminate their current predicament. The light threw long shadows in the cave, creating a creepy illusion of dark creatures that skulked just out of sight.

“Ow, my head,” Twilight groaned as she slowly got up from the ground. “Is everypony alright?”

“Just a lil’ bit bruised, but otherwise were fine and dandy,” Applejack answered. She was already up, looking around the place they were in. “Looks like that tunnel we fell in came crashin’ down after us. We were lucky.”

Applejack was right. As Twilight looked behind her, she saw that a huge landslide had blocked the tunnel that had taken them this far, effectively preventing any sunlight from reaching the place. Not that much would have gotten there, anyways, as Twilight hazily remembered the tunnel going sometimes nearly horizontally, which had probably saved them from worse injuries. Had it been just a straight drop, it would have been really dangerous. Twilight silently thanked the stars in her mind for the stroke of luck that had brought them all there in one piece.

Twilight turned around to look at the rest of the area they were in. To her surprise, it did not look like a cave carved by a rogue elemental at all. Instead, the large size and the nearly perfectly half-circular shape hinted that it had been done by miners. The brown, cold walls had roots sticking out of them, but otherwise they were clearly well-planned to hold up the weight of the tons of earth above them. The ground below them was also more akin to a road, making it rather obvious that it was ponies who had carved this tunnel. There were even a few stone slabs sticking out of the ground, indicating that at some point, something like a street had been there.

Other than the large clearing where the six ponies and the baby dragon had landed, there was only one other place: A tunnel that led out of the clearing into the dark depths outside of the veil of light. Twilight tried to peer into the pitch-black shadows that hung like tar in the distance, but she was unable to see even hints of what lied ahead.

“Wow-wee! This place is awesome!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Just listen to the echo in here. PARTY!”

Pinkie’s shout reverberated from the walls of the cave, becoming a series of yells that disappeared into the darkness outside of the light. The echo seemed to continue with an unnaturally long length of time, still coming from somewhere in the distance where the ponies could not see. Looking proud of herself, Pinkie Pie started humming a tune that, while not echoing as loudly as her yell, still bounced off the cold walls of the clearing in a eerie way.

Rarity, looking rather ruffled from falling into the tunnel, shivered at the sight of the cave and turned to look at her friends. Everpony was on the edge because of the situation, other than Pinkie Pie. Even Spike, who was more at home in places like these than the rest, was fervently looking through the map given to him by Princess Luna, trying to find their location. However, it was very doubtful that there would be any information about the caves they were in.

“Twilight, darling, do you have any idea where we could be?” Rarity asked worriedly. “You have read history of the lands around Ponyville, right? What could this place be? From the looks of it, it seems like it was ponymade.”

“Maybe… maybe this is a cave of a… dragon?” Fluttershy’s suggestion faded into a mere whisper towards the end. Rainbow Dash snorted.

“As if! There’s no way dragons would make their lair somewhere this deep!” she commented. “They’re creatures of sky, after all.”

“Well, whatever this place is, it’s makin’ me worried,” Applejack said. “A place like this under Everfree Forest? Sounds mighty fishy to me.”

“That’s right,” Twilight answered. “This is definitely a place made by ponies. In other words, something that should not exist in Everfree Forest. That place is, after all, separated from civilization in more ways than one. These tunnels, and the palace where the Elements of Harmony were are both abnormalities in the forest. I have few theories as to what this place could be, but to be honest, until we find more information, I can’t say anything. And as much as I’d like to research this place our first priority is to get out of here.”

“That sounds great,” Spike commented while reading the map. “There’s something here that I think might be our location right now, but I can’t make head or tails about it.”

Having reached an agreement, the group started to slowly make their way into the tunnel that led out of the clearing. With Rarity and Twilight in the lead and lighting up the way with their horns, they ventured forth. Spike came as the last one and held his torch high, so that the group was able to maximize the radius of the light, creating a bit more bearable atmosphere into the dark and damp place. Twilight thanked the stars that they had sources of light, as in the dark, navigation in the tunnel would have been a nightmare. Even though it went straight ahead, the mere idea of wandering in the caves without being able to see made the Twilight shiver with fear.

The atmosphere of the tunnel was enough to make the whole group stay silent. Even Pinkie Pie refrained from actually talking, though she kept humming her happy tune while skipping after Twilight. The other ponies started to recognize the tune to be the one she had used when singing about confronting their fears with a laugh. Miraculously enough, the mere idea of that memory made all of them feel a bit more safe and secure, but not by much. The fact that they had no idea where they were was enough to make any situation subdue. Still, the ponies bravely ventured further into the tunnel, with no intention of allowing their fears get the best of them.

It was after over thirty minutes of walking that Twilight Sparkle started noticing something strange. The ponymade aspects of the tunnel were becoming clearer and clearer the deeper they ventured into it. The sand-covered ground changed into street of carved stone plates that looked like they belonged into an ancient city, rather than in caves like this one. The roots popping out of the walls became less frequent, and every now and then the ponies saw rubble next to the walls, telling tales of pillars that had once been in the spots, holding up the ceiling of soil above the users of the tunnel.

Finally, the ponies came across something that made them all stop walking.

It was a mural that was half-buried in the wall. But not just any sort of mural. A stone slab larger than any of the ponies was stuck in the wall. Time had eroded all the colors away from the piece of art, but otherwise, it was in a surprisingly good condition. If the ponies hadn’t known it to be impossible, they would have suspected somepony having taken care of the mural for a long time.

Itl depicted an alicorn that the whole group was very familiar with. A one with beautiful, long wings and a horn that was the source of great magic. The mane of the alicorn in the mural was long and flowing, like another object entirely, just like her tail. But that was not why the group realized who she was. It was because of the cutie mark in the shape of a sun that was on the flank of the alicorn. A cutie mark Twilight Sparkle had seen many, many times.

“Wow. Did we fall into Princess Celestia’s art-room, by any chance?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Wonder if she has any hoof-made statues, too.”

The group simply found no words to describe the absurdity of the situation. They had found a mural that clearly showed the picture of Princess Celestia in a cave that nopony had any idea of existing under the Everfree Forest. Any reasonable explanation that might have been a valid suggestion about the nature of the cave was thrown straight out of window after they had found the picture. Even Twilight Sparkle was having hard time trying to wrack her pain for an explanation about the mural.

Then it hit her like lightning. The reason why the tunnel under the ground of Everfree Forest seemed like it was carved by ponies. The reason why a wall in the said tunnels showed a picture of Princess Celestia.

“Girls… I think I have a theory,” Twilight finally spoke up. “There is only one, reasonably simple, explanation for all of this.”

Twilight walked over to the mural of Princess Celestia and put her hoof against it. She felt the cold surface of the stone, but at the same time, the picture of her mentor filled her with warmth and excitementt. If it was like she suspected, then they had been truly lucky to be allowed to walk in these tunnels and gaze upon the wonders they found inside.

Twilight turned to look at her friends, and there was a strange kind of smile on her face. It was the kind of smile that had been on everypony’s lips when they were leaving the Ponyville. In other words, it was the smile of adventurer.

“This place, this tunnel,” Twilight started. “I think we might be currently in the city that existed a long time ago, one that lied outside of a certain palace. A palace that we have all visited. In other words, I believe we are in the city that was supposed to be the capital of Equestria, before the appearance of Nightmare Moon, and the fact that the city was overrun by the Everfree Forest.”

Twilight drew a deep breath before continuing.

“In other words, we’re in the Everfree City.”

Chapter 5: Amidst the ruins of memories

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 5: Amidst the ruins of memories

Palace of Verselle, located in the city of Pareins, in the kingdom of Prance. A beautiful marble miracle towered above the rest of the city; it was like a pearl lying on a silky pillow. Surrounded everywhere by elegance and glamour, the palace lit up the night sky with the hundreds of magical orbs that floated around its perimeter, both adorning the building and keeping watch on the surroundings of the castle. They were a graceful sentry-system, working solely on the magic of twenty or so unicorns. And if that was not enough, the dragon of the city of Pareins kept constant watch in the sky, never descending to the ground below. Beauty and danger intermingled in the palace of Verselle, becoming an intoxicating combination that captivated everypony that visited the place.

It was this sort of palace that Princess Celestia contacted on a certain night. And it was the owner of the palace that the alicorn wanted to talk with.

“Tia, so good to see you again.” It was a lazy voice, like a cat that was stretching after a good sleep. “It’s been forever since the two of us had a talk, hasn’t it?”

“Princess Neptuna. It is good to see that you are well,” Celestia said and smiled. “It truly has been quite a while, hasn’t it? I trust that everything has gone well during these decades?”

The two Princesses were having a conversation via mirrors that were located in the personal chambers of both of them. These mirrors were magically linked to each other, allowing the owner to contact another pony as long as he or she owned such a mirror. While they had fallen to disuse nowadays due to the small amount of contact between different countries, every now and then they were utilized. Like tonight.

The Princess that Celestia had contacted was as tall as the ancient alicorn. The color of Neptuna’s coat was that of a brilliant light blue, like cerulean waves crashing against pearl-white shores. Her mane was long and well-kept, just like her tail. Their colors were gradient blue, going from dark blue to almost white, creating an image of a cross-section of an ocean. On her flank, Neptuna had a cutie mark that was a sphere of water, twisted in a way that made it look like it was on an eternal cycle of repetition. The marble-colored eyes of Neptuna were locked onto Celestia’s, and deep intelligence lied behind their vast depths.

“As well as it can go in a country like this. Sometimes I reeeally envy you for getting Equestria. I mean, look at the ponies I rule over. Such a boring bunch,” Neptuna gave an over-dramatic sigh. “On one side you’ve got the clergy and the knights, and on the other side you have the rabble that drabbles only in whatever that is “in” at the moment. What’s a Princess to do in a place like this? Even if I tried to play the whole city like a game of chess, these pieces just move on their own. Boring, I say. Boooooring.”

Celestia let out a good-hearted chuckle. She had known Neptuna for centuries, and the thought of the light-blue mare ruling her own kingdom was always amusing to Celestia. The ancient alicorn knew that Neptuna had always only one thing in her mind: Her own amusement. And being tied to the role of keeping a whole country afloat was definitely something that kept her from her vices. It had been a good experience, at least. The pony who had once been a haughty lady who never did what others asked her to do had matured quite splendidly.

“So? What is it? I don’t believe you would contact me for nothing, so what is going on?” Neptuna suddenly cut to the chase, her eyes narrowing in the process.

“I’ve contacted you about a matter of great importance. Although I found it hard to believe when I received the letter in question, it seems that the kingdom of Marecedonia still exists. Not only that, but they have learned of our existence, and are planning to declare war. If the Senate of Marecedonia comes to the decision that the conquest of Equestria is desirable, it will mean dark times for us all,” Celestia explained. “I do not think that I have to mention that the other countries, Prance amongst them, would be drawn to such a large-scale war, spanning continents. That is why I would form an alliance with the kingdoms that lie on the other side of the Equestrian Channel, and Prance is the foremost of them.”

“Hmm. Marecedonia, huh?” Neptuna didn’t sound particularly thrilled. “I thought those idiots had already vanished in the sea of time, but looks like they have developed gills surprisingly fast. And what, you want me to ally myself with you, Tia? Against Marecedonia?”

Neptuna chuckled, and it wasn’t a pleasant chuckle. Lying on her velvet pillows, the Princess resembled some sort of alluring dragon who was toying with a prey that had stumbled in her cave. The lazy eyes looked at Celestia analytically as the mind of the Princess of the Water Cycle weighed countless variables in her mind.

“You mean a bit like how Equestria rushed to help when Prance had an openly hostile situation with the griffins?” Neptuna asked sarcastically, causing Celestia to visibly flinch.

“I apologize for that time,” Celestia opened her mouth. “But the laws we set cannot be broken. And in those laws, we decided that Equestria would stay neutral as long as I ruled it. That is the reason—“

“Oh, I see, I see. Sure, of course that old crook-beak Temujin and his barbaric nomad-tribes of those kitty-eagles are equal to your old friend and the beautiful kingdom which has always been at your side in everything,” Neptuna said, and her voice was now dripping with bitterness, like a lemon. “But what about when Prance nearly descended into civil war? Where was our help then, Tia? I’m pretty suuuuure I couldn’t find it anywhere, seeing I had to threaten to stop the hydrological cycle to end the war between the middle-class and the aristocrats.”

“Neptuna, you know that Equestria cannot take part in inner conflicts of other countries either,” Celestia said. “I can understand if you hold a grudge against me, but these events you mention were times when my hooves were tied, and I could not—“

“Oh, I get it, I get it,” Neptuna laughed and took a sip from a crystal glass next to her divan. “I’m just teasing you, Tia. After all, you do know that I am a veeeeery generous pony, and could never turn down a request from a friend.”

Princess Celestia let out a breath of relief. Neptuna had never been the easiest pony to work with, but the Princess of the Sun was glad to know that their friendship still counted for something. Or, at least, Neptuna was willing to lend a hoof in a time like this. It was not always the case, and anything the fickle Princess of the Changing Water did was a small miracle on its own right.

“Then please, if everything turns out for the worst, and Marecedonia really does attack Equestria, would you be willing to send your troops to the western border? Most of our army nowadays consists of only infantry and pegasi legions, thanks to our treaty with Cloudsdale. The paladins of Prance would be a welcome addition to bolster our defenses,” Celestia presented her request. “That is, however, only if war truly does break out. In the meantime, I would like you to use your connections and merchants to spread the word into neighboring countries of Marecedonia, ones we still have a contact with, to ensure that Marecedonia would receive pressure from those surrounding nations to not go to war.”

“Consider it done, Tia,” Neptuna chuckled. “It’s been a while since our merchant-fleets have travelled across the Mareterranean Sea, but there should be no problem.”

For a moment it seemed like Neptuna had said all she had to say, but after few seconds of silence, the blue Princess raised her eyebrows. She had clearly remembered something. Turning back to the magic mirror, she addressed Celestia once more.

“Oh, and one more thing, Tia. It’s about our forces…” she slowly started speaking. “If we want to get them to the western border quickly, it is probably for the best if we transport them through the Strait of Donvanner. From there, we can perform a forced march to the border to answer the attack quickly. That, of course, would mean that our troops would have to march through Equestria. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is,” Celestia smiled. “We are in alliance, after all.”

“Good. You’re being almost as generous as I am,” Neptuna smiled. “Then, till next time, Tia. I’ll inform you once our merchant-fleets have left.”

“I’ll see you then, Tuna,” Celestia answered, causing Neptuna to grimace.

“You had to pull that nickname into this, huh…?”

The connection between the two magic mirrors was severed, leaving the royal chambers of Verselle with only one presence. Princess Neptuna rolled around in her divan, giggling to herself and watching the marble-adored ceiling fitted with pearls the size of her hooves. The blue Princess’ laugh was not the happy sort, however. It was the kind of a giggle that somepony makes when they are ready to pull a prank. Those who had known Neptuna for a while knew that the laugh in question never promised anything good.

“Did you hear that, Arlecchino, Trivelino?” Princess Neptuna asked from the empty room. “Sounds like Tia is slowly getting desperate.”

“I sure heard that! What about you, o’ brother of mine?” Arlecchino piped up and appeared in the room with a small explosion of confetti and fireworks.

“That, I heard too! Just like you, o’ sister of mine!” Trivelino parroted his sister and appeared in a similar way.

“Oh shut up, you two jesters. It was a question, not a request for your silly antics,” Neptuna groaned and threw her crystal-glass at the two, who evaded quickly. The glass shattered magnificently against the marble floor. “Do I have to be generous to you two again?”

“No, no, no! That is not needed, Princess! Isn’t that right, o’ brother of mine?” Arlecchino hurried to say. Her brother nodded furiously.

“No, no, no! There is no need, Princess! That is just right, o’ sister of mine!”

“Hmph. Well, whatever. Then, can you two jesters tell me about the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony?” Neptuna asked, sounding bizarrely both bored and interested. “From what I heard, the one who took my place is an especially annoying little filly.”

“They are headed to the Windswept Valley, Princess! Through the Everfree Forest, and into the town of Kinskyton. They’re being pretty fast! Isn’t that right, o’ brother of mine?” Arlecchino turned to look at her sibling.

“Their heading is to the Windswept Valley, Princess! Past the Everfree Forest, and to the town of Kinskyton! Fast is what they are! That is just right, o’ sister of mine!” Trivelino repeated.

Neptuna chuckled, clearly pleased from what she had heard. She turned around so that the velvet pillows were straight under her, and stretched slowly with care. The blue Princess then raised her head and gazed at the two foals, who were waiting for her next words like dogs waiting for a bone. With an unpleasant smirk, Neptuna began talking once again.

“I didn’t ask for your opinions, you idiotic jesters. But, yes… you’re surprisingly correct, this time. They are being fast,” Neptuna said. “I wonder if Tia was just being too arrogant and did not want to tell them, or did the new bearers think they would not need it… However it is, I am surprised. To go on a journey like this and to not unearth maitrī from Everfree Forest is either stupidity or pride. Well, it’s not like they could easily get to that old city anyways. The forest did a good job at burying it under the roots.”

Neptuna’s smile widened as she remembered memories from centuries ago. She remembered the certain midnight black alicorn who had proudly wielded maitrī, and all the power it bestowed upon her. It was not until the spiral of betrayal that had consumed them all that the Princess of the Moon had to give it up. After all, concepts of the world could not survive outside the boundary of the world. It was like a chess-piece. As long as it remained on the board, it had all the power that the rules granted it. However, once it was taken out of the board, it could no longer do anything. Outside the board, that chess-piece was powerless.

Just like maitrī of Princess Luna, the Element of Kindness.

“But Princess! Wouldn’t unearthing it mean…?” Trivelino gasped in horror.

“But Princess! Wouldn’t finding it mean…?” Arlecchino asked in shock.

“Of course it would. A pony with that sort of power would be able to do wonders. Perhaps not the wonders that keep the world working nowadays, after Discord destroyed the natural rules, but close to it anyways. Do you two have aaaany idea how bothersome that would be?” Princess Neptuna sighed. “But then again, what lies in kindness is a danger unlike what can be found in any other Element. We all know what happened to Lunie, after all. So finding it would also put the group under a lot of stress and possibly break them apart. Too much kindness can be fearsome indeed, to the point where even I find the thought utterly disgusting.”

Neptuna buried her head into the velvet pillows and then peeked at the two foals through a small crack. She was truly like a pampered princess lazing around in her fairytale castle, but both Trivelino and Arlecchino knew that the Neptuna was more dangerous than any princess from fairytales. She was like a snake basking on a warm stone during sunshine. If you got too close, she would coil around you and inject you with her personal venom, bringing forth a slow and painful death.

“Kindness versus kindness… now, that would be something I’d love to see. However, be that as it may, if those ponies won’t find it, then there’s no problem,” Neptuna yawned. “They will go have their little peace conference with Marecedonia, fail, and watch as the army of Alex marches to Equestria to destroy it. And while Alex and Tia are fighting on the border, I will march, unopposed, to Canterlot and take the whole of Equestria for myself. The two of them will be so tired from the war that they will have no power to oppose me.”

Princess Neptuna’s laughter echoed in the royal chambers, being both alluring and intimidating. It was laughter of a pony who knew exactly what she was doing, and loved every second of it.

“Oh my, that’s right,” Neptuna suddenly stopped laughing. “I wonder if my merchant already killed those ponies? It would have been better if he had done so outside of Equestria’s borders.”

****

“Sister… dost thou really trust Neptuna to come to our aid, if a war truly breaks out?”

Princess Luna asked this from Celestia the moment the connection between the two magic mirrors was cut. The two alicorns were in the royal chambers of Canterlot Castle, with a foreboding atmosphere hanging in the air like a heavy cloud. When she heard her younger sister’s question, Celestia sighed and simply shook her head. The look on her face was more tired than what Luna had ever seen before, something that immediately got the ruler of the night worried.

“Of course not. If Neptuna is to march into Equestria, she will most likely immediately head to Canterlot to take it over. It is in her nature, after all. In that way, she is as much of a conqueror as Alexandrus,” Celestia answered bluntly. “To her, our predicament is a perfect chance to pay back for the times we have been unable to help her. And in a sense, it is still part of her twisted generosity. She gives us what she promises, but she never tells us if that will be what truly happens. There are always layers in Neptuna’s concept of “generosity”, something none of us could ever truly understand.”

Luna could not help but to agree. She remembered that over millennia ago, Neptuna had been a very haughty pony who had taken every chance she could to make a fool out of Luna. Since the Princess of the Moon had been younger than the blue pony, Neptuna had been able to do what she wanted. For the Princess of the Water Cycle, it all might have been just a game, a show of affection on her part, but Luna never quite got over it. It was not until their greatest moment of despair that the two had gained a mutual understanding.

But that was all in the past now. Thousand years had passed, after all. Neptuna had changed, and so had Luna.

“Then why? Why hast thou asked her for help?” Luna asked, clearly confused. “If we both know that there is a good chance that Neptuna might betray us, why contact her at all?”

“Neptuna prides herself in being able to read the thoughts of other ponies from their body language and facial expression. For her there is no greater joy than to predict what her opponent is about to do, and use that information against the opponent, driving him to the corner. That is what she wants to do now, too,” Celestia explained. “There is but one way to counter this. One needs to feed her the information she wants… but one must be in control of that flow. She must have an illusion of power.”

Celestia knew that much had changed since Luna had previously seen or heard from Neptuna, and as much as she did not want her young sister to see what kind of pony the ruler of Prance had become, Celestia knew she could not hide the truth. As much as Kindness was to those who did not understand what it truly was, Generosity was also an element of many layers. But unlike Kindness, Generosity could be easily… twisted.

“I understand,” Luna answered, glancing outside at the moon. “Thou knowest how to handle her in a game of wits, sister. She hath many plans, however. Art thou prepared for them all?”

“Luna, please. It is quite alright if you are not so formal when we are alone,” Celestia gently admonished her sister and walked over to the window. ”Political games with Neptunia is like playing a game of chess, Luna. It is all about rules. She has a tactical mind, but at the time, it is over-analytical and she tends to get absorbed so heavily into the possible moves that she completely forgets to look at the big picture. You remember how she and I used to play chess in the old palace? That was one of the main reasons I won most of the games. Neptunia always got caught into the schemes she thought I was employing. In other words, she thinks too much, if that can be believed.”

“I… am sorry. It still feels quite unnatural to me, but I shall try,” Luna said with an awkward smile. “In any event, do you knowest what your next move will be, then?”

Celestia chuckled and moved her gaze from the night outside of the window. Her eyes wandered around the royal chamber and finally stopped to an old chess board that had been tucked away in one of the shelves. Without a hurry, she took the board with her magic and placed it to the small table on the center of the room, aligning the chess-pieces neatly on to the table, as if preparing a game. With a nod, she invited Luna closer to the table, to see the game of chess she had prepared.

“Do you know the term “zwischenzug”?” Celestia asked, and when her sister shook her head, she continued. “It is a chess-related term that means a tactic where you, instead of the move your opponent expects you to make, perform a move which puts an immediate threat to your opponent. Only after that threat do you proceed to perform the expected action. It is all about putting pressure on the opponent in a way she does not expect.”

Celestia eyed the pieces and started moving them around with her magic. Soon she had created a situation which mimicked something that might really happen in a game of chess. Instead of just rearranging the pieces, the Princess of the Sun actually played a small game against herself, until came a moment where she captured Black’s knight with her own bishop. Then, with a small smile on her lips, she looked over at Luna. The younger sister had never been that good with chess, but she would have answered that move with a recapture. However, instead of doing that, Celestia simply quickly slid the Black queen across the board to the other side, revealing in an instant that the White Bishop was suddenly surrounded from all sides, with but one method of escaping, one to which the White’s player would have to answer immediately.

“Simple, really. It is all about thinking outside of the box and answering with a move that forces the other to act, instead of allowing yourself to be dragged into their pace,” Celestia concluded. “You can think of the recent events in a similar way. The starting move of the opposing side was the letter that arrived here in Canterlot. I am sure that Neptuna was already aware of it, her spies are extremely competent, after all. At this point, I am sure that she expected me to immediately contact her. Instead, I decided to do something different, and sent my student and her friends to negotiate peace with Marecedonia.”

Celestia’s smile disappeared, but it was replaced with determination in her voice. It was a voice of a Princess, one who knew what she had to do in order to save her realm.

“That was something Neptuna had not anticipated, and she had to act. She could not allow a peace to be born, not when she had just acquired a chance to attack Equestria unopposed,” Celestia continued. “So, she desperately needed to intercept Twilight Sparkle and her friends. And does this remind you of anything that has happened during the past few days, sister…?”

“…The golem!” Luna’s eyes widened with shock. “But surely that must be a mistake! How can you be certain that it was golem of Prance?”

“Multiple reasons, actually. Mostly it is just deduction, however,” Celestia answered. “From what our patrols gathered, it was a lodestone golem, which is rather unusual. Especially here in Equestria, seeing that the lodestone that come into our country is purely imported. We have no magnetite mines, after all. The biggest contributor of magnetite to our country is, of course, Prance. It all comes from the other side of Equestrian Canal.”

The white alicorn’s eyes wandered on the chess pieces, like she had what they represented on the big board of schemes that had been laid out before her. Her brains were working with fervor that had not been seen since the rise of Nightmare Moon. But unlike some other ponies who would have been able to do the same, she never lost the sight of the bigger picture that was drawn before her.

“In addition, the golem was young. All the golems that have been created in Canterlot exceed it in age by far, and no license to build a new golem has been granted in twelve years. Its age also counts out the possibility of an actual rogue golem. It had too much magical power and too perfect a crystal-core for that to be the case. Had it actually been a wandering golem, the explosion it caused would have been less powerful,” Celestia explained. “Thus the only possible explanation for the golem’s appearance has to be Prance. Some unicorn there has created it just recently, and it was used to try to get rid of Twilight Sparkle and the rest.”

“It cannot be a direct order from Neptuna,” Luna said. “Do you suspect… the Merchants’ Guild?”

“That is a high possibility. The largest guild in Pareins, and one with most power. I would not be surprised at all for them to do an underhoofed deal with the Princess to take out my disciple, and to prevent the peace negotiations,” Celestia chuckled and her lips curved with a smile. “Unfortunately for them, Twilight Sparkle turned out to be a bit more than a single golem could handle. I am proud of her.”

“Sister… do you believe that Twilight Sparkle and her companions will survive in the old capital?” Luna’s voice was tinged with worry. “That place has not seen ponies since the end of Discord’s reign…”

The old capital. The so-called “Everfree City” which lied under the roots of the area now known as Everfree Forest. Once it had been a flourishing capital of Equestria, one made for two purposes. Firstly, it was to protect the ponies from the chaos that Discord had unleashed upon Equestria and to be the last bastion of harmony. Secondly, it was meant to become the greatest city in the world once Discord had been vanquished, a city that would gather creatures from around the world to work together for the utopia that had been dreamt about back then.

Of course, reality had not been so kind. During the course of the centuries, many things had happened, and eventually, the brilliant city had been turned into a graveyard of memories which lingered there solely because of grudges and hatred. The capital of Equestria was eventually found where the old city of the unicorns had been. It was renamed Canterlot, and turned into a glorious city of magic and wonder. However, those who still remembered the Everfree City, or Coltbenic as some called it, never quite found the splendor of Canterlot that thrilling.

“I have faith in my student, Luna,” Celestia answered with a smile. “Twilight Sparkle is one of the bravest, most intelligent ponies I have seen, and even without her magical powers, she is sure to lead her friends out of the city’s ruins.”

Celestia chuckled and looked outside, where the moon hang in the air, illuminating the starry sky.

“Besides, the aforementioned friends are there to help her. I know that they will succeed.”

****

“Woah nelly. Just look at all this space! Why, we could stack five farmhouses on top of each other, and Ah dunno if they’d still reach the ceilin’!”

Applejack’s comment was not an exaggeration. The colossal hall the group had arrived was enough to dwarf any place the ponies had seen before. Huge stone pillars, big enough to make the ponies feel like insects, jutted out of the floor of the circular chamber, reaching all the way to the ceiling. Roots had wrapped around those said pillars, creating an image of trees that grew upside-down. Spherical crystals were fitted around the perimeter, and they reflected the light from the torches, lighting up the whole area.

As the ponies continued to look around, they started to realize that the huge hall was actually the center of a city. The circular shape it had taken was because of the rows and rows of ruined buildings that dotted the space near the walls of the chamber. The buildings were fitted on top of each other, with a road running on each level, connecting the “floors” together with occasional ramp or a spiraling staircase. Applejack, still quite stunned by the architecture of the place, had to twist her neck backwards if she even wanted to see all the way to the ceiling. She saw how the buildings spread from the walls towards the center of the cavern high above, and wondered how it was even possible to live in such houses.

Ah would just fall straight to the ground if Ah tried to live ‘ere, the orange pony thought. Not that Ah’d want to live here anyhow. Mighty creepy place, if ya ask me.

Terraces and balconies jutted out of the sharp and long shapes of the buildings that were attached to the roof, and from afar, they looked almost like sleek stalactites. This was especially quickly noticed by Rarity, who, at first, thought the roads and streets running amongst the buildings up above where the web of colossal spiders.

“Aaah! Spike! Spike, where are you!?” The white unicorn shouted and backed away from the sight. “If you happen to see anything with eight eyes, I demand you to roast it with your breath before it can get close to us!”

“Relax, Rarity,” Spike said and grinned. “They’re just part of the decoration here. Just look. Those ‘webs’ are just old streets stretched between the buildings.”

While the others had found it quite jarring how Rarity’s yell had echoed in the huge space, the young dragon did not seem to mind. After all, Rarity was quickly firmly attached to his side now, which was the reason for the wide smile on Spike’s face.

The group, consisting of six ponies and one baby dragon, was right on a road that had started from one of the tunnels they had been walking in. The road had been raised into mid-air by another set of pillars, and these sorts of high-roads were everywhere, all leading to the same place. It was to the large temple-looking structure in the middle of the large cavern, rising like a goddess from the dead-center of the hall. While it was not wide, it was definitely tall, towering above the city that the ponies could see far below the high-roads. It seemed as if the whole city, which spanned all free surface-space of the cavern, had been centered around that one structure in the middle.

“Oh, my. This looks like a… hallowed place,” Fluttershy said as the group walked forward. “Just how far below the Everfree Forest are we…?”

“According to the map we’re just-enough-to-fit-a-huge-city-under-a-forest amount of meters below the surface,” Spike commented and closed the map with a frown. “This thing doesn’t really help here at all. It’s like it assumes we should know this place like the back of our claw.”

“Maybe it does,” Twilight suggested. “If this truly is the former city that surrounded the old palace, this might have been a thriving place which everypony knew. That map is meant for strange and foreign lands, not something you would be living in.”

“It is still quite astonishing to think that there would be a whole city like this just under the Everfree Forest,” Rarity said. “Judging from the shape of the city, the forest must be growing straight from the top of the buildings.”

During the two days the ponies had spent in the tunnels, this was the first time they had encountered this sort of concentration of buildings. There had been an occasional ruined house or a guard tower buried into the earth along the way, but nothing like this. The ponies had actually thought about already stopping for the night, but through pure chance, Rainbow Dash had peeked into the next tunnel, and found the huge cavern. All the tiredness had disappeared in that instant, and the group had hurried to investigate this new area.

“Wow, just look at that! That temple is straight outta creepytown,” Dash said as the group finally started to get to the center of the cavern. “All those heads and weapons and monsters…”

The architecture of the temple continued the rather foreign style of what the city itself represented. Walls that must have been originally red were now almost devoid of any other color than grey, and only haunting shadows of once great carvings that adored the temple’s walls could be seen. Detailed flower-like patterns covered the surface of the platform where the temple stood, and some of the small artificial paths of water were still functioning, running in a complex pattern around the temple’s outer perimeter before branching to the edges of the platform and becoming narrow waterfalls that disappeared into the city below.

The temple itself seemed to not have any straight lines in it, being instead a vaguely round-shaped bulge on the end of the tall tower that stretched towards the ceiling from the center of the city. Even the tower was more like a pedestal or a stalk of a flower, and when it was combined with the strange shape of the temple, it truly created an image of a large plant. The temple’s curving shape rose ever upwards, the walls seamlessly becoming a roof that ended with a curve towards the back of the cavern.

Many pictures and statues surrounded the temple, or were directly part of the walls. There were statues of ponies and other creatures, all holding weapons or looking like they were about to fight something that came from the skies. The eerie shapes of living beings were accompanied by lines that circled around them, becoming a web of patterns that intersected each other.

Twilight felt a tinge of sadness when she saw the ruin that the temple had become. She could imagine it being a shining beacon of wonder and splendor in the past, but now, in her eyes it seemed like nothing more than a forgotten ghost.

Perhaps, Twilight thought. Perhaps this place was once as wonderful as Canterlot. But now… It is only full of sorrow.

“Ah think this is where the road ends,” Applejack said while looking around. “There ain’t nothing but that weird tube that leads forward from the temple, and there ain’t no way we’re walkin’ on that thing.”

“That place doesn’t look inviting either, you know?” Rainbow Dash commented and nodded towards the temple. “Just looking it at it makes my stomach feel like jelly.”

“What are you talking about, silly?” Pinkie Pie suggested. “If it gets scary, we just need to giggle, remember? Though, then again, giggling must echo pretty well in here, so it might turn back into being scary. Hmh. This might be bad, guys.“

“Don’t worry, Pinkie, I think we can do it,” Twilight said with a smile. “Since it doesn’t look like we’re making much progress here, we might check if there’s a way to access that leaf-looking tube from inside the temple.”

While it was true that the ponies had been mostly walking forward during their time in the underground city, it was not because they were lost. The compass had started working after they had gotten away from the golem’s remains, and using it as a guide, the group had started to make their way through the end of the web of tunnels. Since there was plenty of air to breath underground, Twilight had assumed that there had to be multiple exits in the place, and if they could find one that took them outside the Everfree Forest, they would not have lost much time while wandering in the ancient city. It was a small gamble, since there was no guarantee that there would be an exit like that, but Twilight trusted that the builders of the city would have logically made an exit in the direction of the west. That was the way to the other lands beyond Equestria, after all.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash opened the door leading to the temple together, since the artistically shaped plate was much heavier than it looked. The moment the door was opened, some small animal inside the temple squeaked and ran into safety, outside of the veil of light the torches created. Steeling herself, Twilight took the lead and led her friends inside the building to see if they could find a way to continue their journey there.

Before anypony could see in the darkness, there was a flash of bright, colorful light that forced them to shut their eyes immediately. Colors that switched around in every possible spectrum shone in the room, before dying out with as much brilliance as they had appeared with. As the ponies opened their eyes, they saw that what had been previously a dark and foreboding room was now filled with soft, pink light. It came from numerous glyphs that covered the walls in a geometrical pattern, illuminating the interior of the temple completely.

Twilight felt how the light that enveloped them started to drive away their fatigue. The light itself felt very natural, like a parent’s embrace, driving away all the fears and worries that had gathered inside one’s mind. And as the purple unicorn looked around, she saw that her friends wore content expressions just like hers. They must have felt the embrace of the light, too.

The interior of the temple itself was circular in shape, despite the odd way it looked from outside. As Twilight Sparkle gazed around the temple, she started to realize just how many details had been put into how the temple looked. The floor was fitted with large, petal-shaped plates that were all pointing towards the center, going in a circle where all of them aligned so that they were under the plate that came next. In the center was an elaborate picture that seemed depict a very complex glyph of some sort.

Six shrines emerged from the walls in perfect harmony, each presenting a different-colored crystal that was wrapped in wings that looked like they were made from pink-colored marble. The feathers of these wings were sleek and sharp, nothing like the ones found on pegasi or birds. These shrines seemed to guard the way to the other end of the room, where two huge wings, somewhat similar to the smaller ones, had spread over a large altar made out of intertwining pedestals, once again bringing up the flower motif of the place.

And above it all, a huge egg-like crystal emerged from the dome-shaped ceiling, being half-buried into the building. It hung above the ponies, reflecting the light from the torches and from the glyphs, creating an interesting pattern of switching colors.

“…So. Awesome,” Rainbow Dash whispered with excitement.

As the group walked deeper into the temple, marveling at its strange design, Twilight’s eyes were immediately drawn to the strange picture at the center of the floor. Her years of studying magic helped her to recognize the pattern as what it was: A magic circle. Though it might have been a style of magic circle she had never seen before, she could still understand parts of it here and there. That was why she walked straight to the center of the room to study the picture.

“What is that, darling?” Rarity asked as she walked over to Twilight. “Is it the map of this city?”

“No, no. It is… I think this thing here is a magic circle. Just look,” Twilight nodded towards the thing carved to the floor. “See here? This is definitely an outer circle that has been traced sunward, working as a boundary to the rest of the circle. No, wait, the way it’s drawn, it actually resembles… pradakshina? Or maybe not. This is definitely strange…”

“Twilight Sparkle, I have absolutely no idea what you are rambling about,” Rarity sighed. “To me, it looks far more like a map. Just look. The circle is the perimeter of the city, while these drawings on the edges resemble the tunnel. What is in the middle here is the cavern we are in, and in the center… this temple. See?”

“No, it isn’t that. See these six corners that form the hexagon that represents repetition? Each of them is clad within another hexagon, creating a boundary for these glyphs that lie inside. So it is six fields of repetition inside a field of repetition. Is this… meant to represent infinity? What is repeated already is being repeated endlessly?” Twilight Sparkle sighed and rubbed her forehead. “What about these glyphs? I don’t recognize any of them. But the glyphs themselves are connected in a hexagram, becoming a symbol of moksha, I guess? I never studied foreign unicorn magic that much. And that moksha means liberation from the repetitive cycle? So this magic circle is meant to both bring forth repetition but to also release from it? And what about this smaller hexagram inside of the larger one…? I cannot make out the letters, but it is almost like it reads… the source of dharmas? But what does that mean?”

Twilight’s head was swimming in the information contained in the relatively small magic circle. She had never seen anything like it before. When unicorns used magic circles, they usually wanted to create a field of magic, or a spell that would be continuous. It was like creating a formula for the spell that would feed on passive magic in the air by itself, and thus keeping itself operational. The more power it was required, the larger and more complex the magic circle had to be. She had practiced with several, but had never done anything bigger than a circle which shone with bright light every time she stepped on it.

“Now you are making it to be something a bit more than it is,” Rarity said. “The more I look at it, the more it looks nothing more than the map of the city. See? This line here is the bridge we used to cross over to the center, which is this hexagon-shaped pattern here in the center. This glyph inside it represents the temple we are in right now. The rest of all of this is just complex web of streets and buildings that spread out beneath us, at the bottom of the cavern.”

Twilight frowned and looked at her friend, who seemed very sure of her opinion. However, the student of magic in Twilight Sparkle was sure that what she saw was a magic circle, and not a map of an ancient city. After being so thorough in her analysis, it would have been rather embarrassing for her to back down now.

“No, I think it’s a magic circle. All the details in this point to that,” Twilight insisted.

“Darling, just look at it. Something this old could in no way be a working magic circle. It has to be a map,” Rarity answered.

However, at that point, Applejack decided she had had enough of their argument and stepped between the two. The long time everypony had spent underground had made them all a bit tired, which made it easy for sparks to fly between clashing opinions.

“Now simmer down, Sallies,” Applejack said. “If ya ask me, it looks like both. In the end, what does it matter?”

A few seconds after Applejack had finished, Twilight suddenly understood something. With renewed energy, she returned to staring at the picture on the floor, her eyes darting up and down on the detailed carvings and lines. Finally, they stopped onto the glyph that was at the center, and she raised her head with a triumphant look on her face.

“I got it!”

“Got what, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, looking rather confused with Rarity.

“This thing! This picture! I know what it is! Because you said it!” Twilight rejoiced. “We were actually both right! This thing here… it is a magic circle and a map of the city. In other words, it is a small-scale replica of a much bigger magic circle. This city!”

In the face of this realization, the ponies found themselves suddenly in awe. Rainbow Dash, who had been darting around and looking at the shrines inside the temple, was drawn to look at the miniature scale magic circle that supposedly showed just what the city under Everfree Forest really was. Spike followed the blue-feathered pegasus, equally interested in the picture. A magic circle of such scale would have held untold powers, and the spell it was made for would have been simply massive. Even Twilight, though she was an accomplished studier of magic, could have never even dreamt of creating something so colossal.

“That’s cool!” Dash commented. “So, what’s it gonna do? Summon something wicked to protect the city?”

“I’m… not sure. As far as I can tell, it’s meant to protect the city and create some sort of field within, but I can’t understand any of the details”, Twilight admitted. “This level of magic is far beyond mine. If I had to guess, only Princess Celestia or Princess Luna could create something like this.”

“Truly a work of art,” Rarity said. “Both in purpose and in design, it is beautiful. I wonder how this city must have looked like before the forest swallowed it all.”

“Well Ah’ll be. A city that’s a magic circle? That’s goes a teensy bit over mah head, Ah’m afraid,” Applejack said and grinned sheepishly. “But still, if it’s a city-plan, Ah guess this thing here shows where the exit is?”

“Yes, it should be able to do that. Let’s see now…” Twilight leaned over the picture once more to study it some more.

However, before she could find an exit in it, she was interrupted by Pinkie Pie who bounced right next to her and stuck her head next to Twilight’s.

“Hey, this thing looks cool and all,” Pinkie started. “But has anypony seen Fluttershy?”

Everypony raised their heads and started looking around the temple, trying to find the yellow pegasus. They had been so wrapped up in the discussion about the magic circle that they had completely failed to notice how Fluttershy had slowly walked over to the altar at the other end of the temple, as if drawn to it by some unknown force. And maybe she had been. Fluttershy herself did not know what it was in the altar that interested her so much, but the closer she got, the more clearly she understood that there was something inside the altar.

Whispering to her. Calling to her. Reaching out to her.

Begging her.

The beating in the little pony’s heart resonated from the altar, and the two sounds created a strange rhythm inside of Fluttershy’s head. It was a hypnotic sound, growing louder and louder the closer to the altar she got. That rhythm melted into the strange colors and lights that seemed to emanate from the altar, and the swirl filled the pegasus’ vision. Even though the only thing Fluttershy did was to look at the altar, the corners of her eyes started to display a kaleidoscope-like image that grew stronger with the rhythm of her heart.

Finally, Fluttershy found herself standing in front of the altar, unable to see anything but the pedestal that bathed in wondrous colors. The rhythm from within her drowned the voices of her friends, who had finally spotted her. And even if she had heard them, her interest would have lied only in one thing. A single thing that had been placed on the altar, as if waiting for Fluttershy to come and pick it up. It was this object that whispered to her in her mind.

It was the crystallized lotus flower with seven petals that called out to Fluttershy.

Slowly, as if in a dream, Fluttershy reached out to the crystal, her mind completely occupied by the whispers she heard emanating from it. It was something that felt both alien and familiar, something like a memory you had just forgotten. In a trance, the yellow pegasus extended her hoof and touched the surface of the crystal, marveling how it felt as soft as a real lotus flower.

And the moment Fluttershy touched the crystallized flower, a flash of bright light and brilliant images shot out of it, filling the room.

The whirlwind of places and times, memories stored within a single crystal, was too much for the ponies to comprehend in the small amount of time they raged around the room. Emotions, instincts, desires, and thoughts were compressed in images that shot from one wall of the room to another, becoming a tapestry of eons that was laid before the group. It lasted only for few seconds, maybe not even that long, but in that time, they had seen events that reached back to the beginning of the city they were in. However, due to the experience being nothing but a short flash of knowledge, they had no way of understanding the memories they were shown.

Thus, as the images shown by the crystal died down, the ponies were left only with feeling of exhaustion, wonder, and a strange voice that resonated within the temple.

“Wh-what is this?” Twilight asked, looking around frantically. “Where is that song coming from?”

“Is somepony there? Hey! Answer me!” Rainbow Dash took flight and spun around, trying to see the source of the voice.

However, nopony would answer them. Instead they heard a song that seemed to be part of the temple itself. It was sung in a language none of them could understand, by a voice that must have belonged to a stallion of considerable age. It was a deep bass, so low that the group felt the lowest notes echo inside them. In their ears, the song sounded almost like a prayer to something unknown and ancient, lost from this world long ago.

“Ah don’t think the singer is with us anymore,” Applejack commented, looking concerned. “This sounds… like a hallowed memory, or something.”

“Fluttershy? What happened?” Spike asked with worried expression as he hurried to the pegasus’ side with Rarity.

“Are you alright, darling? Did you get hurt?” Rarity said as she started helping Fluttershy up from the floor.

The pegasus with a pink mane rose from the floor slowly, looking like she was drained of all her strength. But when she raised her head, there was light in her eyes that they had not seen since they had fallen into the tunnels. She looked rejuvenated, full of fresh energy and inspiration. A small smile floated on Fluttershy’s lips as she looked at her friends, holding the crystallized lotus flower between her teeth.

“I… I feel great. Absolutely great ,” Fluttershy said with brilliant expression. “Well, you see, I thought I felt a bit weird, but now… this is like… like… I’ve been pumped full of sunshine and wind.”

“Oooookay?” Spike raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you’re feeling good, that’s great. But really, what is that thing you’re holding in your mou—“

Before Spike could even finish his sentence, the strange events continued. The song that had stayed in the background faded away surprisingly fast, and was replaced by whirl of machinery. There was a crunching sound as stone was dragged against stone and the whole temple shook as something happened within its depths. The ponies, panicking because of this new turn of events, gathered at the center of the temple, trying to decide whether or not they should run outside. The rumbling grew louder and louder, and some long forgotten parts of the temple came back to life, powered by unknown source.

While the group was trying to decide what to do, the temple decided for them. The dragging sound of stone proved to be coming from the petal-like plates that covered the floor of the temple. They retracted with surprising speed, and before the ponies could realize what was happening, they were staring at an empty hole beneath their hooves. Even the magic circle in the center was drawn away by hidden machinery, revealing a tunnel of some sort beneath the temple.

“W-wait. Is this the tube we saw outside!?” Twilight asked in panic, just before the group was whisked away into the tunnel by a strong current of air.

What followed was a ride of chaos and panic. The ponies were sucked into the tube that had been connected to the temple, and that proved to be hollow from the inside. The surface of the tube was smooth and easy to slide on, and with the air pushing them from behind, the ponies found themselves sliding forward with amazing speed. Even the amusement parks of Canterlot had not prepared anypony for the ride they got, as their speed got so high even their screams were caught by the wind and left behind.

The longer the ride continued, the more the panic started to settle. The screams started to disappear since the ponies got a hold of themselves, not to mention their voices were starting to get hoarse. After the initial scare, the group started to realize that what they were in must have been meant as a mode of transportation. It was too well-designed to be just any tube, and it was made big enough for multiple ponies to ride inside it at the same time.

“Where d’ya reckon this thing is takin’ us!?” Applejack shouted over the raging wind.

“I have no idea!” Twilight answered. “We’ll just have to hold on and hope for the best!”

“Don’t worry, girls! Fluttershy and I are ready to catch you if there’s a big drop at the end!” Rainbow Dash assured from behind the two, and nudged the yellow pegasus who was next to her. “Isn’t that right, Fluttershy?”

“Err, hm, sure, I mean, yeah, of course,” Fluttershy squeaked. “As long as I get to close my eyes until this is all over.”

Dash’s groan was never heard, as it was hidden by the roaring air that pushed the ponies forward.

After ten or so minutes, the ponies started to realize that they had probably travelled more than during their walk earlier to the temple. The tube was long and their speed was high, making it clear that they were advancing rapidly inside the underground city. Not only that, but at points the tube seemed to be heading slightly upwards, as if it had been a calculated move by the builders. With the wind blowing from their back, the ponies kept their speed up even when they were going uphill.

“Rarity? Can you remember the shape of the map? Was this tube shown in it?” Spike shouted while sliding closer to the white unicorn.

“I am not completely sure,” Rarity answered. “I think there was something about it, but concentrating right now is a bit difficult.”

The twisting and turning tube took the ponies further and further, changing slowly from a chaotic mess into a shortcut that would hopefully bring them closer to the exit. The more minutes the group spent in the tube, the more familiar they got with how to control their movement on the slippery surface, and pretty soon all of the ponies were nearly skating inside the pipe. They learned how they had to switch their center of mass to make the curves and turns smoothly, and how they had to lean forward to pass the ever-increasing amount of small bumps that took them higher and higher, closer to the ground-level.

However, it was not until nearly twenty minutes of riding inside the tube that the group started seeing bluish light at the other end. It first started as a faint shimmer in the distance, which soon turned into a bright source of hope for the ponies. Their spirits were renewed when they saw that the end was in sight, and together they prepared for making an exit from the tube. Twilight, who was at the head of the group, focused her gaze to see what waited at the end, but the light made it hard to see.

It was for that reason why the ponies did not slow their sliding in time, despite the fact that what followed the end of the tube was a big drop into the room waiting for them.

The ride ended in seven loud thumps as the group fell straight into the green mass that covered the floor of the large room. Luckily the mass was soft enough to break the fall without hurting any of the ponies, and the only thing they had to worry about was the woozy feeling that came after the sudden stop. The ponies found themselves lying on their backs on the spongy surface, wondering just what had happened. Applejack and Twilight Sparkle were the first ones to actually recover from the dizzying experience.

“Wooohooo! Let’s do that again!” Pinkie Pie happily shouted and kicked her hooves towards the ceiling. “I wanna be the first one to go next!”

“Urgh. I think that’s enough of ancient amusement park rides for me today,” Twilight commented while trying to get her bearings. “Where are we anyway? We came a long, long way, after all.”

“Ah dunno. Looks like we got mighty lucky, though,” Applejack answered as she glanced around. “With all these vines and flowers breakin’ our fall, we got out without a scratch.”

“Flowers? What flowers?” Twilight asked with interest and walked over to her friend.

Applejack pointed at the bunch of pony-sized flowers that were growing out of the green mass, which had proven to be a massive pile of soft, spongy vines. These flowers were like small tails of peacocks, with bluish color that gave the room its light source. The flowers were everywhere, sprouting from the vines like scales of a dragon. It was only because she had sunk in a bit deeper than the others that Twilight had not seen them before. Now that she saw them, she smiled with relief, having clearly recognized the flower.

“Ah, I see. These are flowers of umdhlebi, a carnivorous tree from far away land. How rare to see them in Equestria! The purpose of these flowers is to capture the prey and slowly drain it dry,” she said, clearly intrigued by this sudden encounter. Applejack, however, seemed a bit nervous.

“Err, Twi? Carnivorous tree?”

“Oh, don’t worry. Umdhlebi may be carnivorous, but they cannot eat anything as big as a pony. They mostly eat small insects and such,” Twilight explained matter-of-factly. “It would take almost thousand years for umdhlebi to grow so big it could eat a pony.”

“Umm, darling, these flowers look quite big enough to capture a pony, don’t you think?” Rarity asked as she and the others walked over. “Are you sure there is nothing to worry about?”

“Of course there isn’t!” Twilight giggled. “Umdhlebi tend to hibernate for decades, only to wake up for few months when they open their flowers. There is no way we would have such a bad luck as to stumble upon an umdhlebi that was awake.”

“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash pointed at the flowers. “These things seem pretty open to me.”

“Well, since the umdhlebi plant itself isn’t awake, we have nothing to worry about,” Twilight said. “If the trunk had risen and the plant was conscious, then we would have a problem in our hooves.”

As to answer the purple unicorn’s words, there was a groaning roar as something colossal moved in the middle of the pile of vines. The sound was like dozen trees had fallen at the same time. And during that groan, a bulky shape started rising from the center of the room. Brown and black bark stretched towards the sky as a vaguely humanoid-shaped trunk straightened itself. The vines came alive and the flowers opened even further, mimicking snakes that were sniffing the air. The whole room was suddenly full of life, indicating that the noise the ponies had made had finally woken up the slumbering beast.

“Twi?” Applejack asked as they stared in horror at the sight before them. “Don’t speak ‘nother sentence.”

What stood before them was a very definition of a monster. With a torso-like trunk that reached towards the ceiling and vines that sprouted both from beneath the roots and from the top of its “head”, the umdhlebi was truly a fearsome sight. Wriggling masses of appendages that hungered for food and glowing sap that oozed from within the cracked bark created an image that made even Rainbow Dash think twice before attacking.

“Everypony run!”

The group didn’t need Spike’s command to sprint into action. They knew that fighting such an enemy would have been futile, even if they had had the energy to do it. So, instead, they rushed towards the exit that lied at the other end of the room. They didn’t care where the tunnel led, as long as it led away from the plant-monster that was starting to understand the presence of a fresh meal. Spike hopped onto Twilight’s back, and together the seven friends galloped into the darkness of the tunnel, with only one torch to guide them. This torch was grasped tightly by Spike, who stayed in the lead with Twilight’s help.

When umdhlebi understood its prey was escaping, the monster let out a screech that no living creature could have produced. It made the ponies understand that what was after them was not an animal with a will, but a plant with the simple desire to eat them. This hurried them even further, and soon the group was sprinting as fast as they could, despite the fact that they had been walking most of the day, already. It was the primal instinct of wanting to stay alive that led them.

“I think we found out the reason why that city was so quickly overrun by a forest!” Twilight shouted while they were running. “It would also explain why the whole Everfree Forest seems so hostile towards ponies!”

“W-wait! Are you trying to say that the whole forest is just the extension of this ancient umdhlebi!?” Rarity could hardly believe the idea. “But… but that would mean that what we saw was just a small piece of it!”

“Didn’t ya see it?” Applejack asked. “That thing was connected everywhere with them vines. Ah think they go through the cracks in the floor and ceiling, makin’ it much bigger than that!”

“I think so, too!” Twilight agreed. “That umdhlebi must have been nearly thousand years old to have such big flowers! That would make it easily the size of Everfree Forest. I don’t think anypony has ever recorded an umdhlebi that big in any book! And to think that one was just next to our hometown!”

“Umm, girls, could we, I mean, I think… we should run!” Fluttershy said forcefully, in one of her rare moods. “That is, uhh, if it isn’t too much trouble… I actually think it is more trouble if we, you know, get caught by that thing.”

The talk was interrupted when crashing sounds invaded the tunnel. Spike glanced back and gasped at what he saw. The vines that had been simply wriggling till then had now come fully alive, and they were chasing after the ponies like tentacles of an octopus. They trashed around and kept tearing the stone from the walls in their attempts to get their prey. Dozens upon dozens of vines, filled with carnivorous flowers that hungered for the first meal the umdhlebi had had in a long time.

It was a race against death. The ponies trusted their only light source, the single torch that Spike held like a beacon ahead of them. They knew that the torch was their only hope of survival, their only method to see in the darkness ahead and keep ahead of the tentacles that came after them. The vines were moving with surprising speed and agility, gaining the group slowly. And if that had not been enough, new appendages of umdhlebi appeared from cracks in the walls, breaking through the soil to capture their prey. Hungering for pony-flesh, the vines flew after the group while their source roared in its unnatural way.

Hooves hit the stone floor and sweat flowed like a river from everypony’s face. Adrenaline rushed into the veins of the ponies, driving them forward even though they had been wandering in the tunnels for multiple days. Even the thought about how their strength had been sapped was erased by the sheer desire to stay alive, and to see the light of the day once more. No matter how close the sounds of trashing vines got, the group still braved forward, exerting all the power they had in their muscles. Simple willpower was enough to fuel the ponies, even though their bodies were probably screaming for rest. But still, the hooves struck against the cold surface of the tunnel. There was no stopping and no rest. They could not afford a single mistake. Their survival depended on it.

And that willpower eventually brought forth a miracle that nopony could have believed possible.

“Is that…?” Spike muttered as he saw something glimmer in the distance. Then hope lit his face into brilliant expression. “There’s light! Moonlight! Straight ahead!”

The unspoken wish of everypony came true. In their escape from the clutches of the umdhlebi, they had finally found the exit of the underground ruins. This newfound hope strengthened the group’s gallop, driving them forward with even greater speed. And the faster they ran, the more clearly they started to see what Spike was talking about: A silver, natural shine that came closer and closer, telling of outside air and vast sky that offered safety. It was their salvation. It was the surface world.

While they got closer, Twilight Sparkle started to realize that even though they had found the exit, it might not be enough. The end of the tunnel was getting closer, but so was the monster that chased after them. The purple unicorn had no idea if the umdhlebi could extend its tentacles outside of the caves, but that risk existed. They would need a way to ensure that once they got out, they were also safe from the monster.

Multiple plans swirled in Twilight’s head, causing her brain and body to separate their workloads. While her brains were trying to think of a way to survival, Twilight’s body kept up her speed to lead the ponies into the light that shone at the end of the tunnel. The purple unicorn knew that no matter what, they would reach the exit. But, if only she knew how to stop the monster that chased them. If only they had a way. If only…

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight suddenly yelled in triumph. “When we get to the exit, fly up in full speed and ram through the ground with your armor! Make the whole roof of the tunnel collapse on the umdhlebi’s vines!”

“Roger that, Captain!” Dash answered and took flight.

What followed happened almost like a dream. Twilight felt that her movements were slow, but still the tunnel kept whizzing past her. The exit from the underground ruins was right in front of them, the testimony of their strength and will to survive. She felt how her mouth moved and how her vocal chords produced a sound that ordered Rainbow Dash to crash into the ceiling. There was a loud sound as the wings of the blue pegasus exploded into action, and carried her forward with magnificent speed. The moment she hit the soil above them, Twilight jumped through the exit and into the night air that lay beyond.

Rainbow Dash pierced through the earth, her teeth gritted together in determination. Sweat covered her brow and the armor around her felt like it was starting to boil. She, however, paid no mind to the strange sensation, and put all her force into punching through the ground. It was their only chance, after all. If she did not manage to bring down the tunnel, the monster could still very well get them. With this in mind, Dash let out a yell deep from her lungs and hit the soil with her wings, trusting her armor to get her forward.

However, instead of moving forward, she felt how her speed dropped dramatically.

W-wait, what’s happening!? Why am I stopping!? The armor should protect me, right? Why isn’t it piercing the ground, then!? Rainbow Dash hastily thought in her mind. Her eyes shot left and right, but they saw nothing but all-covering soil. This isn’t funny! Why aren’t I moving!? If I don’t do this, the monster doesn’t stop, and I’ll… I’ll…!

The low, dimming hum of the armor’s power was the last straw. Rainbow Dash realized that not only would she danger her friends, but she would also trap herself inside the ground if the armor did not help her. What had started as a heroic moment, full of determination, soon turned into nightmarish minutes of panic, as the thought of being buried alive invaded Dash’s head.

While her mouth opened into desperate screams, no sound could be heard as earth surrounded from all the sides. Rainbow Dash wildly lunged forward with her legs and wings, trying her best to get forward. Dots appeared in her vision, signaling the lack of oxygen in the tunnel she had created, which elevated her levels of panic even more. Letting out one roar of desperation, filled with the desire to see her friends once more, and the fear of death, Rainbow Dash pushed forward. She prayed that something, anything, would let her live.

And in one form, her prayers were answered. Adrenaline in her veins powered her desperate charge, and finally she emerged from the other side, having created enough wind with her last bits of wing-power. The earth around her started quaking and disappearing from her sight, while she herself rose upwards. With her own yell still resonating in her ears, Rainbow Dash emerged through the ground, into the night air. Even if her body was nearly giving up, she used every last bit of energy and strength she had to run forward, so that she would not be dragged back down by the collapsing tunnel.

Rainbow Dash was ready to break her own body if it meant she would avoid being buried inside the confining earth once more.

As she glanced over her shoulder, Dash saw that, even though it had been moment that would haunt her dreams for weeks to come, it had not been for naught. Her friends had made it, and the group nearly flew out of the collapsing tunnel, hitting the ground beyond the exit and rolling out of the way. Applejack even crashed straight into Rainbow Dash, letting out a sigh of relief as she felt something familiar against her back. And behind them, the whole tunnel started collapsing, burying the chasing tentacles under tons and tons of earth.

What followed was silence, broken only by the distant sound of umdhlebi’s disappointed roar.

Chapter 6: Valley of radiant winds

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 6: Valley of radiant winds

The room, despite its large size, felt cramped because of the presence of the three ponies. They sat in a form of a triangle, within respectable distance from each other. There wasn’t much of luxury to decorate their meeting. Just a single cushion for everypony, as well as a cup of water in case one was needed.

Threat hung in the air like a heavy shadow, hiding in the corners and growing deeper in the darkness. The ponies kept eyeing each other, clearly having no trust to anypony but themselves. There was one cushioned seat left in the makeshift conference-room, but the one who should have sat there was nowhere to be found. This absence did not surprise anypony, though, and so the pony sitting on the left started.

“So, what is this? I am quite busy in Canterlot these days, what with our dear Princess Celestia being quite keen on making sure all my ponies end up behind the bars,” a sneering colt asked. “I have no recollection of agreeing on meeting such dangerous looking ponies as you two.”

The dirty brown stallion with uncouth mane and tail, not to mention a gaze that made you double-check the location of your wallet, was known as Midnight Oil. His rough and untrustworthy appearance, however, was rather misleading. The cream-colored eyes and the Cutie Mark of a burning lamp, when combined with the fact that he hadn’t taken a bath in few weeks, made him seem like a normal thief. However, those who had known him for long knew better.

Midnight Oil wasn’t just any thief. He was the leader of the Thieves Guild of Equestria. The respected “Count of Crime” looked right at home in the run-down room. In fact, he was the most relaxed looking pony of the three.

“You cannot sneak away like a fox this time, Midnight. You know exactly why you’re here for. Because we demanded you to be,” another stallion answered, looking rather fierce. “What I want to know is why we even had to do such a thing? Usually I don’t associate myself with street-rats.”

The older stallion shot quite a glare towards the mare sitting not far away from him. This pony was known as Bayard, and as if to emphasize the white shine of his coat, his mind was like a gleaming, sharp knife. Despite his large size, Bayard was rather fair-looking stallion, graceful and handsome with a Cutie Mark in the shape of a diamond that stuck out of a lump of coal. The ice-blue mane of Bayard hung on his shoulders, being well-kept just like his tail. However, despite the very aristocratic look he had, Bayard had clearly a posture of somepony who knew how to handle himself in a battle.

Not only that, but Bayard was the leader of the Merchants’ Guild of Prance, the Equestria Branch, and he was a very influential pony. To see him in such a room would have made his many female fans faint from the shock. However, there he was, eyeing the two other ponies like they had been his worst enemies. And they nearly were. The only thing that made the atmosphere of the room even somewhat civilized was the momentary truce between the ponies who had gathered.

“Speak for yourself,” Midnight Oil chuckled. “Your ego is nearly enough to push me out of this room, oldie.”

“Now, now.” A third voice entered the conversation. “Don’t act like that, you two. Though it is good to see that neither of you has changed a bit. The reason why you two are here is because of me. I used the old right to call forth this meeting, after all.”

The mare who spoke was as beautiful as Bayard was handsome. She was tall and lithe, covered in golden jewelry from head to hooves, and her eyes were like two emeralds that bore into everypony she turned her gaze upon. The purple pegasus’ name was Glorious, though everypony who had seen her even once knew that the name was fake. Glorious was clearly from some foreign country. Her features were too sharp to be ones of a pony born in Equestria. And the way she had done up her white mane reinforced that image.

But as beautiful as Glorious was, only fools thought her as nothing more than a pretty face. The way she carried herself reeked of danger, and for good reason. She was, after all, leader of the Assassins’ Guild’s sect in Equestria, and an accomplished fighter herself. No one crossed her without regretting it at some point. And on top of that, she had infamously long memory and a habit of holding a grudge.

“But, I was expecting there to be at least one more participant,” Glorious continued and looked at the empty spot with the cushion. “You three were the Generals I really wanted to talk to, after all.”

“Then you were wasting your time,” Midnight Oil cackled. “I haven’t seen Cleitus face-to-face for three years. And if the rest of the Twelve Heavenly Generals found out about this little pow-wow you’ve arranged, we’d all be treading on a pretty thin ice.”

The Twelve Heavenly Generals. A collective name given by the Neighponese immigrants to the twelve ponies that headed the twelve largest guilds in Equestria. This name then spread to a more common use as time passed. These guilds were in charge of keeping the seedy underbelly of Equestria in check, while Princess Celestia ruled over the actual country. In time, their influence had grown, and these days the Twelve Heavenly Generals had a certain amount of influence in the public politics, too. None of the guilds could oppose the Princess, but on a smaller scale, they could affect what happened around the country. However, Celestia tolerated the guilds and their scheming, because they kept the darkness of the country at bay. Some could have called the Generals a “Necessary Evil”, if their existence could have been summed in such black-and-white way. But things were never that simple.

“Well, it cannot be helped, then,” Glorious sighed. “The two of you will have to do. You see, there is a pressing reason why I have called you here.”

The smile on the purple pegasus’ face did not promise anything good. Both Bayard and Midnight Oil had seen how Glorious conducted business. And whenever she was about to strike, that same smile spread on her face. It always fell short of a real smile, becoming more of a warning sign of a predator about to pounce. But a simple expression was not enough to drive either stallion out of the room.

“As you two probably know, the situation has gotten rather tense recently, especially near the borders,” Glorious explained. “If nothing is done, Equestria will be pulled to a war that nopony wants. And not just with Marecedonia. Threats seem to be looming both inside and outside.”

“Your words are meaningless,” Bayard snorted. “We both know that amongst the ponies causing these chaotic ripples in our once tranquil lake are both Cleitus and you. Mercenary work and fighting was always handled by Cleitus and his army. But these days you have begun taking steps on his territory, expanding the services of your guild beyond simply assassinations.”

“Oh, but I am not the only one, am I?” Glorious laughed. “For example, you merchants have lately been very active on both spying and assassination. In other words, you are stealing jobs from two other guilds instead of just one. Isn’t that a bit shameful?”

“We are just doing what is written in our contracts. Contracts are the life-blood of merchants, after all,” Bayard answered with a frown. The tension between him and the mare was getting worse. “You cannot fault us for doing something that is expected of us these days.”

“Well, I guess that is understandable. I just wanted bring up the fact,” Glorious answered nonchalantly, before turning to look at Midnight Oil. “And you, dear thief. I’ve been hearing some interesting tales.”

“Of course you have, we’re thieves, after all,” Midnight said. “There is really nothing you can say to me that would give you any psychological advantage over me.”

“Really now?” Glorious chuckled. “Then what about the fact that you have been quite generously helping Princess Celestia when it comes to dealing with her political enemies, overstepping your position as the guardian of the darker side of Equestria? Not only that, but I’ve heard that you sent your best two thieves to a certain small town south of Canterlot, where they have been keeping an eye out on some rather important ponies for a long time. Are you aspiring to be some sort of hero of justice these days?”

“I don’t have to explain my actions to you, Glorious,” Midnight Oil said and spat to the floor. “This country is a free place, even though you try to extend your rusty chains everywhere. No matter how you try to make it sound like we’ve got our own territories and places here, the fact remains that Princess Celestia rules this land. And under her rule, everypony is free to do what he or she wants. This is just a land where we are allowed to live our own lives, nothing more, nothing less. So don’t try to make it sound like we’re having more influence than we actually do.”

“But not everypony is satisfied with that,” Glorious curtly retorted. “We each have the way we want to do things, and our policy has always been a respectful distance from each other. But there are some factions that want to change that way of thinking. After all, even though nowadays most of us are known just as one of the twelve guilds of Equestria, there is one faction that has a history longer than that.”

The beautiful eyes of the mare shone in the dimly lit room as she switched her gaze from Bayard to Midnight Oil, and then back again. Tension was rising, and those in the room knew that if the words that were about to be said would be released to the public, it could start open fighting on the streets. Nopony wanted an open clash between the guilds, but it was clear that in the wake of the possible war with Marecedonia, something else had begun to move.

No. Perhaps it could be said that something had began to move long before it.

“Our factions have no need to fight with each other. We all have an external threat, do we not?” Glorious smirked. “That threat being… Cleitus the Black.”

Perhaps Glorious expected a silence after her revelation. Or then she expected yells of disbelief from the other ponies. However, that was not the case. What followed her words was a rough, barking laughter that came from the doorway. As the three ponies quickly looked at the direction of the new voice, their eyes widened in disbelief. After all, before their very eyes, they saw a stallion they had never expected to see.

It was Cleitus the Black. His midnight-blue coat masked him into the dim light of the room almost perfectly, creating an eerie sight. Cleitus’ green eyes locked onto Glorious, and the grin on his face indicated that despite what he had heard, Cleitus was amused.

“I see,” Cleitus said and started taking slow steps towards the group. “A small conspiracy meeting with the intention of getting rid of me and my mercenaries. You’ve gotten pretty good, Glorious.”

The sound of Cleitus’ hooves hitting the floor sounded like bells of death to the other three. Their instincts flared up, being ready for any sort of attack the stallion could have done. However, instead of showing hostility, Cleitus seemed mostly just intrigued by the talk the three were having. In the same way that a cat is intrigued by the sight of mice dancing on the table.

“Sorry for being late, my fiancée has an annoying habit of nagging whenever I don’t clean my armor after a mission,” Cleitus said with a grin as he sat down. “Do continue, guys. What was it again? Oh, yeah, banding together against a pony who has become an obstacle to your growing power. Sounds logical, if you ask me.”

“No, no, don’t get my intentions wrong,” Glorious answered, recovering quickly from the surprise appearance of the mercenary. “I simply wanted to hold a meeting to decide how to make sure a certain wild stallion with unfortunate connection to a rather dangerous country will not cause open chaos on the streets. You can understand reasoning like that, no?”

“Ha, sure I can!” Cleitus cackled. “If you ask me, I think you should cut off his head immediately to ensure he doesn’t do anything stupid. Like, for example, take that water you have foolishly put in those cups, and cut you down with it immediately.”

The sudden spike in the tension was nearly enough to spark into an open fight. Midnight Oil was already looking for what he could use as a weapon. Bayard’s magical power was slowly rumbling, as the unicorn prepared for anything Cleitus could throw at them. Only Glorious stayed calm. And that was mostly because she knew that she was safe. After all, there was an assassin from her own guild hiding in the attic above, ready to kill Cleitus on a moment’s notice if he proved to be a threat.

“Now ain’t that a nice reaction?” Cleitus asked with a malicious grin. “You’re all ready to go for the kill if I show any sort of hostility, huh? That’s good, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. I’m glad that the Generals are not such pushovers as most of the ponies I’ve met in this country.”

The aughisky calmly took a hold of the cup next to him with his magic, and raised it to his lips. He drank some of the water before putting the cup down. All his movements were made with perfect confidence, showing that he was not worried at all even though the three others were clearly ready to attack him. Cleitus gave a small chuckled and then glanced at the ceiling above him, as if to make sure of something.

“However, this kind of thing is awkward, you see. After all, I am an aughisky warrior. Once I sense bloodlust, I have hard time suppressing my own hostility. Usually I have to take it out on somepony in the end, before I can calm down to do business,” Cleitus explained. “For example, in this case it would be…”

In that instant, the ceiling above Cleitus shattered into hundreds of pieces. Wooden chips rained down to the floor, like some sort of grotesque rain. But that was not all. Those chips were dyed red from blood, and thus they stained the floor with their color. And amidst those falling pieces was something much bigger. A body of a pony clad in white garb fell down behind Cleitus. The wound on the now-dead assassin’s chest indicated that his heart had been pierced by something sharp and fast. In the span of few seconds, the assassin that had been guarding Glorious had been killed, and none of the guild leaders had been able to do anything to stop it.

It was only after they saw the dead assassin that the leaders realized what had happened. Using the water in his own cup, Cleitus had cut through the floor and the assailant, with speed that was too fast to be caught by naked eye.

“Now then…”

Cleitus shifted his posture and looked at the three ponies in front of him. His calm demeanor was a surreal sight when there was a dead body of a pony behind him, in a small puddle of blood. But it was that very calmness that gave pressure what the aughisky said next.

“…Shall we continue the meeting? I’ve played around enough for now.”

****

The cozy rattle of the fire was one of the few sounds that could be heard in the silent night. Other than that, the only thing Twilight could hear was the soft breathing of her sleeping friends and the distant sounds of the animals that lived on the edge of the Everfree Forest. However, silence was the natural sound of the plains that spread from the western edge of the forest all the way to the mountains that stood like a natural wall protecting the city of Los Pegasus. It was on these plains that the group had put their first true camp, after a journey in the tunnels below the Everfree Forest.

As idyllic as the scene was, Twilight could not help but to feel an odd tinge inside her head. The silence, the stillness… the purple unicorn was glad that she had things which to occupy her mind with. She did not have to let her mind wander as long as she was doing something.

Unlike her friends, Twilight Sparkle had opted to stay up to take care of the first guard-shift. This way she could also take care of the letter she had intended to send to Princess Celestia. What had affected her decision was also the fact that by taking the first shift, she could sleep uninterrupted till the morning.

The only miscalculation she had made was that she could not send the letter immediately, seeing that Spike had been the first one to actually fall asleep.

So, after finishing her letter, Twilight simply enjoyed the sight of the vast plain that eventually turned into what was known as the Windswept Valley. The night sky and the innumerable, brilliantly shining stars above made the grass of the plains glimmer like it had been covered with diamond dust, and the gentle breeze rocked the grass back and forth, reminding the purple unicorn of sea. She had only seen a sea once, back when she had been on a vacation with her family. Just like that seemingly endless sea, during the night the plains seemed to have no end at all. Only the faint dark shape of the mountains in the distance told the truth.

“San Galiceno mountains, huh…?” Twilight muttered to herself.

The San Galiceno mountains. They were the location of the one stop they had to take during their trip to the town of Kinskyton. On those mountains lied the famous Fort Stronghoof, where Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, had trained before joining the Royal Guard. It was also in that place that the strange picture had been taken. What the connection between Shining Armor, Cleitus the Black and Fort Stronghoof was, Twilight couldn’t even begin to guess. But she knew that the answers lied in that old military base. However, she had no idea how they would get so high up in the mountains.

Therefore, they would have to find a town near the fort, and ask for directions.

“Oh, Twilight! You’re awake. I thought for sure that you’d have fallen asleep!”

“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight greeted her friend as she walked into the light of the campfire. “It’s not time for your shift yet. You should go back to sleep.”

Pinkie Pie had crawled out of her makeshift bed and now sat besides Twilight, peering into the letter the unicorn had been writing. The pink pony seemed to be in a bit more mellow mood than usual, but that was no surprise. They had days worth of travelling in tunnels behind them, not to mention the daring escape from the monster that had turned out to be what amounted to a sentient forest. Still, Twilight was surprised to see that her friend was even this energetic. It was a sight she found most reassuring.

“Nah, I’ll keep you company!” Pinkie answered and smiled to Twilight. “You seemed like you were about to turn into Ms. Gloomypants over here, so I came for the rescue.”

“Aha, I… see,” Twilight said, unsure what to make of that. “Did I really seem that down to you? I wasn’t even thinking about anything sad. So don’t worry. I’m alright.”

“Oh, no you’re not,” Pinkie answered, looking Twilight as if admonishing her. “Others might not notice it, but your Auntie Pinkie Pie knows. You’re doing something reaaaaally dangerous, you know.”

“W-what? No I’m not,” Twilight tried to defend herself. For some reason, she felt as if Pinkie’s words had struck a little too close to home. “Don’t be stupid, of course I’m not doing anything dangerous.”

“I’d rather be stupid than let my friend suffer all alone!” Pinkie proclaimed. Then, with an almost hushed tone, she continued. “… You’re trying to run away from it, Twilight.”

At that moment, Twilight’s head jerked up as if she had heard something calling her name. She felt sweat appearing out of nowhere and dripping down her forehead. Pinkie’s question had been the one she hadn’t wanted to hear. Not now, not ever. Not at least during the mission Princess Celestia had given them. She had thought that she would have been able to cope with it until she was alone again, with no burden of Equestria’s future straining her back.

But she had been wrong. Just like that, her friend had asked just the question she had been afraid of asking herself.

Feeling that lying on the soft grass was uncomfortable, Twilight slowly stood up and took few slightly irritated steps forward. Her eyes wandered back to the flames of the campfire, but they did not see the red depths of it anymore. Instead they saw somewhere far beyond it, into a rainy night not too long ago. The purple unicorn turned her head away in a hurry, and began pacing back and forth, never straying too far from Pinkie Pie.

“… I can hardly sleep, Pinkie,” Twilight finally admitted, and even to her own ears her voice sounded hoarse. “These last few days of our travel, I’ve done almost nothing but stared at whatever was above me when you have been sleeping. Lying there, on my back, I’ve… I’ve tried to keep my mind in other things. In the mission, for example. It feels as if that is the only thing I can do to make sure I don’t just start yelling and screaming suddenly. It’s… It’s the silence that does it. Not the silence of the surroundings, but the silence of others.”

Pinkie chose not to interrupt her friend now that she had finally started to open up. She simply watched as the unicorn’s eyes switched their target around the camp, never stopping into one spot for a long time. It was like her body was reflecting her words, advancing only in short bursts.

“And if I do manage to fall asleep… I just relive that moment again, over and over. I feel again how I’m consumed by that dark rage, and how I can barely think anything because of the blood-red haze that clouds my mind. But worst of all… I see that monster looming over me. I see his sneer when his magic cuts the very connection I have to the aether. I feel the pain… the unimaginable pain of losing my horn.” Twilight’s voice trailed off into a whisper. “And even when I am awake, it does not go away. Do you know how glad I was we were in those tunnels for so long? Because of them, I didn’t have to think about rain at all. Because in t-the rain lies the source… the source of all that pain.”

Twilight, finally unable to hold back the tears from her eyes, turned to look at Pinkie Pie with desperation creeping into her face. Wet drops, ones that could never be beautiful, fell from her eyes and stained her cheeks.

“It hurts, Pinkie. It hurts so much.”

The next thing that Twilight felt was how she was captured into a gentle, yet firm, embrace. Pinkie’s right front leg tied itself around her shoulders and pulled her closer, into understanding warmth. Needing no words, Twilight buried her snout into the pink, fluffy mane and let her quiet sobbing be muffled by it. Sweet smell of cotton candy drove away the saltiness of her tears, allowing Twilight’s rapid heartbeat to calm down.

“It’s alright, Twilight. It’s alright,” Pinkie whispered. “That pain isn’t coming from your body. It’s from your memories. It’s going to be alright.”

“No it’s not! It’s not going to be alright!” Twilight nearly shouted and pulled herself away from Pinkie. “I can’t think! Even when I tried to use a spell with the help of the tome, I failed! I couldn’t figure out how to defeat the golem! I was so sure about my opinion that I started arguing with Rarity back in the ruins! Rainbow Dash nearly suffocated when she was trapped in the soil, following my orders! All of it was my fault! I can’t remember stuff I’ve studied for years, and have to blindly trust that star-cursed grimoire!”

Twilight’s face reflected her outburst. Tears falling from the reddening eyes had all but dried up, but they were replaced by the almost hysterical expression and teeth that gnashed against each other. Her mane was a mess, stuck into her face like it had been soaked. Pinkie, showing uncharacteristic determination, caught Twilight by the cheeks and forced the unicorn to look her directly into the eyes. Neither knew if Twilight’s yelling had caused the other ponies to wake up, but even if it had, they did not care.

“Twilight. Stop. Being. Silly,” Pinkie spoke one word at a time. “Nothing that happened was your fault. But if you blame yourself, you’ll end up even worse than worst. The problem is that you think and think and think till your head starts to hurt, but you don’t realize. Twilight, it won’t go away. You cannot shove those memories aside if you want to return to what‘s normal. You just gotta accept them and face them. And… I know it isn’t as easy as I make it sound. It’s super-duper hard, actually. But I know you can do it, Twilight. Just talk to us, your friends. We’ll help you.”

Twilight forced her breathing pace back to normal and let Pinkie’s words soak into her mind. She knew she was pushing aside the issue. She knew that she needed to understand what she had experienced, to accept the loss of her horn. But the mere idea of going voluntarily back to that moment of rain, blood and sorrow filled her with dread. She never wanted to experience it again, even in her own memories.

But maybe… maybe Pinkie is right. Twilight’s thoughts were begin to become as calm as her body. I have my friends. I’m not alone. If I explain them what is happening, surely they can help me. I don’t have to be alone with this. Even if I don’t go back to that memory, my friends can surely figure out what I should do to make all of this go away!

Twilight, feeling like she had run a marathon, collapsed gently against Pinkie’s shoulder. The pink earth pony smiled gently and stroked her friend’s mane like a mother strokes the mane of a filly. For a moment, the two of them simply sat there in the light of the campfire, allowing the silence to wash over the anger that had flared up.

The two ponies heard nothing else but the occasional crack of wood that was broken by the fire, and the soft breathing of their friends. As the drowsiness that follows great emotions finally caught hold of them, the two sat down to the grass, Twilight still leaning on Pinkie Pie. The unicorn had found her answer to the dreadful question that had plagued her for now. She would not face it alone. After all, she knew that her friends could give her the answer, if she simply gave it time. In the meantime, she would be able to focus on the mission.

I simply don’t have to think about it. Twilight felt relieved as she voiced her conclusion in her mind.

Suddenly Pinkie Pie shifted her position a little and looked up, towards the sea of innumerable stars above them.

“Twilight? Do you want to hear a song?” Pinkie asked. Twilight, still suffering from few shushed sniffles, looked at her friend with a slightly confused expression.

“A song…? At this time of the night?” Twilight asked. Pinkie nodded and giggled.

“Sure! It’s not a loud one, so I think it’ll be alright. In fact, it’s kinda like a lullaby. At least my sister used to sing it all the time when we went to bed,” Pinkie said. “Let’s see if I can remember it…”

While Pinkie Pie mulled over her memories to find the words of the song from her past, Twilight felt that sleepiness was making her eyelids feel heavier and heavier. Unable to keep herself in the realm of waking, she drifted in and out of sleep. A stray thought about the possible nightmares passed by her mind, but it was soon driven away by a strange sensation.

This was the sensation of Pinkie Pie singing a song that Twilight had never heard of. With language Twilight did not understand.

“phainetai moi kênos isos theoisin emmen’ ônêr ottis enantios toi isdanei kai plâsion âdu phoneisâs upakouei…”

Maybe it was the unknown language, or perhaps it was because Twilight had never heard Pinkie singing something so peacefully. Whatever the reason, the purple unicorn soon found herself completely drawn into the land of slumber, unable to resist the sweet call of peaceful dreams she hadn’t seen in ages.

But, just before her sleep, one stray question passed through Twilight’s mind.

Just where has Pinkie learned language like this...?

****

The wind swept through the valley, speeding the journey of the six ponies. Somewhere far up above, a hawk let out a scream, as if telling of the magnificence of the clear blue skies. And soon enough, that hawk was joined by two pegasi, who could finally use their wings after days spent in tunnels below the ground. The ponies below watched with smiles as Rainbow Dash zoomed around the blue field, shouting in delight while performing her tricks. Fluttershy was taking it much more calmly, but it was clear that she was just as delighted as the blue-feathered pegasus was.

The journey through the plains had been without further incidents, and the ponies could finally feel like they were making progress. The sight of the sun and the white clouds, not to mention the green grass under their hooves, was enough to rejuvenate them after their long journey through the corridors of the old capital. The simple vastness of the fields of grass was something they hadn’t seen in the area around Ponyville. Even though they were still inside the borders of Equestria, they felt like they were well on their way on some unknown lands.

Twilight Sparkle enjoyed the wind that kept caressing her mane. Even though they had only taken a one stop during the midday, she felt energetic enough to keep her pace as a gallop, just like everypony else. The sudden feelings of freedom and hope that had reappeared with the sun were enough to make her forget her fatigue, and concentrate on the adventure ahead.

“Spike?” Twilight asked from the baby dragon riding on her back. “Did you find any towns nearby? We really need to find the route to the Fort Stronghoof.”

“Well, there’s seems to be a one near the root of the mountains,” Spike answered while reading the map. “With a pace like this, I’d say we’ll get there by the end of the day. That is, if you can really keep this up.”

“Oh, don’t underestimate us, lil’ Spike,” Applejack said with a grin. “Ah’d wager we’ll be there before the sun has even started to set.”

“Applejack, darling, don’t teach bad habits to Spikey-wikey,” Rarity said and frowned. “Gambling is not something somepony should learn at such a young age.”

“Oh, lighten up, pardner,” Applejack chuckled. “It was just a lil’ fun, ya know. Or what, don’t ya like gamblin’ because ya always lose?”

“I do not always lose!” Rarity protested. “I just refrain from making bets that are foolish from the beginning, and I do not think that young dragons such as Spike should learn about gambling. If simple greed has the danger of turning dragons into grabby brutes, I do not even want to think about what a gambling problem could do.”

“A dragon who keeps makin’ other dragons’ hoards grow?” Applejack chuckled. “But if ya think ya got what it takes, five bits says we’ll get to the town before dusk.”

“Oh, it is on,” Rarity answered. Her competitive smile was reflected on the orange earth pony’s face.

“What kinda town are we headed to, then?” Pinkie Pie asked while avoiding a rather large bush. “Do they have a bakery? They should have a bakery! Every good town has a bakery in it.”

“Well, this map says the town is called Ross-on-Welara,” Spike said while peering at the map. “Doesn’t really say anything other than that. I would guess that they are a bit different from the ponies in Ponyville, though. They live near the border, after all!”

“Aah, Ross-on-Welara?” Twilight asked with a smile. “I’ve read about it.”

“Why am I not surprised…?” Spike mumbled, being careful so that the purple unicorn would not hear.

“Ross-on-Welara is a town that has always been led by two mayors. These are usually a mare and a stallion, and most of the time they are married. That tradition goes all the way back to the Pre-Classical Era, when the there were actually two towns. They used to compete in everything, and even today the town holds a summer festival full of games in the honor of those times,” Twilight explained. “In any case, the two towns started having so much bad blood between them, that the young ponies of the town wanted to change this. That was why, when the elections for the new mayors came around one year, they voted for two younger ponies to the position. The trick was, these two ponies were lovers. Since these two sweethearts were the leaders of the towns, they quickly decided to unify the towns in order to create peace. Of course, the elderly complained, but in the end, everything turned out great. And from that day onwards, there have always been two mayors.”

“Oh, my,” Fluttershy commented while flying above Twilight. “That sounds so very romantic.”

“Hmph. What’s with the mushy stuff? I wanna hear about the battles!” Rainbow Dash complained shortly afterwards. “You said they had lots of awesome battles and competitions, right?”

“Sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said and smiled awkwardly. “I wasn’t particularly interested in details of those, so I concentrated on the political aspect when it came to the history of the towns of western Equestria.”

“Ugh, whatever,” Dash groaned and struck the air with her wings to get some height.

“Well Ah’ll be,” Applejack said with a smile while avoiding a rather large bush. “It’s nice to hear that even in such remote places ponies still are nice and friendly to each other.”

“We have Princess Celestia to thank for that, you know,” Twilight answered. “Under her leadership, Equestria has been in a state of uninterrupted peace since the defeat of Discord and re-establishment of Harmony. Other countries have not been so lucky. For example, Prance is known to have only narrowly avoided armed conflicts in numerous occasions. And even I do not have information when it comes to the lands beyond Mareterranean Sea. Except, of course, our current predicament with Marecedonia.”

“Ah, Prance,” Rarity sighed. “Say what you say about the politics of that beautiful country, but I must admit I would like to visit it again. The colors! The design! The brilliance! It was truly a country full of splendor and grace. Even Canterlot cannot compare to the sheer thought they have put to the mere design of their capital.”

“Oo, best baked goods recipes come from Prance!” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “They’re always both yummy and fill the tummy! But they also tend to be reeeeeally complicated, so it’s kinda hard to make them. Ooh, and did you know? When I was still a filly and went under the care of the Cakes, Mrs. Cake used to say that their leader was also a huuuuuge fan of baked goods! And when ponies of Prance were hungry, this leader even said: “Then let them eat cake”! Isn’t that just super-duper great!?”

“Let them eat cake? Qu’ils mangent de la brioche?” Rarity repeated with confused expression, which quickly grew into one of awkward realization. “Erm, darling? I do not think that sentence was as good thing as you think it is. Not to mention that cake is not part of baked goods.”

“Yeah, the ponies of Prance were not happy about that, if I remember right,” Twilight agreed with a dry smile. “And I think Princess Celestia once told me the name of the aforementioned leader too. Was it… Tuna?”

“Tuna?” Applejack asked in confusion. “What’s with an appetizin’ soundin’ name like that?”

“I’m not sure, that’s just what the Princess called the leader.” Twilight shrugged while avoiding a rather large bush. “Though I can’t help but to think that the leader of Prance is a gigantic fish.”

“Twilight Sparkle!” Rarity said. “A leader of such a beautiful country could never be a cold, slimy, dead-eyed fish like what you can find in—“

“Erm, girls? What’s going on?”

Rainbow Dash’s worried voice cut whatever it was that Rarity was about to say. The two pegasi, who had been soaring in the skies, flew down and joined their friends on the ground. While Fluttershy seemed rather unsure about the problem, the mare with the rainbow mane kept looking around, clearly searching for something. However, the only thing that surrounded the ponies was the never-ending sea of green grass, and the distant white-capped mountains. The breezy plains seemed as normal as ever, and the other ponies could not understand why Rainbow Dash had stopped them. Nothing new had happened during their run.

And that was what made Rainbow Dash worried.

“What’s wrong, Rainbow?” Twilight Sparkle asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Can’t you feel it? Or, don’t you notice it? We’ve been going past the same bush over and over again,” Rainbow Dash said and kept looking around. “It’s… It’s almost as if we’re not moving forward at all.”

Now the ponies started to realize what had made their friend so worried. They started paying attention to their surroundings, and sure enough, it was a place they had seen multiple times during the past ten minutes: A gentle slope of a hill with a bush nearby right in the middle of the huge plain. There was nothing out of the ordinary with the spot itself, but it was clear that they had been past this spot numerous times. Some of them had even avoided the same bush during their gallop.

“Well, this is certainly strange,” Rarity commented. “Are we stuck in some sort of loop? If so, why?”

“M-maybe it’s another… another magical creature?” Fluttershy suggested.

The other ponies nodded grimly. They had been running into all sorts of creatures since their journey had started, the least not being the aughisky warrior called Cleitus the Black. So it made sense that this weird occurrence would have been caused by something. Things like this did not happen on their own, not at least in normal places like this plain. It would have been another thing had they been in an enchanted forest like Everfree Forest, but on this plain…something was clearly out of the ordinary.

“By all logic, this creature would have to be somewhere close,” Twilight said. “To get us trapped in this sort of magical loop, it would have to see the terrain relatively well in order to trap us, or otherwise the spell would have been very unstable, and we would have noticed sooner.”

“Ooh! So it’s playing hide-and-seek with us!” Pinkie Pie got excited. “I love hide-and-seek!”

“The last time a magical creature hid close to us, we plummeted in Celestia knows how deep hole,” Spike commented. “Sorry if I’m not exactly happy about this fact.”

“Don’t worry, lil’ Spike,” Applejack said with a grin and took her Chain Bridle from her saddlebag. “If Ah guess correctly, the culprit might be a wee bit closer than we think…”

With nonchalant moves, Applejack walked closer to the bush that stood like a sore thumb out of the grass, and aimed the chain at it. She whistled in a way that made it very clear that she was up to something, and then, without any indication she was about to do so, the earth pony swung the artifact and let the chain fly into the direction of the bush in a large arc. The golden links of the chain swatted the bush with an audible sound, making the other ponies wince. However, their expressions soon changed into those of confusion, as the bush started letting out painful yelps that sounded very much those of a pony.

“A-Applejack, how did you…?” Twilight wasn’t sure where to even begin.

“Piece ‘o cake, sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled and crossed her legs. “If something needs to hide, you can betcha that it’ll use the only place where hiding’s possible.”

“That was… surprisingly logical,” Rarity agreed and looked over to Spike. The baby dragon simply shrugged. He was as blankly surprised as the rest of them.

“Alright, the gig is up!” Rainbow Dash yelled and hit the ground with her hoof. “Show yourself!”

“Oh, my, how awkward!” A strange, high-pitched voice came from the bush. “Ahahahaha!”

Although most of the ponies would have wanted to answer somehow, they found themselves unable as something rather unbelievable started happening before their eyes. The bush itself started moving and squirming, uprooting itself and hopping onto the grass. Before their eyes, the plant started taking a far more familiar shape, its branches creating four gangly feet and the leaves moving so that they became a mane and a tail. The ring-like pattern of the bush’s surface turned into a steel-colored chain around its neck.

In simpler words, the bush in front of the groups turned into a rather strange looking stallion with brown coat and a bright green mane. Last things that appeared were two amber-colored eyes, staring straight into Applejack who had just whacked him with her chain. And if that was not enough, the lower jaw of the stallion opened unnaturally long, and revealed a row of beautiful teeth.

“Hello to you! To both the ladies and the gent! What a coincidence to meet you here!” the strange stallion said. “Or maybe not? I must admit, that whack from the chain did not feel coincidental at all.”

“What… what are you?” Rainbow Dash asked. “A pony? Or… just what?”

“Oh dear Celestia,” Twilight muttered and smacked her forehead with her hoof. “I think I have a hunch…”

“Me? Well, usually they call me Blackberry!” The stallion introduced himself. “Usually being every decade or so. After the tracks from Canterlot to Los Pegasus were built, not much folk using this route, ahahaha!”

“Don’t worry girls, he can’t be a bad guy,” Pinkie Pie giggled. “He knows how to laugh right!”

“How… how does one laugh “right”, Pinkie Pie? Or, nevermind,” Rarity said and sighed, as the stallion called Blackberry started his high-pitched cackle again.

“This mare knows! This mare gets it! Oh, to meet such good company after so many years!” Blackberry said, overjoyed. He extended his hoof towards the pink earth pony. “Please, tell me your name!”

“I’m Pinkie Pie, but friends just call me Pinkie!” Pinkie introduced herself and shook hooves with Blackberry. “I’m part of Princess Celestia’s envoy of peace to Mare-whatcha-callit.”

“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight stopped going through her tome to scold her friend. “That’s supposed to be a secret! Especially if he turns out to be...”

However, Blackberry didn’t seem to hear that at all. In fact, he didn’t seem to be interested about the fact that they were an envoy at all. Instead, when he heard the name “Celestia”, his eyes lit up and he let out yet another howling laughter, causing Fluttershy to lean back and cover her ears. It was beginning to dawn to the group that this stallion did not know moderation when it came to volume.

“Oh! Princess Celestia! Nice lady, I heard!” Blackberry said and chuckled. “Good with a pen too!”

“Oh, she is!” Pinkie nodded furiously. “We’re always writing her letters, and usually she writes back, too! You should see how neat her hoof-writing is!”

“Pinkie, I think that’s because she uses magic to write…” Rainbow Dash commented, but the pink earth pony did not seem to even register the words.

“Got it!” Twilight suddenly said triumphantly and raised her head from the tome. Her eyes were locked in Blackberry. “Let me guess: You’re a pooka, aren’t you?”

“Guilty as charged, hahaha!” Blackberry howled in laughter. “You’re quite a clever mare, aren’t you? I like that!”

“P-Pooka?” Fluttershy asked while peeking from behind Rainbow Dash, having gone there for safety. “What is that?”

“Ooh, does that book have stories about my kin?” Blackberry asked and his neck suddenly grew quadruple in length as he peered at Twilight’s tome. “You read them all? Do tell which story you liked the best!”

“Not stories, just facts,” Twilight said and pulled away from the head of the pooka. “Though I knew something about your kin already. You were originally ponies that used to live under Discord’s rule, but eventually you started to embrace the chaos. Your kin became just as bad as Discord himself, and you started calling him the rightful ruler of the world. In time, you absorbed more and more of Discord’s mannerisms, and eventually you became his shadow. Granted with a portion of his power, you became his army which he used in his fight against Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. And though Discord was eventually defeated, your kin were not, and some of you fled into the night never to be seen again. Only occasionally you pop up here and there in history-books, mostly causing misery and chaos.”

“Oh yes, that old stuff!” Blackberry cackled. “Though instead of fleeing into the night, it was more that we were too busy tripping on our own feet and laughing at our own jokes that the troops of the alicorns just gave up on us and left us there! Hahaha, not one of our finer moments, I know!”

Twilight gave a tired sigh while watching the pooka laugh in one of his uncontrollable giggle-fits. It was getting rather repetitive, not to mention that with Pinkie laughing with him (probably because of the mental image of such a silly army), the whole laughter resonated annoyingly. Finally, Twilight put her tome back into her saddlebag, and walked over to Blackberry, looking him straight into the eyes.

“So, what do you want? Why did you cast a spell to keep us from going further?” Twilight demanded to know. “Are you trying to get revenge? Or hinder Princess Celestia’s goals somehow?”

“Oh, nothing like that! Why would I do something sensible? There’s no fun in something like that!” Blackberry said and snorted, trying to keep a straight face. “I just wanted to make you lot answer a riddle. That’s all, hahaha!”

The six ponies, and one baby dragon, looked at each other in confusion. Very deep confusion.

“A riddle?” Applejack asked. “What the hay do ya mean by that?”

“A riddle is a riddle. A word-play, a puzzle of words, something like that? You all should know what a riddle is, right?” Blackberry said. “A simple and clean riddle! Nothing more and nothing less, hahaha!”

“…Figures. Pookas are known to be pranksters who get the ponies they meet into all sorts of weird situations,” Twilight sighed and glanced at her friends. “Alright, girls. The quicker we figure out the answer to this riddle, the better. If there is one fact the tome gave about the pookas, it’s that once they are beaten in their own game, they usually leave their victims alone.”

The purple unicorn then locked stares with the strange stallion and squinted her eyes.

“Present your riddle then.”

“Ugh, such a mood-killer,” Blackberry sighed over-dramatically, but eventually sat down and pointed to the ponies with his front hoof. “Alright, here goes. Try to pay attention to what I say, for this is not an easy riddle!”

The pooka cleared his throat, did a theatrical pause as if trying to get the ponies hold their breaths in excitement, but when all he met was blank stares and Pinkie Pie who's interested had switched to a particularly funny-looking cloud in the sky, Blackberry started his riddle with a somewhat sour expression.

“My feelings are like those of a number one. Yet I’m the opposite of what is some. Unfortunately I am like the bee in a bee. And only with a mirror do I someone see. Adjective is my current form. But for some reason, I am not warm.”

Blackberry grinned in delight.

“What am I?” he finished his riddle.

There was a long silence as the ponies mulled over the words that had just been presented to them. Especially Twilight was hard at work, wracking her brains to come up with an answer. To her, the riddle seemed strangely easy at first hearing, but after she started thinking about it, something started feeling off in the whole litany of words. Twilight asked the pooka to repeat the riddle a few times, and every time he complied, ending the riddle with his pressing: “What am I?”

“Err, ya gals think of anything?” Applejack turned over to her friends and scratched the back of her head. “Ah must admit Ah’m drawin’ a blank ‘ere.”

“Same here,” Rainbow Dash admitted, looking rather annoyed. “I don’t care about this sorta stuff, so I can’t think of anything.”

“Um, perhaps… perhaps we could try simply guessing? The riddle seems awfully hard…” Fluttershy meekly suggested.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Fluttershy,” Twilight said and looked at the others. “Let’s just go over this systematically, okay? That way we can piece together the answer step-by-step. So we start with: “My feelings are like those of a number one”. How does “a number one” feel?”

“Like me, of course,” Rainbow commented immediately.

The group of ponies groaned, and with Twilight in the lead, they tackled the riddle in a more serious manner, leaving Rainbow Dash’s comment aside.

However, as the rest of the group focused on how to solve the riddle, Pinkie Pie seemed to be more interested in the scenery around her. She sometimes gave a vague yes or no if somepony asked her about something, but her general mood seemed to be oddly mellow. Blackberry, having noticed the pink pony’s strange mood, focused his gaze on her. Eventually Pinkie Pie felt his eyes at the back of her neck and turned towards the pooka.

“Hmh? What’s up?” Pinkie asked with a smile.

“Are you not going to try to solve the riddle with your friends? Or is it that you’re bad at riddles, hahaha?” Blackberry grinned at the pony.

“Oh, it’s nothing like that,” Pinkie answered and shook her head. “I figured out the answer to the riddle looong time ago. I was just thinking other things!”

“W-what did you say?” Blackberry seemed rather surprised. “You already figured it out? Hahaha! Then why don’t you answer? It would help your friends!”

“Because I’m not sure if you’re being honest,” Pinkie said with surprisingly serious tone and walked over to Blackberry. She poked him with her hoof, almost accusingly. “You see, I’m not sure if you’re being honest, or just fooling us. If you were honest, I’d shout out the answer immediately.”

Blackberry, sensing that Pinkie clearly knew what she was talking about, calmed down a bit. His absurdly wide smile disappeared, and for a moment, he shared a rather similar expression with the pink earth pony. Despite the difference in their sizes and how they looked, they did not seem all that different there, under the clear blue sky.

“Then, how could I prove that I was being honest? Pooka’s word does not mean much these days, I know,” Blackberry asked and snorted.

“Oh, that’s super-duper easy!” Pinkie said and gave him a brilliant smile. “Let’s do a Pinkie Promise!”

For a moment, Blackberry appeared completely confused. After few seconds he managed to recover, and chuckled loudly.

“That’s your own brand of geis? Unbreakable promise, no matter what? Haha, I like that! I like the idea! Making it one might be just fitting!” Blackberry said. “Sure! If you say that’s enough, who am I to doubt you, pony? Ahaha! So, what do I need to do?”

Blackberry, who had lived through many centuries, had seen his fair share of ponies taking up a geis. A geis was a vow akin to a spell, one that bound a pony forever to abide by it. To the pooka, the idea of this modern world version of a geis did not seem unfamiliar. In fact, he felt like there was something nostalgic in it.

“So, what do I need to do? Surely this promise must involve some sort of ritual, haha!” Blackberry asked.

“You just need to say what you’re promising. Like, promising to speak the truth and not mean to harm Princess or anything! You know, something to make us trust you. And then do this…” Pinkie said and made the gesture before her chest, before placing her hoof on her right eye. “…while you recite: “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

With a light-hearted grin, Blackberry leaned his chin against his hoof. After thinking for few seconds, he finally opened his mouth and spoke, and performed the required gestures at the same time.

“I promise that I won’t lie to any of you. I do not want to attack Princess Celestia, and wish just to atone for my past mistakes. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, haha!”

The sight of the pooka giving his Pinkie Promise made Pinkie beam like the sun itself. However, what shone even more radiantly was Blackberry’s neck. To the pooka’s complete surprise, he could feel magical energies radiate around him, as a lock created from his promise was formed. A ring of runes wrapped itself around his neck, announcing that the geas had been completed. Although he had thought it to be just a formality, Blackberry suddenly found himself bound by a magical vow.

It took the pooka a few seconds to recover from the shock. His face twisted from surprise to annoyance, before quickly settling into an accepting grin.

“You can stop, girls! He made a Pinkie Promise!” Pinkie informed the others.

“H-huh? Pinkie Promise?” Twilight asked, and her confusion was reflected on the face of the others. The pink pony simply giggled and pointed at Blackberry.

“Yeah! He promised not to lie or mean harm to anypony. You see, he just wants to atone for what he’s done,” Pinkie informed rather proudly. “So now that I know he’s speaking the truth, I can tell you the answer to the riddle!”

“Wait, you know it!?” Rainbow Dash asked, clearly shocked.

“Of course, silly,” Pinkie giggled and looked at the pooka. “The answer to the riddle’s question: “What am I?” is, of course: Lonely.”

It was clear that the answer had not been what the other ponies had expected. The meaning of the answer dawned upon the ponies, and they found themselves somehow unable to properly cheer at Pinkie for giving the proper answer. Instead, they found themselves seeing how the smile dropped from Blackberry’s face, and how the pooka sighed and squatted down on the ground while looking unusually melancholic.

It was a totally different situation from what the ponies had imagined.

“Well, that’s right. Or, rather, Pinkie is right,” Blackberry said with not a hint of happiness in his voice. “Well, good job ladies and the single gent. As promised, I’ll reward you by removing the spell.”

“Hey-hey-hey! Wait a minute!” Rainbow Dash yelled, surprising even Blackberry himself. “What do you mean you’re lonely?”

“Well, that’s kind of given, isn’t it?” Blackberry said. “It kind of comes with the whole deal of being sealed on the spot of capture, which is what happens to every pooka captured by the Royal Guard of Equestria after the war with Discord. Can’t blame them though, I was a pretty bad pony when I was caught. But in the last few decades with no visitors, even I have begun to understand what loneliness is. Alas, such is life.”

The ponies were surprised to hear such words from the mouth of the pooka. Only Pinkie Pie seemed to understand what was going on in his head, and she had an odd expression which reflected that. There were clearly signs of prolonged loneliness on the face of Blackberry, something which had been hidden so well by overbearing laughter before. But now, with all of that happiness taken away from him, it was beginning to become clear just what sort of thoughts must have ran through his head every day, while stuck in the middle of the plains.

“Sealed? You mean, you have been trapped here with magic?” Rarity asked, clearly still doubtful as to how she should feel about the situation. “That certainly explains why you are in such a remote location, but still… Why has nopony ever freed you from this place? Surely you’ve met ponies with such skills.”

“Nope, not a single one. You see, this seal can be created and released only with the equipment carried by the Royal Guard, which has been granted to them by Princess Celestia. Even with that tome of yours…” Blackberry pointed at Twilight. “…You could not release me. That is the fate of pookas these days. Or these centuries.”

“But… but that is just unfair,” Fluttershy added. “Well, while you may be a prankster, nopony should be forced to stay here after he has realized how wrong he has been before. Um, can’t you contact Princess Celestia to ask for a second chance?”

“And how would I do that?” Blackberry asked a bit sarcastically. “I am a prisoner of this spot, of that single bush. I do not have a magical connection to the alicorn royalty which to use to ask for a favor.”

“Twilight can do it! She can contact Celestia immediately!” Pinkie chimed in and bounced around happily. “Right, Twilight?”

“W-wait a minute!” Twilight stopped her friend by putting her hoof up. “I know how it might seem, but still: This is a pooka! How can we be sure he’s not just lying to us so he could get free to wreak havoc again?”

“I am afraid I have to agree with Twilight, dear,” Rarity said seriously. “Pookas are creatures that are naturally inclined towards mischief. I am not sure how wise it would be to let him free.”

“But he Pinkie Promised!” Pinkie argued back. “It even became a geis or geas or whatever, just like he said!”

“Huh? He what?” Twilight asked and her eyes shot to Blackberry. “You did a Pinkie Promise and it turned into a… geis? Is that what Pinkie meant when she said she could trust you?”

“I guess so. Looks like promises given to your friend here are not to be taken lightly,” Blackberry answered, uncharacteristically serious.

Twilight was clearly torn between the two choices. While everything she had read about pookas suggested there was no trusting in one, she could not argue back when it came to geis. They were promises made of magic, after all. Not only that, but it was a Pinkie Promise which acted as a geis. Nopony could tell just how powerful that could be. In other words, Blackberry was not able to tell lies anymore, nor harm anypony.

Twilight knew that nopony would make a promise like that as a geis if they were not serious.

Finally, tormented by the pleading eyes of Pinkie Pie, Twilight finally succumbed with a big sigh. She signaled Spike to her side.

“Alright,” Twilight suddenly declared. “I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to trusting my friends. And more than anything, I’ve learned to trust Pinkie’s intuition. Therefore… I think that giving you this chance might not be wrong, pooka.”

With a grin, Spike fished out his trusty quill and parchment and readied them in order to write the letter for Princess Celestia. After getting a nod from the baby dragon, Twilight cleared her throat and started talking.

“Dear Princess Celestia. While we have met with many dangers during our journey even though we have not even left Equestria yet, and will undoubtedly meet many more of them, that does mean that we do not come across something else every once in a while, too. For example, today we have met with a pony who, while dangerous before, has come to an apparent realization during his many years of loneliness. In other words, this pony has realized what he has done was wrong, but even so, he cannot leave the prison he was forced into because of his actions,” Twilight spoke. “While I and some of the others had our suspicions of him, Pinkie Pie decided to trust him. And this trust blossomed into something quite surprising. Willingly, this pony made a promise, one that became a geis, that he wanted simply to atone for his past, and make a new start. Thus, we can trust that he intends no harm to anypony, and always speaks the truth, as is dictated by his geis. For me, and for us, this is a sign that we should trust Pinkie’s judgment and the honesty of this pony.”

Twilight looked at the other ponies gathered around her, and when she saw them all smile encouragingly, she continued talking while Spike quickly wrote down her words.

“Therefore, I am requesting that you would send members of the Royal Guard to release this pony from his prison in the middle of the Windswept Valley. He has clearly learned his lesson, and more than anything, we believe that he needs company to show him how he can use his powers for good from here on out. And while he may have a rather quirky personality, I believe that you and all the others can appreciate a good laugh, something which he is very good at creating. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

After he had finished writing the letter, Spike sealed it quickly, and with a one mighty flaming breath, he had send it straight to the Canterlot Castle for Princess Celestia to read. With a wide smile, the baby dragon turned to look at Blackberry and gave him thumbs up. The pooka looked absolutely shocked at what had just transpired, clearly not believing any of it. Or maybe he simply didn’t believe his lucky to have met ponies with the answer to the problem that had plagued him for so long.

“I… I…” For a moment, Blackberry did not seem to know just what to say. He kept repeating that one word.

However, once his initial bewilderment had worn off…

“Starflank mare! That was wonderful! Simply wonderful! Who knew that even somepony like me would get another chance like this!” Blackberry laughed as his surreal body suddenly extended forward, making his head parade above Twilight like a balloon. “Ahahaha! How can I ever repay this to you?”

The ponies laughed with Blackberry. Now that his laugh was truly honest, it was easy to join it. Twilight smiled at Blackberry and nudged him to the side with her front leg.

“Well, first of all, you could leave comments about my flank to another day,” she said with mischievous grin. “And the only other thing we’d like is that you would remove the spell from around us so we could continue our journey.”

“Ahaha! I apologize! I guess praising the flanks of mares is seen as bad manners these days!” Blackberry chuckled. “But your request is easy to grant! And not only that, I shall help you even more! I heard you mentioning that you were going to Ross-on-Welara. Well, let me shorten that trip to you by simply tapping my hoof! It’s the least I can do, hahaha!”

“Well Ah’ll be!” Applejack said. “That’ll help a lot, sir! Ah think it might’ve been our lucky day to have met ya, then.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Maybe you can make another cool riddle ready for us so we can start solving it once we get back from Marecedonia.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll love modern Equestria,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “Well, you see, there is much to experience. And once we get back, we can guide you. I can show you all sorts of plants and animals around Ponyville.”

“Yeah,” Spike nodded. “But watch out. Hanging out with these mares too long will make you too soft. We males need to do some male-only stuff every now and then, right?”

A claw bumped against a hoof as Blackberry and Spike struck them together, both grinning wildly. However, Spike quickly retreated as he saw what kind of glare Rarity was staring him with. Seeing this, the pooka howled in laughter, stopping only when he realized that Pinkie was standing right in front of him.

“Just don’t go screwing up now, Blackberry,” Pinkie said with a rare sort of smile. It was calm and gentle, almost a bit melancholic. “You’ve had enough of loneliness, right?”

“Exactly! Hahaha!” Blackberry laughed. “And don’t worry, friends! I will not let this chance go to waste! I shall go to Canterlot and show the Princess just what I can do when I try my very best!”

Having said that, Blackberry suddenly tapped the ground with his hoof two times, and in that instant the ponies started feeling strange magic surrounding them. It lasted only for few seconds before the spell itself actually kicked in, and in that time, Blackberry managed to give them a one last wink.

“I’ll see you again someday, then!” The pooka said and gave them grin as wide as Pinkie Pie’s plate on a cake buffet.

And with that, the biggest teleportation spell Twilight had ever experienced swished them out of their current location. Magic howled in their ears as during few seconds, they travelled through some unknown dimension in order to take a shortcut to whatever destination Blackberry had chosen for them. It was not the same sort of teleportation that Twilight herself had used, but it retained enough similarities for her to feel comfortable. Unfortunately, not everypony seemed to think that, as most of her friends were still screaming from surprise.

A blink of an eye later, and the ponies suddenly found themselves appearing right at the foot of a mountain that had still been in the distance from where they had met Blackberry. Only one glance at the sign that pointed up a trail and said: “Ross-on-Welara” told Twilight that they had arrived just outside of their destination.

But while Twilight still had a warm smile from this encounter that had turned from suspicious to a cheerful one, there was one pony who did not share same sort of warm thoughts. In other words, Rarity was frowning.

After all, the minute they had realized where they were, Applejack had turned over to her friend with a purple mane and asked with a mischievous smile.

“So, Rarity. About them five bits ya promised me…”

****

It was two days after the letter to Princess Celestia had been sent. On the plains of Windswept Valley two Royal Guards of Canterlot could be seen, wandering around aimlessly while occasionally talking with each other. However, it did not look like they were searching for anything. Instead, they were mostly just chuckling at each other and making weird faces, in the midst of complimenting each others’ looks. Finally the two ponies came to a halt, and started having a bit more serious conversation.

“Well, that went just great!” One of the guards said. “We look very dashing, don’t we?”

“Indeed we do, hahaha!” The other guard answered. “I must admit that it’s not bad to dress up like this every once in a while! Then again, we’re both me, so of course we both look dashing!”

“Speaking of which…” the first guard said and nodded behind him. “What will we do with the corpses?”

“Oh, we’ll just let them rot here,” the other said and grinned. “Nopony will miss them since we’re on the job, and it’s not like this route is used much these days, hahaha!”

The “corpses” that the two guards were referring to were another two guards who lied on the grass, their throats cut open and their blood seeping into the hungry soil, staining the grass under them red. However, in such a big plain, it would take a miracle for anypony to find them, just like one of the guards had said. For a moment the two who were alive looked at the corpses, before exploding into a high-pitched, roaring laughter.

“But to be serious for a moment, I guess we should contact him?” The first guard asked and took a flask of water from his saddlebag. “He’ll want to hear the news.”

“Oh, yeah! Hahaha, let’s contact him!”

Having said that, the guards poured some water on to the ground, until there was enough to form a small puddle. After that, they patiently waited while gazing into what depths the puddle had to be gazed into. It didn’t take even two minutes for a face of a stallion to appear on the surface of the puddle. It was not the face of either of the guards, but one that belonged to a midnight-blue stallion with a harsh expression.

“Hey, Cleitus! It’s been a while!” One of the guards greeted the face in the water. “How did it go?”

“As expected, Lysimachus”, the reflection of Cleitus the Black answered. “There seems to be a myriad of schemes going on in both Equestria and Prance. Princesses of both countries are up to something, and the guilds are bent on taking their slice of the profit that can be made. However, from the fact that they are trying to get rid of me, it’s safe enough to say that the guilds themselves, or at least some, are also planning something. Maybe they are trying to take advantage of the political unrest in both countries, which is slowly brewing because of…certain actions that have been taken by certain ponies.”

“Oh, speaking of certain ponies!” The second guard completely ignored what Cleitus had said. “I met up with the targets! In fact, it was because of their help that I have now taken this difficult double-role of two completely unneeded guards from Canterlot, hahaha! With this form, it should be easy to just waltz into the capital! Hahaha, I nearly felt bad for doing such a long-winded ruse to trick them! It was like fooling fillies! Though I can’t believe they thought that any pooka would be idiotic enough to be captured by Celestia’s soldiers, haha!”

“Then again,” the first guard added. “I got stuck with something problematic. Haha, I think I need to improvise awfully lot to get things done now!”

“Just be careful, Lysimachus,” Cleitus warned while scowling. “You might fool the other guards, but be careful around Shining Armor and the alicorns. They have ways of spotting that you are not who you are pretending to be. We do not want any more setbacks for our operations here. The prince is growing impatient.”

“Oh, I’ll be careful! Don’t worry!” The first guard assured Cleitus. “I’ll do my very best! But then again, I’ve never had a poker face like you have! So I might magnificently get caught too, hahaha! Since, you know…”

The two guards, the two ponies that the pooka known as Lysimachus had changed into, gave unnaturally wide grins of sadistic pleasure.

“…Seeing Pinkie again after such a long time just makes me want to laugh.”

Interlude: Quickening

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Interlude
Quickening

In her awakening, there was little more than anguish. It began with it, and it ended with it. Though her mind could not comprehend such complex concepts as metaphors, to her, that awakening felt as if she was cast down from the sun into the deep, endless abyss of the black ocean. However, what awaited her at the other end of that abyss was yet another expanse of light, a pale imitation of the blindingly glorious one she had been bathed in her unconsciousness.

In short, her awakening was like being born through a birth canal.

A body that had not been living before, built from nothing more than organic matter and shaped to the likeness of an equine creature, was given that miraculous spark of light, which lit the fire of life in the small, beating heart. With a roar that red muscle began pumping blood into the veins, spreading both pain and ecstasy throughout the lithe vessel known as a body.

She let out a wordless scream that echoed in the chamber she was trapped in. Her very first words were that of misery. Every single part of her body was pulsating with pain. The joints of her bones, the blood circulation, the complex system of nerves, the internal organs; everything in her small existence was captured in a cage known as hell.

But all that agony and suffering was necessary. For it forced her still growing brain to search for something, anything, that could be called ”reality”. The normality of reality was only achievable through the pain of being born, and that was the basis of being able to function as a being. In other words, for her to gain consciousness as a living, breathing being, she had to search it through misery.

That was the price of gaining an existence from nothingness.

Blood-colored smudge that was too heavy and suffocating to be called a cloud filled her awakening mind, assimilating all the possible interpretations of what she might have become into a single existence. Those hundred variations of her ego were being destroyed for the sake of gaining something she could not even comprehend. The only thing her mind wondered was why she was being subjected to such a thing. And quickly, even that became a thing of the past.

In ancient times, a famous unicorn had called the state she attained ”anattā”. The state of no-self. A being without the idea or even the concept of empirical self. It was an empty, white utopia, a heaven as some said, where there was neither joy nor sorrow. There was no harmony nor was there disharmony. There was nothing that could describe that state. Therefore, it was not described. It was “ “.

Yet, in her world, even “ “ was painful. So painful that tears streamed down her newborn cheeks. The mere idea that she had a connection to something so vast and untainted was enough to make her cry.

Pale moon announced her cry of birth to the two onlookers.

She didn’t know how long she had been lying there, in the pool of unknown liquid, in the shattered remains of a large, crystallized cocoon. Her breathing became even, driving away the thoughts of pain and agony. The vocal organs that she did not know even existed produced the sound of her quiet whimpering, caused by the remaining memories of her torturous experience. She finally had a body that was able to shiver due to the cold, one which no longer associated living with pain itself.

She had finally arrived to a paradise of a different kind. One with only a single exit, blooming so beautifully at the end of every journey. The paradise most beings referred to as “life” where creatures lived under the constant fear of ceasing to exist. But to her, one whose existence boiled into the single notion of “ “, that paradise in the guise of hell was more beautiful than anything else. Her white song had only just begun, and she was determined to sing it from the top of her recently created lungs.

“—See? Her state of suspended animation has ended. Looks like that mad wizard was right. She was a success, after all.”

A voice unknown to her resonated in the bareness of the room.

The only light that illuminated the room came from the hundreds upon hundreds of luminous mushrooms that populated the corners and the walls like a silent army, judging the acts of the ponies inside. These mushrooms only grew on the decaying wooden walls of the building, signaling that they were deep under the surface of the ground. The green light was reflected from the surface of the single, broken cocoon in the center of the room. It was from this pod that a form of a young filly had emerged, shattering her former housing on the moment of her “birth”.

There were two witnesses to this strange emergence. Both were clad in red cloaks, heavy enough to cover their whole body. They wore armors of gold and black, with sleek helmets that covered their heads. The only thing different in the two ponies was their physique. While the one closer to the cocoon was lithe, the one further back was tall and muscular.

“Hmh. And so there are twelve of us once more. A pity what happened to Philotas, but that’s what happens when you conspire against the Prince. He should have known better,” the muscular pony said. “So, what’s up with the body of this thing? It’s just a filly as far as I can see. Did the cocoon we borrowed from the Queen fail? Or is there another reason?”

“Well, that’s because the mad wizard tried something a bit different this time. See, he reduced the physical prowess of this model, and focused solely in the magical ability. Innate knowledge, raw talent, understanding of Akasha… this filly’s got it all. The wizard rammed all the information he could into the brains of this thing,” the other pony answered. “I guess he wanted to create something to match the protégé of the Princess of the Sun. That’s the reason for this state-of-the-art ipposparion.”

“Ipposparion, huh? These things give me the creeps even when they’re just mindless drones. But to think that this one has a consciousness of its own… I’ll stick to metals and gears, thanks,” the muscular stallion snorted.

“Now, now. This thing is not your problem,” his friend snickered. “This cute little filly is going to partner up with Ptolemy. I’m sure he’ll have the time of his life with a creepy little thing following him around.”

As the two stallions laughed, the little filly in the pool of green liquid finally started to rise to her feet. Her grey coat softly reflected the luminous glow of the mushrooms on the walls, making her seem more like a ghost than anything else. The white, short mane and tail reinforced that picture, as did the ice-blue eyes. Agonizingly slowly, this apparition-like foal stood up, before casting her eyes to the two stallions. The shadows hid their forms from her, but she sensed their presence.

“…Have we been perfected?” the filly croaked. “Have… we been… finalized?”

“Yeah, sure. The mad wizard says you’re good to go. So, congratulations on being born, or whatever. Don’t know how much there is to celebrate for having been born into your duty, but hey, you take what you get, right?” the lithe stallion said. “Your duds are in the corner. Don’t be like Cleitus and go walking around without them, it’s embarrassing for us. Oh, and don’t forget to put on the blindfold. We don’t want you imprinting on anyone too early. That problem is for Ptolemy.”

The filly tilted her head questioningly, but as the shorter stallion sighed in annoyance and tapped his hoof against the stone floor, she quickly got on the task. Behind her was a metallic rack that held armor similar to the ones that the stallions wore, only meant for somepony of her size. Not only that, but there was a cloak for her too. But instead of a helmet, she got a black blindfold which she quietly tied around her eyes, covering them.

But it was alright. Even without her eyes, she could sense the presence of others clearly with her magic. And darkness felt rather comforting for her. To someone who was simply “ “, the idea that she could never see her own reflection was reassuring. If you take “ “ and add the concept of a physical body to it, it no longer is “ “.

Therefore, for her to remain as “ “, darkness was necessary. A notion of a paradox was unneeded.

“Are you all dressed up? Good. Then, it’s time for you to get ready to rampage,” the lithe stallion cackled. “Seems that your partner is making a small detour before coming here, but you can get plenty of practice on prisoners before that. The amphitheater is always busy, after all. But once Ptolemy gets here, you’re off to east.”

“…We shall then dedicate ourselves to that cause, until the time arrives.”

The two stallions nodded, clearly satisfied with the filly’s answer. The lithe colt gestured the foal to follow him, and with the flutter of his large cape, he turned around and marched towards the spiraling staircase that was the only exit out of the underground room. The tall stallion followed after him, with the filly coming last, still unable to use her legs naturally. Her walk was unnatural and clumsy, but with each step, she gained more experience of moving forward with her own hooves. It took only twenty steps for her to completely learn how to walk, the whole process becoming cruel mockery of the moment that was enchanting to most parents around the world.

“Oh yeah. You need a name, don’t you?” the lithe stallion suddenly said, stopping just before the staircase. He looked at the filly. “Got any preferences?”

“…We do not feel that a name is necessary. Yet we understand that it is necessary, for the sake of a convenient conversation,” the filly said and turned towards the stallion.

For a moment, the lithe stallion stayed silent, considering possible choices for the name of the filly. However, his taller companion grew rather impatient, and with a grunt stepped forth. He poked the foal with his front leg, judged her from head to hooves, and finally spoke out.

“Thaïs. You shall be known as Thaïs,” the muscular stallion announced.

The filly, now named Thaïs, shivered visibly. For a moment, her existence was shaken as a name was attached to what she was, or rather, what she was not. However, she quickly recovered from it, simply reasoning that it was for the sake of convenience. For others to address her easily, she needed a name, after all.

And so, the three armored ponies left the premises of the underground room, leaving behind only the mushrooms glowing in the darkness, and the shattered remains of the cocoon. The only “home” that Thaïs had ever known was now nothing more than broken fragments, completely and utterly worthless to the young filly. But, even if she had understood what a word like “home” meant, she would not have grieved over such an insignificant fact. Her mind was solely focused on her duty, etched into her mind from the moment she had been given a vague shape by the hooves that had created her.

But even though there were just three ponies silently walking up the spiraling stairs to the ground-level, they weren’t the only thing moving. There was something silently following the filly with a white mane. An ethereal blanket, a grey mist that seemed to hide everything into its depths, slowly crept after Thaïs like an obedient dog. It was not natural smog, but rather, the effect of the natural magical power that the filly released unconsciously.

It was the power of the newly awakened ipposparion, Thaïs – The new killer that joined the ranks of Equestria’s enemies.

Chapter 7: Challenge of the mountains

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 7: Challenge of the mountains

“A word if I may, Khatun.”

In the dim light of the torches, a single griffin kneeled before the throne built out of stone and noble metals. The soldier wore a lamellar armor made from iron, and a sturdy helmet bearing the crest of the imperial clan. His precious bow had been set aside, along with the rest of his weaponry, as he approached the female griffin sitting on the throne. The yellow eyes of the griffin were firmly aimed at the floor, so that his gaze would not fall on his superior.

“Speak, soldier. I expect this to concern the situation brewing in the west, across the sea,” spoke the female griffin on the throne. Her tone was as harsh as the blizzard raging outside the castle. “Have there been any changes?”

“Yes, Khatun. It seems that the wielders of the Elements of Harmony have disappeared from their hometown of Ponyville. They have eluded our scouts so far, but they are presumably on their way further to the west,” the soldier reported. “In addition, the scouts we have scattered across Equestria have given reports of unrest amongst the citizen, especially in their capital. This stems from the lack of information from their leader, Princess Celestia. It would appear she does not want to announce her intentions or plans to deal with the threat of Marecedonia yet, for unknown reasons. Most of the scouts who are in Canterlot suspect she is trying to stall for time.”

“Princess Celestia… A fine tactician. Whatever she is planning, I know that it aims to turn this unfavorable situation around,” the griffin on the throne said with a dry smile. “As expected of an alicorn who has lived for well over thousand years.”

The griffon with the title of “Khatun” shifted her position on the throne, and the light of the torches finally revealed her form to the soldier in front of her. The one on the throne was the leader of all the soldiers of the castle, Aiyurug Khatun. She was the daughter of Temujin, the Khan that ruled the lands of the griffins, and these days her power nearly rivaled that of her father. As Temujin grew older and more paranoid by every passing year, Aiyurug continued to gather more troops under her banner. It could have very well been said that she was the de facto leader of the northern area of Griffin Empire, Ikh Iarudi Uls. And it was no exaggeration to say that even those northern mountaintop areas lost in sheer coldness when compared to their ruler.

Aiyurug was dressed as if she was ready to leave for war. Though the silk clothing she wore under her beautifully decorated steel lamellar armor might have looked like it was meant for the court, there was a more practical reason for it. Silk was especially good when it came to protection from arrows, and as the griffin soldiers favored mobility above everything else, silk was a natural choice for them. A sword with a curved, single-edged blade rested in its sheath next to her. This particular saber was infamous for how many lives it had taken after it had been given to Aiyurug on her sixth birthday.

The Khatun herself was taller than most male griffins. Her wingspan was wide enough to impress even her father, who had once half-jokingly called her “A dragon of the north”. Black fur that covered most of her body ended abruptly around her neck, from where the white-colored feathers started. The feathers that grew on her head were long enough to act as a crown of sorts, a sign of her authority.

Aiyurug crossed her deadly claws and her remaining right eye, red as a ruby, stared deep into the flames of the torches. Rumors said that her left eye had been pierced by an arrow in a battle against one of the rivaling clans, and that she had proceeded to pull the arrow out, along with her eye, only to eat the said eye to encourage her men.

There were many rumors like that about the Ice Queen of the northern Griffin Empire. And nopony was brave enough to ask if there was any truth to them.

“So she stalls for time when an ancient enemy is amassing their troops? What are you thinking, Princess Celestia…?” Aiyurug murmured to herself. “You must have contacted Prance for reinforcement in the name of the old alliance, but even you must know that Princess Neptuna cannot be trusted. So, why the wait? What is your goal…?”

The soldier, who had been silent during the time of his Khatun’s soliloquy, suddenly opened his beak, as if to say something. However, he hesitated for good few seconds before finally voicing his thoughts.

“A suggestion if I may, Khatun,” he said carefully, and after getting a nod from Aiyurug, he continued. “What if Princess Celestia trusts that there will be no need to gather her troops at the border? What… what if she has found the way to stop Marecedonia before war can even begin?”

“Stop the war before it can begin? Yes. Yes. That would make sense. If the Princess had a way to actually undermine the war itself from Marecedonia’s side, she would not have to spend her resources on the borders. However, if she kept the cogwheels of the Merchants’ Guild spinning, she could give the impression that the country was preparing for war. This would keep the enemies inside on their hooves, not to mention…” Aiyurug suddenly smiled darkly, and her eye flashed in the dark. “Yes, of course. A trap within a trap. No doubt laid to both take advantage of the war itself, but also of how it affects the political movement both in and out of the kingdom.”

Aiyurug suddenly rose up from her throne and briskly walked over to the window. She leaned her claw against the cold stone surface of the castle’s wall. The smile on her beak widened, reflecting the coldness of the raging blizzard outside. The single red eye stared deep into the snowstorm, as if the Khatun could have seen her desired answer somewhere within the northern expanse.

The tales of the Khatun discussing her strategies with the mountains themselves had a basis in reality. It was her method to stare into the wilderness of the Ikh Iarudi Uls to get her answers.

And once again, she had obtained them.

“Soldier. Call for my generals and a scribe. There is lot to do, and considering the information we now have, a little time,” Aiyurug said, and the kneeling soldier saluted her. “If Princess Celestia is to succeed, she’ll need all the help she can get. Considering the tense relationship between our their kingdom and ours, it would be in my… best interest to show her that we are not like my father. I will scratch her back, and hopefully she will scratch mine when the time comes.”

Aiyurug raised an eyebrow at the silent soldier, and tapped the pommel of her saber.

“After all, who knows at what point my dear father decides to retire? It would be best to make new friends soon, or we will be left behind by the times. And when the world is malleable like this once more, who knows what sort of chances will pop up amongst the snow…?”

As the soldier hurried to fulfill the orders of his Khatun, Aiyurug was left alone in the throne room. She let her gaze wander back into the blizzard, the only weather her home seemed to have. The climate was vastly different from that of the peaceful land of the ponies. After hearing some tales from her relative, Aiyurug had seen the ponies simply as lazy, idiotic, useless beings.

But then she had gotten her hand on a book detailing the history of Equestria. And after reading the chapters entailing what sort of pony their current ruler was, the griffin had understood that there was much she did not know.

And as much as Aiyurug hated to admit it, she had grown to respect the Princess of the Sun.

Eventually, her two most loyal generals arrived, both staying at the sidelines as the scribe hurried to her side. The small griffin must’ve been a teenager still, as her feathers had not fully developed yet. Her tail also gave it immediately away that she was terribly afraid of the Khatun, as it swished back and forth. Aiyurug snorted once and turned away, not giving the young griffin any more of her attention.

“Write down what I am about to say, scribe. This is an official letter, so heed my words well,” she said, and the young scribe prepared her quill.

“Khatun…?” One of the generals suddenly asked, his eyes gleaming in the dark of the room. “If I may ask, was the soldier you sent for us speaking the truth? Are you planning on taking part in the war against Marecedonia?”

“Which is a terrible idea, if I might add,” the other general said.

Aiyurug simply grunted and spat to the ground. She then turned towards her subjects with a confident, freezing smile.

“Even better. I shall ally myself with Princess Celestia.”

****

For reasons unknown to Twilight, whenever she gazed at the depths of the crystalline lotus flower, she felt an odd pang of nostalgia well up within her. The way the colors danced as the light of the single candle on the table was reflected from the shining surface was both very reassuring and very foreboding. Had she not promised Fluttershy that she would take a look at the strange object they had found from the Everfree City, Twilight would have simply stuffed the flower into the saddlebags and forgotten about it.

But she could not do it. The sheer desire to know the meaning of the artifact that had shined from Fluttershy’s face had been enough to make Twilight’s judgment waver.

And so, in the dead of the night, Twilight continued to research the artifact with the aid of the tome that had once belonged to Star Swirl the Bearded. They were on the second floor of the only inn at Ross-on-Welara. It was a clean, cozy establishment, and the innkeeper had been more than welcoming. Apparently travellers were a rare sight these days. After the building of the railway lines, remote towns such as Ross-on-Welara had been all but forgotten.

When she had heard the inn-keeper say that, Twilight had felt rather guilty. Ponyville had prospered due to how close it was to Canterlot, but here, weeks’ worth of travel away from there, things were different. It did not help that the town was nestled deep in the mountains, away from the eyes of Princess Celestia.

“—Nn. No, I must concentrate.”

Twilight swatted herself lightly on the snout with her hoof, trying to keep herself awake. While the others were already snoozing happily, exhausted from their encounter with the pooka, Twilight was resolved to do as much as she could that night. The artifact refused to reveal its secrets easily, so she needed all the time she could have in order to crack its mystery.

Not to mention that the research kept her mind away from the nightmares.

But try as she might, Twilight could not even find anything to start from. She did not want to risk using magic at the artifact, especially when she could not control her own magic. And if she wanted the help of the grimoire, she would first need to find a spell she wanted to use. That, of course, led to a dilemma. What spell to use if she did not even know what the artifact was? It was old, that much she could surmise. If Twilight had to guess, it was around thousand years old, judging from the glyphs that ran across the outer edge of the crystal-petals. They were very old, and clearly differentiated from the classic Equestrian that ponies wrote these days.

Had Twilight been back at her home or in the royal library of Canterlot, searching for the name and origin of the writing would have been easy. But here, in a small room with nothing but a fickle grimoire to help her, the mission seemed absolutely overwhelming. Only through sheer stubbornness was Twilight able to continue going through the pages of the tome, fervently searching for something, anything, that would have brought her closer to the answer.

And it was because of that fierce concentration that Twilight was not able to hear somepony getting out of her bed, and walking up to her.

“Um, Twilight? I… I think you should come to bed, too,” Fluttershy whispered. “When I asked you to look at the flower, I didn’t… I didn’t mean that you would have to risk your health.”

“It’s fine, Fluttershy. Really. It’s fine,” Twilight answered bluntly. “I just need to find some reference to the language used here, and I’m good. Just peachy, I assure you. So it’s alright.”

“No, no it’s not,” Fluttershy continued, this time with a bit more determination in her voice. “If you don’t get any sleep, you’ll get sick, you know?”

“I don’t need sleep, I simply need to find out what this crystal does,” Twilight said and her eyebrow twitched. “And it would be a lot easier if I wasn’t constantly being bothered by everypony!”

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Twilight stared in annoyance at Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus gave a sigh, and returned that stare with stern eyes, refusing to back down.

“I wasn’t, um, trying to bother you Twilight,” Fluttershy said. “I simply wanted to help. Why are you getting so angry about it? I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Hearing her friend’s words, Twilight allowed her tense shoulders to relax momentarily, and shoved the crystal out of her hooves. She let her head hit the wall next to her, allowing the cool surface of the wood to ease her headache.

“Sorry, Fluttershy. I didn’t mean to snap at you. The idea of sleeping, though, it… it just doesn’t sound inviting right now,” Twilight apologized.

“Oh, it’s alright,” Fluttershy hurried to reassure. “But… do you mean you have n-nightmares? Um, well, I might know a good way to keep them away.”

“Another song?” Twilight asked, and chuckled when Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion. “Don’t worry about it. So, what were you going to suggest?”

“Well, there’s this old form of meditation I’ve modified so that it helps in, um, sleeping,” Fluttershy said, looking somewhat embarrassed. “It was my own idea. Well, you see, I was bothered by lots of nightmares when I was a filly. So I had to do something about it. And this is what I c-came up with.”

“Really? Show me. At this point, I’m ready to try anything,” Twilight said and put aside her research, facing Fluttershy.

Fluttershy directed Twilight to her bed, and the two ponies laid down side-by-side. Feeling the warmth of her friend near her, Twilight found herself calming down considerably. It felt strange. While a summer night like that would have usually made it uncomfortable to sleep next to someone else, Fluttershy’s presence was actually refreshing. Curious about the method the yellow pegasus had mentioned, Twilight gestured her to continue.

“Well, alright. First you must, um, calm down your breathing and close your eyes. Just like that. Make your breathing like a flowing river,” Fluttershy instructed Twilight, and the latter complied. “Now, after you’ve done that, s-start removing all unnecessary thoughts. And don’t stop until you’re all alone in your mind.”

Twilight mumbled and allowed her mind to start visualizing the different thoughts that constantly appeared. One-by-one, she pushed those thoughts away, into the darkness where they disappeared. It wasn’t as easy as she had thought, and many of the thoughts came back. But even so, she eventually understood what it meant to let go of one’s own thoughts. It was not intently destroying or rejecting them, but realizing that they were not needed, and letting them go.

And so, after a good few minutes of meditation, Twilight finally let go of all of her thoughts. Last one to go was the visualization of the thoughts themselves. Even that was unnecessary. The only thing that was needed was “nothing”.

“Okay. I’m done,” Twilight informed Fluttershy.

“Good. Now, the next step is to, um, imagining something. Or rather, imagining and studying the ten concepts I say to you. After you’ve been told the subjects, you need to study the subjects in your mind. Study everything about them, every single thing you can. If you think you’ve completely understood one concept, then… then you haven’t. Only once you “know” you’ve mastered it, then you have to move to the next concept,” Fluttershy explained, somewhat unsure if she was using the right words. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” Twilight answered. “Tell me the concepts.”

Fluttershy cleared her throat with the smallest of coughs, and started to read out a list with a soft voice.

“Earth. Water. Fire. Air. Blue. Yellow. Red. White. Space. Light.”

In Twilight’s mind, those concepts sounded nothing like what they had used to be. In the silence of the room, spoken with Fluttershy’s gentle voice, they were like feathers that fell upon her, calming her down and allowing her to descend into a trance.

Twilight allowed her mind to wander at the first concept presented by Fluttershy. Earth. Dirt. The soil which nurtures all life. It existed everywhere and made up the foundation of life. As an magical element, it was believed to be the most heaviest of all, and it is associated with both living and dying. Tied to the season of autumn, the direction of south and to the gender of mare. Associated with the substance of salt and represented by a downward-pointing triangle, bisected by a horizontal line. But that was not all. That was only the most basic information Twilight knew as a student of different forms of magic.

But then what was “earth”, in the end?

It was what was always around us, always under us. The solid foundation upon which everything rested. If one wanted to control earth by magic, one had to build his or her spells upon the concept of pentacle. But beyond that, what was the actual “truth” of the earth? It was the great wheel that allowed life to circle around, returning and growing from it in an endless cycle. It manifested in flora and fauna, and all of their various forms.

Yet it was still just a part of the “truth”.

Thinking these thoughts, even without realizing it, Twilight slowly drifted from the waking world into the one of sleep. Fluttershy watched her friend with a smile, knowing quite well that her method had helped. By focusing on a problem, or rather, understanding the problem, Twilight had manually decided the contents of her dreams. Just like Fluttershy had for all these years.

And so, for that night, Twilight did not see any nightmares. Instead, she dreamed of lying in the middle of a beautiful field of dirt, allowing the brown soil fall from her hooves and drop back to the earth itself.

****

“Wow! This place is so busy even during morning! These ponies must be super-duper hardworking!”

Pinkie’s words were not an exaggeration. As the six ponies and one baby dragon exited the inn, they were greeted with a rather impressive sight. The morning sun shone radiantly from between the mountains, having already started its rise towards the center of the sky. And under that sunny weather, ponies of the town of Ross-on-Welara had all started their daily routines. Foals were on their way to school, merchants had started to advertise their wares on the market, bakeries and restaurants opened their doors, and all of the stores had turned their signs from “closed” to “open”.

Applejack found the down-to-earth atmosphere of the town rather relaxing, and admired how some of the local stallions and mares headed further into the mountains, speaking of crop-fields that they had carved to the slopes of the mountains. The orange pony felt reassured that even this far away from Ponyville, ponies could still be so hard-working. Not to mention the amount of merchants allowed her to do something she had wanted to do for many days.

“Wow. It’s like we’ve jumped back in time hundreds of years. Just look at all of this! No machines, no modern luxuries, just what is essential for a life. And yet these ponies smile so widely!” Twilight said, fascinated by the sights. “This is amazing!”

“As much as I agree with you, I do admit that these ponies should, perhaps, at least acquire some new knowledge on how to dress up,” Rarity commented with a smile. “The little clothing I see them wear is, shall I say, outdated.”

“Psh, who cares!” Rainbow Dash said and grinned. “It’s not like they have anypony to impress up here. So let them wear what they want.”

“I guess I simply have to accept that,” Rarity said and gave an overdramatic sigh. Then, with a mischievous smile, she winked at her friends. “Though I must say, I would do a killing here, if I were to put up a shop!”

The ponies shared a hearty laugh, and proceeded further into the town. Acting by the advice of the innkeeper, they were searching for the house of the two mayors of the town. Only they, apparently, could allow travellers to use the route that lead to the Fort Stronghoof. The innkeeper had said that it had something to do with old laws of the mountains, and how only the mayors could decide if the travellers were prepared for the harsh conditions.

Twilight couldn’t imagine the conditions being too harsh, seeing that her brother had survived there.

“Hey, Applejack! What’cha doing?” Pinkie suddenly yelled, making the others realize that the orange pony had separated from the group. “You aren’t supposed to buy souvenirs yet, silly!”

To everypony’s surprise, Applejack had walked up to one of the merchants at the edge of the market. The brown pegasus dressed in various scarves had all sorts of items on sale, ranging from pretty baubles to more useful ones, like knives or flasks. Applejack tipped her hat to the merchant and exchanged few words with her. As the rest got closer to her, they started hearing what the two were talking about.

“Ah like this here copper bracelet, lady,” Applejack said and pointed at a rather plain looking trinket. “Seems like something that’ll get the ponies back home talkin’.”

“A fine choice, fine choice indeed,” the merchant said with a wide smile. “Travellers buying wares like this usually know what they are after. So, the pay would be two bits.”

To the confusion of the ponies, Applejack nodded and opened her saddlebag. But instead of two coins, she firmly put three bits to the table and slid them towards the pegasus. The merchant nodded, clearly satisfied, before arching her brows high.

“Here ya go,” Applejack said nonchalantly. “Now, Ah couldn’t help but to notice, but there’s awful lot of merchants and caravans in this city. Is there any particular reason?”

“Oh, us? Well, most of us deal in lumber, nails, salt… that sort of stuff,” the merchant said and took the coins. “There are some, like me, who deal with other items, but our job is to fund the caravan since we receive no bits from the Guild. Independent, you could call us.”

Applejack nodded in deep concentration and took the bracelet, before slipping it in her bag.

“Surprising, isn’t it? Most of the local merchants work in tandem with the Merchants’ Guild, after all. But, unfortunately, that beast’s head is and always will be from Prance. Thanks to the current alliance between Equestria and Prance, the Merchant’s Guild is now good little pet of the Princesses, strictly assigned to the gathering of the funds and commodities to the military,” the merchant continued. “So now we’re on our own, because other ponies than military need our services. An ever-growing group of nobles is dead-set on getting their hooves as much commodities as they can. Strange, isn’t it?”

“Yah. Ah can’t imagine why they’d be doin’ something like that,” Applejack answered, looking rather stern.

“Well, because we’re independent, we’ll make our profit and then move on. Judging by what the crown is stocking up on, it seems like a good time take a trip south, or perhaps to Ikh Iarudi Uls. I hear the griffins respect merchants more than most ponies,” the pegasus said and chuckled.

With another tip of her hat, Applejack thanked the merchant and walked back over to her friends. She was assaulted by confused looks from the others, and only Rarity seemed to understand what was going on. AJ kept her lips sealed, though, and gestured that they should move on. Only after they had resumed walking did the orange earth pony open up her mouth.

“Well, that was interesting alright,” Applejack grunted. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“What was that all about?”

“Merchants are the best source of information in the country, darling,” Rarity said. “Applejack was simply gathering some facts.”

“That Ah did,” the orange pony agreed. “And what that pegasus said didn’t exactly calm mah nerves. Two sides are stockin’ up on lumber and nails, not to mention salt. This might get mighty ugly.”

“Huh? What’s the problem with that?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking confused. “It’s not like those things are dangerous to anypony.”

“No, but the fact that they are being stocked means that the Princesses are preparing for a war. And not only them. In fact, it does look like that the nobles of Canterlot and Manehattan are doing their own little foray into gathering these commodities,” Rarity explained. “And that sounds rather alarming. Two sides in the same country, preparing for war… it has never led to anything good.”

“Yep. Independent merchants will go after the sweetest deals and then gallop outta the country as fast as they can,” Applejack nodded. “They’re not tied to the military, like the Merchants’ Guild.”

As much as these thoughts worried the ponies, they still had to be pushed aside as the group arrived to a mansion that stood in the far end of the town. It was like a silent watchtower, guarding over the ponies of Ross-on-Welara. The whole structure practically screamed about the fact that important ponies lived inside it.

“I guess we’re finally here,” Twilight commented. “This must be the house of the mayors. Come on, girls. Let’s go inside.”

“Umm, Twilight, wait,” Fluttershy suddenly said. She pointed at the entrance of the house with her hoof. “It… it might be a bit hard.”

There, on the stairs leading up to the front door, sat a tall stallion looking rather downcast. His brown mane looked like it had been violently ruffled, and his cream-colored coat managed to seem as grey as his eyes. The stallion was pretty much the definition of a pony down on his luck. This image was reinforced by the various items around him, which looked like they had been thrown there in a hurry. Or in anger.

“E-Excuse me, sir?” Twilight called out to the stallion. “We are looking for the mayors of the town… Do they live here?”

“Well, only one lives here now, apparently,” the stallion answered and sighed. “Seeing that my honeybun just threw me out, it’d be wrong to say that I lived here too, don’t you think?”

“Huh?”

Six ponies and one dragon uttered that one sound of confusion in unison.

The tall stallion turned to look at the group with his tired eyes, while giving a heavy sigh. He absentmindedly scratched his flank, as if to remind himself that the Cutie Mark depicting a gust of green wind was still there. He tried to start speaking a few times, but seemed uncertain as to what words he should use. Eventually, he decided where to start.

“I am Silent Relic, the other mayor of this town. Though I don’t know for how long, as this morning, my wife, Elfin Fresh, misunderstood what I had been doing last night. We got into a fight and suddenly I find myself without a home or a wife,” Silent Relic sighed. “So if you travellers have so urgent business with the mayors of the town, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait till this all is cleared.”

Rainbow Dash groaned and landed on the ground, grumpily staring at the brown-maned stallion.

“Figures there’d be some sort of problem!” the blue pegasus complained.

“Well, I’d be more surprised if getting caught by your wife wouldn’t get you into trouble,” Spike said and snorted out a cloud of black smoke. He didn’t seem that impressed with Silent Relic. “So, what? You were seeing some other mare, and your wife found out?”

“No! I’ll even testify it in front of Princess Celestia herself!” Silent Relic shouted. “I could never cheat on my pudding, never! I was simply enjoying a game of cards with the stallions of the town, and as usual, the game went on past midnight. But when I got home, my marshmallow accused me of cheating on her, and refused to listen to the real reason!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the outburst of the stallion, before looking at Applejack. The orange earth pony had been keeping a close eye at Relic.

“So, what do you think, Applejack? Is he speaking the truth?”

“Well, horrible pet names aside, Ah don’t think this colt here is lyin’. Ah can’t be sure, of course, but he seems honest in his sorrow,” Applejack commented. “Ah don’t think he’s to blame, in other words.”

“I guess it’s your lucky day, then,” Twilight smiled at the stallion. “If you really haven’t done anything wrong, we might be able to help you. We really need to speak to both mayors, after all.”

“H-huh?” Silent Relic asked. “How are you planning to make my sunflower listen?”

“Darling, simply leave it to us,” Rarity said as she took the lead, and the ponies headed inside. “We will have a little “mare talk” with your wife, and make her see that it was simply an unfortunate misunderstanding. Trust us.”

And before Silent Relic could get a word in edgewise, the six ponies had disappeared into the manor, leaving him outside with only the baby dragon to hold him company. Spike walked up to the stairs and sat down, huffing in his displeasure. He glanced at Relic, and for a moment, the stallion and the dragon stared at each other.

“So, I guess we’re in the same boat, huh?” Spike asked.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

The two gave out a deep sigh, both well understanding the troubles other went through daily.

Meanwhile, inside the rather boisterous manor, six ponies were peeking into every room they could find in order to locate the wife of Silent Relic. This was easier said than done, however, as even for a manor of a such a small town, the home of the mayors managed to have three floors and many doors in each one. In first floor there was dining hall, the parlor, the living room and so on, while the second floor was filled with smaller bedrooms.

It was finally on the second floor that the ponies saw one of the doors being ajar, with light shining from the room on the other side. Rarity nodded to her friends and leaned into whisper, not wanting to scare the tenant of the room.

“Now, let us show proper etiquette and tact. Inside we shall most likely find a poor mare up to her eyes in tears, thinking her husband has been unfaithful. To not upset even more and make her jump into conclusion, let us simply say we came to meet the mayors,” the white unicorn told the others. “Allow me to handle the speaking. After all, this sort of conversation requires some savoir-vivre.”

“—The what now?” Applejack asked, looking doubtful.

“Emotional know-how. Just follow my lead, and don’t mess up.” Rarity rolled her eyes.

With her friends in tow, Rarity briskly trotted over to the door. After knocking on it audibly with her hoof, she cleared her throat and peeked in. A warm, well-trained smile spread on to her face, showing off the experience she had gained from dealing with all sorts of customers in her boutique. Using that smile as a bulkhead, she stepped further into the room.

“Je vous prie de m’excuser, madam,” Rarity said as she took a further step inside. “I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience, but my companions and I are searching for the mayor of this fine town.”

“Wow,” Twilight whispered to Rainbow Dash as they followed the white unicorn. “Rarity’s natural shine is magnificent, but introducing herself like this makes her seem like some sort of celebrity.”

“Psh. As if,” Dash snorted. “Like any true celebrity, like a Wonderbolt, would act so silly.”

“You see, my companions and I are planning to travel to a certain location only accessible from your town, “ Rarity continued. “The friendly innkeeper informed us that we would need to discuss this plan with you, since—“

That was as far as Rarity got in her eloquent speech. Rest was cut off as a knife, a fairly large one at that, flew right past her eyes and embedded itself to the opposite wall. The blade of the knife had nearly nicked her muzzle, and few strands of purple mane were dancing in the air, having been cut by the sharp edge. Rarity, completely frozen up by this sudden development, let out an inaudible squeak of surprise.

“W-what was that!?” Rainbow Dash shouted, lunging forward to protect her friend. “What’s the big idea, you mean—Uaaah!!”

The blue pegasus’ threat had suddenly become a shout of panic. It was because she, immediately after charging into the room, found herself muzzle-to-muzzle with the angriest looking earth pony mare she had seen. This unknown mare was rather lithe and small of stature, and her coat’s calm green color made her seem even more unthreatening. Even so, her flax-colored mane jutted upwards as if mimicking the blaze in her dark green eyes.

The angry image was reinforced by the second knife the mare brandished between her teeth.

“Hey, what’s the big idea!?” The mare growled. “How’s a lady supposed to grieve in peace if a bunch of nonsense-spouting travellers barges into her room uninvited!?”

“W-wait! Everypony, calm down!” Twilight hurried to defuse the situation. “Rainbow Dash, stand down! Applejack, help Rarity to recover. Pinkie… stay put and don’t say anything.”

After seeing that Pinkie grudgingly put away the Trick Bag she had brandished the moment trouble had started, Twilight was able to breath out in relief. She turned to look at the still-annoyed earth pony with a knife, and cleared her throat. It didn’t seem that Rarity’s tactic had gone over well, so a little more down-to-earth approach was in order.

“Erm, sorry about that. We didn’t mean to bother you too much, but we really, really need the help of the mayors,” Twilight said. “By any chance, are you Elfin Fresh?”

“Yeah. I am. Isn’t that obvious?” Elfin said and put away the knife she had been holding, spitting to the floor in the process.

While her name might have described her stature to some extent, Twilight could not think of a more non-fitting name for the other mayor of the town. Elfin Fresh was far from fairy-like, and seemed more like a delinquent or a roughneck. Her stare, stance and the atmosphere around her were all ones of a pony who was far from the nicest. Elfin was not the frail mare that the group had thought they’d meet.

Twilight also saw that she was not alone in her surprise. She had to disguise her giggle with a coughing hack when she saw Rarity mouth the word “Pudding?” with an expression of confusion and terror on her face.

“Err, yeah. Sorry about that,” Twilight laughed sheepishly. “In any event, we came here to talk to you about our need to get to the Fort Stronghoof. But then it became apparent that we’d need to help you and your husband before that. So, here we are.”

“Help us?” Elfin Fresh asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You’re honestly going to defend that two-timing mule? Then you’re wasting your time.”

“Hey pal, your husband wasn’t cheating on you! You just jumped to conclusions!” Rainbow Dash, having recovered from her surprise, glared at Elfin. “Applejack here can prove it!”

“How? What is she, a living lie detector?” The green-colored earth pony snorted.

“No, but she is the bearer of the Element of Honesty,” Twilight answered and nodded towards the Stetson-wearing pony. “She can tell if somepony is being truthful with her or not.”

Of course, this was not true, and Twilight knew it. While Applejack had a good idea and could usually tell if somepony was lying, she wasn’t infallible. However, she had learned to trust her friend. And since Applejack had said that Silent Relic was telling the truth, Twilight believed her. Now the problem was to get Elfin Fresh to believe it, too.

“Element of Honesty?” Elfin asked. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re the six heroes of Equestria? Psh, yeah right. And I’m Princess Celestia!”

“Wow, Princess! You really changed your style!” Pinkie Pie giggled and jumped next to the earth pony. “Did you also get married while we weren’t looking?”

“… Just ignore her, please. And yes, Elfin Fresh. While I wouldn’t call us anything as grandiose as heroes, we really are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight assured Elfin. “And we are being serious when we tell you that you have jumped onto conclusions regarding your husband. As we said, Applejack would have noticed if he was lying. The only thing he is guilty of is losing the track of time during a game of cards with his friends.”

Elfin Fresh’s eyebrows twitched rather dangerously, but she did put away the knife she had been brandishing. Giving a large and a rather tired sigh, she looked back at Twilight.

“Wait, so that’s what this is about? He was simply having another one of those game-nights of his, and was too much of a wimp to talk back to me when I was chewing him out?” Elfin asked, and the ponies around her nodded vehemently. “I swear, that stallion can be such a doormat sometimes. I wish he’d just grow a pair and start acting like the colt of the house. For example, he could stop hiding behind the door, eavesdropping, and simply come in and explain the situation.”

The last words of the mare drew the attention of the ponies to the door of the room. It opened slowly, revealing a rather sheepish looking Silent Relic, followed by Spike. The baby dragon looked like he wanted to simply dig a hole and disappear into it.

Under Elfin Fresh’s stern gaze, her husband meekly walked over to her with his head hanging low. An awkward silence descended into the room, with the six ponies watching how the two supposed love-birds switched uncomfortable glances. Seconds passed, eventually turning into a whole minute. But still, there was no end in sight to the atmosphere that made everypony simply want to run away as fast as they could.

Until finally, to their complete surprise, Elfin Fresh caught Silent Relic in a crushing hug.

“Oh come on, you dolt!” Elfin laughed roughly. “You look so pathetic I should just sell you as a rug to the griffins! Why didn’t you say anything? While I’d hate the idea of you finding some other mare prettier than me, being finally brave enough to not abide the curfew makes me happy and proud!”

Twilight and her friends broke out into smiles when they heard those words. Some of them had been afraid that the sudden schism between the husband and wife would turn into something serious. And now, seeing how Elfin Fresh quickly forgave her husband, they felt proud that they had decided to help the two. Without their help, this problem might have lasted far longer, to the point of even causing a divorce because of a misunderstanding.

Unfortunately, those heart-warming feelings quickly turned into those of awkwardness, as Elfin Fresh drowned Silent Relic in kisses. It got to the point that even Rarity suddenly found the tapestry of the room extremely interesting. Relic himself did not seem to mind, taking the whole situation with relative calmness. Spike made a gagging motion, to which Twilight giggled. After all, she saw that previously the baby dragon had seemed quite envious of the affection the stallion had received from his wife.

“Oh yeah, you girls were here,” Elfin suddenly said and stopped smooching Relic. “So you wanted to get to the Fort Stronghoof? Well, first you gotta pass a test. If you do, we’ll allow you to use our cloud-glider.”

“A test?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head.

“Yeah, a test,” Elfin answered and grinned. “Give us a minute in private, and I’ll show you what’s it about after I’m done with him.”

Six ponies and one baby dragon suddenly found themselves in a quite the hurry to get out of the room.

****

The location of the group’s test was on a small field outside of the town, up a winding path. The field was nestled against the side of the mountain, with the other side overlooking the village itself. One could see far into the Windswept Valley from the field, and Rarity could have sworn she saw Everfree Forest far in the distance.

However, more than the sights, what drew attention of the ponies was how the field had been prepared. It was large enough to have a small elevated part closer to the mountain, and trees grew around the perimeter creating a complex terrain in such an enclosed space. Considering what she had heard from Twilight about the place’s history, Dash guessed the place had something to do with how the two original villages competed with each other.

That proved to be true when Elfin Fresh finally opened her mouth. She and Silent Relic were standing in the middle of the field.

“A’ight, listen up, Bearers,” Elfin said and hit the ground with her hoof. “This place is the sacred tournament grounds of Ross-on-Welara. Here, our ancestors butted heads whenever they disagreed about something, which was often. Nowadays it doesn’t see much use until the festival season, but occasionally, we use it to these tests. After all, not everypony is allowed to the Fort Stronghoof.”

“Ah reckon it’s some sort of test of strength, right?” Applejack asked. “Ah think y’all see that we ain’t too shabby when it comes to provin’ ourselves.”

“We shall see about that,” Elfin Fresh grinned. “I see you have some rather rare artifacts you’re using, but I think you’ll find that not everything can be solved with a borrowed power. In any event, the object of this test is simple: You simply must defeat us. If you prove strong enough, you’ll be allowed to use the cloud-glider to get to the Fort Stronghoof. Anything else you’d want to add, darling?”

“…Of course, this is simply a competition, not a serious fight,” Silent Relic continued. “But that does not mean you should not take it seriously. Come at us with everything you have. That is all.”

The six ponies looked at each other, before nodding as one. Both Elfin Fresh and Silent Relic seemed to take this seriously, and there was no reason to belittle a tradition of the village. Therefore, they would just simply have to beat the test. While something like this might have made them unsure few months ago, now that they had gained experience during their journey, they felt like they were ready to try their hoof at something like this.

Still, Spike opted to stay out of the test. He was a child, after all.

“Are you girls ready?” Twilight asked, looking at her friends. She saw nothing but determined faces next to her. “Well then. I guess that means we can start whenever you want!”

The bearers of the Elements of Harmony turned towards the two mayors, who had already taken their positions. Elfin Fresh and Silent Relic stood side-by-side, their heads lowered as if they were about to charge. Wind blew through the clearing, ruffling the manes of the ponies gathered. For a one tense moment, excitement akin to electricity began crackling in the air. Spike, watching from the sidelines, could see how the ponies tensed up their bodies and prepared themselves to move the second the start of the test was announced. It was something one did not see in the peaceful lands of Equestria very often.

A stray thought entered the baby dragon’s mind when he realized that fact. He wondered idly if this was how it had been thousand years ago, during the times the Princesses had fought against Discord. Had the ponies seemed this prepared for battle back then? If so, was this some sort of primal memory that was groggily waking up in the minds of the ponies he saw.

That was as far as his thoughts got, though. Because on that moment, Elfin Fresh decided to open her mouth.

“Very well then!” the mare shouted. “Let the test begin! Come at us!”

“Don’t mind if I do!”

The moment the yell echoed in the air, Rainbow Dash answered in kind. Her wings began striking the air with ever-increasing speed. Creating whirlwind around her that pushed the others out the way. In mere three seconds, she had accelerated herself enough that she was able to shoot off the ground with incredible force. The armor around her glowed, increased her speed even further. And just like that, like an arrow leaving the string, she shot straight towards Elfin Fresh with a wild grin on her face.

Unfortunately, the other mare was far from unprepared.

“You’re the impulsive one, huh?” Fresh chuckled.

In that moment, something surprising happened. Dash could have sworn she saw the mare take only one step. However, like a ripples moving throughout the lake, ghostly images of Elfin Fresh were left in the air as the mare side-stepped gracefully, showing reflexes that left even Dash to pale in comparison. Having now lost her target, the blue pegasus tried a sharp turn to continue her attack, but found herself unable to do so.

It was the armor. Just like Celestia had said, it did increase her speed, but at the same time, it made her much less agile in the air. Thus, muttering few curses under her breath, Rainbow Dash crashed against a tree far behind Elfin Fresh, bringing down the trunk as she hit it dead-on. The armor protected her, but the hit left her still groggy in the head.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted after her friend. However, she quickly got her mind back to the task at hand. “Applejack, Pinkie! Get Elfin Fresh and tie her down! Fluttershy, Rarity! Trap Silent Relic into that clearing beyond the trees! I’ll finish them both with my spells after you’re done!”

“Alright!” The four ponies shouted in unison, and charged forward. Twilight allowed the grimoire of Star Swirl to float next to her, and quickly scanned through the pages to find a fitting attack spell.

Applejack and Pinkie charged straight at Elfin Fresh. Having seen how nimbly the mare moved, Applejack had devised a plan in her mind. She quickly got her Chain Bridle and allowed it to take a form of a lasso. Throwing it forward, she nodded to Pinkie, who circled around the green pony, cutting her escape route. Before Elfin could even say “rodeo”, her legs were quickly caught by the golden chain. Applejack grinned and yanked the chain, trying to bring down the mare and have her tied up like a bull.

However, that proved to be the wrong move. Utilizing Applejack’s yank to boost her momentum, Elfin Fresh performed a backflip high into the air, showing a ridiculous agility for a pony. At the same time, her hooves slipped out of the chain neatly, making her free again.

Oh horseapples, Applejack thought. Ah forgot that this here thing didn’t work on civilized creatures.

That was the last thing Applejack managed to think before the chain she herself had yanked collided with her muzzle. The chain was going at such a high speed that it completely knocked out the earth pony with a single strike. After all, though Applejack was far sturdier than most earth ponies, her strength was even more amazing. And when a snarl of metal hit her in the head after being pulled by the said strength, the results were obvious.

Applejack fell to the ground with eyes swirling.

“You meanie! That’s no way to treat Applejack!” Pinkie Pie shouted after seeing what happened. “No more Ms. Nice Pie!”

Pinkie Pie quickly grabbed her Trick Bag, understanding that Elfin Fresh was now defenseless as she hung in the air. The backflip had been powerful, but it had given the green mare too much hang-time in the air. Therefore, it was also Pinkie’s chance for a counter-attack. She struck her hoof deep into the bag and began pulling, finally emerging with an item from the depths. She brandished it forward, preparing to either hit Elfin with it, or throw it at her.

However, when she saw the item, Pinkie’s face grew rather confused.

“Huh? A picture?”

“You’ve lost your focus!” Elfin’s sudden shout pierced the air.

Before Pinkie could react, the hind leg of the green mare came crashing down upon her. Though the pink earth pony’s mane slightly softened the blow, it was still a hoof swung like a pendulum, descending upon her in a manner of a waterfall. Not only that, but despite her small body, the amount of power that were in the legs of Elfin Fresh was simply staggering. Pinkie managed to look up from the picture she was holding, only to see a green hoof fill her vision.

After that she saw nothing but stars, as the mare’s kick connected to her forehead.

On the other side of the field, arrows pierced the air with a whistling sound as Rarity used her bow to force Silent Relic into an array of trees that covered the hillside. Fluttershy, somewhat unsure as to what she could do, flew up into the trees and landed on a branch with a clumsy kick, trying to bring it down to the escape path of the stallion. She succeeded, and with an audible snap, the log of bark and branches fell down. Silent Relic looked up and saw the trap moments before it him. There was a loud thud as the branch fell straight on to his back, the gravity making sure that there was more power behind the object than the yellow pegasus’ kick. To any regular pony, that would have meant the end of the road.

But that did not stop Silent Relic. On the contrary, a small smile curved his lips as the branch shattered against his back. Both Rarity and Fluttershy let out a gasp of surprise. Using that moment of confusion to his advantage, the stallion rammed straight against the tree Fluttershy was perching on, causing it to shake furiously. It was as if a bull had hit it head on. Before the pegasus could even let out a squeal of surprise, she fell down from a branch and straight into a bush, tangling herself up for good.

Rarity clicked her tongue and let out another volley of arrows, trying to work as fast as she could. However, despite the blue energy bolts hitting the hide of the stallion, Silent Relic simply shrugged off the attacks, turning around his charge and heading straight for the unicorn. In a moment of desperation, Rarity started gathering more magical power into her bow, hoping to create an arrow powerful enough to either knock the stallion out or at least stagger him. Blue energy swirled around her as she gritted her teeth together, taking straight aim at Silent Relic.

But that lengthened moment between shots cost her. Before Rarity could let go of the string of her bow, Silent Relic rammed his front hooves straight into the ground, causing it to crack with a magnificent force. The rumbling, collapsing chasm of earth headed straight for the white unicorn, and after a single moment of confusion and panic, Rarity found herself trapped under a heavy mound of dirt. The powerful kick had destroyed the ground beneath her, while throwing up enough earth that it effectively stopped her from fighting once it fell upon her.

“Girls! Hang on!” Twilight shouted and her magic roared as spell formula lit up on the pages of her grimoire. “I’ll help you right now!”

“You’re planning on taking on both of us?” Elfin Fresh asked with a grin as her husband ran next to her, the two ponies now facing the unicorn. “I’ve gotta admit, you’ve got guts.”

“It’s not about guts, it’s about knowledge,” Twilight grunted back. “I know that even if you charge me now, I can use this spell to take at least one of you out before that!”

“That’s good thinking,” the green mare answered and cocked an eyebrow. “Unfortunately, there was never a reason for us to charge at you.”

“Huh”?

Twilight’s confusion turned into surprise as both Elfin Fresh and Silent Relic suddenly dove away from their spot, both to different directions. A flash of rainbow filled the purple unicorn’s vision, and moment before the hit came, she understood what had happened. Rainbow Dash had tried to take advantage of their opponents’ eyes being on her, and she had launched a surprise attack. The only problem was that the two mayors had noticed it, and acted accordingly. Therefore, there was only one possible conclusion.

And that’s definitely not the type of conclusion I wanted, Twilight complained in her mind, just a second before Rainbow Dash hit her straight on, unable to dodge because of her armor.

The two mares flew backwards, both seeing stars as the battleground around them started to fade away.

****

It would have taken a very optimistic pony to say that the rest of their fight with the mayors had turned out just as disastrously as the first try. The six ponies felt that the bruises in their bodies would take weeks to heal. Thanks to the speed and power of Elfin Fresh, and the apparently impenetrable hide of Silent Relic, the Element Bearers had not been able to land a single effective hit, much less knock either of the mayors out. In the end, after tenth round, the ponies had been so exhausted that they had given up for the day. Elfin Fresh had promised that they could have as many rematches as they wanted, though her eyes told that she did not really believe that she would see them again.

Rainbow Dash was taking the loss especially hard. As the group was sitting on the dining hall of the inn they stayed at Ross-on-Welara, she kept ordering pint after pint of the local apple cider. The others, who were rather unenthusiastically nibbling their dinners, swapped worried looks.

“I can’t believe it! We lost! How lame is that?” Dash complained and hit the table with her hoof. “I mean, we’ve beat a golem, a freaky killer-plant, and even outwitted a pooka! So how come we lost to those two? We had our artifacts and everything!”

“Hun, Ah reckon ya have had just ‘bout enough of those,” Applejack patted the blue Pegasus on the back and took away her current pint. “But ya know, that’s true. We ain’t half bad at this fightin’ thing, so how come we ended up like an old bull in a rodeo?”

“It’s partially my fault,” Twilight said with a sigh, and poked her plate with apathy. “I could not devise a strategy clever enough to actually defeat those two. I tried thinking of different ways, like going in as a whole group or using smaller teams, but nothing worked. I know I haven’t been exactly enthusiastic to read the old books about application of warfare, but I thought I knew something about strategies. And I only made us look like a bunch of fools.”

“Do not take it too harshly, dear. Ponies live different lives in a different place like this,” Rarity consoled her friend. “Nopony can blame you for not knowing about battles and the sort. After all, in Ponyville or Canterlot, duels and such are practically unheard of these days.”

“Oh! Not to mention there was definitely something funny about those two,” Spike suddenly chimed in. “I mean, the way Elfin Fresh moved… she was like water! I could actually see her form blur when she ran. And then there was Silent Relic. Even his coat didn’t get dirty no matter how bad hit he took!”

“Um,Spike may be right, you know,” Fluttershy agreed. “They definitely did not feel, well, normal when we fought them.”

“Was it some sort of magic? No, that couldn’t be. They were earth ponies after all,” Twilight muttered to herself. “Perhaps some sort of passive trait that is common here in the mountains? Or is there something unique about those two themselves?”

“Well, whatever it was, it made clear that our artifacts didn’t exactly help,” Applejack said. “Ah felt like such a goof, tryin’ to catch them with the chain.”

“Not to mention I didn’t even get a chance to use my bag!” Pinkie complained. “Every time I tried, that super-meany Elfin kicked me! How rude is that?”

“Just how are we supposed to beat them if even the Princess’ gifts don’t help?” Twilight asked and leaned on the table tiredly. “It was like everything we tried was seen through and countered.”

“That’s because you’re going at it the wrong way.”

To the surprise of the six ponies and one baby dragon, another voice entered the conversation from the table next to them. As the group looked at the speaker, they were surprised to see a tall mare with a brilliantly blonde coat and a light-colored mane. Her eyes, red in color, were staring straight at them, and there was an amused look on her face. And that was not the only strange thing about the mare. She was wearing some sort of combination of travelling clothes and armor, with the fabric having been reinforced by metal plates. She even had a large brown cape, though the hood had been thrown down for now.

“Huh? Are you making fun of us?” Rainbow Dash asked with a loud voice and glared at the mare. She simply chuckled.

“Fun? Hardly. Though I guess you considered it fun to get beaten time and time again by the mayors,” the mare answered. “But yes. Let’s see… If I had to explain what I want to say, then it’s that you ponies aren't going to the test with the right priorities.”

“Priorities?” Twilight raised her eyebrows. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you offering to help us somehow?”

“Priorities, yes. First of all, you should ditch those fancy artifacts of yours for now. You’re not proficient enough to handle them yet, and they only get in your way. Second, you seem like a really good group of friends. Unfortunately, good friends do not make a good team,” the mare explained, before scratching her chin. “As to what comes to helping you… Well, not really. At least, I hadn’t planned to. Then again, I’m stuck here anyway till a qualified group of travelers gathers so that cloud-glider can be used. So, why not?”

“That was awfully easily decided,” Applejack said with a hint of doubt in her eyes. “What’s yer name, stranger?”

“Oh, me?” the blue mare asked and grinned at the group.

“My name is Lovely Corn.”

Chapter 8: Definition of teamwork

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 8: Definition of teamwork

“Clairvoyance. Synesthesia. If I had to give words to the two powers that Elfin Fresh has, it’s those two. Perhaps they could be counted as one, but nopony has ever come up with a word to describe something so ridiculous, so I’ll have to make do with what’s available. In any event, this should show you just what you are going up against. Someone who can see through the veil of time and space, or rather, sense it. And with ‘it’, I mean everything: Your thoughts, your motives, your intentions… everything that will happen. I’d guess she cannot see longer than about six seconds into both directions in time, but even that is enough. You saw the effects, didn’t you?”

The six ponies and one baby dragon found themselves dead silent. Lovely Corn’s words echoed in their minds, but most of them could barely register what she was speaking. Only Twilight understood the full meaning of the two terms laid on the table, and she was horrified by the prospect of what was the result when they were combined.

“In laymare’s terms, she’ll know what you try to do, no matter how you try to hide it. But that’s not all, because that would be simply easy, now wouldn’t it?” Lovely Corn said and snickered. The dim lighting of the inn threw shadows to her face, ones which made her words even heavier. “Like I said, that clairvoyance is combined with synesthesia. She does not merely sense everything, she sees it with her senses. Flashes of lights, rows of numbers, who knows how she perceives it? Nevertheless, she has definite variation for every sensation she gains through her clairvoyance. You can understand how dangerous that is in combat? She has probably recognized all the patterns, which allow her to react properly in fraction of a second. No matter how you attack her, she is already launching a counter-attack.”

“Oh, wow. How in tarnation are we goin’ to defeat somepony like her?” Applejack asked, putting down her hat and sighing. “Ah don’t think any of us could get through her defense.”

“Simple. You must simply adapt a tactic that will fool her clairvoyance. And that is something I can teach you. Or, at least I believe I can,” Lovely Corn said and gave a sideways glance to Twilight. “Your Ms. Magician might just be the key to defeating Elfin Fresh. But… You won’t be doing that. You’ll be going against Silent Relic, alone.”

“Huh? Why?” Twilight asked, getting confused. “Wouldn’t it make more sense if I faced off against Elfin Fresh?”

“It would, but that’s just the thing. They’d be expecting it. But you know, with Silent Relic, it’s a whole other story,” Corn answered and chuckled. “You see, he is a bit of a different case from somepony with… questionable parentage, like Elfin Fresh. Silent Relic is a pure-blooded pony. A bit too pure-blooded, in fact. The Relic bloodline is a long one, dating back all the way to the founding of Equestria. Old family means old power, even if there is no magical outlet like a horn to release it. Legend gathered around the bloodline becomes bhāva over the course of time. It is the desire to further life itself, becoming something that is the ultimate aspired point of the origin of that certain bloodline. You’d know all about old families and bhāva, would you not, Ms. Sparkle?”

Under the weight of Corn’s gaze, Twilight shifted uncomfortably. The knowing expression on the older mare’s face was digging deep into her, and she tried to turn her gaze away instead of facing it. This was not the time and place for age old questions regarding magic and unicorn bloodlines.

“For Silent Relic, the bhāva of his bloodline shows up as a sort of overflowing spatial memory and its control. You could say that the state of the environment around him is not dependent on the environment itself, but from his memory of that same environment. You probably tried to attack him during your initial fight, right? He might seem incredibly tough and thick-skinned, but that is not it at all. He simply controls his view of the spatial environment around him, thus rendering all attacks meaningless,” Lovely Corn explained. “For this reason, it cannot be anypony else that faces him but one with sufficient training in magic. Physical attacks are not the way to go.”

“Well, you certainly do have a lot of information regarding our opponents, miss,” Rarity said, and raised her eyebrow. “But I must wonder: Why are you so keen on helping us? You do seem like a one who could easily get to the Fort Stronghoof by herself. So why the need to aid us?”

“If I said ‘boredom’, you wouldn’t believe me, right?” Lovely Corn asked and chuckled. “Truth is, I don’t like seeing ponies get stuck into problems that they should not have. Like the stubbornness of this village, for example. Not to mention, it’d be simply rude not to help the heroes of Equestria, right? It’s up to you girls if you believe me or not, but… hey, it’s not like my help is hurting you, right?”

“Well, you’re right about that,” Rainbow Dash grunted. “And I do want to get back those two for making me seem like a total idiot!”

“Rainbow Dash is right,” Twilight agreed. “And I certainly won’t turn away somepony’s help. But, you’ve talked a lot about the ones we are facing, but nothing about what our strategy should be.”

“I was just getting to that,” Corn said, sounding amused. “Don’t get too excited now. First, I’d like to know if you, Ms. Sparkle, have any sort of specialty when it comes to magic. Telepathy? Levitation? Alteration?”

“Well, I’m quite adept when it comes to teleporting,” Twilight said, looking downcast. “But… ever since I lost my horn, I have not tried it for understandable reasons. It is quite fine-tuned spell, and messing it up might cost me my life.”

“Well, in that case, go ahead and try it,” Lovely corn said. Twilight’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she heard that.

“What!?”

“Like I said: Go ahead and try it,” the mare continued. “If it’s your specialty, merely having your horn shattered won’t make the spell disappear. Something like that is etched so deeply into your being that it simply won’t go away. Just try to recall it. In the end, it’s not a surprising thought, is it? If I had to compare, if the ichor that gives the royalty their powers is the sun, and if the magic we use it the sunlight… well, even if you’re locked into a prison with nothing but darkness, you won’t forget how that warm light felt upon your coat. It is that memory you must invoke and actualize, bringing forth the desired result by re-enacting your dear, dear past.”

Twilight could not believe her ears. The idea that she would be able to so easily use the spell which had grown so natural to her over the years, to taste magic again through her own body, and not by the proxy of the grimoire… the thought was overwhelming. Like a baby taking its first steps, Twilight meekly stepped forward, putting aside her saddlebag where the said tome was. If Lovely Corn was truly speaking the truth, there was a chance for her to gain back an important piece of herself…

The ability to touch the flow of aether all around her. The great power that filled the world, seeping through the Horizon Boundary which separated this normal world from the divine sphere, the vast blackness above the sky itself. Unlike the earth ponies, unicorns were not naturally in harmony with the flow of élan vital through ley lines, and thus, they were solely on the mercy of the aether.

Therefore, the idea of having that connection back was, for Twilight, like the idea of returning home after years spent in a cold, lightless dungeon.

Allowing herself to be immersed into the power she knew that existed, Twilight let go of her curled up connection to the aether. After losing her horn, she had passively kept any possible connections shut, allowing contact only through the channel that was the grimoire she had. Licking her lips, Twilight now reached out with the tendrils of her mind, gently calling out to the power that had been so natural part of her for so long.

“Don’t try to create it from nothing,” Lovely Corn suddenly said. “Remember it. Re-enact that memory. Starting from the scratch is bound to fail, but if you simply do what you used to…”

It was then that Twilight understood what the mare meant. It was not about applying the spell like it used to be. It was about the memory left in the world, the memory left in her existence. Just like ghosts were nothing but recordings of past beings, so were blessings simple layers of a past life momentarily put on the shoulders of a pony who received it.

And that was what she had to do know. Relive her teleportation in anything but power, and thus, call back reflection.

“Haa—“

Twilight’s exhale turned into a shout, and for a moment, there was a spark of brilliant magic that flashed in her eyes. It was the spark that hid deep in her bloodline, growing from its origin point, the Sparkle-family’s arche. And it was the spark that had caught the eye of the alicorn who governed over the celestial sphere of under the classification of “sun”.

And it was that very spark that turned into a flash of blinding light, a re-enactment of Twilight Sparkle’s testament of power.

“I did it!”

Twilight shouted her words out so loud that everyone in the inn’s hall turned to look. Just few seconds ago, she had stood near the table, all four hooves firmly against the floor. Now she looked at her friends from atop another table at the other end of the hall. Her eyes were shining with tears of joy, and her mouth moved as if she had wanted to speak out her joy, but had been unable to.

She was happier than she had ever been after that fateful, rainy night.

“Very good!” Lovely Corn said and grinned, while Twilight’s friends applauded wildly by stomping their hooves against the floor. “That is the first step of getting back what you’ve lost!”

“Oh, darling, that was simply magnifique!” Rarity shouted while wiping tears of joy. As a fellow unicorn, she had been the one to understand Twilight’s loss the best. “Congratulations, Twilight! Vouloir, c'est pouvoir.”

”Well Ah’ll be!” Applejack said while tipping her hat. “Ah think that was as mighty fine teleportation as ever! Ya haven’t gotten rusty one bit!”

“Yes,” Fluttershy agreed with tears in her eyes. “It was truly glorious.”

“Hm, that it was,” Lovely corn said, cocking an eyebrow. “But I wouldn’t exactly call that teleportation. Or apport, at least.”

The joy of Twilight’s moment of triumph died down a bit because of the ominous words. Twilight looked at Lovely Corn with a worried expression, unable to understand what she meant. While teleportation had always been the forte of the unicorn, she had never found it any different from the teleportation practiced by other unicorns. And yet, now that she saw the odd smile on the face of the older mare, she felt oddly insecure about her assumption.

“More, it is not a question of ‘where’,” Lovely Corn said slowly. “But… ‘when’, no?”

****

Next day, during the early hours of the suns ascension to the skies, seven ponies and one baby dragon gathered to the field deep in the mountains. This was the spot of the Element Bearers’ humiliating defeat in the hooves of the two mayors, and now it acted as the stage for their training, orchestrated by the enigmatic mare who they had met only yesterday. Needless to say, none of the six ponies exactly knew if it was a good thing or not they had gotten themselves in the situation, but nevertheless they needed some way to defeat the obstacle ahead of them.

And Lovely Corn was their best and only choice right now.

“Alright, everypony! Get your act together and wipe out those last remnants of dreams from your eyes! Today we’ll train, and I want everypony to be at the top of their game!” Lovely Corn’s commanding voice echoed in the field. “You said you wanted to defeat those mayors, but it’ll only work out if you work for it! So look sharp!”

Out of the six ponies, only Applejack was feeling ready to take on the challenges of the day, being used to such early awakenings. But the rest of them, especially Twilight and Rarity, found themselves unable to resist yawning. Because of the rude awakening by Lovely Corn, who had barged into their room at the inn and started pulling them out of their beds, Rarity had to skip putting on her make-up. Now she was doing her best to hide her face from Spike. Twilight, on the other hoof, had barely gotten any sleep because of her excitement over her teleportation, and thus, she was doubly as tired at the moment.

But those fatigued faces didn’t stop Lovely Corn from acting like a sergeant of the Royal Guard meeting the new recruits for the first time.

“Our first lesson is: Teamwork!” Corn shouted, and stomped the ground with her hoof, causing the ponies to wince. “Listening to your story about how the fight yesterday went, this is your first big problem.”

“Whaddya mean?” Dash protested, looking grumpy. “There isn’t a tighter group than us. We’re friends, thick and thin, so there’s no way we would be bad at teamwork.”

The ponies around Rainbow Dash nodded in unison, but this only made Lovely Corn grin rather mischievously. She sharply pointed at the blue pegasus with her hoof, who took a step back, expecting the mare to throw her with something.

“No doubt you’re the greatest of friends. From what I’ve seen, you would really do anything for each other. And that if anything is admirable. However, friendship is not equivalent to teamwork. The nuance of teamwork is a bit different, after all,” Lovely Corn started explaining. “Teamwork is your ability to work as a group in the thick of the battle, knowing your place and what you are trusted to do, and trusting the others to do their part. In other words, when your teamwork is top-notch, you don’t even have to look behind to see if your friend is protecting your back. You will simply know it, and thus give your complete focus to your own task. Do you understand?”

“I-in other words… do you mean, um, that we need to be able to work like a single pony, instead of six ponies who are in a group?” Fluttershy meekly asked. She was currently hiding behind Applejack because of Corn’s loud voice.

“Aye. That’s exactly it,” Corn said and nodded in satisfaction. “You need to learn to be one well-oiled machine, working in perfect unison. In a way, I guess this would be the ultimate form of harmony. And that’s what you girls are good at, right?

Lovely Corn winked at the ponies, and they giggled.

“But, I still don’t understand. Why did you want us to leave the artifacts back at the inn? They would have been a big help in this battle, right?” Twilight asked, frowning a bit.

“The reason is simple: I don’t have few months to teach you all how to control something as ridiculously powerful as those things, even if I knew how to. I could just as well play astragaloi against Princess Celestia and expect to win,” Lovely Corn answered. “The thing is, that while those artifacts are powerful, you’re still green when it comes to using them. Learning how to handle them must come naturally, and at the moment, they are barely more than crutches as to what you already know. That’s why you shouldn’t try to use them in this battle, and instead go with what you know.”

“Then, how are you going to prepare us for the task ahead?” Rarity asked. “You spoke something about a strategy you wanted to us to employ against the two mayors, did you not?”

“Aye. Now, I haven’t really ever fought against someone with something as bothersome as clairvoyance and synesthesia before, but few years ago, I did beat a mare with eyes that saw the future. Well, it was more akin to determining the future. That was one bothersome, stubborn girl. Well, that’s that, this is this.” Corn waved her hoof in front of her as if to dispel the unnecessary thoughts. “The basic idea behind defeating those who know what will happen is to create a situation where it does not matter. You could liken it to making a trap that will go off and catch you no matter what you do. Of course, just like with traps, the problem lies in actually getting the enemy into that sort of situation, since they can understand what you’re doing.”

“Ugh, sounds like a real hassle…” Rainbow Dash groaned. “What are we supposed to do, anyhow?”

“Well, discounting Ms. Magician over here, who’ll take care of Silent Relic, we’ve got…”Lovely Corn’s eyes scanned over the rest of the ponies. “Two pegasi, two earth ponies and one unicorn. More than enough to execute the basic plan. However…”

With her hoof, Lovely Corn started drawing stick-figures to the grassy ground. She drew two ponies, two pegasi, and one unicorn. Then, the mare proceeded to encircle the figures, separating the ponies into groups depending on their type. And, continuing from that, she separated the groups with two ponies with a single line, leaving all the ponies separated from each other. Cocking an eyebrow at her own drawings, Lovely Corn looked at the rest of the ponies again.

“This is the structure of my, our, strategy. You shall acts as a group, as pairs, and as individuals. All knowing their place but not knowing the purpose of their comrades. There shall be simply the trust to your friends, knowing that you won’t fail even if you concentrate only on yourself,” Corn said and grinned. “It’s different from the thoughtless charge or the simple tactics you employed earlier. This is what I was talking about earlier: Harmony as individuals.”

“So, Ah reckon ya will teach us ‘bout the harmony thing first, then teach us our own part in the strategy, huh?” Applejack guessed, to which Lovely Corn agreed with a nod.

“That’s the plan. It’ll take about ten days, I think, but at by then, you’re ready to face the mayors and win,” Corn explained. “The way I see it, it’ll take six days for you all to get the gist of what I’m trying to say. Rainbow Dash will be the last to understand. The next four days will be spend perfecting each individual strategy, but this time, Rainbow Dash shall master hers the fastest. Together, that means it’ll take ten days from this moment for you to be prepared.”

The ponies exclaimed their surprise at her assertion in their own voice, but Applejack could not join them that easily. She felt a bit unnerved by how easily the older mare read them, even understanding them well enough to give such a prediction while sounding so confident. Applejack knew that unless it would come to pass just like Lovely Corn had said, she wouldn’t have even mentioned it. And yet she did… Hers were eyes of fearsome understanding.

Ah trust her about as far as Ah can throw her, Applejack grumbled in her mind. And considerin’ Ah couldn’t probably even lift her up…

Applejack did not scorn the help of the mare, but that did not mean she was ready to completely accept what Lovely Corn told them. The way the mare moved, the way she spoke, the things she knew… Everything in the mare pointed towards someone who was more than she let on. But whether Corn was an enemy, friend or something else, that was something she could not decipher. And the thing that Applejack found most strange was the fact that something in Lovely Corn seemed rather familiar. Like seeing a mirage that reminded of a dream.

It was not the first time Applejack had felt like that, after all. The last time had been many years ago, in an old graveyard where no graves existed.

“Then, what about me?” Twilight Sparkle’s clear voice suddenly brought Applejack back from her thoughts. “What will I be doing during this time?”

“You’ll be joining the training, of course,” Lovely Corn said and snickered. “It does not matter if you’re fighting away from your friends in the end. You’re still part of the single entity you must become. It is simply your purpose to fight elsewhere.”

Suddenly, Lovely Corn reached towards the ground with her hoof and took a strange-looking thing from there. She presented it to the six ponies, who looked at it in confusion. The thing resembled a cinch, part of the harness ponies used to draw carriages, but it wasn’t just a single one. The cinch that Corn held on to was connected by the traces of the harness to a metal ring. To this single metal ring were connected five more stripped down versions of the harness. No matter how one looked at it, it looked completely useless, and would only serve to bind the ponies together without achieving anything.

“Here, put this on,” Lovely Corn said and threw the piece of equipment and Twilight and the others. “We’ll start once you’ve done so.”

It took about ten minutes for the ponies to finally get the thing on them. And after they finally had…

“…We look absolutely ridiculous,” Rainbow Dash groaned.

“For once I do have to agree with you, Dash,” Rarity said and sighed. “Standing in a circle like this…”

The six ponies were now all wearing the cinches. Because of how they were connected to the metal ring at the center, they were now all forced to stand in a circle with their haunches turned at each other. All of them felt uncomfortable because the thing severely reduced their ability to move, and they could not see each other’s faces. Twilight, who was the one looking at Lovely Corn directly, looked at the mare with a confused expression.

“Just what good is this going to do? There’s no way we can train with this on.”

“Oh, but you can,” Corn said and chuckled loudly. “Just give me a second, and I’ll put on the finishing touches.”

While the ponies still tried to get used to their sudden inability to move properly, Lovely Corn started scribbling strange symbols to the ground. She slowly walked around the group, etching one or two glyphs here and there. Twilight tried to peer at the symbols, but she could not make them out in her position. Somewhat grudgingly, she let go of the chance to learn about some magic she did not know, and allowed the mare to finisher her job. It took Corn about five minutes to prepare a ring of symbols around the ponies, and once she was finished, she hit her hoof against a stone a few times to get the attention of the group.

“Alright, that’s it,” Corn said and nodded. “I guess we can start with this. Prepare yourselves.”

With a wild grin on her face, Lovely Corn struck her front-hooves to the ground, and a bell-like sound resonated through the field. The symbols on the ground lit up, and for a moment, Twilight felt magical energies rage around the ponies. The spell was somehow familiar to her. There was something almost nostalgic about it. But before she could remember what, the actual effects of the spell started. And while marveling at them, she heard Corn sing in an ancient language.

“Gwern blaen llin, a want gysseuin. Helyc a cherdin, buant hwyr yr vydin.”

Trees sprouted from the ground like wildfire. Forming a thick and impenetrable barrier, they separated the ponies from Spike and Lovely Corn. The trunks grew into a circular formation, completely blocking the view of the rest of the hillside field. Only from above, in the hole at the center of the small forest, could the ponies see an escape to the freedom. The azure sky and the rays of the sun beckoned invitingly from the single source of light in the green and brown prison of nature. Array of runes carved into the trunks of the trees shone for a moment with green light, before quieting down and disappearing completely.

In just a matter of seconds, the six ponies had been completely trapped by a forest which had grown out of nowhere.

“That is the Caledoneighan Forest. Or a branch of it, at least. That spell is called Cad Goddeu, by the way. I thought you’d like to know that much, Ms. Sparkle,” Lovely Corn shouted from the other side.

“Cad Goddeu? Isn’t that the one that Princess Celestia uses to keep the Everfree Forest from spreading?” Twilight yelled, her eyes shining with excitement. “I can’t believe I actually got to see it being used! You’re not an amateur when it comes to spell-casting, are you?”

“Well, you could call me an 'off-chance adept', if you wanted,” the older mare chuckled. “I never intended to learn this stuff, but it just keeps falling into my brains. Anyways! On to your mission!”

The six ponies steeled themselves and started looking for a way out. It was clear that the training had to have something to do about escaping this prison grove. That much was obvious even to Pinkie Pie. But everypony knew that it could not be just that. It would have been too easy. And things were never so easy for them.

In few seconds, the ponies got their answer. At first it seemed like the trees had been just swaying in the wind, but soon it became apparent that the mighty, ancient willows and rowans were actively reaching out towards the ponies with their long branches. And from somewhere within the canopy, deep groan, not unlike the one that the umdhlebi had given, could be heard.

“Those trees are alive, and they will do anything in their power to stop you from escaping. No, let me rephrase that: They will actively try to keep you at bay, so watch out,” Lovely Corn explained. “Your task is to get out of there while wearing that harness of yours. No flying. No magic. Just coordination and pure strength.”

The six ponies trapped in the spell felt their confidence drop rapidly. The mere idea of having to wear the silly six-pronged harness was enough to make the task nearly impossible, but to do it without their special talents?

That felt just futile.

“But… but something like that is impossible!” Fluttershy shouted. “We’ll never make it!”

“Impossible? Hah!” Lovely Corn gave a bark of laughter. “That’s why I gave you six days! I won’t be easy, but I’m positive that you can make it!”

The mare then turned to look at Spike, and winked at the baby dragon.

“I guess your Princess would say something about nothing being impossible if there is just harmony,” she said. “And she’d be right.”

****

And so started grueling ten days for the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Every morning, they were driven out of their comfortable room at the inn by the vicious wake-up call of Lovely Corn. It was followed by a high-protein breakfast of boiled lentils and oatmel. Such a meal had no taste, but their strict training-instructor demanded them to fully commit to the task ahead. And therefore even Pinkie Pie swallowed her complaints of not being allowed to eat cupcakes, and chewed grumpily her carbohydrate-filled breakfast.

After that it was the time of their morning run. For Applejack and Rainbow Dash, this was nothing out of the ordinary, but the less physically fit members of the group found them to be a torturous experience. A jog around the perimeter of the town, on a mountain-path that twisted and turned and was full of elevations, usually left both Twilight and Fluttershy gasping for air by the end of it. And much to Rarity’s annoyance, Lovely Corn just seemed to get more energetic from the run.

Most of the days were dedicated to their strange training in the forest. At the beginning, it was nothing but hours filled with bruises and stumbling around, as the ponies found themselves completely thrown out of balance by their six-pronged harness. But as the days passed, they began to learn how to move as one, without hindering each other’s movement. They began to understand what was required of them when everything they did affected the others, and by the end of the second day, they were able to somehow dodge the attacks of the trees.

Day-by-day, they began learning the patterns of the forest. The cause and effect their own actions had to their friends became a natural thing to consider and understand. Twilight knew that if she charged forward, Fluttershy was forced to take steps back. Dash understood that no matter how much she wanted to dodge to the left, she could not do that. If she did, she would crash straight into Applejack. Pinkie’s desire to run off to act on her own was quenched, as she realized that it would simply put all her friends in danger. With the way of trial and error they honed themselves to act as one, as a single pony in perfect harmony.

And when the evening fell, and their less than satisfying dinners had been eaten, Lovely Corn took it as her job to teach the ponies the basics of hoof-to-hoof melee. She would take one pony at the time, show her how to use her body as a weapon to defend herself, and then have a sparring session with her until the pony in question would be too tired to continue. Then she would send the said pony back to the village, and call up the next trainee. By the end of it, even the steel-like older mare was sweating bullets, but it did not wipe the grin off her face. Her eyes flared occasionally, and she pushed herself to the limits simply to teach the Element Bearers to defend themselves.

The hoof-to-hoof combat was something only Applejack and Rainbow Dash had previous experience of, and thus, they were naturals when it came to it. It was not an easy task to find the balance with three legs while striking with one, or parrying an attack with your cannon or forearm. Surprisingly, Pinkie was natural when it came to this. Her fast footwork allowed her to zip around her opponent, delivering attacks with multiple hooves at the same time. But, like the leg-sweeps from Lovely Corn showed, it affected her balance dangerously. At the same time, a pony like Applejack could not be budged even with the most powerful kick, but her sturdy withers didn’t allow her to turn around fast.

Days after days, Lovely Corn put the six ponies past their limits, showing them just what it took to beat opponents like the two mayors. They learned all about the dangers of striking the opponent’s bones with your hooves, and how this could shatter both the bones and the hooves. They learned that a proper fighting stance was a requirement if you wanted to actually shield yourself properly, though dodging was recommended. Crippling body blows were what the ponies should aim for if they found themselves in a battle with nothing but their bodies as their weapon.

For smaller mares like Fluttershy and Twilight, Lovely Corn even taught some coraiaocht, or wither-and-knee wrestling. By grapping those areas, a smaller pony could force and pin a larger opponent easily to the ground, as long as they used the momentum of the opponent instead of trying brute force. While the names of the techniques, such as the trippett, the loose leg, the flying hobby or wither sleeper made the mares giggle, they were still very effective. After four days, Fluttershy even managed to pin Lovely Corn down to the ground with a well-placed blackguard snatch, followed by the black heel technique.

However, while all of this was going on, there was one member of the group who stayed far away from the dangerous training. Spike had wisely opted to refrain from the practice, and instead lazed around in the village, snacking on the gems that came from the caves not far away from the town. The villagers were all curious about the baby dragon, and he traded his tales of Ponyville and Canterlot for hefty baskets of emeralds and topazes.

It was during the fifth day of the training that Spike finally decided to take a break from indulging into his favorite hobbies, and actually get something done. Because of Twilight’s request, he headed up further into the mountains, to map the route ahead and see if he could pin-point Fort Stronghoof that supposedly had been built into the mountain itself, jutting out of the highest peak in a manner not unlike Canterlot did.

The path that led towards the peaks was smaller than Spike had anticipated, and he immediately realized that it could not be the path usually used for travelling to Fort Stronghoof. He wondered if it had something to do with the cloud-glider the mayors had talked about. However, it did not change the fact that the path did lead deeper into the mountains, and by walking alongside it he could at least scout ahead a bit of what they were getting themselves into by trying to get to the Fort.

I don’t think Twilight realizes it, but if the answers we find there aren’t what she expects to find… Spike sighed inside of his mind. I can tell she’s been really down after the incident with that star-cursed water-unicorn. If it turns out that Cleitus really was friend of Shining Armor, what then…?

Spike didn’t want to think of the consequences. The idea that her brother’s friend would have mutilated her in such a way would be shock to anypony. It was much easier to just think of Cleitus as a mercenary who cared about nothing but money, and was pure evil, like Discord. Life in Ponyville had been, after all, so far rather simple. Even if things didn’t turn out to be so black and white as they initially seemed, there had always been a reason. But what sort of reason would drive somepony to nearly kill their best friend, and to cut his sister’s horn off? Nothing could justify something like that.

And that was another thing Spike was afraid. That there would be nothing that would justify Twilight’s loss. If it turned out that it had simply been a whim of Cleitus the Black to cause such pain and misery to Twilight…

Spike snorted a ball of flame out of his nostrils and sat down at the roadside, near a happily gurgling spring. The more he thought, the angrier the whole affair made him.

And it was because of his angry thoughts that he did not realize a presence creeping up to him. Not until the said presence spoke.

“Oh? Another of my kin?” a sing-song voice asked from behind Spike. “This is a most pleasant surprise.”

Surprised, Spike quickly spun around, and came face-to-face with a sight he least expected. After all, it was the sort of sight he had not seen before. To him, facing the young female dragon felt oddly enough like looking at a mirror. She was not tall, yet she was definitely taller than Spike was. Her body-shape was not as round as his was, and yet Spike immediately knew that they were of the same sub-species. The female dragon’s spines were long and thin, reaching towards her back in an elegant manner.

However, in a manner very unlike other dragons that Spike had seen, this one was wearing clothes. She had a woolen cloak, a bernos, covering her lithe shoulders, and most of her body was covered by a ankle length velvet dress known as habesha kemis. The white and light green colors of the tunic-like dress pronounced the colors of the female dragon’s eyes and scales perfectly.

“My. This truly must be the work of fate. To think that I would run into you here, Scales of Glass. Has your wielder understood your purpose, at last?”

Spike wanted to answer, but something in the appearance of the young female dragon made his jaw clamp shut. Maybe it was the brilliance of her ruby-colored scales, or perhaps it was the deep dark green shine of her graceful spines. It could have been the alluring gaze of her gem-like eyes, too. He could not pinpoint a single reason, but the effect was still in place; he could not move or speak.

“Or perhaps not? You seem to not resist my presence in the slightest. So you still walk with your eyes closed shut? Such a pity,” the female dragon spoke and sighed. “Alas, such is our life. It is not until your owner can awaken your petals of lustrous light that you shall step up here with me. But fear not. For there is a way for you to grow on your own, too.”

Spike’s ears perked at the words of the dragon. While he was still scared of growing up due to the incident with his greed, he could not deny that the idea of leaving behind his small body, and growing more naturally, did sound enticing. But he could not understood how something like that could be done on his own volition, instead of simply waiting for the years to pass.

“You are venturing the Fort Stronghoof, correct?” The female dragon asked, and in daze, Spike nodded to her. A small smile crept on her face. “How fitting. When you arrive there, do take a look at the marvelous collection of texts from ancient times they have in their small library. I am certain that one book there shall catch your interest. I know that it did so with myself.”

“A… a book?” Spike asked, getting his voice finally back.

He didn’t understand. Books were Twilight’s forte, not his. He was simply a helper around the library. He was more interested in gems, Rarity, sleeping, eating, Rarity, lazing, cooking and Rarity. So what did any book have to do with him?

Then, a stray thought hit him. A realization that brought his mind back to that strange morning, before the fateful night.

“You have felt it, have you not? The energy which keeps on welling inside of you, bursting out in bouts of extreme perseverance and stamina. It is not strange at all, considering who you are. I am the same, Scales of Glass,” the female dragon said and giggled gently. “We are all but cogs in the great machine of life, after all. It is our duty to ensure the continuance of harmony, in this broken world.”

“Broken w-world? Continuance of harmony? What… what are you talking about!?” Spike finally broke through his trance with raw emotions of worry and confusion. “Who are you, anyway!?”

“My name? Oh, it is of no importance. The title I am known by is simply ‘Scales of Charm’, but… yes, there has been another name,” the female dragon said. “If you wish so, you can refer to me as Flame.”

Flame. The name was fitting. Her deep red scales did look like they were on fire when the sunlight hit them. But even that strange beauty could no longer hold Spike’s overflowing emotions at bay. He simply had to see the image of a certain white unicorn to push back the stupefying effect of the female dragon’s presence.

“So, what do you want, anyway? Just to spout all sorts of cryptic phrases?” Spike asked, folding his arms. “If not, then what’s the deal?”

Flame looked somewhat surprised at the sudden change in the attitude of the baby dragon, but then she reverted to her calm demeanor with a help of another, tranquil giggle. Spike frowned at the way Flame acted, as it started to make him feel more annoyed than enchanted anymore.

“Well, a simple warning now that we have met like this, Scales of Glass,” Flame told him. “I assure you, I mean no harm. To the contrary, I am trying to help you and your owner as much as I can.”

“Don’t call Twilight that!” Spike shouted, taking a step forward. “She’s my friend, not some sort of owner! No, more than that… she’s… she’s my sister! A dear member of my family in Ponyville!”

Now Flame truly found herself speechless. The words of the purple dragon caused her retreat a bit, with a look of pure surprise on her face. Slowly, it turned into one of strange solemnness, mixed with a hint of admiration. Spike started slightly regretting his outburst. He had expected another chuckle, but definitely not this.

“My, I apologize. It was not my intention to insult you,” Flame finally said, after the silence. “But, yes… I revise my words. To see you two hold each other so dear makes me very, very glad. I can only wish my owner and I would share such a bond. Then, for correcting me, allow me to present you with another warning.”

Those words were followed by an expression that Spike could only describe as “deadly serious” on the female dragon’s face. He gulped, bracing himself.

“There seems to be somepony who wants to remove us from existence. A hunter, if you will,” Flame said. “A white mare, Holy Earth, hunts us dragons while wielding the most terrible of weapons. The one meant solely for slaying our kind. Even if I do not dare to name it… You know, do you not? Deep in your soul.”

Spike shivered. Although he had no idea just what sort of weapon Flame was talking about, something in his memories stirred. It was an image of a white surface, stretching for what seemed like an eternity, gleaming in the night as dragons roared in fear. Primal emotions he did not even know he had took over the baby dragon, as he clutched his head in fear. He saw destruction, he saw death, he saw that which all dragons feared from the very moment of their birth. Something which had been given no other purpose of existence than to slay dragons, a fearsome tool carried by those who dragons would forever curse in their legends.

And, beyond all that, he saw something else. A memory so deep within him, it felt like a delusion. The shape of flames and smoke through a thick curtain. The silhouette of a murderer walking amongst the breeding grounds, bringing forth a rain of blood in her wake. The cry of someone too dear for him to remember.

It was a nightmare. A nightmare he should not have been able to remember.

“… Ah? Eh?”

Spike was startled awake from his memories by a passing gust of wind. Tears had former in the corners of his eyes, and now they finally fell to the ground, even though he could not understand the reason. Whatever he had seen in the dark corners of his mind was now fading away, too fast for him to grasp a hold of. He brought his hands to his face, quickly drying up the tears in confusion.

“Why was I… crying?” Spike whispered to himself, while raising his gaze to look at Flame again.

But he found no one there. The ruby-colored dragon had disappeared, leaving behind only the happily streaming spring. Spike blinked, unsure if it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but the female dragon was definitely gone. There was no trace of her, not even clawprints on the ground.

Utterly exhausted, Spike sat on the ground, trying to understand what had just happened. And to decide, whether or not he should tell about this to his friends.

****

And so, ten days passed. Each day was full of sweat, blood and tears of six ponies pushing themselves to their limits and beyond for the sake of victory. But even those days did end, and each day brought forth fruits of experience. Training to work as a single entity, training in hoof-to-hoof combat, training when it came to their own individual strategies… the group had endured it all just to win today.

Thus, finally, came the day of the rematch against Elfin Fresh and Silent Relic.

“Hmh? You girls came without your artifacts this time? Quite a bold move,” Elfin Fresh commented when she saw the Element Bearers. “I can’t say I’m disappointed, though. Surprise is the spice of life, ain’t it?”

“Mm,” Silent Relic added. “Not bad at all.”

“Yahoo, you idiot-couple. We meet again,” Lovely Corn greeted the two as she stepped out from the shadows. “How’s it going?”

“—You. How come I’m not surprised?” Elfin said and cackled. “Not only did you humiliate us few years back, but now you appear with these heroes of Equestria? Let me guess: You trained them so that they could defeat us?”

“That I did,” Corn answered and grinned. “It’s a bit like cheating, but the difference is that when it comes to you two, all sorts of cheating can be counted only as legitimate forms of combat. So it’s alright, isn’t it?”

“Hmh, I suppose it’s okay. I didn’t want to keep the Bearers here just because I’m a mean pony,” Elfin Fresh said. “Though I suppose that does not change the fact that I’m more than a bit mean.”

Twilight followed the conversations between the two mares with her jaw slightly open. Of course, it did make sense to her that they knew each other. However, to see them talk to each other in such a way was really something to behold. The mares glared at each other like worst enemies, yet smiles never left their lips. It seemed like a strange mix between friendship and rivalry, something that brought to the unicorn’s mind a certain stage-magician that had visited Ponyville the previous year. If Trixie had remained in Ponyville, she and Twilight might have perhaps looked like that…

“A’ight, a’ight. Let’s get this show on the road, then. You aren’t allowed to interfere, you stalk-muncher,” Elfin suddenly announced with a loud voice.

“Of course not. I’m here only to look the fruits of my labor.” Lovely Corn moved to the side, staying far away from the actual battleground. Spike quickly followed her.

“Now, you six…” Elfin Fresh turned to look at the group of friends. “I guess you already know all about my “Future Census” or my hubby’s “Plain Site”, in that case?”

Twilight giggled a bit when she heard the names.

“To obtain information about ponies or what you use to experience the world with… A region of reality or a concept of stillness, and a location or what you use your eyes for… That play with pronunciation reminds me of only thing,” Twilight said and cocked an eyebrow at Elfin Fresh. “You wouldn’t happen to share blood with the Cervidae?”

“You’re a clever mare, aren’t you?” Elfin Fresh said with a grin. “I like that. Maybe I’ll tell you if you manage to beat us.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

Silence descended after Twilight had spoken. No more words were needed. For a moment, the crackling tension between the ponies grew stronger and stronger, ready to burst out in a form of a fast-paced combat. And just like that, it was released. There was a flutter of wings and something soared to the sky, scared by the aura of the ponies. A sharp cry of a wandering eagle up in the sky acted as the bell that started the fight.

Five ponies charged straight forward, towards Elfin Fresh, while Twilight jumped to the right, to the path of Silent Relic. The unicorn grinned widely and ran forward, preparing the memory of her magic which she had honed through the past ten days. Allowing the familiar sensation to take hold of her, Twilight released her teleportation, appearing above the stallion in a flash of light. There was a moment of shock in Relic’s eyes as the leg of the mare came crashing down to his back. However, his ability held, and even Twilight realized she had not caused damage at all. The state of the spatial memory around Silent Relic remained unchanged.

Meanwhile, Elfin Fresh had found trouble of her own. Before she even realized it, a pink flash was behind her. Giving out a surprised curse, the older mare barely dodged Pinkie’s lightning-fast kick, and her hoof merely grazed Elfin’s snout. Grabbing the extended leg with her own, Elfin spun around from her crouched position, sending Pinkie into a wild flight backwards. However, that was not enough. With frightening ease, the pink earth pony bounced back to her hooves, smiling widely.

A brilliant color lit up in Elfin Fresh’s vision. Automatically, she dodged to the left, rolling out of the way of Applejack’s furious kick. Without her ability, that donkey kick would have probably made her see stars. Elfin rose up quickly, trying to deliver a front-leg hit to the face of Applejack. But, another flash of light made her quickly jump to the left. Pinkie, utilizing her unearthly speed, had charged from behind and delivered a jumping attack that nearly hit Elfin. The older mare cursed again, jumping up from her dodge and bringing her hind legs down like a pendulum, aiming at Pinkie’s crest. But the earth pony had disappeared already, and this careless move brought Elfin straight to Applejack’s ambush. The wide-brimmed hat flapped in the wind as Applejack charged forward.

It took all of Elfin Fresh’s speed to dodge the dangerous charge. And in her haste, she neglected to watch her surroundings. Before she even realized, wind started picking up around her. Gale took the form of a funnel, trapping Elfin inside of a small tornado. However, this merely made the mare smile. She recognized the rainbow color of the wind. This was work of Rainbow Dash, and she could see clearly what the blue pegasus was trying to do. However, it would be simple for Elfin Fresh to break out of the tornado-trap. The wing-power of a single pegasus could not create such a strong that it would hold someone like her down.

Suddenly, another flash of intent took form in Elfin Fresh’s vision, and she understood. The intents had been separate, so for a moment, she had thought them to be one and the same. But now, she saw them start to separate. A rainbow-colored smudge and a light yellow one dominated her senses. Two different ponies, same goal, in total harmony.

If somepony from Cloudsdale had seen what happened, they wouldn’t have believed their eyes. Two pegasi, striking their wings with enough force to create small gusts of wind that spread into every direction, climbed up to the combined might of over a hundred wing-power. Rainbow Dash, with sweat streaking from her face, went beyond of what she had thought possible only with her armor, and achieved circulation speeds that were nearly enough to perform a Sonic Rainboom. But more surprising was Fluttershy, whose determined face showed that she was not about to lose to her friend. Even though her body was less trained than Dash’s, she still nearly matched her. Only once before, during the desperate chase when Discord had returned, had Fluttershy achieved such speeds. But she was ready to do it, for the sake of her friends.

Seeing that display of speed, Elfin Fresh finally knew what was going on. It had been a trap laid by multiple intents that never once crossed paths. Nopony knew what the others were doing, but trusted them to do what was needed.

So this is what you trained them to at, you stalk-muncher! Elfin Fresh thought and cursed Lovely Corn in her mind. ‘Cheating’, my flank! This is nothing as cute as that. This is transcending what is taught to the Canterlot Royal Guard!

However, the mare was far from defeated. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash might have trapped her inside an incredibly powerful tornado, but that did not mean they had defeated her. As long as Elfin stayed away from the edges of the tornado, she could simply wait till the pegasi got tired, and then return to the battle. In fact, this allowed her to rest before taking on Pinkie Pie and Applejack.

Or so she thought. For right at that moment, a bring flash of magic right above her illuminated the morning sky.

“En Garde, Madam!”

Rarity’s battle-cry echoed in the field and drowned even the roar of the wind momentarily. Having been thrown up by the leg-powers of Applejack, the unicorn descended upon Elfin Fresh like a falcon, her horn glowing with brilliant blue color. Rarity had used her magic to coat her horn with a face-centered cubic crystal shield, creating a blade that could withstand even the mightiest of blows.

With no space to maneuver, Elfin had no choice but to take the full brunt of Rarity’s attack. With the gravity and the full force of the unicorn’s body weight behind it, the strike split apart the ground beneath Elfin’s hooves. She gritted her teeth together as she tried to stop Rarity’s attack with her front hooves, but the simply force of it pushed her towards the ground. Seeing that her surprise attack had not completely defeated the enemy, Rarity jumped backwards, landing to the same small space inside the tornado.

For a split-second, the narrowed eyes of the two mares locked their stares. Then the tension was released into a whirlwind melee that made the tornado around them pale in comparison.

Inside the wind-prison, the greatest asset of Elfin Fresh was neutralized. Even if she knew where Rarity’s attacks came from, she could not dodge them. If she did, she would be immediately caught in the wind. Therefore, she was forced to defend and counter-attack as the white unicorn relentlessly fell upon her, delivering strikes with pin-point accuracy. While Elfin’s style of fighting could have been called “sharp” or “fast”, there was only one word that could be used to describe Rarity’s style: “Elegant”. And it was for that precise reason that Elfin Fresh was on the losing end.

Grace and elegance in perfect harmony. Movement as calm and beguiling as flowing river. Strikes that sought out the weak points in the mare’s defense with unerring accuracy. Eyes that saw and understood everything there was to be understood about Elfin Fresh’s physique. While the older mare instantly knew the information she needed, Rarity could do something far brilliant: her eyes, trained to understand flaws and perfection through years of being a cloths-designer, went beyond knowing.

Understanding your opponent. That was Rarity’s greatest strength.

Whirlwind melee turned into a one-sided beat-down. Rarity’s horn struck like a stinger of a bee, utilizing every moment of weakness that Elfin Fresh showed. And every hit that struck the older mare brought her closer to defeat. Her wounded body could no longer keep up with the information her abilities granted her, and her defenses were failing. She saw nothing but the brilliant shining horn that cut into her with each strike.

It all ended with a flash of blue light, and the image of diamond saber embedding itself into the mind of Elfin Fresh. Rarity brought down her horn in a large arc, cutting down her opponent with the finishing blow.

“Pudding!”

Silent Relic, who had been so far keeping Twilight at bay, yelled out the name of his wife when he felt him fall. His eyes narrowing in haste, he went from defensive to offensive, and allowed his mind to form a picture of a new terrain in his mind. While he was not an unicorn, his bloodline was a long one, and the great powers of his ancestors were a part of him. Roaring like a wounded animal, he struck his front-hooves against the ground, and commanded the space around him to match his image of it.

And the terrain did. Around Twilight Sparkle, the earth tore itself up and wrapped around the confused unicorn. The tower of dirt and stone rose high up in the air, to the heights that challenged the mountains themselves. The huge building made straight out of the soil was bigger than the great towers of Canterlot Castle, and it caught the attention of every pony in the area.

“Don’t worry, pudding! I’m coming to save you!” Silent Relic said, having trapped his enemy.

“Oh? Are you sure you can afford to leave your opponent just like that?” Lovely Corn commented from the sidelines, with a smug smile on her face. She seemed awfully unimpressed by the towering sight of the earth-prison.

“That thing is the greatest memory of my ancestors: Krialon. The pyramid-tower that is designed as the greatest prison in the world. Its walls do not allow bypassing, and so the only way ponies can escape it is by getting to the end of the labyrinth that it houses,” Silent Relic explained with a stoic expression. “It cannot be cheated in any way, and it would take hundreds of years for anypony to defeat the labyrinth. Therefore, the ones trapped inside it can only get out when I so allow. Twilight Sparkle will not be joining this battle any more, even if she uses her famous teleportation.”

“Huh? You actually knew Ms. Sparkle can teleport?” Lovely Corn asked, her eyebrows raised. “You sure did your homework.”

“It is my job as a mayor,” Silent Relic answered. “And with that information, I was able to see that I had the perfect counter for her. There is no way for her to get out of Krial—“

The stallion’s words were drowned by the roaring laughter of Lovely Corn. She bent backwards, laughing her heart out as if Relic’s words had been the greatest joke the mare had heard in a long, long time. It took Corn almost fifteen seconds to finally calm down, and even then, she still had to wipe tears from her eyes. With amused, merciless grin, she looked straight at the stallion and raised her front-leg. Her hoof pointed straight at Relic, accusingly.

“Silent Relic! You’ve just made a huge mistake!”

“Mistake?” the stallion asked confusedly, taking a step back. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, perhaps not a mistake. An ‘oversight’ would fit the case far better,” Lovely Corn continued and chuckled. “For you see, that would be the case if Twilight Sparkle was just anypony. However, she is the protégé of Princess Celestia, and a natural talent when it comes to magic. No, her talent itself is magic! Don’t go judging her by the rules of our own natural laws! What she does is not something as simple as teleportation; she has made even something like that a complicated process which seems to defy everything we know about magic!”

With every word Lovely Corn said, Silent Relic’s eyes grew wider and wider, and he started sweating bullets.

“Twilight Sparkle has tapped into the innermost element of magic: She is playing with time itself!” Corn announced. “She does not simply take herself and put herself somewhere when she teleports. No, she moves normally, just like any other mare. But! With her magic, she literally destroys the time it takes her to achieve that feat! Whether it’s crossing a hill or running down the stairs, she can take the time it would take her to do that and make it into nothing! If I had to describe it, it is much closer to time travel than teleportation! She is warping the very fabric of this world itself!”

Lovely Corn’s eyes gleamed with promise of victory as she shouted her final words at Silent Relic, knowing that the end of the battle was upon them.

“Twilight Sparkle is the enemy of all the common sense that we unicorns have applied to magic! Silent Relic, you should have shut her into a box of steel with no way out! No, even that would have been meaningless. She could have simply dug her way out in few thousand years!” Lovely Corn said and gave a bark of laugh. “Hah! You’ve brought forth your own doom! The doom I foresaw the moment I saw the insane things that unicorn could do with her magic!”

There was an explosion of purple magic, one that ripped apart the sky above Silent Relic. He looked up, and saw the form of Twilight Sparkle descend upon him while shouting for victory. Desperately, the stallion focused all of his power in preserving the state of the space around him, but to no avail. Before he even could react to it, Twilight had transported him into the air by one well-placed, inverted warp.

For those who looked at what happened next, it seemed like a shower of stars rained upon the form of Silent Relic.

Twilight Sparkle, cutting down the process of jumping in the air and striking at Silent Relic, turned at what would have taken days into a single moment. Thousands upon thousands of mirror images of the unicorn appeared from all sides in flashes of bright purple light, becoming a sphere of destruction that existed only around Silent Relic. Kick after kick connected to the skin of the stallion, and his preserved image of the surrounding world started to crack. No matter how much the space tried to fight against the effect of the time, it could never win. Even with the dulled power of Twilight’s attacks, when there were as many of them as there were stars in the night sky, it was possible to defeat Silent Relic.

What had started as a surprise attack turned into few seconds of continuous strikes. One second held within itself a destroyed eternity. Twilight Sparkle’s roar of defiance could be heard all the way down at the village. Utilizing every bit of her magical power, she unleashed tens of thousands of attack on Silent Relic, all at once.

It sounded like a millions of swallows, all crying out as a choir of victory.

And from that sound, Twilight Sparkle came up with the name for this spell. It was the rebirth of the legend she had read about in the grimoire of Star Swirl the Bearded.

This spell was Tsubame Gaeshi – The Swallow-Reversal Cut.

And it was what ended the greatest battle fought in the village of Ross-on-Welara.

Chapter 9: The sweet scent of the past

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 9: The sweet scent of the past

The sounds of grinding gears and wailing wood mixed with the shouting of the crew as the cloud-glider soared higher thanks to the thermal updraft. The winds sweeping through the valley kept the ship soaring forward, swooping towards the sky in all its majesty. The creaking sound of the four gigantic wings beating in synch was like that of the dragons the ship was modeled after.

“Ah still can’t believe this thing here can fly…” Applejack peered down over the edge of the ship, gulping heavily as she saw how high up they were.

“Eh, it’s not as cool as flying with your wings,” Rainbow Dash commented. “This thing is just clunky.”

“And, um… It really feels unsafe,” Fluttershy said and squeaked, clinging to Applejack. “And really, really rickety!”

Twilight had to agree with her friends’ concerns. The cloud-glider was built like the ancient longships of the feral ponies that had once lived in the north. The major differences were the huge size of the cloud-glider and the additional deck under the primary deck. Instead of oars the cloud-glider was powered by four huge wings powered by unicorn-magic. The bow of the ship was shaped like a dragon’s maw. The wind the ship broke was sucked into the hull and then propelled out, adding additional propulsion to the craft.

As the mountain path to the Fort Stronghoof had been destroyed by an avalanche, this contraption known as the cloud-glider was currently the only way for non-pegasi to reach the fort.

This, however, that was not the main concern in Twilight Sparkle’s mind. What she was currently worried about was something far more mundane.

“…I look ridiculous.”

Thanks to the spell Twilight had used to defeat Silent Relic, her body had suffered extensive damage, her muscles and nerves expecially. Thus, she was currently wrapped tightly in Fluttershy’s artifact, the Veiling Shroud. While the shroud was doing good job at healing her, it also made her look like an oversized Hearth’s Warming Eve present. Rarity had nearly fainted at the sight of the clashing purple and green.

“Don’t be such a Miss Grumpy-Pants, Twilight!” Pinkie said and giggled. “You’re the patient now, so no moping!”

“I know, I know,” Twilight grumbled. “But still this feels ridiculous. But I guess it’s my own fault…”

“Hey, at least you won,” Lovely Corn chimed in. “And lass, you really did it with style. I don’t think Silent Relic will ever forget that spell of yours.”

This finally got a giggle out of Twilight, and she flashed a smile to the older mare.

“Well, it was not exactly my own spell. I based it on something Star Swirl the Bearded came up with,” she explained. “Tsubame Gaeshi was but a legend, but when you explained to me about how my teleportation worked, I figured I could mimic that legend.”

“And it worked out well,” Lovely Corn said with a grin. “Well, except concerning your body. Good job, nonetheless!”

Lovely Corn patted Twilight on the back, causing the latter to flinch and let out an embarrassed laugh. Whistling a strange tune, the older mare left the unicorn to her thoughts, heading towards the starboard where Rarity was quarreling with the captain of the cloud-glider over the dull-grey that they had painted the cloud-glider.

Now that she had been left alone, Twilight’s thoughts turned back to her discussion with Elfin Fresh before they had left for Fort Stronghoof. The older mare had walked straight into their room at the inn while Twilight had been recovering, wanting to stay true to her earlier promise. Twilight had suggested that Elfin Fresh’s parentage was not as simple as it was with most ponies.

Her suspicions had turned out to be true.

“You were right when you commented on my lineage, by the way,” Elfin Fresh said, smoking a long pipe. “My mother was of the Cervidae. Part of the Tuatha Dé Cernunnaan. The original inhabitants of Equestria, who came from the four forgotten cities. They live in their mounds these days, hidden by ancient magic and runes long forgotten, but they sometimes come out to play. On one of those trips my mother came across my father and somehow fell in love with the idiot.”

Twilight found herself absorbed in this story. While there were many books speculating about the Tuatha Dé Cernunnaan in Canterlot, there was nearly no actual information. The Cervidae had always been a mysterious and enigmatic race, one that had disappeared when they started to lose their war against the feral ponies who had come to conquer Equestria at the dawn of time. The Cervidae were known for their fickleness and enmity towards ponies, so the idea of a one falling in love with a pony was surprising to hear.

“My mother was the guardian of one of their four artifacts, though, so you can imagine that the rest of the Tuatha Dé Cernunnaan did not appreciate the union,” Elfin Fresh continued to explain. “Nuada, their leader, wasn’t happy that her daughter wanted to be wed to a pony. So the two ran away and ended up here, in this small mountain-town, where they started a happy family.”

Elfin Fresh took a drag from her pipe, blowing a cloud of smoke through her lips. Her eyes were staring into the distance beyond the walls of the room, seeing into the past that was now long gone. Twilight did not dare to speak before the mare continued, for fear of breaking the stream of memories that must’ve been running through her head.

“It worked for a while. I was born. But after that, the Tuatha found both of them. Too late, though. My father was terminally ill, and my mother did not want to live without him. So, showing a surprising amount of compassion, they took both of them back to the mounds, in order to use their magic to heal my father,” Elfin Fresh said, and her expression wavered. “The price was that I had to remain here, amongst the ponies. And I did. End of story.”

Twilight felt a pang of sorrow as she saw the expression on Elfin Fresh’s face. She averted her gaze, wanting to give the older mare a moment to compose herself. After a nearly minute of silence, Twilight finally spoke up again.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would be a… story like this.” She looked at Elfin Fresh with apologetic expression. “I didn’t want to open up old wounds.”

“Oh, it’s alright,” Elfin answered and flashed a slightly-forced grin. “There was actually a point to this. You should understand now that I don’t have that good of a relationship with my clan. And yet…they sent me a letter just a week ago.”

“What!?”

Twilight turned so quickly towards the older mare that her body screamed in pain, causing her to flinch. Elfin Fresh chuckled and put her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, forcing her back into the bed.

“Yeah. I got a message from my grandmother, and it was a strange one: they wanted me to come to their mound.” Elfin Fresh nodded to Twilight’s surprised expression. “Apparently they think that something terrible is approaching Equestria and are about to seal themselves inside their mounds. And they want me to be there, too. Weird, huh?”

“Something terrible?” Twilight whispered. “Could it be about Ma—“

She was cut off by Elfin Fresh putting her hoof on her lips.

“Better not tell me about it. If it’s truly dangerous, I don’t think the Princess wants rumors to spread before she’s ready to make an announcement.” Elfin brought her pipe back to her lips. “Plus, I could never leave that hubby of mine. So don’t go scaring me with what’s to come.”

Twilight managed to crack a smile which widened after Elfin winked at her.

“Alright. But don’t worry, we’re currently trying to fix it,” Twilight concluded.

Twilight was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as Rarity walked up next to her and patted her on the shoulder.

“Do not worry, darling, I am sure I can come up with something that will reduce the atrocious combination of your outfit’s current colors,” Rarity assured her friend. “Since it seems that I cannot sway the mind of that brutish captain over there, I think it might be best to get you at least somewhat presentable before we are at the fort.”

Twilight giggled as her friend started nipping and tucking her outfit, concentration pressing her brows down and twisting her lips. It was such a familiar scene that Twilight suddenly felt like the events that had transpired in the past few days had been nothing but a dream.

But as she looked into the distance and saw the rising peak where Fort Stronghoof lied, she realized that hope was for naught.

“Sure. Since we’re official envoys of Princess Celestia, might as well look our best!” Twilight said and smiled. Rarity returned the smile.

“Exactly. Nothing like a little couture before we are thrust into a crude fort filled with even cruder soldiers,” Rarity said and chuckled before giving Twilight a gentle glance. “Plus, fashion helps to drive away a mauvais quart d’heure, if you are suffering from one.”

Twilight nodded and sighed, returning her gaze to the mountains around them. She could not describe in words how glad she was to have friends like hers.

“Indeed. Thanks.”

“Do not mention it, darling.”

****

There was a strange sense of accomplishment the ponies felt as they stood before the magnificent gates of Fort Stronghoof. It had been nearly a month since they had first met Cleitus the Black, the stallion who had started their journey. Now, they had finally arrived at the place where they knew they would get some answers.

However, there was a slight obstacle that they would have to be conquer first.
“This is the famous Stairway of a Thousand Steps. Built to repel possible invaders as well as to test the soldiers who train here, it is one of the most fabled sights of western Equestria,” Twilight spoke, looking ahead. “The fort lies at the very summit, so let’s get climbing!”

The clear blue sky seemed to be just within the reach of their hooves, but even that sight was dampened by the stairs that towered ahead of them. They were made out of pure white stone that, and they seemed to continue for eternity, like they were like some sort of temple or a statue built in honor of a long-forgotten god. It was both imposing and awe-inspiring sight, and at the very top, they could see the glimmering rays of the sun hitting tiled rooftops.

“Darling, even though I have survived the grueling training of Lovely Corn… no offense intended.” Rarity gave an apologetic look towards the mare. “…not to mention having journeyed through the tunnels of the Everfree City, this is still… A bit much.”

Fluttershy was quick to nod in agreement, and even Twilight herself had to admit that the idea of climbing the unusually large stone steps was not an inviting one. Unlike in most cases, the stairs had not been carved into the mountainside, but instead they had been built from scratch, using blocks with surprisingly beautiful carvings adorning them. The sheer impracticality of such a project was enough to stagger Twilight, but the words she heard next nearly caused her jaw to drop.

“Oh, I know these steps!” Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted in joy. “I built the first three hundred and thirty of them! And the one at the very top!”

This drew the attention of everypony in the group. They stared at Pinkie with mixture of shock and disbelief. Sensing the expressions of her friends, Pinkie giggled and jumped to the very first step.

“Stop looking so silly, girls. It’s true. I told you our farm helped to build this place, right?” Pinkie let out a sharp whistle, listening as it echoed from the mountainside. “So this is my second time here, and nope, there isn’t a shortcut! We gotta climb aaaaall the way up there!”

Rarity’s expression fell like a rock would fall down the mountainside, into the deep drop below. However, they all had understood the implications of Pinkie’s words. As much as they disliked the idea, there was no way around it; they would have to climb.

And so started one of the more unpleasant parts of the ponies’ journey so far. Even Applejack found herself struggling, as little before the halfway point, she had to start carrying Spike, who had completely exhausted himself. The only one who wasn’t panting from fatigue by that time was Lovely Corn, but even she did not seem to enjoy the climb one bit.

What little vegetation there was near the landing pad of the cloud-glider was gradually replaced by something rather unusual the higher the group climbed. It started with few simple sprouts and flowers, but after the halfway point, the ponies started realizing they were surrounded by strong and resilient trees. Twilight tried to recognize the species of these strange plants, but found nothing in her memory that would have matched. The closest resemblance their vertical growth had was to Huangshan Pine, but the size of the trees was wrong – these pines were far too large.

As they started getting closer and closer to the summit, the ponies quickly understood that the air was getting thinner. This was an especially familiar feeling for Rainbow Dash, who had experienced it many times during her flights. For pegasi like herself and Fluttershy, it was not a problem. Unlike earth ponies or unicorns, the pegasi ventilated their lungs by means of air sacs, which maintained a constant flow of oxygen through them. Their bodies also produced a special type of hemoglobin that absorbed oxygen quickly, or so Twilight had told to Dash. The rest of the ponies did not have such luxuries, however, and were panting rather heavily.

“Sometimes it feels like there’s but a single reason those two test ponies who want to climb here,” Lovely Corn grumbled. “They want to make sure the climbers are tough. If somepony hasn’t got the stamina to beat them, there’s no way one could climb these stairs.”

A silent atmosphere of agreement hung over the group.

Eventually the group made it to the very last stretch of steps, which put a little more energy in their climb. They saw the rooftops of large buildings made out of wood, but little else. It also became apparent that there was a gate ahead of them, one that was colossal enough to fit a whole army through. It was built from a shiny metal that even Twilight couldn’t recognize, and the frame was made out of wood that had been painted a beautiful red. There was even the symbol of twin-alicorns painted in the very center of the gate.

Any thoughts of the gate were whisked away from the minds of the group, however, when a shadow fell over them.

“Good day. You are the new arrivals, right?” A gruff female voice asked. “Here on a task from the Princess herself?”

There, at the very top of the stairs, stood a red mare who made even Lovely Corn look fragile. She was dressed in gleaming armor and carrying a thick lance. Her blue mane flowed in the wind of the mountain, framing her strong facial features. One of her eyes was closed and a gruesome scar ran over it, but the other was staring straight at the group like a burning piece of amber.

“Y-yes. That’s us,” Twilight answered, trying to mask how out of breath she was. “I am the personal protégé of Princess Celestia—“

“Twilight Sparkle. Yes, I know. It is my job.” The mare cut her off. “I am Cyclone Lance, the commander of Fort Stronghoof. My rules are now ones that govern over you. Here, at the top of the world, the only words that weigh more than mine are those of the Princesses.”

A wave of displeasure washed over the group. The strict aura that flowed from the armored mare was not just that of a soldier. Her words carried the arrogance only a high-ranking official could show against civilians. Even though Twilight had heard of the Lance family, dating back to the war against Discord, she found herself immediately disliking Cyclone Lance.

But then, surprisingly, Cyclone Lance smiled awkwardly at the group.

“—Well, that is what I was going to say. I was afraid that you’d be the type to use their authority to get past Elfin Fresh and Silent Relic. But, judging from your bodies, you took the hard route.” Cyclone Lance stepped out of the way. “I respect that. I truly respect that. Please, follow me. Allowing you inside our bastion suddenly feels like a much more pleasant job for me.”

As the ponies climbed up the last steps, they were greeted by the magnificent, full sight of Fort Stronghoof. It was clearly more of a castle than just a fortification. Large stone walls encased the perimeter and they had been both reinforced and decorated with the same red wood that had been used to construct the framework of the gate. Large bastions flanked the outer wall, along with bartizans set into every corner. It seemed that the ones who built the fort had wanted to give as great an advantage for ranged defenders as they could.

The fortress itself had been built against the side of the highest peak, and its sturdy walls climbed nearly all the way up. Numerous walkways stretched between and around the buildings, creating a display of architectural ingenuity. Below the actual castle, from the very root of the peak, a small town spread out. It lay behind the protection of the large walls that the ponies had seen before. At the very center of the town they could see a beautiful, white church.

Numerous large flags had been raised to the poles that hung over the gate they approached, one of them being the official flag of Equestria. While some were flags of various armed forces, such as the pegasi legions, to Twilight’s surprise there were two flags that she did not recognize. One was a blue flag depicting a blazing sun rising from behind raging waves. The other one had a black crow with three legs against a white-and-red background.

However, while Twilight did not recognize the flags, somepony else did. The moment they arrived at the gate, Rainbow Dash’s eyes locked onto the crow-flag, and she seemed to shiver.

“W-what the hay is that flag doing here?” Dash asked in a strange tone.

“Oh, the one with the crow? We’re currently doing a joint-exercise with a few other armed forces, so we display all of their flags up there,” Cyclone Lance answered.

The armored mare saluted a few of the guards on the ramparts. She then led the group away from the main gate. Just beyond the large tower east of the main gate they found a postern: a secondary gate, much smaller in size. When the armored guards saw them arriving, they saluted Cyclone Lance immediately and hurried to open the postern. Once open, the group continued their journey, entering the fort proper.

“Yeah, I got that,” Rainbow Dash continued. “But I mean, why are they here? It doesn’t make sense!”

“You got that right,” Cyclone Lance said and snorted. “The Firefly Faction tends to keep to themselves, most of the times, but for some reason they sent us a message a few months ago saying that they wanted to hold a joint-exercise. Who knows why?”

As they entered Fort Stronghoof, it quickly dawned on the ponies that the normal-looking town they had seen was anything but. The houses were more like barracks, housing multiple squads of soldiers who were not on current duty. Most of them seemed to be trainees. As the group walked past these barracks, down the cobblestone streets, some of the rowdier soldiers kept wolf-whistling at them. A single glare from Cyclone Lance was enough to send these soldiers fleeing back inside.

They finally arrived on the main street and immediately ran into some sort of gathering. In the large plaza ahead, a huge crowd of ponies, soldiers and officers alike, had gathered to look at something. There was loud buzzing in the air, caused by hundreds of ponies whispering to each other. This immediately piqued the interest of the group, and even Cyclone Lance seemed to be surprised at what was going on.

“Huh. So I guess the rest of them finally arrived,” Cyclone Lance grunted. She took the lead, starting to clear a path through the crowd. “It was about time.”

“Rest of them? Who is it?” Twilight asked, getting more and more confused each second.

“Well, it certainly cannot be anypony civilized,” Rarity commented, shooting annoyed glares at stallions who kept ogling at them. “Judging from this audience, I’d wager it is just a brawl or something similar.”

“A brawl, huh?” Applejack chuckled. “Ah would welcome that. That ride before was darn borin’.”

“Nope. It’s nothing like that,” Cyclone Lance said as she finally stopped at the very edge of the crowd. “If I’m guessing right, the big shot of the Firefly Faction has just arrived.”

“W-wait! Big shot!? You mean, like their leader!?” Panic rapidly appeared on Rainbow Dash’s face. “I-I gotta go now! I can’t stay here!”

“Hold yer horses, girl!” Applejack caught her friend by the tail just as Dash was about to flee. “What’s got ya in such a hurry? It’s like ya were afraid of something!”

“N-no! I’m not afraid!” Rainbow Dash let out a nervous laugh. “What would I be afraid of?”

“Oh, my,” Fluttershy suddenly said, raising her hoof to her lips. “You said Firefly Faction. Isn’t… Dashie, isn’t that your—“

Fluttershy wasn’t able to finish her sentence as just then, a loud noise cut through the air, silencing everypony. The smell of gunpowder hung in the air, and everypony’s attention was drawn from Rainbow Dash to the center of the plaza. There, flanked by two squads of pegasi dressed in dark-green light armor, stood a tall mare with a flowing red mane. In her raised hoof she held a strange weapon, one not often seen in Equestria – a short matchlock pistol, with a handle made out of ebony.

“Hear the sound of the Crimson Bell! We are the honorable Firefly Faction! In the name of the Oath of Ariothens, we have come to teach you in the art of war, citizens of Equestria!” The mare’s voice was as booming as the sound of her gun. “We who are the daughters of the greatest warrior, born from the union of Balius and Xanthus! Guided by our ancestral leader, Firefly, our song shall from here forth guide your steps in battle!”

To emphasize her words, the mare once again pulled the large trigger of her gun, shooting towards the sky. The sound was so loud that all the ponies flattened their ears and winced. Even Twilight, as curious as she was about the exotic weaponry the mare used, found it hard to not avert her eyes from the bright muzzle flash of the gun.

Twirling her gun on her hoof, the mare who had spoken put it back to the holster at her hip. It joined the array of two dozen identical guns, twelve at each side. Each one had a crimson holster decorated with a camouflage pattern, similar to that on the red cloak of the mare. The turquoise eyes of said mare gazed at the crowd that had gathered to listen to her announcement. There, in the middle of all the ponies and under the bright rays of the sun, her orange coat looked like it was ablaze.

Behind her, Twilight sensed movement. She threw a quick glance behind her only to see that Rainbow Dash seemed to be trying to sneak away from the crowd. Unfortunately, this sudden movement only caught the attention of the mare at the center of the plaza. The leader of the Firefly Faction smirked, striking her hoof against the cobblestone so hard that it stopped Rainbow Dash right in her tracks. The leader began moving forward, head straight to Twilight and the rest of the group.

Now that she was closer to them, Twilight could see this mysterious leader of the Firefly Faction clearly. She was more handsome than beautiful, with sharp features and even sharper eyes. She wore a red, painted breastplate and bronze greaves. Along with the smell of black powder that hung around her, this gave her the aura of a fearsome warrior. But the most shocking thing Twilight understood when she looked at the mare was that she looked strangely familiar – very, very familiar.

“Rainbow Dash, how come I am not surprised to I find you here? Or that you would sneak away like a coward when the Crimson Bell of the Firefly Faction tolls?” The mare asked, raising an eyebrow. “It simply feels as if history is repeating itself.”

Rainbow Dash turned to face the older mare, and while doing so, adopted a different sort of expression. Her panic was replaced by a deep frown and strange sort of anger that none of her friends had ever seen her exhibit. For a moment, the two mares stared at each other, both glaring daggers.

And finally, Rainbow Dash answered the mocking words of the older mare.

“Yeah, I guess I didn’t want anything to do with you or your job back then either,” Rainbow Dash said, nearly spitting out her words. “But that feeling’s mutual, isn’t it, Mom?”

A deafening silence descended over the group, as the friends of Dash could only stare at her and the older mare in utter shock.

****

“You’re saying that the Crimson Bell, the leader of the most advanced mercenary group in the Middle Continents, is your mother!?”

Twilight was not the only pony who had wanted to voice that question. The group was currently sitting in the mess hall of Fort Stronghoof having a dinner amongst the numerous soldiers. All eyes were glued on Rainbow Dash, who kept nibbling on her hay steak.

Lovely Corn, seeing the expression on the pegasus’ face, erupted into uproarious laughter.

“Now that’s what I call a family reunion! Who’d have thought that this pipsqueak was the daughter of the Crimson Bell?” She said. “I have to say, you ponies keep surprising me more and more with each passing day!”

“It’s not funny!” Rainbow Dash groaned, and shot a glare at her food. “She’s the last pony I’d want to meet, especially during a time like this.”

“Now, what’s so bad ‘bout meetin’ your mother?” Applejack asked. “Ah thought ya would be happy ‘bout it.”

“Indeed,” Rarity chimed in. “Although your mother was certainly rather… uncouth, she is still your mother, is she not?”

“You guys don’t get it,” Dash grumbled. “Mom and I never see eye to eye about anything. She wanted me to lead the Firefly Faction after her. I wanted to follow in the hoofsteps of my dad, Prism Blitz. You wouldn’t believe how angry she got when I told her that. She barely came to visit dad and me in Cloudsdale after that. The last time we met, she told me I was the biggest disappointment in her life.”

An awkward silence grew between the ponies, as they had not anticipated that kind of answer. However, it was broken just as suddenly as it had fallen when Pinkie Pie patted Dash on the back so hard that she fell muzzle-first to her food, and granting Dash a beard made out of mashed potatoes in the process.

“Oh, don’t be silly! She’s your mother, after all!” Pinkie said and giggled. “She might say she’s disappointed, but she’ll love you anyway! That’s what moms are for!”

“I dunno. Lately it’s been pretty hard to stay positive like that,” Dash said and let out a drawn-out sigh. “It’s like Equestria isn’t Equestria anymore.”

“Cheer up, sugarcube. While some horrible things might’ve happened, it’s not because the world’s changed,” Applejack consoled her. “No matter what that Cleitus bloke did, it ain’t changin’ the true nature of ponies.”

“Applejack’s right, you know?” Twilight agreed. “You haven’t seen each other in a while, right? Maybe you should just have a talk with her. Tell her what kind of things you’ve been up to lately. Saving Equestria three times must impress even her.”

“You don’t get it.” In her frustration, Dash hit the table with her hoof. “My mom’s been busy saving Equestria every day. She fights dragons, monsters, and all sorts of enemies. It’s a routine for her. What I’ve done is just a shadow of her achievements.”

“Um, don’t you still think you should talk to her?” Fluttershy asked. “Having family is… always a precious thing.”

Rainbow Dash froze for a moment, her eyes directly locked at her pegasus friend. Fluttershy, on the other hand, hid her face under her mane, becoming even quieter than usual. The others switched their attention from Dash to Fluttershy, unsure as to what was going on. Finally, the blue pegasus opened her mouth.

“Yeah. Sorry, Fluttershy. I forgot.” Dash swept her mane from her face. “Yeah, I’ll talk to her at some point.”

“In that case, you should talk to me now.”

The ponies were shocked by the sudden voice behind them. As they turned to look, they found that Crimson Bell was standing close to them with a stern expression on her face. The mare did not seem any less threatening now that she was in a different environment. In fact, her exotic weaponry and commandeering bearing made her seem even more unnerving. With her turquoise eyes locked straight at the group, her presence fell upon them like a heavy blanket.

“What do you want?” Dash asked, glaring at Crimson Bell. “The way you simply left after talking down to me, I thought we were done.”

“Hardly, little magpie, you simply left in a hurry, scurrying away from under my sight. The way you were right then, my words were unneeded.” Crimson Bell walked over to the group, keeping her eyes locked at her daughter. “Now that time has passed, I have come to speak to you again. You are no longer a filly, little magpie. If we are to speak, we must do it as mares who understand their position.”

Rainbow Dash simply grunted and turned her gaze away. She seemed to have no interest in getting dragged into her mother’s pace. The archaic way of speaking was in direct contrast with that of Dash, as was her poise.

“U-um, it is an honor to meet you, Crimson Bell.” Twilight had realized that somepony needed to steer the conversation to safer waters. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am a friend of your daughter. In fact, we all are. And I can say that there is no friend more loyal than Dash.”

“Hm. Twilight Sparkle? Ah, yes, the protégé of Celestia. It seems that you have surrounded yourself with companions with fame and talent greater than yours, little magpie,” Crimson Bell said and snorted.

While Dash’s eyebrows twitched dangerously at the jabs from her mother, Twilight noticed something strange in what the older mare had said.

“Celestia? You seem to refer to the Princess rather familiarly,” Twilight commented.

“We, the proud Firefly Faction, are not to be bound by any form of authority, whether it be a monarch or a country. The flame of our pride is lent to those in need, but we follow no lord. We will, and never shall, think of Princess Celestia as our Princess. We are our own masters, born from the honorable legacy of the city of Ariothens. That is why she shall be merely an equal asking for our help, never anything more,” Crimson Bell told them frankly.

“Well, I did read that the Firefly Faction was created a long time ago…” Twilight frowned a bit, putting her hoof to her chin. “It’s an age-old tradition amongst the pegasi, right?”

“Indeed,” Bell answered. “To be a part of the Firefly Faction is to be a part of the family. Each member passes the flame of our pride down to their daughters, and so shall our numbers never diminish. Unlike ambitions such as being a clown in the sky, performing tricks to those ponies who have their feet stuck to the earth, the Firefly Faction is a way of life. One that should be an honor for those invited to it.”

That was the last straw for Rainbow Dash. She hit the table with her front legs, causing the plates to clatter and the ponies to jump back in surprise. Only Crimson Bell remained calm, staring at her daughter with an odd smirk on her face. This expression was returned by Dash in the form of an angry and somewhat hurt glare.

“Okay! I get it! You didn’t like it when dad and I chose to become the top flight acrobats in all of Equestria! You hated it when I still dreamt of that after dad passed away! In fact, all you ever did was disapprove my choices!” Dash shouted, pointing an accusing hoof at her mother. “But guess what? I’ve got great friends now! I’ve saved all of Equestria over three times! Even if I chose my own path instead of yours, I’m in no way inferior to you nowadays!”

While the other ponies seemed to be rather disturbed by this outburst from their friend, Crimson Bell simply chuckled at her daughter’s anger. Rainbow Dash was breathing heavily after all the yelling, but still refused to back even an inch inch, staring daggers at her mother.

“You? Equal to me?” Crimson Bell asked with an arched eyebrow. “Would you wish to prove that, little magpie?”

“What’cha got in mind?”

“The traditional challenge of the Firefly Faction. We face each other tomorrow,” Crimson Bell answered. “If you manage to defeat me, I’ll acknowledge that you have not only become my equal, but surpassed me. If you do not… it shall only show that nothing has changed, even after all these years.”

“Fine!” Dash agreed. “I’ll show you just how much I’ve grown!”

“Ooh, ooh, a challenge?” Pinkie Pie suddenly joined in the conversation, confusing both Dash and her mother. “Is it a bake-off? The Cakes’ traditional challenge was a bake-off! My family had a challenge too, but it always took so long to grow pyrite! Anyways, if it’s a bake-off, I can be a judge!”

“No, little and excited one,” Crimson Bell said and chuckled. She turned around, ready to leave the mess hall. “The traditional challenge of the Firefly Faction is a no-holds-barred combat between two individuals. It shall only end when the other surrenders or either participant has a chance to deliver a fatal blow that cannot be avoided.”

Leaving the ponies in a disturbed silence, Crimson Bell marched out of the mess hall. She was greeted by her soldiers outside, and after giving them a quick nod, she disappeared completely from the sight of the group. All eyes were now on Rainbow Dash, who seemed to be switching between worry and determination.

“Well, that’s a strange way to show motherly love,” Lovely Corn said and snorted. “But I think that there was something else you girls came here for other than to pick a fight with your family members.”

This snapped Twilight out of her daze. While she was still worried about her friend, it seemed that Fluttershy was already consoling Dash, and so there was little she could do. What Twilight had to focus on now was the original reason that they had come to the Fort Stronghoof.

“A-ah, yes,” Twilight answered. “Cyclone Lance, do you have any records of a pony named Cleitus the Black? He came with some foreign forces a few years back, and I believe he may have trained here for a while.”

This question seemed to surprise Cyclone Lance. The gruff mare raised her only working eyebrow, before giving a bark of a laugh and slamming the table with her hoof.

“That brat Cleitus? Sure, I remember him. He was the leader of the youngster brigade from Coltic Lands that came here to train with our youths about eight years ago,” Cyclone Lance said. “I’ve got some records about their group in my office. I’ll show you them after we’ve eaten.“

With nothing else to truly discuss after what, the ponies fell back into silence and turned their attention back to their meals. Many things were happening all at once, and multiple concerns were brewing. While Rainbow Dash was cursing her own hot-headedness and how she let her mother antagonize her like that, Twilight was getting anxious about finding out just what had happened between her brother and Cleitus the Black.

And, while it was unknown to the rest of them, Spike had finally made a decision to search through the fort’s library, just like the strange dragon he had met had suggested.

****

The office of Cyclone Lance was as bare as most of the rooms in Fort Stronghoof. Whereas the exterior of the fort was designed beautifully, the interiors had been clearly made for function over fashion. There was just a single desk in the office, one bookcase, one shelf, and a window through which Cyclone Lance could observe the training crowds. Even now, a group of young trainees was practicing melee-combat on the field.

“Erm, girls? Has anypony seen Spike?” Twilight wondered as they stepped into the office. “I saw him when we left the mess hall, but after that…”

“Oh, Spikey-wikey said he wanted to check something in the fortress’s library,” Rarity answered. “I believe he said there was some book he had to search for.”

“A book?” Twilight asked, looking a bit skeptical. “What’s gotten into him now?”

“Ah dunno, that dragon’s been actin’ a bit weird since we left Ross-on-Welara,” Applejack commented. “Ya sure nothing’s happened to him?”

“Not that I know of, no…” Twilight put her hoof to her chin, thinking back to few days ago. “He did seem a bit quieter than usual during our training, but I just assumed it was because he got bored watching us train.”

“Maybe he’s getting homesick?” Fluttershy suggested. “He’s awfully far away from Ponyville, after all, and he’s still a baby dragon.”

“Pshaw. Spike’s been getting somewhat tougher lately, right?” Dash said with a grin. “I don’t think he’s gonna stay a baby for long.”

“Well, whatever the case, that mister better explain what’s going on once he gets back.” Twilight turned her attention to Cyclone Lance, who was going over the files in the bookcase. “So, how’s it going? Did you find anything on Cleitus the Black yet?”

As Twilight called out to her, Cyclone Lance answered by slamming a stack of papers, along with what looked like a personal file, onto the table. She tapped them with her hoof before moving away so the ponies could begin pouring over them.

“These are his personal files. I wouldn’t usually show these to outsiders, but since you lot are here on Princess Celestia’s orders, I figured I might make an exception.” She cracked a smile. “While you go over them, I might tell you a bit about him, or at least what I personally remember.”

“That’d be mighty helpful. Lots can’t be seen just by reading about what he did,” Applejack said.

“Well, let’s see. Cleitus came here with the rest of the youth legion from Coltic Lands. Joint-exercise, like I said. It was a bit before the time that Princess Cadance began training her personal guards here and lived here for few months at a time to oversee their progress,” Cyclone Lance told them.

This caught Twilight’s interest. She looked at Cyclone with a confused expression.

“Princess Cadance? I knew she disappeared from Canterlot every once in a while, but she was actually here all those times?”

“You didn’t know? Since you were asking about Cleitus, I figured you’d know the most famous tale about him. Well, if that’s the case, I think I better start from there.” Cyclone Lance scratched her chin before continuing. “Back then, both Cleitus and her were barely your age. And since they arrived at roughly the same time, both burdened with the responsibility of leadership, they hit it off pretty well; of course they became friends.”

Giving a low chuckle, Cyclone Lance shifted her gaze to the window and the fields beyond it, watching the rookie soldiers train as she continued her story.

“Cleitus was quite the wild colt back then, but Princess Cadance was there to make sure he straightened up his act every time he was about to do something stupid. Though most mercenaries end up being rambunctious good-for-nothings, Princess Cadance was the one who made sure Cleitus became a whole different breed compared to them,” Cyclone explained. “Thanks to that, Cleitus became something of a rowdy vigilante, popular and loved by everypony in the fort. He was really a stallion amongst stallions, a colt with a straight back and firm ideals, all thanks to Princess Cadance.”

At that point, the papers on the desk had been all but forgotten. Cyclone Lance’s story had completely captured the attention of the ponies. She dug out a few photos from the pile on the desk, ones showing Cleitus in his youth accompanied by other tough-looking stallions. Yet there was something clearly honorable in their postures, not unlike the Royal Guard of Canterlot.

“During his first year here in the fort, Cleitus the Black was undefeated in combat. However, that changed shortly after the spring of his second year. A stallion arrived who matched Cleitus in brawn, brain and skills,” Cyclone Lance said. “Shining Armor, the prodigy of the Canterlot Guard, and the one who was rumored to be the sweetheart of Princess Cadance. He had immense strength and used all of it to protect both his ideals and those dear to him, so you can understand that he became popular very quickly.”

Cyclone Lance paused for a moment to pull out yet another picture. For a moment Twilight thought it looked awfully familiar, and she realized it was an eerie echo of the picture in her own album. This showed young Shining Armor and Cleitus standing back to back, each holding a weapon and staring into the distance. For Shining Armor, the weapon was a sword. For Cleitus, it was a long spear.

“They were a strange pair: a mercenary and a soldier. Only once did they get into a serious fight during the year they met, and that was because of the different backgrounds they came from. But as individuals, they both fought to protect the country they loved. While Shining Armor was a native to Equestria, Cleitus the Black had learned to adore this country, and wanted nothing more than to ensure its peace,” Cyclone Lance continued. With a sigh, she sat down on the chair behind the desk. “It was after that one fight that those two became the greatest of friends. They were simply inseparable, those two fools. But… unfortunately, there was a problem. You see, they were in love with the same mare.”

Five ponies gasped out of surprise. While Pinkie Pie remained oblivious, and Lovely Corn didn’t seem to care, the others had understood what Cyclone Lance meant.

“That’s right. They both fell in love with Princess Cadance. Shining Armor had known her for a longer time, but ponies of Coltic Lands fall in love furiously and at first sight. That was simply a disaster waiting to happen. While Princess Cadance clearly shared Shining Armor’s feelings, she saw Cleitus as nothing more than a great friend. For Cleitus, who was even ready to abandon his fiancé waiting for him back in the Coltic Lands, this was a grave insult.”

Cyclone Lance gave a sigh, leaning back in her chair. She stared at the ceiling, as if she saw the memories of those days right in front of her.

“Eventually, things came to a boiling point. Cleitus challenged Shining Armor to a duel over Cadance’s hoof. Neither of course told anything about this to the mare in question. I still remember that it was raining that day. They both had snuck out of the barracks at night, in the darkness where not even the moon bore witness to their battle,” Cyclone Lance told. “It was a grievous match, lasting well into the following morning. But, in the end, Cleitus was defeated and Shining Armor was victorious. I don’t know what those two said before parting, but after that neither talked much to each other.”

“S-so, in the end…” Twilight was unable to finish the question.

“In the end, Shining Armor returned to Canterlot to take over the position of the Captain of the Royal Guard. As to what became of him and Princess Cadance… well, even you must know about the wedding about two months ago?” Cyclone Lance said. “Cleitus the Black left around the same time, and I haven’t heard much about him since then. They say that Cleitus completed his training and returned to the Coltic Lands, where his fiancée was waiting for him, but apparently he had no interest in either his heritage or his future wife. He quickly returned to Equestria with his troops and started his own band of mercenaries.”

At this point, Cyclone Lance’s eyes grew cold.

“They said that no matter how underhoofed the deal or the tactic, he was willing to use it if it meant that his band of mercenaries remained on top,” she explained. “He was neither the loved vigilante nor the respected warrior he had used to be. The reason and the culprit for his change have never been pointed out, but I think we can all make our conclusions from his tale.”

“So for the sake of love, he was willing to destroy his friendship, only to end up losing them both in the end?” Rarity asked, having quite a troubled expression on the face. “Had I not met him and seen how unpleasant he is, I could probably… Sympathize with his plight, to some extent.”

“Ah don’t really care what’s his deal is,” Applejack firmly said. “Even if he can’t get over an unrequited crush, he ain’t got no right to do the things he did.”

“Hmh. The only pony I felt sorry for in that story was the fiancée,” Lovely Corn said with a stern expression. “To wait for somepony to come back, only to find out how fleeting the supposed love was… I guess that’s curse of every mare, huh?”

“Wait a minute,” Rainbow Dash suddenly interjected. “Wasn’t there something a bit weird in that story? Didn’t you say that Shining Armor won most of the times when he faced off against Cleitus, Cyclone?”

“That’s right,” Cyclone Lance answered. “They were more evenly matched in the beginning, but as time went on, Shining Armor clearly proved to be the superior fighter.”

“Okay. So, how did Cleitus beat Shining Armor so easily back in Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash continued. “Doesn’t that seem a bit odd to you guys?”

Twilight’s mind, despite her initial hesitation, momentarily returned to the fateful night. She remembered running until she was out of breath. She remembered the heavy, cloak-like rain. She remembered the sight of blood. She remembered the sight of what she had presumed to be the corpse of her own brother. She remembered the rage that had taken over her afterwards.

But, pushing aside the red haze, there was one other thing she remembered: the wound that had been inflicted on Shining Armor. A single thrust-wound, caused by a horn, cleanly on his side where there was a crack in the armor. A wound so perfectly inflicted that it was almost artificial or unnatural. Ignoring the painful memories, Twilight focused on the shape and the direction of the wound. It was clean and round, not one made in the heat of a brawl. It was also slight aimed downwards, which would mean…

“…That wound on Shining Armor. It was never meant to be fatal.” Twilight could scarcely believe her own words, and neither could her friends.

“Now hold on just a minute!” Applejack protested. “Ya know that Shining Armor ended up in the hospital bed for far longer than ya.”

“I know, I know! But the more I think about it, the more it becomes clear that the wound could have never been fatal,” Twilight answered. “It was too clean and too well-aimed for that to be a simple mistake.”

“But that don’t make a lick of sense!” Applejack said. Pinkie giggled at her friend, patting the orange pony on the back.

“Of course it does, silly!” Pinkie said. “It just means that Cleitus didn’t try to kill Shining Armor.”

A shocked silence overtook the room after this revelation. The mere suggestion that Cleitus the Black, the aughisky who had been a source of so much misery, hadn’t actually tried to kill Shining Armor was hard to swallow. In fact, it seemed that everypony other than Pinkie Pie found it simply ludicrous. Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack wore a doubtful expression, while Rarity and Fluttershy simply seemed confused.

As for Twilight… she hardly showed any expression at all. It was like her face had completely frozen into an emotionless sate.

“B-but what, pray tell, does that mean?” Rarity finally asked. “Things simply do not seem to add up.”

“I don’t know, I don’t really care!” Twilight suddenly said, nearly shouting. Her expression had not changed, but now there was anger brewing in her eyes. “What I know is that he nearly killed him! Just what sort of decent pony would maim their own friend!?”

“…That wouldn’t be the first time for Cleitus.”

All the eyes were on Cyclone Lance after she had said those words. With a sigh, she leaned forward, giving a stern look to the ponies before her.

“This isn’t a story I’d like to repeat either, but I think you deserve to know,” she said. “Cleitus the Black is from Coltic Lands, and their way of handling things is a bit different. It happened during their first year here. There was an outbreak of rebellious Diamond Dogs near the border, and the youth legion that Cleitus led went to stop them. One of those warriors was a young colt, few years younger than you are right now. He was awfully unfit to be a warrior, but since his parents so wished, he tried his best to fit in. To the others, he was nothing but a deadweight, one that would probably get himself killed one day, and when the mission regarding the Diamond Dogs came, Cleitus was afraid that it would be that day.”

Cyclone Lance closed her eyes and an expression of distaste rose to her face.

“No words would sway the colt’s intention of going on the mission. So, despite the fact that it went against everything ponies of Equestria are taught, Cleitus did the unthinkable. He shattered the horn of that young colt, effectively preventing him from taking part in any battle. The poor pony was so traumatized by the act that he left for his homeland the next week,” Cyclone Lance told them. “But he survived, just like Cleitus had wanted. When I later asked for his explanation, he said that he’d rather maim those dear to him than allow them to die in a futile battle. It is not the way that we do things in Equestria… but for those raised in the Coltic Lands, it was acceptable and even merciful for Cleitus to do that.”

If the last revelation had caused a shocked silence in the room, this time it was like all the sound had been simply stolen from it. Ponies stared in horror and realization at Cyclone Lance, all of them quietly connecting the pieces in their heads. And when they did, they turned to look at Twilight, who had gone completely pale.

Only Lovely Corn showed an indifferent expression, but even she was biting her lip.

“So… So you’re telling me he did it b-because of some… some twisted sense of pity? Some twisted sense of mercy?” Twilight whispered with a quiet voice, before it turned into a roar of bursting anger. “No! No he didn’t! That’s simply ridiculous! Nopony would traumatize others in order to save them! That was nothing but an act of cruelty, some aughisky way of humiliating your opponent and everything that is dear to them!”

In the face of that outburst, Cyclone Lance could do nothing but to look at Twilight with apologetic eyes. For that one moment, the trauma that had been haunting Twilight ever since they left Ponyville came boiling out, and it scared her friends. It made them realize just what the unicorn had been trying to hide from them.

“I cannot judge the reasons behind Cleitus’ actions. I couldn’t before, and I certainly cannot now,” Cyclone Lance said, quickly glancing at the stump of a horn on Twilight’s forehead. “But I know this: while it was not with physical violence, Cleitus did hurt Shining Armor, too. When they still had been friends, they had made a promise: a promise to protect Equestria as long as they lived and as long as their strength did not fail them. It was a warrior’s promise, reins that kept them both tied to this country and the land they loved.”

Cyclone Lance let out a drawn-out sigh, with her body losing strength in the process. For a moment, her armored form did not seem strong at all, but weak and powerless.

“…I admit, I lied to you before. I know some of what they talked about that day, when their friendship was broken,” she confessed. “It was then that Cleitus, despite beaten and lying in the mud, told Shining Armor that he would be never able to protect Equestria with his convictions. Cleitus spat on the face of their promise, and told Shining Armor that only he, the one not bound by the morals of ponies, could protect this country. Cleitus said… that he alone would uphold that promise, and that Shining Armor should simply live his life as the husband of Cadence, a position where he could never risk his life anymore.”

There was a loud sound as Twilight slammed her hoof against the table so hard that the wood cracked. Her expression was no longer that of anger or sadness. There was still a hint of sorrow hanging around her, not to talk about the doubts swimming around in her mind, but right now what radiated from her was determination. Something in that tale, the tale of the bitter friendship between the two stallions, had awakened something within her.

“Then I’ll take that promise as mine to uphold,” Twilight spoke, and her voice no longer wavered. “He said my brother couldn’t protect this country. And while he might have been wrong about it before, he’s not now. Cleitus made sure that Shining Armor could only lie in the hospital bed and watch as Marecedonia tramples over us., but there’s no need to worry…”

Twilight let her eyes wander from one friend of hers to another, absorbing the faith they had put in her for all these years. Time and time again, she had been able to push forward only because these ponies were there standing by her side, and this time was no different. The only difference was their opposition, but even so, Cleitus the Black was simply just another obstacle who wanted to see the skies of peaceful Equestria painted over with the red color of war.

“…if my brother can’t do it, I will,” Twilight announced. “I’ll keep that warrior’s promise, and allow those reins to chain me to the destiny of this country. Not simply because this is my dear home, but because it’s the only thing I can do right now for my brother.”

“And how do you intend to do that?” Cyclone Lance asked. “Will you defeat all the enemies of Equestria like Shining Armor and Cleitus intended?”

“That’s just the same path as the one your enemies travel, you know?” Lovely Corn added, looking at Twilight with a strange expression. It was both melancholic and proud. “And look where it led them.”

“No, I won’t make that mistake,” Twilight said, placing her hoof over her heart. “I’ll simply do what I’ve always done. I’ll protect all of those who live in this wonderful land, one where peace reigns over everything. I simply won’t allow anypony else to get hurt anymore.”

“…even though you’ve been hurt so much?” Fluttershy asked with a voice that was nothing more than a whisper. “Even though we’ll probably be hurt more in the future?”

“Even though we can’t be sure we’ll even succeed?” Rainbow Dash continued, staring sternly at Twilight. Applejack joined in, asking the next question.

“Even though there ain’t no way to know what lies in the end of our journey?”

“Even though we cannot know just what we will lose in the process, darling?” Rarity chimed in, looking almost solemn.

“Even though nopony can promise we’ll make it back alive?” Pinkie Pie concluded, her face uncharacteristically serious.

For a moment, the unicorn at the center of the attention was silent. Then, having been given strength by her new determination, she raised her head and faced the eyes of her comrades.

“Even so.” There was no hesitation in her voice. “Because I made a promise to my brother just now. And we won’t lose anything, nor will anypony else, because I’ll protect you all, and I know you all will protect me.”

“That’s right,” Lovely Corn said and chuckled. “That’s not just simply friendship. That’s something gained only through understanding each other perfectly… in other words: harmony.”

Then and there, after what had felt for them like the longest of times, the six ponies embraced each other in a tight group hug just like they had used to. They squeezed each other with all of their strength, and yet they shared only smiles and not a single tear, because they knew that no matter what had happened in the past, and no matter what tragic events drove their enemies to do what they did… there was always someone who would protect them, and whom they would protect.

That was what they had promised to each other. A single, simple promise they had decided to uphold, for the sake of the one mare who had lost so much and yet decided to strive forward, despite the pain that refused to leave her.

Twilight knew her trauma was long from gone, and that nightmares would still continue to plague her, but there was now a glint of hope in the dark distance. It was something she could run forward to, to the day when she would finally understand the true reasons behind her loss… and maybe even accept them.

Unfortunately, at that point, something happened which broke the heartfelt moment between the group. It started with the sound of pounding footsteps coming down the corridor outside, which Applejack picked up first. She looked at the door with curious eyes, wondering what could cause such a racket. Soon enough everypony else heard it too, and everypony’s attention had switched towards the door.

When the door finally opened with alarming force, none of them could believe their eyes.

Eight jaws hung open in amazement at the sight that stood in the doorway, panting as if he had run all the way to the office, which he probably had. However, his mere appearance was so absurd it took the ponies a good while to even comprehend what was going on. The first one to react was, unsurprisingly, Twilight herself. She took a careful step forward, and tried to mask her shock, only to fail miserably.

“S-Spike? Is… is that you?”

What stood in the doorway was Spike, the baby dragon who had accompanied them through the whole journey. However, there was something very, very wrong about his appearance.

Spike could be hardly called a baby anymore. Standing on two legs, he was now somewhat taller than a pony. His arms and legs were now considerably longer, but not as gangly as on the day when the dragon-greed had overcame him. They were more muscular, just like his general appearance. A thick tail swept nervously back and forth, and the spines growing on Spike’s back had become even sharper. Those on top of his head jutted upwards like a mane with some of them even spreading to the sides of his head. The fangs in Spike’s mouth had grown too, as could be seen from his awkward smile. The eyes of the dragon were now the color of bright emeralds, shining like the flames he tended to use.

All things considered, the change could be summed up with four simple words: Spike had grown up.

Now, standing before the shocked ponies in all his confused glory, the dragon seemed more like a teenager than a baby, and the ponies had no idea how they should have reacted to this shocking turn of events.

“E-erm… well, looks like you guys noticed it already.” Spike gave an awkward laugh. “I wasn’t sure how much had changed since the library had no mirror, but looks like… it’s really noticeable.”

Twilight could only let out unintelligible noises when she heard her assistant talking. Spike’s voice was now considerably lower, but not to the point that it would have been an adult’s voice. Just like the rest of his body, the young dragon’s voice seemed to have changed into that of a young adult, and just like the rest of the changes, this new voice unnerved the ponies greatly.

Giving an embarrassed laugh, Spike scratched the back of his head.

“Erm, anyways… Twilight? I think I may have messed up a bit,” Spike said.

The only response Twilight could give at that point was a very agreeing nod.

Chapter 10: The heart of a warrior (Part 1: Lightning)

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 10: The heart of a warrior (Part 1: Lightning)

The library of Fort Stronghoof. Although tales of the depths of this labyrinth of literature had circulated around Canterlot, mostly amongst those of pursuing the path of scribes, not many had set their hooves inside its hallowed halls. It was a relic from times long gone, housing all of the foreign literature acquired when Equestria was still waging war against its neighboring nations, over five hundred years ago.

Now, a pair of scaly legs was treading the floor of these dim corridors, their owner completely unaware of the importance of the place he was in.

“Gee, that’s a lot of books,” Spike murmured to himself. “How am I supposed to find a single book in here, anyways? Should have asked Flame that…”

Despite waging a long battle in his mind whether or not to follow the advice of the enigmatic female dragon, Spike had eventually caved in. Since his friends were focused on a slew of other problems at the moment, he had seen best to slip into the library unnoticed. To his surprised it had been unguarded, and even the door was unlocked. What he did not know was that due to the location of the fort, it had been deemed impractical to lock or guard the door; whoever made it up the mountain to steal the books inside would find it easy to break through such defenses.

The walls, lined to the brim with bookshelves, towered above the small dragon like imposing giants. He resisted the urge to swallow hard, and pressed on. What little light the lanterns hanging from the ceiling offered was swallowed by darkness quickly if one strayed off the pre-prepared paths. All Spike could do was follow these corridors as they twisted and turned around the huge library.

At least until certain he caught a hint of a certain, familiar fragrance.

“Wait… this smells like Flame?” Spike said. “That can’t be right. She couldn’t possibly be here. Unless… unless… Oh, man! What was it that Twilight said about Charm magic again?”

The young dragon fervently thought back to the day after the battle against Elfin Fresh and Silent Relic. They had been in the inn of the town, discussing about their victory, when he had sneaked in a question about magic that could charm other living beings. That was the only way he could describe the effect that Flame had on him, after all. She had even called herself “Scales of Charm.”

“Charm magic? That’s a weird question, Spike,” Twilight said and giggled. “But, let’s see… charming somepony else has to be done through one of their senses. Usually it’s through visuals, such as adding a feature to yourself that others find irresistible, or have your eyes alter the vision of others slightly whenever they gaze into them. Of course, other things work, too. Some songs are simple form of charming magic, after all.”

“That’s it!” Spike exclaimed. “It’s her scent! That’s how she did it!”

Having realized this, Spike hurried to follow the alluring scent of roses and berries that seemed to trail through the library. He ran through small corridors and ducked below low archways, determined to get to the source of the fragrance. With every meter he crossed, the scent got stronger, until it threatened to engulf his brain and bring him to the same sweet stupidity that had caught him when he first met Flame.

He had an effective remedy for that, though: the image of a certain white mare in his heart.

It did not take long for Spike to find the source of the scent. It was clear that Flame had knowingly left this trail to follow, as now that he was at its source, it was so strong it would have been impossible to miss. The scent had completely covered one bookshelf and a certain book in it particularly. It was a thick tome, almost the size of Spike, tucked away suspiciously at the lower-left corner of the shelf.

“Found you.” Spike smirked victoriously and dragged the book out of the shelf, slamming it to the floor in the process.

After the cloud of dust that the book had puffed up had dispersed, Spike could finally see the letters that took half of its cover. They were large and golden in color, but oddly dull, as if to drive away the interest of anyone curious about the contents. However, the title itself was foreboding.

“Record of Draconic Matters…” Spike whispered, unable to contain his awe. “This must be it.”

With shaking claws, he took a hold of the cover of the book and carefully pried it open. The first page he saw under it was blank, as he had expected. The paper had a worn look to it, and he was afraid that he might accidentally damage the book if he wasn’t careful. Thus, he slowly turned the pages, until he saw a first sign of writing.

There, with jet-black ink and brushstrokes more akin to claw-marks, were written words that echoed deep within Spike’s mind, like a sound of a cloister-bell.

“To whom can read these words,” Spike mumbled, reading aloud the words written. “Know this: this is your birthright.”

Sudden burst of excitement caught hold of Spike, and he found himself quickly opening the next page. It was like his vision was glued to the white sheets and his claws could not stop themselves. He even failed to recognize the fact that small, transparent bubbles had begun to rise from the floor around him, a sign of gathering, materialized magical energy.

“The Oath of Scales,” Spike read aloud and turned to the next page, hurry pounding in his mind without a reason.

“There is a duty for our kind, one we must fill to the end of time itself,” Spike spoke, this time with a little more force. “Repeat unto destruction, repeat unto creation. By the right of our Great Ancestor, we shall take upon the Mantle and the Crown, once dispersed in the world.”

Around Spike the magical energy was gathering in droves, rising above the ground like a rain pushing upwards. The unperceivable sound, the sound of magic, lowly hummed in the library, hidden from the ears of the rest of the fort. However, the young dragon was completely oblivious to all this. He was like possessed, reading aloud the lines written on the ancient pages of the book.

“I acknowledge my fate. I shall become one of the Six, remnants of Him who was lost,” Spike spoke, his voice now booming through the effect of the materialized magic. “For the sake of this World, everything I will lose shall be gained hundredfold.”

Light began shining under Spike, but he could not tear his eyes away from the book. Magic circle, as old as time, created through nothing but magical energy, appeared below him like an altar of sacrifice. The hallowed forms and runes of that circle bore meanings of past and future, of destiny and choice. They were locks and doors, meant for both freedom and imprisonment.

“This shall be my Oath: I shall become the reaver of all kingdoms,” Spike nearly shouted. “I shall become the paladin of all land!”

The screech of the magic was now filling his ears, but all Spike could hear was his own voice, forcefully spouting out words pouring into his eyes from the pages of the tome. The light of the magic circle below him was enough to blind him, but he no longer needed eyes to read: the words were echoing in his mind, and he was simply repeating them. It was as if the knowledge of the book was directly transported into him, like an ancient memory or a recording of something long lost.

“Thus, entrust the power once hidden to me, for I am he who shalt protect this shattered world!” Spike’s voice reached its high note. “Clad in the armor of earth and wielding a sword of fire, he who soars on wings of wind, crying tears of the ocean! I am one of those who came after… a Scale of Harmony!”

Light engulfed the room. Sound engulfed the room. Outside, in the corridors of Fort Stronghoof, a bright flash of white could be seen for a split-second. The oath had been stated, and it had been agreed upon. By whom, no one knew. However, the one swearing this oath was clear. His knighting had been announced by a bell that was as clear as the white moon, with a sound that could be heard only by five others. No matter how close to him, no matter how far away, all at the same time, they heard the sound of the bell of judgment.

In a colossal chapel in the middle of a lustrous city, a white dragon raised her gaze and gave a predatory smile.

On a road that seemed to have no end, a blue dragon perked its ears and sighed in amazement, before shaking his head.

Within a forest shrouded in ancient darkness, a red dragon looked up to the skies and smiled knowingly.

At the balcony of a castle built to the side of a great mountain, a green dragon raised her fist in the air and cheered at the top of her lungs.

Gazing at the golden city that spread before his eyes, an orange dragon spat to the ground and snarled in growing rage.

The five of them had all heard it. The sixth had been awakened. All of them responded with their own feelings at this fact that none of them could deny. The sixth scale had finally taken its place, and thus the world moved a bit further on its road towards whatever awaited it.

“G-guah!”

Spike fell to his knees, letting out a yelp of pain. The light subsided and the sound no longer pounded his skull. Gone were the words that had so forcefully entered his lips. Suddenly, it felt as if nothing at all had happened. The grandiose, hidden spectacle that had taken a hold of the young dragon was gone so fast that it felt like a daydream.

However, its effects were plain for everypony to see.

“W-what!?” Spike shouted, his voice sounding suddenly an octave deeper. “M-my arms!”

Having bent over on the floor, gasping his breath, Spike first noticed the change in his arms. They were now far longer than he had gotten used to. As he jumped up, he noticed the same was true with his legs. His point of view was now much higher, and as he peered at his feet, he realized they were now muscular and powerful, like those of an adolescent dragon. Not only that, but his whole frame seemed to have had a growth spurt. No longer short and stubby, he was now lean and athletic, while still retaining his original features.

“O-oh no… oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!” Spike sputtered, having a hard time grasping what had just happened. “What should I do!? What did I do!? What went wrong!? I… I was just supposed to read a book…!”

A book. That word brought up an answer to Spike’s mind. He turned at his heels, almost stumbling over as he did, and ran as fast as he could back where he had come from. It was an awkward, wobbly run, but with each step he got a better hang of it. In fact, Spike was sure that some instincts he had never had before were shaping his actions into fluid, agile motions. Almost as if knowledge of something had been planted in his head. However, that was not important at the moment.

“I gotta tell Twilight about this!” Spike shouted in panic.

Thus the dragon, who was no longer a baby, charged out of the library in search of his adoptive sister.

****

“Musica Equus.”

Twilight’s worse finally broke the silence that had reigned after Spike had told about what had happened in the library. Her eyes were clouded with worry and questions as she checked the body of the dragon, peering at every scale like it could have continued to grow even further.

The whole group was now packed in the office of Cyclone Lance. Though the evening was already well underway, they saw no reason to leave now that this enigmatic problem had arrived. Even after Spike’s explanation, most of the ponies were staring at him with confused, and perhaps a bit doubtful, eyes. Only Twilight seemed to have a faint idea about what was going on, and since she was doing a check-up on Spike, getting answers out of her was as easy as catching a shark with your bare hooves.

“Musica Equus?” Rarity asked. ”I am fairly certain that I heard that term from my mentor a long time ago... It was something about the inner music of a pony, was it not? Like every celestial object has their harmony and their song, so does each individual pony.”

“That’s right,” Twilight answered while jotting down some notes. “According to Kheiragoras, an important philosopher and a wizard of the classical era, it’s a term that ties together with another term: Musica universalis. According to him, everything in the world was comprised of harmony. The universe, made out of celestial objects, had its own harmony. Celestial objects had their own inner harmony. While life on our planet has its own inner harmony, so does each individual life on this planet, too… In other words, each pony has their own inner harmony. He proposed that we can exist only through harmony with everything that surrounds. After all, magic itself is a means to harness and establish harmony, one way or another. Why should we be any different?”

“Come again, pardner?” Applejack asked with a confused expression.

“If magic can exist only as means of harmony, why should we be any different?” Twilight asked, now poking Spike with her pen. “Without harmony, the world would cease to exist as a concrete concept, becoming something abstract and meaningless. You remember what happened with Discord, right? In other words, when we achieve our inner harmony, we exist. As we exist, the planet gains its own harmony. As celestial objects exist, the universe gains its harmony… and thus exists.”

“Ah, I think I know what you are talking about, dear,” Rarity chimed in. “Taijitu, I think they called it in Neighpon… a rather difficult concept about a highest form of concept, from which everything flows and reproduces in an infinite manner.”

“Wow! How did you know that?” Pinkie asked with eyes wide in surprise, causing Rarity to blush and smile.

“Oh, it is nothing,” she assured. “That concept does pop up every now and then in the artistic way that the ponies of Neighpon design their clothes. The idea of the flow of the universe being created by opposites becoming each other, and then producing further opposites, has taken a root quite firmly in their culture.”

“You’re right, Rarity,” Twilight answered. “It’s not that different from Taijitu, just Equestrian brand of that idea. The gist of it is that everything must be in harmony, or there can be no existence… and that’s exactly what I think happened here, Spike.”

“W-what do you mean?” Spike asked, sweating bullets. Twilight tapped him lightly on the forehead with her pen.

“I think that book added something into you. Knowledge, memories, abilities… who knows what?” Twilight explained. “However, that was not earned, and simply added to your existence. Something like that is, obviously, not harmonious. So, in order for you to exist, your body had to change to accommodate that something. Think of it… well, if the book had added a memory that you just recently hit your head, your body would have grown a dent in your scales so that everything matched, and your harmony was preserved. It’s the same thing here, only we don’t know what was added in you. We just see the effects that it had on your body. It’s like reversing causality, if you want to put it that way.”

“That… that doesn’t make a lick of sense,” Rainbow Dash said flatly, causing Twilight to groan.

“Anyway! The gist of it is that Spike now has something in him that made his body that way,” she concluded. “And I’m not feeling reassured until I know what that thing was.”

There was a low clearing of a throat coming from the other side of the office. The ponies turned to look at the source, and saw Cyclone Lance watching them quite sternly.

“I can understand that. However, I would like to point out that it is getting rather late,” she said. “From what I heard, it seems that Crimson Bell is planning on starting the duel before the sun rises. The rest of you must be exhausted, too, having learned all this in addition of climbing up here. I suggest that you all get some sleep now that you can. I received worrying news from the mountains earlier today, and I am not sure if we can afford the luxury of sleep in the future.”

“Rats. I think you’re right…” Rainbow Dash was the first to concede. “I’ve got a slim chance of winning against Mom even at my best. I don’t want to do it sleep-deprived.”

“Ya got a point there, sugarcube,” Applejack agreed. “We should all get some shut-eye now that we can.”

The rest of the ponies seemed to agree with this suggestion. However, Twilight still kept sneaking worried glances at Spike. Eventually she coughed to catch everypony’s attention, and nodded towards her dragon friend.

“You girls go ahead and sleep. I want to watch over Spike this night to make sure nothing happens to him,” she announced.

“Oh, no you won’t, dear.” To everypony’s surprise, Rarity was the one to reject Twilight’s suggestion. “I can see from your eyes that you’ve still to recover from your battle. Not to mention I have in good authority that you have had trouble sleeping lately. Do not worry, I shall watch over Spike for this night. You need to get some rest, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight looked dumbstruck by this sudden turn of events. She quickly recovered, and waved her front legs to get her point across.

“B-but this happened because I wasn’t careful enough! If I had known—“

“Oh shush, Twilight. La nuit porte conseil. You cannot help Spike if you are not well-rested and clear-minded,” Rarity interrupted. “Do a favor for the both of you and sleep well this night. Tomorrow you can begin working on whatever is ailing Spike. And do not fret. I shall make sure he stays safe while you sleep.”

There was a momentary silence that fell upon the office. Twilight gave a somewhat angry, somewhat apologetic gaze to the floor. Eventually a tired smile rose to her face and she lifted her eyes back to Rarity. Seeing Twilight’s expression, everypony in the room returned that smile. Rarity even nodded encouragingly.

“Sure. I think you’re right. My head is so full of questions right now I can’t think straight,” Twilight agreed. “Sleep sounds like the best option.”

“I am glad you understand, dear,” Rarity said.

So the group finally headed out of the room. Cyclone Lance had reserved rooms from the mares’ barracks for them to use, and despite Spike’s protests, he was also housed in one of these rooms. However, when he realized that he’d actually be sharing that room with Rarity, all his complaints died on the spot, and his scales took a noticeably darker shade of purple, much to everypony’s amusement.

****

The long hours before the dawn had been filled with the sounds of clanking metal and talking soldiers. Instead of resting as they usually did, the soldiers were busy preparing for the arena that would serve as the battleground for the match that was currently hottest rumor in Fort Stronghoof. Rainbow Dash, a mare that had become famous for saving Equestria three times, and her mother, Crimson Bell: the leader of the Firefly Faction. Those two would duke it out in order to settle their personal differences.

This was just the type of duel that would get the bored soldiers of the fort excited.

One who was not excited, however, was Rainbow Dash. She kept pacing back and forth in the yard near the arena. For the first time since she had gotten it, her Wing Armor felt uncomfortable. It did not help that the lance that had been given to her from the armory of the fort felt unwieldy and cumbersome. Even her mane, which she had washed only ten minutes ago, felt like it pressed flatly against her head and obscured her vision.

“U-um, I think you should calm down,” Fluttershy said from the sidelines, looking worriedly at her friend. “Getting nervous now will only make you… hesitate.”

“I know, I know!” Dash answered in slight annoyance. “It’s just that… I mean, why before the dawn? I haven’t been awake for half an hour, and already I’m supposed to fight? What is that old mare thinking, declaring the fight to happen now?”

While Rainbow Dash seemed determined to carve her hoofprints into the cobblestone of the yard, her friends were all gathered around the small table where the remnants of a breakfast were laid. However, not all of them were there. Rarity and Spike had remained in the fort, since the dragon needed his rest. Twilight Sparkle, on the other hoof, was nowhere to be found. Cyclone Lance seemed to know something about her disappearance, but remained rather tight-lipped about it.

“She’s tryin’ to shake ya off yer game,” Applejack commented. “Don’t let it get to ya.”

“And what’s up with those clouds!?” Dash groaned and pointed up at the skies. “When we went to bed, the sky was clear! Now we’ve got all those clouds gathered above the fort!”

Straight above the group, and indeed the whole fort, was a vast array of small clouds that formed something akin to a maze in the sky. Thanks to the fact that there was hardly any wind at the moment, the clouds weren’t moving anywhere. They provided a great obstacle if the Rainbow Dash or her mother decided to take the fight up to the skies.

“Oh Dashie, just calm down. Everything will be fine!” Pinkie said and laughed. “Here, have a muffin! I brought some from the mess hall.”

Following that sentence, the pink pony stuffed a blueberry muffin straight into Dash’s mouth, causing the pegasus to nearly choke on it. Applejack grimaced and smacked her face with her hoof.

“Ah presume ya asked the chef if ya could take them?” Applejack asked. Pinkie shook her head happily.

“Nope!”

“Darn it… As if we ain’t got enough problems,” Applejack said and grunted.

“I see that you and your friends are all ready, little magpie,” voice called out behind the group. “That is commendable. Futile, but commendable.”

In the light darkness of the approaching dawn stood Crimson Bell, dressed up in her usual armor and camouflage-pattern clothing. She had even used red paint to draw some markings on her face, like she had been some sort of tribal warrior. In other words, older mare was as imposing as ever, eyeing the group up and down. She walked over to her daughter, gave her one heavy look down the ridge of her muzzle, and scoffed. This caused Dash’s eyebrow to twitch, and she brought her face right in front of Crimson Bell’s.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be with rest of your soldiers?” Dash asked. Crimson Bell nodded.

“Indeed. I simply wanted to see if you had decided to be a mare and show up,” she said. “I am glad that you didn’t choose to simply flee.”

“Never!” Dash announced, which only served to amuse her mother.

“I see. Good enough, I suppose.”

Having said those words, Crimson Bell turned her back to the ground and began walking away from them. She headed straight to the other side of the yard, where her soldiers were waiting. Dash grimaced as if she had eaten something sour and spat to the ground, glaring after her mother.

“She’s got some nerve…” Dash muttered.

“But… Um, didn’t she seem a bit tired?” Fluttershy suddenly asked. “She had very heavy bags under her eyes.”

“Now that ya mention it, sugarcube…” Applejack tapped her chin with her hoof. “Ah recon she might have. Ah wonder why?”

“Who cares! Even when tired, she could still send a dragon away in tears,” Dash said. “It’s not like it makes any difference!”

“Maybe not, but, isn’t it… suspicious?” Fluttershy asked. She tried to say more, but at that moment, the sound of blaring horns cut of all speech on the yard gathered the attention to the arena.

Cyclone Lance stood at the center of the huge hexagon-shaped arena. It was paved with heavy stones that looked like it would take ten earth ponies to move them. Into the stones, various pictures of dueling ponies had been carved. Flags surrounded the arena from all sides, each bearing either the three-legged crow or the symbol of Equestria’s army, the eclipsed sun.

“Attention, everypony! We have gathered here to bear witness to the age old tradition amongst the Firefly Faction!” Cyclone Lance shouted, her voice booming in the night. “Tonight, a duel shall take place here, in this very arena! The hero of Equestria, Bearer of the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, has challenged Crimson Bell, the leader of the Firefly Faction! Their duel shall be no-holds-barred match where usage of non-lethal weapons is allowed! The boundaries of this duel shall be the walls of Fort Stronghoof, and she who breaks this boundary shall be disqualified immediately! A true warrior never runs from battle! I now ask the combatants: are you ready?”

The first one to walk up to Cyclone Lance was Crimson Bell. The older mare’s red mane was tied up to keep it from obscuring her vision, and the guns at her flanks where glistening in the starlight. She was like a general from an ancient painting, her mere sight imposing a sense of awe and respect to those around her. Despite this being just the result of a quarrel with her daughter, her eyes told that she took this challenge as seriously as any battle. That realization made something twinge in Dash’s heart, though even she was unsure what it was.

“I am ready and prepared,” Crimson Bell announced. “The duel may begin.”

This was Dash’s cue. Swallowing hard, she began walking towards the arena and stopped at the opposing edge from her mother. After calming down her breathing, Dash gave one glance at Bell, one at Cyclone Lance, and then one towards the sky. She then forced herself to relax, adjusted the lance that was strapped to her side, and finally nodded to herself.

“I am ready and prepared!” Dash shouted. “The duel may begin!”

Though the blue mare did not realize it, when she stood there in her armor, wielding a lance larger than her, she gave off a very different impression from the cocky weather mare of Ponyville that her friends had learned to love. Instead, she gave off an aura of an ancient hero heading out to the battle for the sake of glory and peace. Even Lovely Corn let out a low whistle, impressed by the straight posture and the determined look in the younger mare’s eyes.

“Very well!” Cyclone Lance said. She raised her front leg in the air to act as a signal to the combatants. “Then let your match, under the watchful eye of the ancestor of the Firefly Faction… begin!”

Cyclone Lance’s leg was swung down.

The battle had begun.

Before Dash had even time to register the sound in her ears, Crimson Bell had stood up to her hind legs and drawn two guns from their holsters. Two triggers were pulled and blazes of the muzzle flames lit up the fading night. Whistling sound passed Dash from both sides of her head, and she saw the after-images of the wooden pellets Bell was using. They were dangerous – not deadly but dangerous.

“Rats!” Dash shouted, and ducked at the last split-second, barely avoiding the pellets.

By the time that Dash had recovered and fixed her gaze to her mother, Crimson Bell was long gone from her original position. Her powerful wings were beating the air and she soared towards the sky, leaving behind a trail of blood red light. Gritting her teeth together, Dash struck towards the ground with her wings, gaining air under them and lifting herself up from the ground. Within the span of five seconds, she was already accelerating after her mother.

The two pegasi, red and blue, took towards the skies, leaving the audience on the groundside looking after them in awe. The rainbow trail left by Dash intersected the red one of Bell, never completely catching up to it but not losing a single bit of ground. By the time that the onlookers had realized that the duel was now airborne, the two fighters had reached the first layer of clouds. They now zigzagged between them like bolts of lightning, avoiding attacks from each other.

Loud bangs emanated from the guns of Crimson Bell, becoming more like a rapid, continuous sound. The muzzle flames were like brutal fireworks aimed straight at Rainbow Dash as she tried to evade each and every one of them. With the way things currently, there was no way Dash could get close enough to attack with her lance. She knew that even though her mother sported 24 guns on her person, her ammo weren’t infinite. She simply needed to endure until her mother ran out of pellets, after which she could move to offensive.

This was easier said than done. Dodging the rain of the wooden ammunition completely was nigh impossible. For every ten she dodged, she could feel two strike her coat, bruising it badly.

Two red flintlock-pistols were thrown towards the ground and Crimson Bell drew another two. She followed this by extending her hind legs and drawing two more. Now that they were in the air, she could use all her limbs for attacking. Gunpowder ignited and pellets were shot towards Rainbow Dash in a lightning fast volley. The blue pegasus curved sharply downwards and gritted her teeth together as she felt the pellets hit her back and wings.

If this continues, I’ll just end up bruised all over! Rainbow Dash thought. I need to do something! Even if I get hurt, I need to make her use up her ammo faster!

Making a decision, Dash quickly unstrapped the lance at her side. Using her front legs, she swung the large weapon around and turned to face her mother, who had already aimed straight at her. Then, giving a roar of war, Dash charged straight towards Crimson Bell, utilizing every ounce of speed that was in her body.

The gleam of the Wing Armor turned into a brilliant shine, and Rainbow Dash shot like a comet towards her mother, the lance in her hooves hungering. In rapid response, Crimson Bell fired a volley of shots, forcing her daughter to change trajectory. However, Dash didn’t stop there. Persevering under the fire, she chose a different approaching angle, accelerated once more and continued her attack.

Thus, the exchange of bullets and lance-attacks turned into a beautiful dance on the dark sky. For every attack that Crimson Bell repelled, Dash had prepared another from another angle. She was a like a comet chained to the planet that was her mother, striking again and again, no matter how many times she was forced to retreat. To the ponies watching from the ground below, it seemed like the rainbow-colored trail was trying to engulf the red glow that remained stationary.

Wooden bullets scarred the air as they whistled all around the nigh-dancing Rainbow Dash. Her lance was swung in a flurry of attacks, parrying pellets left and right. Every time she got close enough, Dash launched a lunging attack, only for it to be dodged by Bell. This was followed by a retaliating shot that forced Dash to retreat, but only for a second. The same ritual was repeated immediately afterwards, and this all happened at unbelievable speeds.

However, Dash could see that her recklessness was paying off. More and more revolver-like flintlock-pistols were thrown away as Crimson Bell had used up their ammunition. More than half of the holsters were already empty. Dash knew that if she could this barrage of attacks continuing for just a little longer, she would have a chance of victory.

Guns and a lance, opposing each other in the middle of the air; together, they created a tapestry of a duel, painting the fading night with the colors of azure and crimson. The two fighters, mother and a daughter, put their all into the combat as they wounded the very air around them with their attacks.

“Whoa Nelly!” Applejack exclaimed, unable to tear her eyes off the sight. “Is it just me, or has RD gotten a mighty bit faster?”

“Um, I think she has gotten a bit used to the armor,” Fluttershy commented. “She’s been wearing it almost every day, after all.”

“Oh yeah, I thought that was a bit weird!” Pinkie said and giggled. “I figured she just liked how it smelled kinda funky.”

“Ah doubt that was it, sugarcube,” Applejack said with a deadpan expression. “But whaddya reckon RD is tryin’ to do? The girl’s just takin’ unnecessary hits.”

“Ah! Look!” Fluttershy suddenly pointed towards the sky. “I-I think that’s the last four pistols!”

“She made her mom use up all her ammo!” Pinkie exclaimed, and rubbed her chin with her hoof. “Clever girl.”

Up in the air, Rainbow Dash grinned victoriously as she saw her mother throw away the last pistols remaining. However, to her surprise, the red mare threw the final one straight towards her. Dash used her lance to swat it away, only to yelp in surprise and dive straight down when she heard the fizzing sound emanating from the gun. Only a second later, an explosion rattled the air around them, throwing both Rainbow Dash and Crimson Bell backwards. Dash was able to recover from the attack faster, while her mother dropped straight into one of the clouds below.

“That’s it, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack cheered from the groundside. “Now’s yer chance!”

“No need to remind me!” Dash answered with a grin, even though her friend could not hear her.

Rainbow Dash accelerated into a lightning fast downwards turn, turning her lance forward and aiming straight below the cloud. The moment her mother emerged from inside, she would hit her with an attack that would have all of her momentum behind it. Dash knew that she could not hold back one bit. If she did, Crimson Bell would not go down.

However, as she got closer and closer to the cloud, a stray thought entered Dash’s mind. She suddenly remembered the words that had been spoken to her by her mother a long time ago, when she had been but a filly. It was during the time Crimson Bell had trained her to be part of the Firefly Faction.

“Remember, little magpie: it is not solely your strength that makes you strong,” Crimson Bell said. “It is also your wit. You must be smarter than your enemy. And to be smart is to prepare your battlefield so that you cannot lose.”

“Prepare it?” Rainbow Dash, only eight years old at the time, asked. “How?”

“Shape the terrain. Hide your reserves. Carefully place your fortifications,” her mother answered. “Choose the battlefield that grants you the most advantage, perfect that advantage, and then lure the unwitting enemy into it, little magpie. If you eliminate the option that you lose, you shall be solely victorious. This is the lesson of the 28th Stratagem of the Firefly Faction.”

A horrible feeling of realization crept up Dash’s spine. During the short moment they had seen before the battle, her mother had shown signs of fatigue. Not only that, but the whole aerial area above Fort Stronghoof was covered with small clouds that had not been there last evening. There had to be a connection. When it was her mother, there was no such a thing as a coincidence on the battlefield.

Time seemed to slow down in Rainbow Dash’s mind as she saw her mother slowly slide out of the small cloud. Warning bells began ringing in her head, and the blue pegasus quickly struck her wings forward to decrease the speed of her charge. Without even confirming it, Dash knew she was about to stumble right into a trap.

“Hmh. Well noticed, little magpie,” Crimson Bell spoke calmly.

As she slid out of the cloud, the red mare revealed that she was no longer unarmed. Four long barrels, two in each weapon, were trained straight at Rainbow Dash. Their red, wooden handles were in a tight grip of her hooves, and the pressure plate-like triggers were already being pushed down. Rainbow Dash had only seen those weapons once before: scattergun, they were called. Terrible weapons meant to fire a volley of spherical pellets at the enemy.

Gunpowder was ignited, the weapons roared, and the muzzle-flashes lit up the night. Dash snapped her wings against her body and entered an immediate free-fall, determined to do whatever it took to avoid this deadly attack.

Wind rushed around her ears and she could hear the whistle of the hail of pellets that coursed through the air above her. Few stray ones hit her, but by the time she extended her wings, Dash knew she had made it through the worst. Determined to not remain stationary, she scanned the air to find her mother. When she did, Rainbow Dash immediately accelerated into a frantic flight.

Crimson Bell had flown through another cloud while dropping the scatterguns, and emerged with another weapon. After all, the scatterguns required manually loading the next shot, and the older mare had no time for that. This time she was sporting what seemed like an extremely long arquebus. The redwood surface of the gun was decorated with gold, and its mighty barrel extended to 2 meters in long.

Dash knew this weapon-type, too. After all, it was one of her mother’s favorites: Arquebus Taurus.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Dash cried out as she once again took a nose-dive to avoid the precision-shot of the gun.

There are over hundred clouds in the sky! Dash groaned in her mind. Are you telling me she’s got a weapon stashed in each one? How can any pegasus do that in just five hours!?

Determined to gain some ground once more in this battle, Rainbow Dash rose upwards while beating the air furiously with her wings. She prepared her lance and steeled herself. She knew that she would have to stop her mother from using any more of the pre-prepared weapon-stashes she had on the sky. The easiest way to do this was, of course, attack her straight-on in a direct melee.

However, when Dash finally locked her eyes to her mother, she immediately scrapped any plans of catching up to her. In fact, she quickly tried to think of the best way to get as far away from her as possible.

Crimson Bell had acquired another weapon. It was a long, box-shaped red weapon adorned with painting of dragons. The end pointing at Rainbow Dash was open, and she could see something like dozens of large arrows, each with a metallic dragon head, aimed at her. With her mouth, Crimson Bell scratched a flint against the tinder embedded into the side of the weapon, igniting the fuse that went inside the weapon.

“This is ridiculous!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she took distance in desperate haste.

Crimson Bell simply smiled when hearing the outburst of her daughter. This smile was followed by a carmine display of flames as the dragon-shaped rockets were launched from the weapon known as “long serpent,” straight towards Rainbow Dash.

****

Sky before the dawn, the rhythmical pounding of the hooves trampling what little grass did grow on the mountainside and the arrow-like formation that perfectly followed her every move… everything in this situation seemed unreal for Twilight Sparkle. How she had gotten from waking up in the bed well before the dawn into leading a military unit of soldiers in the canyons of the great mountain still baffled her.

It had all started when she had visited Cyclone Lance in her office after waking up. The older mare had been reading a letter lying on her desk, deep frown crowning her handsome face. When Twilight walked in, Lance had looked up to her with a relief in her eyes, along with a glint of inspiration. It was an expression that seemed nothing but foreboding.

“Twilight Sparkle. Perfect timing,” Cyclone Lance said. “I was wondering if I should send somepony to wake you up.”

“What for?” Twilight asked, a bit nervous. “Is there something wrong?”

“Yes. Very wrong,” Cyclone Lance answered with a stern expression. “I just received a word from the northern watchtower. It seems that our reports from the outskirts were not wrong. A group of armed ponies… a small company or so, is making their way through the mountains canyons, heading straight to Canterlot. The sightings have been inconclusive as to their identity, but there it is a good chance that this is a vanguard force from Marecedonia. According to reports, they are well-trained and keep up a fast pace even in such a rough terrain, which would suggest an elite military force.”

“Marecedonia!?” Twilight nearly shouted. “They are planning to attack!? B-but, I thought that their senate had yet to decide on declaring war on us.”

“Individual band not afflicted directly with the senate, or perhaps a sacrificial pawn sent by those who wish this war. Whatever the case, the truth cannot be denied. Those soldiers are not from this fort. Whoever they are, it worries me greatly,” Cyclone Lance said. “That is why I am sending a full platoon to investigate this unidentified military force. This platoon will intercept this unknown force at the St. Leonhard Pass, where we can use the mountain to our greatest advantage if the need be.”

“Alright. So, what did you need me for?” Twilight asked, getting a bit confused. “I have studied ancient warfare to some extent, but I don’t think I can act as a military advisor without any experience…”

Cyclone Lance gave her a smirk that promised something troublesome. She momentarily put her hoof into the drawer of her desk, and drew out what looked like a white piece of cloth woven with something silver. She lowered it on the desk and glanced back at Twilight.

“I’m not expecting you to. As a matter of fact…” Lance’s smile widened. “… I would like you to lead this platoon.”

A deep, deep silence fell in the room, until Twilight could finally process what the older mare had just suggested.

“W-w-w-w-w-w-w-what!?” Twilight squeaked. “You can’t be serious! How could I lead a whole platoon on my own!? I have no training! No experience! Only knowledge read from books that are too old to—“

Twilight was silenced as Cyclone Lance raised her hoof. The smirk had changed into a look of trust and seriousness.

“I know that. However, we all need to start from somewhere. The art of warfare changes rarely in a land like Equestria. Your knowledge will still serve you well,” Cyclone Lance said. “I believe that this experience is something you, as a leader of your group, direly need before travelling to Marecedonia. Not only that, but this is a personal favorite for the Princess. As well as my way of atoning for the sins of my ancestor.”

The heavy words of the older mare made Twilight unable to respond straight away. She clicked her hoof against the stone floor in an awkward silence, before heaving a heavy sigh and nodding her head slightly. She looked at Cyclone Lance, who was now gazing at her with proud eyes.

“Fine. I’ll… do it. I’m not taking responsibility of the outcome, though,” she begrudgingly said. “I’m not a warrior nor a commander. I’m just a student learning about the magic of friendship.”

Cyclone Lance nodded.

“And I expect you to be nothing else,” Lance said. “It is that knowledge I hope will allow you to ascertain the identity of that unknown force without needless bloodshed.”

Twilight was awoken from her thoughts suddenly by a sound of hooves not adhering to the rhythm of the platoon. She glanced sideways, only to see a mare in full plate-armor approaching her from the edges of the formation. The brown pony seemed as seasoned of a veteran as Cyclone Lance was, and Twilight had no idea how she was supposed to order somepony like her around.

“Captain,” the brown pony called out to Twilight. “We are approaching the pass. Our scouts have reported that we are just in time to intercept the enemy force. How are we to approach them?”

Twilight grimaced and glanced at her hooves. Even while wearing the white cloth-armor given to her by Cyclone Lance, one strengthened by silver-gilded metal plates, she hardly felt like she deserved the rank of a captain. To be addressed like that simply sent shivers down her spine, not to mention she now had to wrack her brains for a suitable formation to engage the unknown force. She did not immediately want to begin the attack, but she wanted to be ready for a battle if things came to worst.

“C-change to hammer and anvil tactic!” Twilight called out, trying to muster out as brave voice as she could. “Half of our force shall sweep through the longer route and prepare to engage the enemy from behind if need be! The remaining half, led by me, shall engage the enemy directly!”

“Yes, Ma’am!” came the roaring answer from all of the soldiers around her.

Twilight watched with her mouth agape as the trained soldiers acted on her orders precisely. The right flank of the platoon disengaged from the formation and zoomed into the rocky terrain that would take them to a higher ground. In the hours of light darkness before the dawn, their forms blended perfectly into the night. Having studied the map of the area beforehand, Twilight knew that the soldiers would engage the enemy from the blindside, hiding on the higher ground and riding down the opposing slope if the enemy turned out to be hostile.

Her part was not so safe, however. She was going to ride straight into the route of the unknown force.

The saddle, though it could be barely called that because of its height, of the ridge came quickly before them, as their hooves pounded the grass with rapid pace. All the torches of the platoon had been put out, and everypony now had their eyes adjusted to the fading night. That was why they could easily see the glints of the torches of the enemy force that was getting closer and closer. They intended to cross the ridge and continue down the slope into the lower ground, perhaps hoping to emerge out near the village where Elfin Fresh and Silent Relic lived.

That was one thing that Twilight could not allow, especially if they turned out to be hostile.

“Captain. We are about to meet up with them,” the same brown pony spoke up again. “It should be presumed they have already noticed us, Ma’am.”

“Well, they haven’t attacked us yet,” Twilight said and clicked her tongue. “Let’s see if we can make that last.”

Picking up the pace slightly, Twilight and her force rode up to the top of the pass, stopping into a single file. Before them, the view to the other side of the mountain range extended almost as far as eye could see. That view was marred by a line of torch-bearing soldiers, charging straight towards their formation. Twilight steeled herself at the sight of them. The light did not allow much of a view, but she could see black and silver, colors that she did not recognize from any armor she had seen so far.

They’re not Marecedonia…? Twilight wondered in her mind, growing more confused.

“Company, full halt!” a shout emerged from amidst the enemy force, clear and powerful as a sound of an instrument.

As the enemy company stopped its movement like a well-oiled machine, Twilight could finally see the form of this mysterious force. It was a group of ponies, about 80 or so strong, all wielding rather agile-looking armor. They were clad in colors of silver and black, reflecting the night around them perfectly. Most of the soldiers had helmets that resembled heads of a beast that Twilight could not recognize. Most likely it was something not native to Equestria. These soldiers were all bearing spears on their backs, and swords hung at their sides.

More than the soldiers, however, Twilight’s eyes focused on the two figures at the head of this company. Two mares, one white and one grey, were at the helm of their line, eyeing her platoon up and down. These gazes were enough to make her more than nervous.

The grey mare with a long, flowing, black mane was wielding armor like those of the soldiers, but over it she had put a long, thick-looking leather jacket that still did not restrict her movement. The combination of the lithe armor and the tough leather could probably stop most of the common weapons.

The white mare, her head completely hidden by the dragon-like helmet, wore a more flamboyant version of the soldiers’ armors. It left most of her body on the front exposed, except for the front legs. Instead, she had a small jacket with high collars that would protect her neck. The jacket, like that of the grey mare, had been reinforced with metal plates. Twilight could also see a chain around her neck, and from it hanging an amulet in the shape of a crescent moon. On her flanks, the mare had six large scabbards, three on each side.

The murmur behind her woke Twilight up from her bewilderment. It seemed that the soldiers she had led were as confused as she was. This enemy force was a complete surprise, and seemed to carry no flags they could be identified from.

Their clear confusion seemed to amuse the white mare leading these unknown troops.

“We are the advance guard of Fort Stronghoof. I am Captain Twilight Sparkle. Identify yourself, now!” Twilight bellowed out, trying to sound as composed as she could. “Otherwise you shall be considered an enemy of the Kingdom of Equestria.”

There was a short silence as the leader, the white mare with the helmet, eyed Twilight up and down. Then, with great confidence, she spoke up.

“Hey. You. Purply.”

“P-Purply!? That’s rude!” Twilight protested. “And uncalled!”

Seemingly even further amused, the white mare stepped forward so that she and Twilight were only twenty or so meters away from each other. She stopped, put her other hoof on one of the sword-handles and looked Twilight down the ridge of her muzzle.

“We are on a hunt here, and have no time to entertain a sacrificial pawn like you with answers,” she answered, her voice sounding strangely powerful even though she was speaking calmly. “You have two choices, Purply. Let us go, or stop us. Either way we are the ones who shall prevail victorious.”

The way the white mare half-shouted her words was enough to make Twilight dislike her, but when it was combined with what she was saying, the librarian could not help but to frown. Strange enthusiasm emanated from the helmet-wearing mare, something that clearly told words would not easily persuade her.

This sort of all-out-forward attitude was the type that Twilight found hard to deal with. Thus, she found herself taking a competitive step forward before she had realized it.

“You’re talking rather confidently,” Twilight said. “However, if you refuse to identify yourself, I will not allow you to pass.”

“Well spoken!” the white mare announced and her uncovered mouth curved into a grin. “But allow me to warn you! My nickname: ‘Roar of the Night’ does not come undeserved!”

Twilight found, to her big surprise, a flame of rivalry flaring up inside her. She was no longer a rookie when it came to battles, and to see someone be so sure of their victory against her felt disrespectful, rude even. She wanted to prove, both to herself and this cocky mare, that she could be of match to anypony who underestimated her. Therefore, she put her hoof on the handle of the sword that had been given to her before leaving Fort Stronghoof.

“I only believe what I see,” Twilight answered. “Anypony can talk big, after all.”

“Perfect!” The white mare announced, growing more excited. She glanced at the grey mare behind her. “Tavi! Do not allow anypony to interfere in this fair duel!”

“Understood, Captain,” the grey mare answered, giving a signal to her troops.

“Same goes to you,” Twilight announced to the troops behind her back, having completely gotten over her nervousness. It had been overcome with the desire to show just what she was made off.

While Twilight had turned her attention away, her opponent had started with her preparations. She used her magic to draw one of her swords from its sheath. To Twilight’s surprise, it turned out that there was no real handle to the curved sword. Instead, there was a patch of unsharpened metal that looked like a joint. The more the white mare pulled, the longer the sword seemed to continue, until it became apparent that the sword’s shape was that of a half-circle. Twilight knew that there had to be some sort of enchantment to the scabbard, as it would be impossible to otherwise store such an odd-looking sword.

However, when her opponent started drawing a similar sword from the scabbard on her other side, it dawned upon Twilight just what sort of weapon her enemy used. She didn’t even need to see the white mare use her magic to lift the two extremely curved swords above her head and slam them together, nor did she need to hear the clicking sound that came as the joints of the weapon locked. It was as clear as day what the weapon was: a bladewheel. A ring with sharpened, sword-like edge that would spin around the user and slice up all her enemies.

Swallowing hard and now sweating bullets, Twilight used her mouth to draw her own sword from its sheath. She knew that there was no way she could use her magic to handle the sword; skills requiring such precise control were out of her reach without her horn. So she had to go the traditional way, and wield the sword between her teeth.

The sword she had picked before leaving the fort was one with a rather strange shape. It had a single cutting-edge, and the blade curved backwards slightly, like a long fang. The handle was old but intricate, showing that somepony had once taken a good care of this weapon. While the sword was clearly not made for thrusting, Twilight deduced that it had to make up for it with its cutting power. Twilight swung the sword sideways, fixing her gaze to the white mare in front of her.

“Then let us fight honorably!” The white mare bellowed out. “’Tis a duel!”

“I am ready!” Twilight shouted back, steeling herself.

For a moment, nopony moved. Eerie silence filled the mountain pass, as not even the wind dared to breathe during this tense stare-down. The two mares sized each other up, each one waiting for the other to make the wrong move. Their bodies were like springs, ready to jump into a charging attack at any given moment. If even one exhale had gone out of synch, the other would have used that chance to strike.

No weakness was shown from either side. No quarter was given in the battle of stares. Sweat fell down both of their faces as neither of them backed down one inch. The purple mare and the white mare, engaged in the deadly waiting game that would unleash the battle.

A single hoot. Owl in the distance called out in the silence, not recognizing the depth of the situation. This sound, made by an unaware animal, turned into a signal for the fighters.

The mountain pass exploded with two colors.

Opposing the purple ether was the blue lightning, two elements vastly different in nature. Propelled by the magical explosions launched at their hooves, pure magical energy driven through their limbs, the two fighters rocketed towards each other, only to meet at the middle. The two groups watching this fight were momentarily blinded by the conflagrating forces. The energies that trashed about were so vast that it became instantly clear these two were no normal unicorns.

Two weapons, a sword and a ring, met at the middle of the pass with a booming sound. The shockwave was enough to send some soldiers from both sides flying backwards. Four attacks were exchanged in a short moment it took them to recover, and while both of the combatants still hung in the air. It all ended abruptly as the weapons came to a halt. The ring had reached out for the neck of Twilight, but she had ducked under it and slide her sword inside it, stopping it from within.

Two stares met, two mares growled like animals. The ancient wild instincts embedded into the deepest parts of their minds started surfacing in this dangerous competition.

Slashing sounds filled the air for a short moment, and the two fighters separated, dropping back to the ground. Neither had a scratch on them, but both were panting heavily. Such a reckless charged had taken a lot out of them. However, despite her initial fatigue, the white mare grinned and nodded towards Twilight.

“Such speed is but a trifle!” she announced. “Your inexperience shows when you cannot even properly hit me!”

Instead of answering, Twilight frowned and let out a war cry, accelerating into a fast gallop that brought her into striking distance. She allowed some magical energy flow through her, enhancing the speed of her strikes. However, exerting too much power would have allowed the energy to leak through the horn. Thus, Twilight was left slashing left and right, scoring no hit on the fast-moving opponent.

That is, until a loud clang echoed in the battlefield and her sword drew a deep cut into the white mare’s helmet.

“A powerful strike!” The white mare shouted, wiping off Twilight’s smug smile. “However, far too weak! Do not grow overconfident from a simple scratch!”

The two fighters took distance, spun around, and charged forth again. They brought their weapons together in a series of flashes, releasing such vast quantities of magical energy that the ground below them ruptured. The soldiers around them could do nothing but watch in awe. The fight, and its participants, were so much out of their league that they felt like nothing but civilians witnessing the destruction caused by a force of nature.

The two combatants, however, felt something far different: to them, each strike they did caused them to feel odd sensation, as if there had been something familiar in the other. It was not that they had met before, no: they were simply starting to understand the personality of the other better as they exchanged attacks.

Thus, slowly, very slowly, a smile started creeping on the lips of both fighters.

Chapter 11: The heart of a warrior (Part 2: Fire)

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Kingdom of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 11: The heart of a warrior (Part 2: Fire)

“Ah can’t believe this…” Applejack muttered, watching the chaos ensuing in the sky. “RD’s mother sure ain’t playin’ around…”

The duel happening above them was nothing as simple as a fight between two ponies anymore. It was like Dash was facing against a whole army, all by herself. Every time Crimson Bell had emptied the ammunition of her current weapon, she simply flew through a cloud close to her and grabbed a new one, unleashing its barrage at her daughter. The blue pegasus had no way of getting close enough for a melee fight.

However, even in the middle of this unending storm of bullets, Rainbow Dash braved the deadly rain and refused to give up. She was like a dancer amongst the clouds, using her wings to skate in the air. Her movement that been straight-forward and unrefined as the battle had started, had morphed into a graceful display of dodges and evades, mixed with flurry-like spins of her lance meant to deflect the projectiles.

Crimson Bell suddenly dove downwards, kicking a group of three clouds straight towards Rainbow Dash. As the fluffy surface dissipated, it became apparent that these clouds carried a dangerous load. Ten iron bombs were released in the air, dropping straight towards Dash. As they got close, they exploded with a ferocious power, sending a rain of wooden pellets towards the blue pegasus.

The battered lance sung once more, and was spun in a large circle around the pegasus. She used her hooves to manipulate the weapon, as her mouth simply could not accomplish such feats when fighting mid-air. The trunk of the lance deflected most of the shrapnel, but the once that got through pounded Rainbow Dash, throwing her in a downward spiral for a moment. Much to the relief of those watching, she was able to catch the air once more with her wings, and dove forward in attempt to dodge the next weapon, whatever it would be.

“Those weapons…” Cyclone Lance suddenly spoke up, catching the attention of Dash’s friends. “… They are the pride of the Firefly Faction. They say that before she passed on, their ancestor wrote a book called Fire Fly Manual. In it were the secrets of creating more gunpowder, the key to Firefly Faction’s military superiority, along with designs for hundreds of weapons envisioned by that same ancestor. I always thought it was exaggeration, but now, I’m starting to believe that perhaps this book was as dangerous as they say.”

“All those fire-breathing weapons were designed by the same pony? Wow!” Pinkie exclaimed. “She must’ve been really bored! And sad.”

“W-why sad?” Fluttershy asked only to see Pinkie adopt an unusually serious expression.

“Nopony happy would create such painful things,” she answered. “Or tell others how to create more of them.”

“Ah reckon yer right, Pinkie,” Applejack said and nodded. “Seein’ all them guns bein’ used… Ah can’t say Ah want to know what sorta desperation got somepony to invent them.”

“We can only blame the dark times that reigned then,” Cyclone Lance said with a somber tone. “Even today, the motto of Firefly Faction is: Stand strong and do not forget. All because of the actions of a single—“

Whatever Cyclone Lance was about to say was overpowered by a huge sound that engulfed the sky. However, when the ponies looked up to the sky, they saw that the source of the sound was not the two pegasi dueling above them, for even they were gazing into the distance with shock in their eyes. The group followed their gaze, only to have their mouths open in awe and confusion.

“W-what… the… hay?” Applejack muttered.

A huge column of light and magic rose from the distant horizon. It reached out towards the sky as if trying to compete with the sun that was about to rise soon. Two colors, purple and blue, mixed in a violent display of magical power. The onlookers could see how the scrawny trees close to the location of the column were nearly uprooted thanks to the shockwave created by it. This same shockwave eventually cascaded over the entire distance between the column and the fort, crashing and breaking against the walls of the fort.

In the air, Crimson Bell had cocked an eyebrow at the sight. When the column finally receded and faded away, she gave an impressed sigh and flicked away the few stray strands of mane on her face.

“I see a new dawn,” Crimson Bell spoke, though only Rainbow Dash could hear her. “Truly, it is like the tales they tell of the young Princess of the Sun.”

Meanwhile, on the ground, Cyclone Lance gave an approving smile to the fading sight of the magical explosion. Lovely Corn, who was standing close to Lance, was wearing a similar expression. It was clear that in that sight of battle, followed by loud sounds of explosions and rumbling earth, they saw something far more than the younger ponies who gazed at this spectacle with their jaws agape.

“Twilight Sparkle…” Cyclone Lance said to herself, proudly. “I see that you have found a worthy opponent as well.”

This caught the attention of Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Seeing their confused gazes, Cyclone Lance nodded towards the spot of the explosion, where another column of light was now reaching towards the stars.

“The reason why Twilight Sparkle is not here right now is because I sent her on a mission,” the older mare explained. “I see that my gambit has paid off, and she has met somepony with an honorable heart.”

“They say that the future of Equestria lies within the hooves of those who aspire to be heroes,” Lovely Corn suddenly said. “Though we of the past generation may think we know everything of combat, a sight like this fills me with hope. To think the generation that shall follow us displays their power so proudly… Yes, I do not fear for the safety of this kingdom.”

“We may have ended up here, guided by fate, just for the sake of witnessing this,” Cyclone Lance added. “A birth of a new tale, a new legend.”

As the ponies, both soldiers and the rest, stared at the far-away sight of a battle, there was no time for rest up in the air. Since Rainbow Dash was so focused on the magical energy in the distance, one that she knew belonged to her friend, Crimson Bell used this chance to grab a new weapon from a nearby cloud.

“You have no time to admire the glory of others, little magpie,” Bell announced, and aimed her weapon at her daughter. “You should focus on the battle you fight!”

The moment Rainbow Dash looked up, she knew she was in trouble. The weapon her mother wielded this time was large than any she had used till then. It had multiple barrels, ten in total, all over half-a-meter in length. A huge fan-shaped cartridge was attached to the root where the barrels began, with only a small slot in it through which the user could aim. It was through this slot that Dash could see the eyes of her mother narrow. This in itself meant trouble, but when she heard the click of the trigger and saw the barrels beginning to spin, she knew she had to escape, fast.

With a screaming rapid-fire volley trailing behind her, Rainbow Dash desperately zigzagged around the clouds, trying to dodge the violent hale of wooden projectiles. This time, the only danger was not the hardness of the pellets; thanks to the friction of the fast-moving projectiles, the wood actually caught fire, enhancing the power of the pellets even more. At this point, they even caused trouble to the soldiers watching below, forcing them to flee from the flaming rain.

How in the name of Celestia am I supposed to beat her!? Rainbow Dash nearly screamed in her mind. As long as she has those clouds, she’s unbeatable! Even if I realized her trap, it didn’t help me one bit!

The moment she realized what she had just thought, Dash’s eyes shot wide open. Within her turf, her mother was unbeatable. There was no denying that fact. Crimson Bell herself had taught this fact to Rainbow Dash. However, that was not the only thing she had taught her.

She explained all the 36 Stratagems of War to me, Rainbow Dash thought. And among them, there is one that I can use…!

For the first time during the whole fight, Rainbow Dash felt that a true chance for victory had appeared.

****

Soldiers watched in awe as something quite unbelievable became reality before their very eyes. What had started off as a rather normal stand-off between the leaders of two armed forces had now developed into a war waged by only two ponies. Numerous attacks were exchanged in time it took them to blink an eye, with results that tore up the ground below the fighters.

“I can’t believe that the Princess’ protégé was this powerful of a wizard, even without her horn…” the brown mare, who was the vice-commander of the group from the fort, mumbled.

“Her opponent is amazing, too,” one of the soldiers said. “I’ve heard that many ponies have trouble controlling a bladewheel, but for her it’s like an extension of her body!”

Meanwhile, on the other side the battleground, the black-clad soldiers were staring at the sight with rather similar expressions. The only one who showed no discernible emotion was the grey mare with long, flowing black mane. She seemed to be completely focused on how their leader fought, as if she was evaluating her.

“Chief ain’t showing any mercy, that’s for sure…” one of the soldiers with black armors commented. “She’s going all out against this mare.”

“What I can’t believe is that the purple mare’s still standing!” another soldier joined in. “It’s chief she’s up against! Most ponies would be on their knees by now!”

“Silence, both of you,” the grey mare ordered and gave the two quite a glare. “We are not here to gawk at the battle. We are simply to wait until Captain has emerged victorious, and continue our mission.”

But even though she said that, the grey mare knew that things were not that simple. Not with an opponent who matched their leader strike-by-strike, and seemed completely equal on every level.

A powerful strike shook the mountain pass. Two fighters were sent flying backwards, trail of their magical energy drawing a colorful line after them. Their hooves dug into the ground, stopping them from falling back. Gritting her teeth together for a better grip of her sword, Twilight recovered first and charged back forth, ready to meet the attacks of her enemy.

The bladewheel danced in the air like a gust of wind, cutting anything that came close to the white mare. She used it like a gigantic disc, spinning along with the movement of the weapon. An overheard slice was stopped by Twilight as she rammed her sword against it, deflecting the attack to the side. Using this as her advantage, Twilight spun to the side and brought her sword into a slashing arc, reaching for the uncovered side of the white mare. To her surprise, her enemy drew quickly another sword from one of the sheaths, stopping her sword in its tracks.

“What!?” Twilight shouted and jumped back, avoiding the retaliating strike of the third sword.

“Great Wheel!” the white mare shouted so that it echoed through the mountain pass.

Twilight’s enemy drew a fourth sword, striking it together with the previous one to create a second ring. Before Twilight could react, this ring was enveloped with lightning by the white mare’s magic and shot towards her like a thunderbolt. In the nick of time, the librarian was able to teleport out of the way, appearing just behind the white mare.

She’s given names for her attacks!? And she’s shouting them out?! Twilight asked in amazement. Just how hot is her blood boiling!?

Twilight brought her sword down in a slash meant to cut through her target’s armor. However, the first bladewheel was there to block it with a furious upwards strike. Before Twilight could follow with another strike or teleportation, the whistling sound warned her of the second bladewheel approaching fast. She ducked low, allowing the electrified weapon to swoop above her. Immediately, Twilight followed with a slash that was deflected by the first bladewheel. The force of the colliding weapons sent the two mares sliding backwards, magical energies raging around them as like auras of their fighting spirit.

Twilight was exhilarated. She could not have imagined that she would ever feel this way in a battle. Her opponent, the loud mare that fought with the whole strength of her heart, answered Twilight’s every strike with perfect precision. However, that made it all the more exciting. To fight against such an equal opponent, to put one’s whole being into a battle like this where she could vent out her emotions… it was different from fighting against the cruel forces that had invaded Equestria.

This time, Twilight found herself enjoying every second.

Roaring in defiance, Twilight swung her head downwards and sent her sword rocketing forward like an arrow. Having not expected such a bold attack, the white mare had to dodge sideways to not get hit by a weapon. In that instant, Twilight teleported behind her, caught a hold of the flying sword and brought it down like a hammer of gods. Having been caught completely exposed, the white mare had no choice but to draw the two remaining swords she had with lightning speed and cross them in the path of Twilight’s sword, blocking it mere inches away from her head.

“Whirlwind Storm!” the white mare roared as she began to spin on her hind legs.

What had started as a simple maneuver turned into a tornado of movement as the two bladewheels and two swords cut the air, causing a gale-force that pushed Twilight back. Combined with the magical energy of the white mare, the attack created a tornado of thunder around her, one that would have scorched Twilight had she not teleported away.

Now that they had twenty meters between them, the two mares took time to size each other up once more. Twilight was panting heavily, but the grin on her face did not fade. She could have never imagined fighting somepony could have been so enjoyable. With every attack they exchanged, she felt like she could understand the noble and wild spirit of the white mare better. Judging from the smile on the white mare’s face, she felt the same way.

A loud click echoed through the battlefield, and finally the white mare was armed with three bladewheels. They spun around her like orbiting moons, blades aimed straight at Twilight. The white mare spat to the ground, and pointed at the librarian with her hoof.

“And so the three moons have become full!” she announced. “Twilight Sparkle! You have the honor of facing my full might!”

“Same to you!” Twilight answered, and readied her sword.

The two mares charged forward. To Twilight’s surprise, she saw the bladewheels move into a column formation above the white mare, turning sideways so that they resembled axes being swung down. Such a reckless attack was almost impossible to parry thanks to the thin blades of the wheels, but Twilight knew she could do it. No, she had to do it. In order to respect the power of the white mare, she would answer it to the best of her ability.

Two roars filled the air as the mares clashed together, one swinging her bladewheels down and the other slashing upwards with her sword.

The clang that followed was a beautiful sound, like that of a bell. The armies around the two gasped in awe as the sword countered the guillotine-like attack of the bladewheels, stopping the weapons with the thin edge of the blade. The extreme precision it took to create a block like that was out of this world, and acted as a testimony for the analytical abilities of Twilight Sparkle. Like two sheets of glass, the weapons collided together and achieved perfect harmony though it should have been nigh impossible.

Twilight’s head was sideways, and though the three bladewheels pushed downwards, her sword gave no inch. All of Twilight’s strength had been put behind that strike, and it would not lose to the power of the white mare.

For a short moment, the two fighters came to a complete halt. In the silent mountain pass, they locked their weapons into a contest of pure strength, with neither emerging victorious. It was like a scene out of a storybook, picture depicting two knights engaging in a noble combat. Before the eyes of the two groups, their leaders have tested each other, and found a surprising rival of equal strength.

Twilight panted heavily, grin adorning her face. The white mare wore a similar expression, unable to hide her fatigue. It was a sight of two newfound rivals acknowledging the spirit of their opponent.

This scene, one that would be etched into the minds of the soldiers watching, was finally crowned as the dawning sun peeked over the horizon, bathing the two fighters with golden light.

“Waaaaaaaait!”

A sudden yell echoing in the mountain pass drew the attention of everypony. They looked to the direction of the road leading to Fort Stronghoof, and saw the approaching figure of a lone mare. Dressed in strange cloth-armor and metal protectors, she was a sight nopony would have expected. Though this mare wore a white mask resembling the face of a fox, her mint-colored coat was like a refreshing spring breeze in the light of the blazing dawn.

“W-wait just a… minute!” the mare shouted again, gasping for air. Her gallop had taken its toll. “I… I’m here to… bring orders from… Princess of the Moon!”

This caused a wave of murmur amongst the soldiers, and even Twilight and her opponent broken their standoff when hearing this. All eyes were now on the mint-green mare, something which she seemed painfully aware of.

“Identify yourself!” the white mare shouted, pointing one of her bladewheels towards the strange mare.

“Agent Myriad Rivers of the Thieves Guild of Canterlot—“

“Insolence! For a thief to interrupt an honorable duel between two warriors, I should—“ the white mare retorted, only to be stopped by Myriad Rivers continuing with a louder voice.

“—And! Private of the Canterlot Royal Stealth Squadron!” she finished, still gasping for breath. “The orders I bring come straight from Princess Luna herself. Night Guard, you… you are to continue your pursuit of your original target immediately. As to the advance guard of Fort Stronghoof, you… you are to allow the pass of the Night Guard. They are part of the armed forces of Equestria.”

“And I am to simply believe the words of a thief?” The white mare asked, preparing to attack the messenger. However, the grey mare who had been at the sidelines so far chose this time to raise her voice.

“Captain. I think that she speaks the truth. Her armor bears the emblem of the kingdom,” the grey mare spoke up. “Even if she were lying, her words ring true. Even if we forced our way through here, it would be no easy task. The time it would take would allow our prey to escape, and the trail would go cold. I suggest we do as she says.”

“Tavi…” The white mare said, looking at her friend. Then, clicking her tongue, she withdrew her weapon. “Understood. We shall follow these orders.”

With a series of clicks, the bladewheels separated in two and flew back to the sheaths at the flanks of the white mare. She spun around, raising her hoof and pointing to the east, giving a wordless order for her forces. The grey mare nodded after seeing this, repeating the gesture.

“Let us go, everypony!” The white mare shouted. “Our hunt resumes!”

Thus the unknown group of soldiers, one called “Night Guard” by Myriad Rivers, accelerated into a gallop. Twilight and her forces stood back to allow them passage. As the librarian watched the group retreat from the mountain pass, she couldn’t help but to feel a pain of disappointment. A part of her would have wanted to settle the fight between her and the white mare. Rest of her was shocked that she could even think of something violent, but that small voice in her mind lamented that their duel had been cut short.

As the Night Guard finally disappeared into the narrow paths leading towards the root of the mountain, Twilight caught a last glimpse of the white mare leading them. For a moment, her eyes locked into the slit in the white mare’s helmet, and she could swear that her opponent was looking straight at her. Just that simple gesture was enough to tell Twilight all that she needed: the white mare, too, was disappointed in how their bout had ended.

“Night Guard…” Twilight murmured under her breath. “I’ll remember that.”

In the distance, amidst the galloping troops of the Night Guard, their white leader finally cast aside her helmet that had been badly damaged by her fight against Twilight Sparkle. She revealed her blue, spiky hair to the winds of the mountains, and her magenta-colored eyes finally gazed freely at the scenery around her. She saw the dawning sun, its golden light, and felt that even if nothing had been settled, she had definitely gained something.

“Tavi… I have been shaken to my very core,” the leader spoke up, catching the attention of her grey friend.

“Captain?” Tavi asked, looking somewhat confused.

The captain of the Night Guard wildly shook her head, allowing her mane to run free in the wind. It puffed towards every direction in large spikes, enforcing the wild aura that emanated from the white mare. Her eyes were quivering with excitement, as if an electric current was running through her. Never before in her life had Tavi seen her captain so excited about something; and that was saying a lot. After all, the captain of the Night Guard was infamous for her brash decisions, indomitable spirit and hot-blooded actions that brought problems to the whole unit.

“Such force of will, such a noble courage, such a gallant spirit… and most of all, such strength,” the leader spoke, a hint of tear forming at the corner of her eye. “Every strike of that mare made my heart ache in a manner I have never felt before.”

The white leader gazed up towards the skies, and a confident smile spread upon her face. The fire of rivalry burning in her eyes intensified, becoming equal to the light of the sun in the horizon. Whatever the emotions in the captain’s heart were at the moment, Tavi could not understand them. There was one thing she could understand, however: their captain found an opponent unlike any other, something which she had been searching for a long time.

That was enough to make even the stoic grey mare crack a smile. She felt both glad and proud for their captain, as it seemed that she had just acquired a new goal in her stagnated life.

“Ray of Light, Twilight Sparkle…” the white mare spoke silently. “I, Vinyl Scratch, shall definitely remember your name!”

****

What had been a complete battlefield just moments earlier had now quieted down to a cat-and-mouse play between Crimson Bell and Rainbow Dash. Armed with another absurdly long arquebus, the older mare was laying on a single cloud, completely camouflaged within its fluffy surface, letting her gaze travel amidst the small clouds. Not that far away, positioned so that she could not be seen, was Dash. She was hiding behind a single cloud, catching her breath and preparing for what was about to come.

Dash knew that what she was about to do was as risky as tactics came. She had no way to make sure that her mother would fall for it, and unlike Crimson Bell, she wasn’t a tactical genius heralded as one of the best in the Middle Continents. While her mother would have most likely found a way to ensure a complete turn-around, this was not Dash’s area of expertise.

Thus the two of them had ended up in a hide-and-seek of sorts. In order to get a moment of respite from the seemingly endless volley of projectiles, Dash had kicked up a small windstorm to blind her mother momentarily, and used that chance to hide amongst the clouds. The only problem was, her mother had done the exactly same thing, and was now wielding a long-range weapon that could shoot at a moment’s notice.

“Isn’t it time to stop this foolish game, little magpie?”

Dash’s ears perked up when she heard her mother’s words, her powerful voice echoing on the sky bathed in the golden light of dawn. She couldn’t pin-point her mother’s location, and due to the clouds adding echo where there should have been none, she couldn’t even use her voice to find her. It was like Crimson Bell had become a disembodied voice in the sky.

“You and I both know very well, little magpie, that there is no way for you to emerge victorious in this battle. You lack in technique, equipment, experience and will to hurt your enemy. In other words, little magpie, you lack all the components that make a warrior victorious,” Crimson Bell continued. “You have grown up amongst the peaceful, blissful inhabitants of this blessed land. Never has violence or hardship of greatest decree changed your world-view. Even this journey has left you untouched… unlike that protégé of Celestia.”

Twilight!? Dash nearly shouted out, but managed to clamp her hooves into her mouth in time. What the hay does she mean with that!?

“You’ve noticed it, have you not?” Crimson Bell sounded a bit amused. “I know not what tragedy befell on her, but if I had to guess, I’d say it has something to do with her broken horn. And now, when I saw her eyes, I knew she understood what I had over thirty years ago. A flame of revenge has been lit inside her, and that itself has opened her heart to violence… and to the path of a true warrior.”

Shut up! Twilight isn’t like that! Rainbow Dash protested in her mind, barely containing an approaching outburst.

“A warrior is nothing but a tool for murder. Necessary evil that always exists to protect peace. Unlike heroes, warriors are neither adored nor respected for their trade,” Crimson Bell spoke with a stern, cold voice. “Even in this kingdom, where no such atrocity should exist, warriors can still be found. All with eyes like your friend’s, minds that have been awoken to the reality by despair. It is just a question of time, but I can promise you this, little magpie… your friend will surely find joy in battle. And when she does, her descent into the deep depths of revenge shall finally begin. When it culminates, she can truly call herself a warrior. Of course, when she realizes this, she will leave everything from her past behind. Her ordinary, happy life. Her ordinary, happy troubles. Her ordinary, happy, foolish friends.”

No! No! Twilight would never do that! Who the hay would enjoy hurting somepony else?! Dash was practically gnawing her hooves to stay calm now. Not even you, Mom…! Not even you could claim that you—

“Hm. That reminds me.” Crimson Bell’s words cut into her daughter’s thoughts. “Have I ever told you of my first kill? I believe I did not tell you that story. You were so young back then, little magpie.”

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash found herself unable to think of anything. Her mother’s first kill. In other words, her mother had killed somepony. Robbed somepony of their life. The ultimate taboo, a fate that not even the worst criminals were condemned to. Dash’s frustration evaporated in an instant, and it was replaced by a freezing sense of dread. She didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t want to know. Whatever her opinion of her mother, she did not want to know just what kind of murderer she was.

“It was over twenty years ago, during one of the rebellions in Prance,” Crimson Bell started speaking with a surprisingly soft voice. “It was a time of dread and hatred in that troubled country. Of course, the pony governing that country hired us to quell that rebellion when all other options were exhausted. My mother, Spider Lily, put me in charge of a squadron that was meant to guard to the royal palace while the rest of the Firefly Faction moved in to subdue the rebels and peasants. Nopony expected the rebels to be so bold that they would attack the palace itself… but, as fate would have it, they did. Or, at least, one did. Right during my night-patrol, too.”

Rainbow Dash could not find any anger to protest in her heart. Instead, she had slumped against the cloud, burrowing her face in her hooves and trying to block the cruel truth that flowed from her mother’s lips. It was a desperate attempt of a desperate child, trying to preserve the heroic image of her mother that still existed somewhere within her mind.

“That rebel, only a young peasant, didn’t know how to react when I found her,” Crimson Bell told. “Like a newborn kitten, she stared at me with her eyes wide open. Even when I raised my gun she was unable to scream or run. The young fool I was, I begged her to flee. I begged her to escape. Tears streaming down my face, I told her to get out of the palace. But somepony as simple as her, somepony as happy as her, could not understand the fact that I would kill her. No, I should not blame her. Nopony living in a civilized country could comprehend such a thing. And that is exactly why we, the Firefly Faction, are so feared.”

There was a short silence, and though Rainbow Dash could not see her mother, she realized that Bell was giving her a chance to lash back. However, Dash had no strength to do such a thing. Her body was paralyzed from the cruel words of her mother.

“I pulled the trigger. I sent a bullet into that peasant’s head while screaming like a little filly,” Crimson Bell spoke. “But, after it was all over and I had calmed down, I realized I had just been through what every member of the Firefly Faction had been. Everypony in my family had killed somepony. After all, they were all warriors. They fought not for the sake of glory nor for the sake of peace. They fought for the sake of war itself. This endless repetition of death, under the banner of the one who paid the most, was our daily life. When I realized this, I was at peace. I was nothing but a warrior, after all. This was the only outcome left for me… as it will be for your friend. She will gain a heart of a warrior, just like I did.”

But when you gained that heart… I bet you lost the light of innocence that must’ve been in your eyes once, Mom, Rainbow Dash thought, not even attempting to wipe away the few tears that had broken through her grim expression.

“And now you know the difference between us, little magpie,” Bell said. “The reason why you have no hope of victory. It is because you are no warrior. You are simply a filly pretending to be a hero, in a world where there are but few true heroes. The rest of us are simple killers ponies call warriors.”

These concluding words brought Rainbow Dash back to present. The gravity of the situation dawned upon her once more. Despite the one-sided talk that must’ve surely been intended to crush her morale, they were still in the middle of a duel. No matter what had been said, the fact that she needed to defeat her mother still existed.

But now, thanks to the words of her mother, Rainbow Dash had made a decision.

Screw risks and danger! Dash thought and drew a deep breath. Warrior this and warrior that… thinking about that is meaningless if I don’t defeat her right now!

Bracing herself for what she was about to do, Dash took a firm grip of her lance while tucking the long handle under her front-leg. This way she could use it for sweeping attacks, while still retaining the strength of her thrusts. With a flick of her hoof, she also adjusted her armor, making sure it would remain firmly around her despite what she was about to do.

When she was ready, Rainbow Dash finally opened her mouth, and spoke up.

“Mom?” She said. “You told me I was missing all the necessary components to be a warrior… but I remember that back when I was just a filly, you told me that your wit was the strongest weapon you could have. You know, when you were talking about 28th Stratagem.”

When Crimson Bell heard her daughter’s voice echo in the sky, she started systematically checking every single cloud she had prepared the previous night, closing in quickly on Dash’s location. She had memorized each cloud’s form, and when she found a one that would not match, in the area where the voice was coming from, she’d take the finishing shot.

“Mm, I remember that, little magpie,” Crimson Bell answered. “I’m surprised you do, too. One’s wit is, of course, the key to victory. However, do I need to point out that this was never your strong suite?”

Rainbow Dash nearly bit her tongue when she heard that.

“Yeah, yeah, I know!” Dash said and groaned. “I don’t tend to think things through. But you know what? I don’t need to. Somepony always thought them out for me.”

“And who was that?” Bell asked softly, having now pin-pointed the cloud where her daughter was hiding.

“Duh!” Dash said and grinned. “You, of course! When you taught me the Thirty Six Stratagems!”

Sudden realization hit Crimson Bell, and lightning-fast, she pushed the trigger-plate of her arquebus. However, it was far too late. By the time the weapon roared and sent a wooden pellet zooming into her daughter’s direction, Rainbow Dash had already used every ounce of strength in her wings to rocket towards the sky. The blue pegasus was like a comet out of bounds, on a crash-course with the ground. Determined grin on her face and wind whistling in her ears, Dash shot downwards with ever-increasing speed.

“Don’t tell me…!?” Crimson Bell shouted and immediately gave chase.

The Thirty Six Stratagems. The basis of the fighting-philosophy of the Firefly Faction. They were the guidelines used by everypony part of this feared group, and thus, they were etched into their very bones. Even somepony who was not a member, like Rainbow Dash, had been taught them by her mother. Thus, she remembered every single one of them… and how to counter every single one of them.

The answer to the 28th Stratagem was:

Stratagem Number Fifteen: Lure the Chimera Down From the Mountain.

If the enemy’s field of advantage proves too powerful for one to overcome, the simplest method is to simply switch the location of the battle. Having prepared the sky, Crimson Bell was unbeatable mid-air. However, down on the ground, there had been no chance to hide additional weaponry. After all, there had been soldiers everywhere on near the arena.

To beat her, I have to take away her advantage, no matter what it takes! Rainbow Dash thought, and though her muscles screamed for a rest, continued pushing them to their limits.

Two pegasi, azure and crimson, fell down from the skies like shooting stars. The red one started gaining ground, and for a moment it looked like Crimson Bell would catch up to her daughter. However, Dash’s wings beat the air with increasing pace, accelerating the mare to speeds which the soldiers of the fort have never witnessed before. The air around Rainbow Dash started to form a funnel, one that got tinier and tinier with every beat of the wings, as if it was trying to crush her. At the same time, it became clear that Crimson Bell could not reach the speeds her daughter did.

Crimson Bell was a mighty warrior. Crimson Bell was a fearless leader. Crimson Bell was a brilliant tactician. Crimson Bell was an expert sharpshooter. However, there was one thing that Crimson Bell was not: As fast as her daughter.

Explosion of energy shook the air suddenly, and before the awed eyes of the soldiers of the fort, the sky above was suddenly tinted in a tsunami of prismatic colors. A ring-shaped wave of natural magic was released as Rainbow Dash broke the speed of sound, accompanied by a thunderous noise. She was no longer a pegasus flying extremely fast; no, she had become but a rainbow-colored flash that headed straight towards the ground.

“Do not think you will get out this easily, little magpie!” Crimson Bell shouted.

As she passed the lowest cloud of the formation she had prepared, Bell stuck her hoof inside it and recovered something that was almost as mysterious as the Sonic Rainboom the ponies below had witnessed. It was like a red spear, carved into a shape of a roaring dragon. The wings of the dragon were pressed against its body and its tail was extended straight. Crimson Bell muttered a curse under her breath and struck the tinder at the base of the dragon’s neck with her hoof, lighting the short fuse that went into the spear.

What followed was a mighty roar that sounded just like the beast depicted by the spear.

A trail of fire covered the sky. Spouting flames from its tail, the spear accelerated like a diving wyvern and increased the speed of the older mare tenfold. In a streak of crimson light, Bell dived down from the sky, using the exactly same trajectory as her daughter. She was holding onto the spear with her right front-leg and her face was in a concentrated snarl.

In a span of seconds, the trail of blazing fire broke through the prismatic ring, causing the red in it to shine like the greatest of rubies. Soon after, the spear that Crimson Bell held on to exploded in an array of beautiful fireworks, breaking up the ring from inside. The force of the explosion was so vast, causing the air itself to rumble, that the diving Rainbow Dash could not help but to look upwards. There, thrown into an extremely fast free fall, was her mother, riding the force of the explosion.

This short burst of speed was enough. Giving out a furious yell, Crimson Bell crashed straight into Rainbow Dash, knocking away her lance in the process. Wings were forgotten, flying was forgotten, and as the mares plummeted towards the ground, they only concentrated on pummeling each other with their hooves.

“Quick, we gotta do something!” Pinkie Pie yelled. “They’re gonna crash!”

“No they won’t,” Lovely Corn said. “They’re pegasi. No, more than that, they’re both direct descendants of Firefly. Aerial battle is in their blood. In any other situation I say they could crash, but right now… there is not a chance.”

“A-are you sure?” Fluttershy squeaked from under the table, unable to look at the ensuing brawl. “Are you really really really really really sure?”

”Trust me, lass,” Lovely Corn answered and snickered. “They’ll be alright.”

“Ah dunno…” Applejack commented, focusing on the fight with fierce determination. “Sure, they could be fine after this, but whoever loses ain’t gonna feel good after this.”

“That’s the tragedy of all duels,” Cyclone Lance agreed. “There is but one winner and one loser.”

The ball of flailing hooves and growls of anger dropped like an anvil towards the ground while spinning wildly. While Crimson Bell used attacks clearly refined through years and years of practice, Dash had her youthful vigor and incredible stamina at her side. For every punch she took to the face, she delivered back two to her mother’s stomach. Striking her face was not something even Dash could do, since the older mare shielded it perfectly. However, strikes to the rest of the body connected every time.

The ground approached fast. The cheer of the soldiers below turned into a roar of amazement. Time seemed to speed up instead of slowing down. The attacks of the two mares became nothing more than blurs as they tumbled from the sky, determined to get the upper hand in this decisive part of the fight. Rainbow Dash, wearing an expression of wild enthusiasm, opposed her grim-looking mother for the first time in this manner.

Dash felt like she should have done this a long time ago.

Suddenly, there was a flaw in Crimson Bell’s guard. She reached with her left hoof towards her mane, possibly trying to get it out of her face. Whatever the reason, it was the only chance that Dash needed. Letting out an ear-chilling yell, she opened her wings and turned the fight so that she was below her mother. Her wings would not be able to slow them down enough, but there was no need to. As long as she survived this attack, Dash knew she had attained her victory. She gave a sideways glance to the fast-approaching ground, determined what little distance remained, and extended her hoof in a furious punch.

That one wrong move had cost Crimson Bell. As the two mares hit the ground at dangerous speeds, the combined force of Rainbow Dash’s punch and the gravity hit her straight to the face, causing blood to fly like wildflowers in the air.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy shouted in unison.

The three ponies were first to react to the end of the spectacle and ran straight towards the huge dust-cloud that had been thrown up by their crash to the arena’s stone-floor. However, Cyclone Lance was quick to grab them by the tails, stopping them in their tracks. Every single one of them knew the reason. Nopony was allowed to enter the arena before the victor was clear.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the dust cloud hanging on top of the arena started to clear out. Two shapes could be seen lying in the middle of the stone floor, one on the ground with her front leg extended, and now standing almost upright. The said front leg had hit the standing figure straight to the head, and each knew that this attack, if any, would have knocked out even the most seasoned warrior.

“Stratagem Number Twelve: Take the Opportunity to Pilfer a Lion.”

Things in battle are never simple, even when they should be. Sometimes one’s strength simply is not enough to take out the enemy with a single strike, no matter how much power is added to that attack. Such was the case with this duel. Crimson Bell was bleeding from her muzzle, and her eye had a huge bruise around it, one that would probably develop into a magnificent black eye. However, she was far from defeated, as the slight grin on her face suggested.

Rainbow Dash on the other hand was out of options. In her face, straight between her eyes, was aimed one last flintlock-pistol, one last weapon of carmine and gold, which had been hidden in the tied-up mane of her mother this whole time. A surprise-attack weapon for the time when the opportunity presented itself… Even Dash acknowledged it was a textbook example of Stratagem 12.

Understanding all this did not make her any more joyous. If anything, it only made the pain worse. Rainbow Dash could have cared less about how bruised her body was, or how pained her muscles were; it was the sheer frustration, anger and feeling of anguish that tore her heart. Bitter tears flowed down her bruised cheeks as she stared up at her mother with eyes of shattered hopes.

Somewhere in the background, Cyclone Lance announces Crimson Bell as the winner of the duel. The soldiers surrounding the arena erupted in cheers, voicing out their amazement at this fight that they would probably never forget. Four ponies, however, did not join this cascade of awe. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Lovely Corn solemnly hung their heads, averting their eyes from Rainbow Dash. They had enough decency not to stare when their dear friend was venting out all of her pent-up despair by a howling sobbing, crying like she was having a tantrum.

There was no describing the amount of grief and frustration that Rainbow Dash felt. Even after enduring her mother’s discouraging speech, even after enduring all the bullets, even after overcoming the hopeless situation and coming up with a plan for victory… she had still lost miserably. The gap between the two was too great. The receding back of her mother in her memories was not any closer than it had been before; if anything, she had been shown just how great the difference between the two of them was.

This all was made worse by the fact that the blue mare saw no sympathy in the eyes of her mother. Like always, those eyes were like tranquil ponds, devoid of any unnecessary feelings. Even the sight of her own daughter crying would not move Crimson Bell. The burnt bridges Dash had thought almost rebuilt during their duel had been nothing but a mirage.

In this way did the lonely rebellion of Rainbow Dash against her mother end.

In an utter, crushing defeat.

****

“W-what!? You knew about them being the Night Guard!?”

The next evening, Twilight Sparkle was in Cyclone Lance’s office with the mare herself. Thanks to the various complications after the return of Twilight and her platoon, it was only now that the two mares could discuss about what had happened that night. Together, in the dim light of the torches of the room that combined with the warm colors of the air outside, they had gone over what had happened during Twilight’s attempt to intercept the unknown military force. When she had finished her report, Cyclone Lance had, in turn, revealed something she had hidden from her so far.

It was not what Twilight would have wished to hear.

“Well, I cannot say that I was completely sure, but I had a good hunch,” Cyclone Lance said with a slight smile. “Only the Night Guard would move in such small numbers over such a rough terrain, while making no effort to masking their presence. Troublemakers, all of them, though their captain is the worst of the lot. She is such a hot-blooded young mare that I have hard time believing she made it through their training.”

“Then why did you send me out there!?” Twilight half-shouted, banging the table with her hoof. “They were our allies, after all! What was the point of all this?”

To Twilight’s surprise, the expression on the older mare’s face hardened considerably. The previous amusement at Twilight’s confusion was exchanged to a look of a battle-hardened warrior who was in the process of trying to discern the enemy’s plan.

“Although you might not believe this, our army is currently in something of a disarray. I do not mean that we are not told what we are supposed to do now that the threat of a war with Marecedonia looms above us. No, we have received our orders, and we carry them out like fine soldiers do,” Cyclone Lance said. “However, it is becoming more and more apparent that the Princesses are not telling us everything. I could understand this in any other situation, but when there’s a possibility of a war in the horizon? This is not how a leader of a country should act… unless there is one outside factor in play.”

Twilight felt a shiver run up her spine. Even she realized what Cyclone Lance was talking about. When a time came that a leader of a country could not tell their military leaders everything, even though another country wished to start a war… there was one reason above all else that could explain it.

“You mean… there’s a traitor? A traitor amongst Princess Celestia’s generals?” Twilight whispered. “Could that be even possible?”

“Very possible,” Cyclone Lance said and grunted. “Not even the Princess of the Sun is infallible. A spy might have infiltrated the top brass a long time ago. After all, we do not know how long Marecedonia has been planning for this. The matter of the fact is, the different parts of the military forces of Equestria are not told everything, and so the flow of information between us is uneven. This incident with the Night Guard is a good example. Apparently they were on a hunt, but even though they travelled through our lands, we were not informed of it. If my suspicions are correct and they are hunting an enemy agent, something like that should be told to us immediately.”

Cyclone Lance heaved a heavy sigh and leaned against her table. Her eyes seemed to have lost a bit of their usual fire, and telltale signs of a sleepless night rested below her eyes. However, she still carried herself with a great vigor, something Twilight could only be slightly envious off.

“If we put these two facts together, the meaning between the lines is starting to become clear,” Lance said. “Somepony is helping agents of Marecedonia enter Equestria undetected, and this somepony is hidden somewhere amongst the ranks of Equestria’s military commanders. The Night Guard, thanks to their special circumstances, are the only group that the princesses can trust at the moment. Thus they are burdened with the task of finding these agents before they manage to wreak havoc in our country. Though, I’m afraid not all are captured in time.”

Twilight, for a split-second, saw a memory of that fateful, rainy night flash before her eyes. She pushed away the disgusting image before it could lead to another, more dreadful sight: the last thing she wanted to think about now was the face of Cleitus the Black.

“So it is a traitor… how do we smoke this traitor out?” Twilight finally asked, after recovering from the sudden memory. “I mean, there has to be some way, right?”

“I need to think on this, I am afraid,” Cyclone Lance admitted. “I know that I can trust my own men, and the members of the Firefly Faction are incorruptible as long as we pay them. What about the pegasi Air Force? Or the Navy? There is also the chance that one of the more specialized groups, like the Guilds, has decided to favor Marecedonia more than us. I am afraid that I cannot trust anypony outside of my own fort. But mark my words, Twilight Sparkle: I will find this traitor, and expose him or her. Now that I know of this, the sudden unrest amongst the nobles of Canterlot suddenly makes much more sense. This is the lead I am going to follow.”

Cyclone Lance stood up and cracked her neck, doing light stretches with her legs in the process. She walked over to the window with a clear view of the blazing, orange evening sun, and gazed outside into the harsh wilderness of the mountains. Standing there, wearing a beautiful armor and with features close to those of a rugged stallion, the mare certainly did look like a hero from ancient tales. Even if she had not meant to do it, Twilight suddenly felt much more comfortable leaving this matter into Cyclone Lance’s hooves.

“But enough about that. You have a long journey ahead of you, Twilight Sparkle, and I want you to focus on it,” Lance finally said. “We will handle things here on the home-front. However, there is one more question I’d like to ask of you: Judging from what I saw, you met quite the opponent while intercepting the Night Guard. Am I right?”

Twilight thought back to the white mare, clad in armor of black and silver and wearing a proud helmet resembling the head of a dragon. Despite their personalities being like oil and water, Twilight could not deny that she had felt a strange connection with the captain of the Night Guard. As they had exchanged attacks, the thrill and enjoyment had mixed together in a way that Twilight had never experienced in a battle.

The purple mare put her hoof against her chest, nodded to herself, and gave a proud smile to Cyclone Lance.

“Yes,” Twilight answered with a clear voice. “Their leader was powerful. Very powerful. No matter how hard I fought, I could not gain the upper hoof… but neither could she. I think you could say that were equals. But who knows how the fight would have turned out, had that messenger not stopped us? I’m not that experienced when it comes to fighting, after all…”

“Nonsense,” Cyclone Lance and smiled. “It is the strength of your soul that matters in a battle. If, in your heart, you feel that you’ve found a worthy opponent, you can never lose. Even a defeat will grant you with a precious memory.”

“Yes,” Twilight agreed. “I’m sure you’re right.”

Suddenly, a shadow appeared over Twilight’s face, and her smile faltered. She gave a melancholic glance towards the window, and the courtyard that could be seen through it. There, a certain stone-paved arena shone due to the rays of the descending sun. This gesture did not go unnoticed from Cyclone Lance, and so the older mare spoke first.

“I might be stepping on some hooves by asking this, but…” Lance hesitated for a moment. “How is your friend?”

Twilight hung her head, sorrow clear from her eyes. Even the flame-like colors of the mountains outside could not make the sight of her cheerful. Cyclone Lance winced, fearing that she might have done the wrong thing, asking about Rainbow Dash. However, Twilight eventually lifted her head, looking at the older mare with a helpless expression.

“Downcast. Gloomy. Almost depressed,” Twilight answered. “And the worst part is… I can’t think of anything to cheer her up.”

“I can understand your problem,” Cyclone Lance said. “I, too, have been in the same situation.

The debriefing of Twilight Sparkle ended, thus, with a somewhat sour note.

****

The orange sun painted the courtyard with blazing colors that reminded the mare watching them more of blood than anything else. She could hear the sounds of merriment echoing from the inside. It seemed that the soldiers of the fort had decided to throw a banquet after such an exhilarating battle, to commemorate this day. To her, that was the last place she wanted to be in. Therefore, she had opted to come back to the scene of her defeat, to stare at the stone arena with empty eyes and no thoughts in her head.

Rainbow Dash was no longer sure what she was supposed to feel. She only felt empty.

It was not until she heard a sound of hoofsteps behind her that she momentarily snapped out of her daze. Even without looking, she knew who was the owner of those heavy sounds. They stopped right behind her, allowing the moment to develop into an uncomfortable silence.

Rainbow Dash could feel the stare aimed at her neck, and wanted to swat it away like a fly. However, her body had barely the strength to stand up and walk. To try to get her mother to leave through force would have led to only more misery, and that was why she could do nothing but endure those burning eyes and the disappointment that radiated from them. It was nothing new to her, though: she had done the same thing as long as she could remember. Only the intensity of those feelings was different now.

“Go away,” Rainbow Dash finally said, and immediately regretted it. Even talking hurt right now. “I don’t wanna hear it.”

“I will soon enough, little magpie,” Crimson Bell answered. “As soon as I’ve given you this.”

The older mare walked around Dash and entered her field of vision. Just like the blue pegasus, she was battered and bruised. However, unlike her daughter, it seemed that Bell had no trouble moving or talking. Dash, on the other hand, cursed the moment the adrenaline had left her, as she now had to deal with the shape of her body.

Without saying a word, Crimson Bell presented Rainbow Dash with something. It was a gun, made out of dark metal and redwood, adorned with prestigious gold and shapes of flames and wings. It was like a phoenix made into a shape of a weapon. Dash immediately recognized the gun: it was the same one her mother had hidden in her mane, one she had used to end the battle in one fell swoop. The dreadful weapon that had been the announcer of doom for Dash.

“I don’t want it,” Dash bluntly stated. “That’s a weapon of murder. Like you said, I’ll never be a warrior. I’ll never kill a pony or another creature. I don’t need that.”

Instead of backing up, Crimson Bell adopted a stern face and pushed the gun into Rainbow Dash’s hooves forcefully.

“I am not giving it to you as a weapon, little magpie. You are too inexperienced to use it, in any case,” she said. “I am giving it to you as a reminder. That gun has a name. My mother, her mother before it, and all the mares in our bloodline, up to our ancestor Firefly, have referred to it as Red Dragon Crescent Gun. It is the heirloom of our family, and to all those who have possessed it, it has taught valuable lessons.”

Dash stared at the weapon in her hooves, and felt disgust. She wanted to throw the thing as far away as she could, but knew that if she did so, there was no telling how her mother would react. Therefore she held on to it, even though the very thought repulsed her.

“To you, it has already taught one lesson,” Crimson Bell continued. “One that you should take to your heart.”

Rainbow Dash looked up at her mother, slight confusion growing in her mind. She did not know what to expect anymore… and was surprised to meet with the cold gaze of Bell.

“W-what’s the lesson?” Rainbow Dash asked, only to have Crimson Bell point straight at her.

“That you are weak,” she bluntly stated. “That as you are now, you are unable to protect anything. Whether it is this kingdom, your hometown, your dreams… or your friends, you do not have the power to protect them. Let this gun remind you of that fact whenever you are about to do something heroic.”

Leaving behind those cruel words, Crimson Bell turned her eyes away from her daughter and headed back inside. She left behind only feelings of shock and guilt, wounds to a heart that had already been nearly torn apart. The desire in the blue mare to throw the gun in her hooves away grew as heavy as a mountain placed on her shoulders, but she resisted it, persisted, and eventually allowed it to wash aside.

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth together in order to not let out that her voice was wavering. She closed her eyes so that any of the liquid gathering at their corners would not disturb her vision. Dash steeled herself, and eventually gave her answer, and her parting words, to the receding back of the red mare.

“I will… Mom.”

Interlude: Tyrant

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Interlude
Tyrant

What surrounded Twilight Sparkle was the light of the distant stars and the silence of the void rushing by her. She understood even without analyzing the situation that she was dreaming. The surreal vastness of the universe around her could only belong to the realm of slumber. That was why Twilight did not panic, even though it felt like she was falling down into an abyss. It was merely a dream, nothing there could hurt her.

Perhaps that was the reason why the unnerving feeling of danger felt so absurd.

Somewhere from deep within the invisible winds, Twilight could feel something staring at her. Her dreams, which should have been her own property, untainted by the presence of others, were being invaded by something. It had pushed aside the traumatic events of that rainy day that repeated themselves whenever she closed her eyes; they had been replaced by a foreboding sense of dread, an ancient presence that crept upon her mind to study it like a predator studies its prey.

If Twilight would react to the presence, it would know she was aware of it. If she did not, the presence would continue intruding into her mind: her most sacred domain. Twilight gritted her teeth together as she tried to find a way out of the predicament. She could not allow her mind to be trampled upon, but the invading presence emitted an aura of danger; if it was given any reason, it would probably destroy her.

‘Enigmatic in its actions to the point of being completely alien.’ That was how Twilight would have described the presence. The closer it got, the more she began to realize just how vastly different it was from the presence of any other creature she had met. The myriad of conflicting emotions packed into the presence confused her greatly. However, she was even more confused as she finally heard a voice.

The presence had spoken to her.

“Such an ugly little mare, lost in the nightmares of your own making. Unable to wake up and unable to dream of better days, you continue seeing this insolent play until the curtain draws it to a close,” the voice spoke. “’Tis a pitiful sight, one I’d have expected from a mule following the haughty princess of Equestria.”

“W-who are you!?” Twilight shouted before she could stop herself. The demeaning words had sparked anger in her heart, and she turned her eyes towards the presence.

“You would gaze upon the form of a prince? Such insolence. Know your place and quiver before my presence, mule. It would seem that you need to be educated in proper etiquette after having spent so much time with that would-be royal,” the invading presence spoke haughtily.

Twilight felt as the whole weight of the presence’s attention was shifted upon her back, and without meaning to, she found herself bowing down. Sweat of fear ran across her forehead as the killing intent trashed about in the vastness of the dreamscape. There was nothing holding back the terrifying, arrogant rage behind the voice, and thus she took the full brunt of it. It was not that she wanted to bow down to the presence: Twilight simply felt that if she didn’t, she would meet her demise in an instant.

“Much better. To see the lapdog of Celestia squirm at my hooves is much more entertaining that I initially imagined. Very well, you may keep your worthless life for now,” the presence spoke.

“Just… just who are you?” Twilight whispered, barely able to make a sound under the heavy strain.

She could feel a slight shift in the presence as the killing intent was replaced by a proud anger. The tone of the murderous intent changed as well, as it gained a shade of dignified haughtiness, arrogance that was so vast that Twilight could barely comprehend it.

“I grace you with my presence, mule, and you dare to question my name? To think that a quivering little creature like you cannot even discern my identity from simply being allowed near me; such ignorance is a sin against the history of this world,” the presence spoke with an underlying tone of hate. “I have executed fools for lesser mistakes, so why would I let you live, mule? You should simply scatter away and die.”

As the foreboding rumble shook her dream, Twilight quickly tried to back away from the presence. However, it was all too late: the tyrannical existence was now so vast that it filled the space around her, consuming the star-filled void she fell through in its entirety. Desperation reared its ugly head, and without thinking, the unicorn blurted out the first reason that came to her mind. She had met a few powerful, arrogant beings in her time; she could guess why one would toy with its prey like this.

“B-because… you find me amusing?” Twilight croaked, barely able to speak because of the presence pressing down on her throat.

There was a moment of silence; then, cruel laughter.

“Indeed, you brazen fool. A trite reason, but it is as good as any. Watching a pitiful existence blindly run in circles is a way to pass the time; and time is one commodity I have plenty to spare,” the presence spoke as it eased its crushing hold of Twilight. “Unlike your finite, measly existence, like a flame of a candle, I am a being far-removed from the passing of eons. If your mind is not able to comprehend me, so be it. A fool shall always remain a fool.”

It had taken her a moment, but Twilight was finally able to make a little sense of the being that had so violently invaded her dreams. It was a presence terrifying enough to drive even her own nightmares to hiding, as if the memories of Cleitus the Black had been nothing compared to the true form of the invader. This, however, served as a clue. The magnitude of the arrogant existence was so grand that Twilight could point only two other ones she had ever met during her life: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

It was clear that whoever this presence was, he was a royal creature on par with the Princesses.

“Indeed,” the presence suddenly spoke, cutting off Twilight’s thoughts. “I am a primordial sovereign who predates your kind, mule; the absolute authority that always exist; the dividing line between ‘before’ and ‘after’ known as ‘now’. In other words, I am the Horizon, the boundary that separates this world. To not recognize my visage is to bare your fangs to the royalty. Tell me, mule, are you one to spit in the face of your Princess?”

“Wha… No!” Twilight shouted, twisting herself in the void, trying to face the presence. “Princess Celestia is kind and gentle! I’d never insult her like that! Everypony loves her!”

“Indeed? Then I, who am greater than her, should deserve same blind adoration, no?” the presence answered and cruelly chuckled. “You gather to and worship your false royalty with no concern of the truth, just like your kind always has. Truly, the diluted blood of sisu is a shame to the world. To not recognize power is the worst offense to the rules of our reality.”

The condescending words and the ease at which the presence threw them around was enough for the flicker of flame inside of Twilight to burst into roaring flames. She gritted her teeth together and spun around in the void, pointing her hoof at the existence.

“Now you listen here! I don’t know exactly what you are, but if you think you’re greater than the Princess, think again! She cares about all of her subjects, no matter how insignificant! That’s what makes her somepony we all look up to!” Twilight shouted, completely disregarding any threat she might have felt from the presence before. “She encompasses all the virtues of Harmony, more royal than a monster like you could ever be! Compared to her, you’re nothing more than a petty tyrant!”

“Silence!” the presence roared, its anger growing as Twilight simply stared back defiantly. “Brazen pony, unaware of whom you have angered… It seems that the subjects of Celestia are nothing but fools, even after all these years! Whatever I lay my eyes upon shall be mine, and I see all. You have no idea of your insignificance, mule. Thus, face your doom and acknowledge your folly!”

The void around Twilight Sparkle started rumbling as the presence exerted its power. The stars that had been zooming past her exploded into supernovas and the space itself became cracked all around. Like brittle glass, the faults extended until they reached Twilight, and shot past her. Before the eyes of the unicorn, the emptiness before her was suddenly marred, and she headed straight towards that point.

It was like the vast darkness was being pushed aside by cold light, shining from mistakes in the fabric of her dream. However, Twilight knew the real reason why the dream was rapidly failing. The tyrant that had invaded had somehow torn apart the boundary of her dream, crushing it with enough pressure to make her ears bleed and pain pulsate like a wildfire in her head.

It was a horrible feeling to have your dream, your own personal creation, completely destroyed by the will of another. While the flame of Twilight’s anger still burned bright, it was not strong enough to burn away the force around her. She could do nothing as the reality of slumber was mercilessly annihilated, and she herself was flung into the unknown nothingness.

“Let your consciousness wander forever in the emptiness beyond dreams, despairing as your mortal body rots away,” the presence growled like a beast. “This is the punishment of defying a Prince.”

With those words echoing in her mind, Twilight Sparkle hit the cracked void ahead of her at breakneck-speed, shattering the fabric of her dreams instantly. The world around her was reduced into fragments, ones that disintegrated behind her as she barreled through the boundary. Light filled her eyes, and for a moment, Twilight could feel how her mind distanced itself from her body further than it had ever before. She left the star-filled void behind, completely destroyed, and dropped into this new realm with a scream…

… And promptly found herself in a world of pure white.

It was an ever expansive world, devoid of any colors. White spread as far as Twilight could see, as if mocking the previous dream that had been destroyed. If the place she had been previously was called ‘void’, then this truly was ‘nothing’. No objects, no living creatures, not even the slightest sound other than her own breathing. Twilight took an anxious step back, her brain trying to recover from the sudden switch between locations. The pain and the anguish was gone, and it had been replaced by a foreboding calmness.

“Eh?” Twilight uttered when she heard a faint clink caused by her hooves touching whatever she was standing on.

To her surprise, Twilight saw that whatever was below her, whatever she was using as ground, was as reflective as a mirror. The white expanse had not continued under her, but had been instead reflected from above. She saw her own face staring straight back at her, rattled beyond belief. The eyes that stared up to her were not one of the pony who had weeks ago left Ponyville to save her country. They were the eyes of a creature driven to corner, preparing either to flee or fight.

“Just what happened to me…?” Twilight whispered, barely recognizing the mare she saw in the reflection.

“You’ve learned how vast the world is,” a sudden voice answered her question. “You’ve learned how insignificant one can be, how insignificant one’s ideals can be, how insignificant one’s morals can be.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Twilight whirled to the direction it came from. To her surprise, she saw somepony standing there, almost blending to the whiteness of the background because her coat was of the same color. Ethereal, pink mane and tail flowed in the air despite there being no wind, and light magenta eyes stared at her with calmness of eternity within them. The pony standing there was not much taller than Twilight, and she seemed much younger… but the librarian would have recognized those features and Cutie Mark anywhere.

“P-Princess Celestia!” Twilight cried out, breaking into a gallop towards her teacher. “How… how can you be here!?”

Twilight felt warmth spread throughout her body at the sight of her teacher. It was like all of her anxiety and worries had been washed away by a comforting, gentle tide of light that seemed to emanate from the alicorn before her. Without noticing it, the unicorn had accelerated into a relieved sprint, about to throw herself into the comforting embrace of her teacher.

However… the mildly confused, and somewhat cold, expression on the alicorn’s face brought Twilight to a dead halt.

“How do you know my name?” the alicorn asked. “Who are you?”

Hearing those emotionless words spoken with a voice that so many times comforted her caused tears to form in Twilight’s eyes. She stared in horror at the alicorn, unable to comprehend what was going on anymore. Then, taking one shaky, uneasy step forward, Twilight approached the alicorn again, desperation clear on her pained face.

“I-it’s me… Twilight Sparkle!” the purple unicorn spoke with quivering words. “Your number one student… your loyal student…! It’s me! Don’t you r-recognize me, Princess…?”

The alicorn that bore the visage of Celestia turned her eyes away, clearly uninterested. For one horrible moment Twilight thought she was going to deny even knowing her, but instead, the words that the familiar voice spoke only served to confuse her further.

“Ah, I see. I do not know you yet,” the alicorn said. “That does explain many things.”

“Y-yet?” Twilight asked. “What are you talking about?”

“This is a world beyond dreams, the reality that exists beyond the axis of time: Unus Mundus. It always is, but never has been or will be. It is the only reality allowed to one such as I when I close my eyes,” the alicorn stated, and continued talking after seeing Twilight’s confused face. “I am the sun. Ergo, the dawn. Ergo, the future. Ergo, the hope. It is not in my realm or nature to dream, for I am unable to do so. That is the nature of my sister, the moon. Ergo, the moonrise. Ergo, the past. Ergo, the dream. I am a different archetype from her, and thus, the two of us cannot cross into the realms of the other. She is left to guard the dreams of the ponies, and I am left to guard their hope.”

The alicorn, her emotionless eye staring straight into Twilight’s soul, stood up and began slowly walking in a great circle around the unicorn. The sound of her hooves hitting the mirror-like surface under them was almost silent, yet enough to fill the atmosphere with unnerving dread.

“Do you understand now?” the alicorn asked. It was a question just like Twilight had gotten used to receiving from her mentor, and she immediately opened her mouth to answer, on a reflex.

“Y-yes! I think so, at least. You cannot dream, because dreams are made out of the past, which is the realm of Princess Luna. Instead, you look into the future, which… which is this world, set aside from dreams… Unus Mundus: where time does not exist,” Twilight spoke, her words getting quieter as realization dawned upon her. “From where everything stems from… and has only one way to go: forward. You gaze into that future everything moves towards to, each night… and saw me. From the past, you saw me, in the future.”

“Indeed,” the alicorn, Celestia of the past, said as she continued circling Twilight. “Somehow having broken through the boundaries of your dreams, you fell into this unified reality beyond everything.”

“I didn’t do it myself!” Twilight cried out. “Something… something powerful and tyrannical… so full of arrogance and hatred… c-cast me into this place! It shattered my dream and threw me through the boundary, forcing me here!”

“Ah. I suppose that explains it,” Celestia said, nodding quietly. “He who is the horizon. Ergo, the thunder. Ergo, boundary. Ergo, separation. He has simply utilized his power to move you through that single boundary, for a purpose I do not understand. Punishment, perhaps? Nevertheless, that is your fate.”

“But, who was it!?” Twilight asked, shivering from the mere memory of what had happened. “Who would have such power!?”

“Royalty,” Celestia answered coldly. “Those who stand above you.”

Twilight found herself speechless. Though there were many things in this alicorn that reminded her of the teacher she knew, like her questions, her voice and her appearance, was her personality simply too different. This Celestia was dignified in a harsh way, almost like she had been looking down on Twilight simply because of what she was. Her eyes were those of a cold ruler who cared little about the well-being of her subjects.

It was simply too different for Twilight to accept. She steeled her mind, gritted her teeth, and made her decision: whoever this alicorn in front of her was, it did not matter. After all… it was not the Princess Celestia Twilight knew.

“Can I ask you one thing…?” Twilight finally said, locking her eyes with the gaze of the alicorn.

“Go ahead,” Celestia of the past answered, still circling around the unicorn.

“Is there a way out of this place? I need to get back to my body, where my friends are,” Twilight spoke, strength returning to her voice. “I can’t waste any more time here.”

The alicorn stopped, gave a hint of a cold smile, and slowly nodded to her question.

“Indeed there is. If that was what you required, you should have said so in the first place.”

There was a horrible cracking sound, like a glacier had started collapsing under its own weight. Twilight hastily looked under her, to the direction of the screeching noise, and to her horror saw how the reflective floor under her had been cracked all over. The cracks spread faster than she could react, thousands of small faults spread into a vague shape of a circle that ended just before the alicorn. The space which Celestia of the past had been circling was quickly devoured by the vein-like cracks, and Twilight found herself in the middle of that brittle hell.

“Farewell, my student from the future,” the alicorn whispered. “I hope you remain loyal to me, even after this chance meeting.”

Twilight opened her mouth to answer. She took a single step forward, trying to rush to safety and to call for help. However, the moment she did that, the mirror-like floor under her burst into millions of fragments, shattering completely. The whiteness of the reality around her was suddenly tainted by a circle of something else, something that was hidden beneath the beautiful reflective floor. As she felt herself fall, Twilight turned her eyes towards what lied beneath her, and nearly screamed.

Utter blackness. So thick and so overwhelming that it swallowed anything that fell into her. Twilight could see nothing beyond that blackness, not even the fragments that had fallen before her. It was simply unforgiving darkness, non-existence, which awaited her there, underneath Unus Mundus.

For a split-second, Twilight realized the reason: after all, beyond the place where everything in the world stems from… can exist nothing.

Falling into the abyss, Twilight opened her mouth to call for help, but to no avail. In the emptiness, not even sound was allowed. She could only stare at the receding hole above her, through which she could still see the whiteness she had left behind. It was the future, the hope, which slipped from her hooves, leaving her plummeting deeper into the underlying intent of the world: nothingness. No, perhaps nothingness was not even the right word for it. For in nothing, everything can exist, and thus, by nature, it becomes every single possibility, muddled together.

In other words: chaos.

When the formless void finally engulfed her from all sides, to the point she could no longer even see the white light from the above, Twilight felt herself grow lighter. She did not even know if she was falling anymore. Everything seemed to have stopped, and yet, she felt like she was picking up speed. Her body shivered ever so slightly, but she heard no wind her ears. She sensed nothing, no matter how hard she tried. In some part of her mind that was still functioning properly, Twilight realized that she was slowly losing her self from diving into such place where no individual should have existed. A stray thought feebly flowed through her mind, a realization of the fact that if she truly was ‘something’ thrust into ‘nothing’, then the ‘nothing’ should have rejected her. However, she also began to understand that even if the true nothingness, the “ “, rejected her, she might not last long enough to see where she ended up in.

It was then that Twilight heard the song; a song that she remembered from her childhood. It was sung by a voice that belonged to the emotionless princess somewhere above… as well as to her beloved mentor.

Before we broke, we were free
Whole and pure as can be
Proudly carried, our golden chains
Unknown to sickness and pains
Thus grew the greed in our hearts
To teach all the ways our arts
The sky did shook, the earth did cry
And world with a whimper did die

We tried to return, when clouds did burn
Yet stood, perfectly still
Lost magic evoked, old order revoked
We left the house on the hill

Honest words left in red keep
Kindness buried in tunnels deep
Laughter was gone to hill white as a swan
Generosity into depths was drawn
Loyalty dead in the sands
Buried in the forgotten lands
Abandoned was our proof of magic
Along with our broken friendship

We tried to return, when clouds did burn
Yet stood, perfectly still
Lost magic evoked, old order revoked
We left the house on the hill
House on the hill

Thus, when the final echo of that sorrowful song faded from her head, Twilight Sparkle jumped up from her bed, opened her eyes, and screamed like a newborn filly.

The Kingdom of Heaven and Earth

by Bucephalus

Prologue

Chapter 1: The gray day

Chapter 2: End of the peaceful days

Chapter 3: Start of a journey

Chapter 4: The forest of secrets

Chapter 5: Amidst the ruins of memories

Chapter 6: Valley of radiant winds

Interlude: Quickening

Chapter 7: Challenge of the mountains

Chapter 8: Definition of teamwork

Chapter 9: The sweet scent of the past

Chapter 10: The heart of a warrior (Part 1: Lightning)

Chapter 11: The heart of a warrior (Part 2: Fire)

Interlude: Tyrant